August 22, 2004, They hate us for our freedom (continued)
As usual, I have to go to sources from over there to get the news from over here. One of my favorite sources, as you know, is the People's Daily from Beijing (irony is not lost on the Mainland Chinese, even as it's lost on most Americans). Hence, this little story that our good old Pentagon has declared ten Gitmo detainees to be "properly" unlawful combatants, and hence, its illegal and unconstitutional practice of holding these people to torture them for no reason will continue.
Apparently, up to thirty-one cases were "reviewed" by the Pentagon, and while we don't know of any "acquittals", apparently, at least ten of the (unconstitutional and illegal) detentions have now been declared cricket, as the torturers have decided to reward themselves by declaring what they are doing as "lawful".
The irony of going to a Chinese source is not lost on me; the People's Daily makes it pretty clear that China has its own axe to grind, including the Pentagon's decision (announced by Secretary of State Powell) not to return 22 Gitmo detainees from "East Turkistan" to their nation of origin, i.e. China (China's Westernmost province, Xinian, known as "Sinkiang" when I was growing up, apparently has its own share of Islamist terrorists). For these 22, the United States will find "somewhere" to send those prisoners, besides China (perhaps Syria or Iran might be interested in them).
It seems that whatever insane hubris is leading us to continue to hold hundreds of people for no good reason without counsel, charge, or compliance with international law, while OBL and A.Q. leadership continues to be out there laughing at us, is interfering with more international relationships than even I knew of.
I was certainly aware that dozens of countries were pissed at us for unlawfully detaining their nationals (at Gitmo and elsewhere); I didn't realize one of them was China. Well, now we know.