Via commenter Phil Smith, I have learned that the Obama Administration, through Solicitor General Elena Kagan, is making the morally outrageous claim that the 17 Chinese Uighars who were captured by U.S. troops on the demonstrably false assertion that they were terrorists, held at Guantanamo Bay and tortured/enhancedly interrogated have no right to be released in the United States.
The Obama administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to reject a request for a hearing from 17 Chinese Muslims currently being held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, arguing they have no right to come to America despite a district judge’s orders last Fall that they immediately be brought to the U.S. and released.
“Petitioners are free to return to their home country, but they understandably do not wish to do so, because they fear inhumane treatment there,” reads the filing, signed by US Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Assistant Attorney General Tony West, and other Justice Department officials. “Petitioners are also free to go to any other country that is willing to accept them.”
Of course, right now no country is willing to accept them. Why? The biggest excuse is that they won’t accept them because the U.S. won’t. So the bottom line is that the Uighar captives are free to either stay in prison or go back to China where they will almost certainly be killed. There’s a lovely choice for you.
But don’t worry, says Obama–even though they’re in prison, it’s a really nice prison!
“In contrast to individuals currently detained as enemies under the laws of war, petitioners are being housed under relatively unrestrictive conditions, given the status of Guantanamo Bay as a United States military base,” Kagan writes, saying they are “in special communal housing with access to all areas of their camp, including an outdoor recreation space and picnic area.” They “sleep in an air-conditioned bunk house and have the use of an activity room equipped with various recreational items, including a television with VCR and DVD players, a stereo system, and sports equipment.”
Yes, because who would want to be free to live their own lives as they see fit when they could have a stereo and sports equipment?
In my opinion, one of the worst things that can happen to a person is to be accused of a crime they didn’t commit and imprisoned. Now I’ve learned that there is something worse that can happen. You can be accused of a crime you didn’t commit, then have the government that imprisoned you acknowledge that yes, you are innocent–but they’re going to keep you in prison anyway.
“Can we be even more morally obtuse than the Bush Administration?” “Yes we can!”
