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.

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.

Shalomkkll