DISQUS

Erick · 9 months ago

You say...
"I wonder what it would take to get us back to a society where we honor the hard worker, shun the free loader, and don’t look at the successful as some kind of disease that should be punished and oppressed. What will it take to get us to a point where we are understanding but not to the point it is a detriment on society. When will we stop indulging the criminals? How do we get back to not looking for someone else to blame for our misfortune or our deeds. "

Two words...Nuclear war.
It's sad to say, but we as humans will never think something is important until what we value most is pushed to the brink of destruction. One will not admit they have an addiction to porn until their marriage is almost destroyed (assuming their marriage is that important to them). One will not admit they have a drinking problem until they are diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and have 6 months to live (assuming their life is that precious to them).
It is not until humans hit the bottom of the barrel will they pick themselves up and make a change. What they cherish most needs to be threatened and then and only then will they make a change. Sometimes a reset is all you need when a system has gotten completely out of control.

Norman Tran · 9 months ago

The American judicial system gives benefit of the doubt to the accused. Thus, people who are innocent of crimes are less likely to be convicted. With this in mind, if we look at the circumstances under which the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay have been captured and are being kept, we can see that we are violating our principles. Men are taken from their countries without trial, and held, without trial. The defense lawyers for these men have said the military tribunals are little more than theater.

Don't get me wrong. I don't claim to be completely informed about Guantanamo. But best case scenario, we're holding real terrorists and keeping us safe. Worse case scenario, even one of the people held there isn't guilty of anything. Held for months, years with no chance of release. Either way we look like bullies internationally when we don't afford the same legal rights to these people as we do ourselves. There was a time in the past when legal systems consisted of detainment with no trial. If you were innocent of your crime, too bad.

It's complicated. A matter of principles versus an immediate way to contain threats to our security. I can't say I would know how to handle the great onus that is U.S. national security. Perhaps Obama will come to regret closing Guantanamo in such a manner. But I understand why he wants to.