ConNiPtioNs

I am a little worried about this so-called war on terrorism. It seems to me that this administration is using this "war" as an excuse to do whatever they please. If, indeed, this is a war then why are the 564 people being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba not prisoners of war (POWs)? As POWs they have rights under the Geneva Conventions (see Convention III Article 4), as "detainees" the Bush administration claims that they have no rights.

Also, under the Constitution we are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Yet, Attorney General John Ashcroft has arrested hundreds of what amounts to the "usual suspects" * on immigration violations. These people just happen to be Arabs or Muslims. The administration may be arguing that the Constitution does not apply to non-citizens but if Americans were being held in foreign prisons because they might commit a crime in the future there would be a huge outcry.

Anyhow, my point is that if they can do this now, what will stop them in the future from doing similar things to the rest of us.