Remember, this is the Press Secretary of the United States* speaking, the official voice of the administration, saying that if we give these people legal rights they will kill us all. None the less, this is a win for all of us. albiet a small one. * Also known as "the lying sack of cute"
They would be deported to their country of origin or whatever country that they are actually a citizen of. If those countries won't take them back then they are held in detention until a host country will be willing to accept them. At least, this is my recollection of cases when foreign undesirables would otherwise find themselves free to travel around the country. Even diplomats of some embassies are only allowed to travel a limited distance from their embassy. In those cases that come to mind they were communist Russians and Chinese. Sometimes, those attached to their embassies were caught as spies and expelled. I really can't imagine that they would be allowed to exit a courtroom to walk freely about. If they are set free to roam about then we would probably have Taliban restaurants - seating allowed to all those with beards and black turbans.
Funny joke. Remember in the aftermath of 9/11 American citizens were demanding revenge, so Afghanistan was invaded and some "culprits" rounded up by various means, including very high bounty money to anyone fingering someone they didn't like. Remember the "Taliban" were just the governing party, the good guys who'd kicked the Commie Red Russians out when they'd invaded. Inevitably a fair number of innocents were thrown in the can. And then the USA proceeded to shoot itself in the foot and every other limb and orifice, and made the Land of Freedom & Justice a sick joke around the world. Luckily there are still a few dozen Americans who think a civilised country needs some civilised rules, but the majority don't give a damn. Their attention span has been spun, they're bored with that program and they've forgotten the plot anyway. Once Bush has gone everything will miraculously be sorted out overnight, so no need to worry now about a few foreigners locked up without trial, they won't mind waiting a bit longer. Besides, they're obviously guilty or they wouldn't be locked up.
I thought that the Mujahideen kicked the Russians out (with the help of our shoulder fired stingers). Then, the Taliban eventually took over. I doubt if many of these detainees have valid passports if any. Illegal aliens are deported whenever a case can be brought against them. Sometimes, it's while they're waiting (or hiding) that they run their restaurants.
Just a generic name for any number of local warlords and their followers. With no Russians to fight they fought each other and the Taliban lot won. But just remember, Mujahideen=good guys, Taliban=bad guys, and don't dig too deep.
And neither were the West's enemies until the US and Uk invaded. Also, alot of the detainees have not been given due process and have not been proven to be any threat at all in the law courts. The US is relying only on the 'intelligence' agencies for evidence, the same ones who reckoned Iraq had weapons of mass destruction! BTW, are you from Hexthorpe in Donny? Ecky Thump's what we call peeps from there.
*sigh* Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Historically, we suck at colonialism, and pretty much every regime change that we've backed has blown up in our faces. Honestly, I'm a fair moderate on many issues, but I grow incensed when our citizens feel somehow the constitution should only apply to those who were born here. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were ideals that were crafted as the American way, and our law and justice is only as real as we choose. It's easy to offer leniency to your own - but the true sign of a just man is whether he can be just to his enemies. As Nexxo is so, so fond of saying... "When you're the good guy, you just don't have the same options as the bad guy." Last I checked, the old pledge of allegiance ended with "And liberty and justice for all..." - I guess I missed the part where detainees, foreigners, people of the Muslim faith, and other loopholes made their way in as not being part of the "all." The whole concept of Guantanimo violates our constitution and our principles, and it's a shame that the nebulous concept of terrorism has imparted most of my countrymen with such weak stomachs as to not be capable to stand up for our principles and instead hide behind the fear that everyone of middle-eastern descent is a bomb-toting maniac. Sorry for the semi-off-topic rant, but it really scares me how quickly people want to "defend" my country, and yet pay no mind that their defense undermines its core, founding ideals.
Well, right at the start the Constitution didn't apply to anyone not white, male, and upper/middle-class.
