by James Glaser
June 17, 2002

We have all seen the movies, where in the middle of the night the secret police come and take away the hero or there is a knock on the door and the police are asking "may we see your papers please." Not here, not in America have we ever had to worry about our government. Well if you didn't look as if you were from Japan or you are black or maybe a Indian. OK, OK white Americans have never had to fear their government.

Now however I am starting to hear little jokes about the FBI coming to get you or "either you are with us or against us." These jokes are the start of Americans coming to terms with the fact that our President can name any one of us "Enemy Combatants" even if we never had a gun nor fired a shot. Just the Presidents wish can put anyone of us away forever. No lawyer, no charges, no trial date, just limbo forever.

President Bush did swear to uphold the Constitution when he became President, but just maybe he had his fingers crossed. Presidents can't declare war, but George did. Presidents of these United States have never in the past threatened countries, calling them names, but George does. America has never been the country to start a sneak attack, but George Bush likes a "first strike policy." Some countries have always kept a neutral stance when it comes to foreign policy and they have always been non violent. George Bush has taken that option of non violence away from the world with his ultimatum, "Either you are with Us or you are with the Terrorists."

I can believe that there are countries that want to say "leave us out of this, those terrorists don't hate us" George will not allow that. Every country has to be dragged into this one. George has already said that this war will never end. Now he wants a world war that will never end. I think what he means is that this war on Terrorism will never end while he is President. Just maybe George has decided he will be President for life, but he hasn't told us yet.

In the United States of America, people have always known that those in Washington would have to justify any citizen being imprisoned in a court of law. Part of the "checks and balance" of our constitution. George Bush has decided that he doesn't need that court system nor do we as Americans need the protections that the Constitution affords us.

We now have three, born in America, citizens sitting in Federal Military Prisons on the say so of the justice department and George Bush. John Walker Lindh, the white one has lawyers and will get a trial. Jose Padilla and Yasser Esam Hamdi, the "Colored" two have nothing. No lawyer, no trial date, and no hope. No hope, and a terrorist is made.

People will say it is a real stretch to bring in the race card on this, but that is how it is going. John Walker Lindh has a family with the means to fight for his freedom. That means they have the money to buy a defense. The other two that happen to be nonwhite have no money and no family backing and so they are treated like so many nonwhite Americans that face the judicial system, no lawyer and most important, no one fighting for them. That isn't race, that is the way America is. It is just a fact Jack....... Our race card in America is green.