The right to a fair trial, the right to challenge one's
detention, the right to humane treatment - these are core human rights. They were a cornerstone of American values, until the Bush administration decided to sacrifice them for the purpose of making us "safe."
An important means of restoring human rights is to hold accountable those who violate human rights, either by un-American policies, or by their own direct actions. To "look forward" without independent investigation and prosecution, where appropriate, is to grant tacit approval to sacrificing human rights on the dubious altar of "public safety." Our representatives swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the U.S.; they do not swear an oath to "keep America safe." An America that is afraid to take risks in order to maintain our Constitutional values is an America that will go the way of the Roman Empire, losing its way into becoming just another bullying superpower. Our ideals are more powerful than bombs or bullets. Let us protect them!
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