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TagsJust when it seems that things can not get any worse in the United States, along comes another shameful decision in the Courts. On January 14, 2008, Democracy Now reported that the Court has ruled that the Guantanamo prisoners are not persons.
"Court: Gitmo Detainees Do Not Meet Definition of 'Person' . The D.C. Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by four British men who were held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The four men had sued former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top military officers for ordering torture and religious abuse. The judges effectively ruled that the detainees are not persons at all for purposes of U.S. law. The court ruling read in part 'Because the plaintiffs are aliens and were located outside sovereign United States territory at the time their alleged claim arose, they do not fall with the definition of 'person.' The ruling was issued on Friday just as thousands of human rights activists were gathering around the world to protest the sixth anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo."
Democracy Now
Did the Court confuse the definition of "person" with the definition of "citizen"? Even that would not justify this decision. Human rights and humanitarian law must prevail if the USA is to be considered a legitimate State. It can be argued that citizens should have special rights that are not afforded to non-citizens, though even that is debatable. It should never be argued that some among us are not human - not persons. A self-evident truth - all men are created equal with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That means that torture is never legal and that all men have the right to be free of imprisonment unless found guilty by a legitimate process.
One does not have to be a judge or a lawyer to understand what constitutes personhood. A national nullification of this Court Ruling is needed - make that a global nullification of everything that the US stands for until this ruling is reversed.
Personhood is the most basic and fundamental of all human rights. Any deviation from this belief should be met with worldwide protests. Protests, boycotts, and resistance on a global scale are needed.
Start with a global boycott of everything that is associated with, produced by, exported from or is in any way connected to the United States. Also all imports in to the US should be halted immediately by the exporting country. Imagine a United States with none of the imports that are considered to be necessities. Think no oil - no coffee - no chocolate. The absence of just those three commodities might be enough to bring the rogue courts in the USA to their knees.
This Court decision is reminiscent of another era in US history. During that shameful period in history some persons were not counted as people. The United States has not moved forward from that time. Prejudice is widespread, and even worse - it is still institutionalized in this country.
The Courts are responsible for the decisions made there, but the citizens are responsible for the actions of the Courts. The ultimate responsibility for the functioning of government lies with the citizens. It is now up to the people to take matters in their hands and reverse this Court ruling.
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