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August 19, 2003

Hawash Note From b!X


Along with my luggage, following the Communique fell victim to my jaunt to Michigan. Here's an oldish entry from b!X regarding Mike Hawash's recent guilty plea. Somewhere back in the PuddingTime! archives there's some crowing from people I'll only describe as rabid enemies of due process. My own urge to call them worse and accuse them of know-nothing chuckleheadism fell by the wayside in the face of some deadlines for paying work. b!X does a better job than I was managing anyhow.

Posted by mph at August 19, 2003 08:13 PM

Comments

More U.S. as Evil Empire? C'mon, he was guilty of treason during wartime. In most of the countries he was fighting for, he'd have been tortured and executed by now.

And please don't revise history. The whining from his supporters included steadfast proclamations of his innocence, and accusations of discrimination based on national origin. All of which were false.

Posted by: jack bog at August 19, 2003 09:37 PM

Jack,

The "whining" from *some* of his supporters, notably personal friends, did indeed include proclamations of his innocence. But when I go to b!X's site and look at the signs he took pictures of at a rally, I see slogans like:

"Due process for Mike Hawash," "Citizens Have Rights: No Secret Justice," "Stop Religious and Racial Profiling," "What are the charges?," and "Unjust detainment = internment camps."

I don't know how you'd know he wasn't treated differently because of his national origin, and I take the most issue with people claiming he was, personally: it's beside the broader point, which b!X addressed and which you choose to ignore, except with the worst part of your comment: that absurd "other countries would treat him worse" line of reasoning.

So what? Following that thought, we're left with a rationale for making this country no better than any other when it comes to civil rights and due process because "it could be worse." Sure it could be worse. This country has stood against the tide of "worse" for centuries, when it hasn't momentarily lost its way in the midst of hysteria, not unlike the post-traumatic stress symptoms Ashcroft and his disciples have been displaying for the past two years.

Posted by: mph at August 19, 2003 10:17 PM

Shalomkkll

Posted by: Lolita at October 11, 2003 06:08 AM