George Bush on the deaths of three inmates at Guantanamo:

'"There are some that, if put out on the streets, would create grave harm to American citizens and other citizens of the world. And, therefore, I believe they ought to be tried in courts here in the United States," he added.' news.bbc.co.uk

Some have been in Guantanamo for four years without even being properly charged, let alone tried. If Bush thinks they should be tried in courts in the US, then why haven't they been? What's the hold up?

I had the same thoughts when I read that. On CNN, bush was quoted as saying that he was waiting for the Supreme Court to make a decision. That is so much BuShtalk, considering that the administration has placed people at Guantanamo top avoid their being under US law.

From the link : [Rear Admiral Harris said] " They are smart. They are creative. They are committed. They have no regard for life, either ours or their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us"

Warfare? Quietly killing yourself in a cell is warfare, is it? Must say 'warfare' is not a term that springs readily to mind. And perhaps asymmetrical warfare is even worse ! No doubt the Rear Admiral and his colleagues in the military hope that all terrorists adopt this 'warfare' in future instead of the forms of warfare that they 'wage' at present. Just wait and watch, eh ?

It gets worse...

'A top US official has described the suicides of three detainees at the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a "good PR move to draw attention".' news.bbc.co.uk

If it hadn't been a good PR move for anti-US fundamentalism before she spoke, some will certainly see it that way now. How crass.

Even assuming these really were evil men, the worst terrorists or Taliban, hasn't the US made a mess of dealing with them? They should have been charged and tried, or held as something closer to PoWs. Isn't it imprisoning them for years without charge or trial, and circumventing internationally recognised conventions, that has created the PR coup?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by newnickname:
It gets worse...

'A top US official has described the suicides of three detainees at the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a "good PR move to draw attention".' news.bbc.co.uk

Hey, you Americans do understand irony. The top official, Ms Graffy, is the " Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy ", Now that either says a lot for the American sense of humour or it says a lot about what passes for diplomacy in America. Honestly, does anyone need to wonder why people outside hate America ? It doesn't need a best-selling book to explain it does it ?

Incidentally the British always left hunger strikers for the terrorist IRA to die in jail. If that's what these men wanted then that was fine by us. Better that than be force-feeding them. We would take the same attitude to other forms of suicide. Whilst we would not enable it, if someone was successful in spite of measures to prevent it then that was their wish and that was that.There is absolutely nothing to be gained in the propaganda war by making a big fuss over it or making inflammatory and crass statements like the Rear Admiral's or this 'diplomat's'. And experience showed that the hunger strikers rarely persisted once they'd discovered that we would not intervene Apart from anything personal to them, the impact was lost after a couple had died.

PS A quick search reveals that there were 105 cases of suicide in Britain's jails in 2002. So it's no novelty to us .

quote:

Incidentally the British always left hunger strikers for the terrorist IRA to die in jail. If that's what these men wanted then that was fine by us. Better that than be force-feeding them. We would take the same attitude to other forms of suicide. Whilst we would not enable it, if someone was successful in spite of measures to prevent it then that was their wish and that was that

I agree, if this is what they want, who am I to argue. Let it be.