by James Glaser
July 20, 2005

I believe if an American citizen is overseas and is suspected of a crime, he will have to live through what ever that country's court system holds for him. But if that same American is a suspect here in our country, he should be treated according to our country's laws.

Jose Padilla is an American citizen who was arrested in the United States (Chicago) on suspicion of planning a terrorist act against our country. Hey, I say fine, arrest him, charge him, get him a lawyer if he can't afford one, and give this American citizen his day in court. Padilla is innocent, like all Americans are innocent, until he is proven guilty. At least that is how America worked pre-George Bush.

Before George Bush became President, Americans who were arrested were innocent until they were proven guilty in a court of law. George changed the rules, and now all bets are off. An American citizen can rot in a cell forever if this President has his way.

Yesterday Padilla's lawyer, Andrew Patel said to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, "I may be the first lawyer to stand here and say I'm asking for my client to be indicted by a federal grand jury."

George Bush's Justice Department claims that the Bush administration has the authority to order the indefinite detention of "enemy combatants," and that it is vital to have this authority to fight terrorism. Padilla's lawyers question if it is right to hold an American citizen in indefinite detention.

Padilla may be a very bad man. He may have wanted to kill thousands of Americans, but on the other hand, maybe he didn't, and the Government made a mistake. It seems to me that all the Justice department has to do is charge him and prove in court what they believe to be true.

Jose Padilla has been sitting in a cell for over two years with no charge against him, and here is the "kicker." ABC News reports, "In December 2003, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled that the Bush administration lacked the authority to designate Padilla an "enemy Combatant." The ruling was thrown out in June, 2004 when the US Supreme Court declared that the case should have been filed in South Carolina rather than New York. Attorneys for Padilla filed the appeal in Spartanburg, S.C., where a US District Court judge ordered the government to either charge Padilla or release him.

Of course the Bush Justice Department decided rather than charging Padilla or releasing him, they would play more court games, using our money. No doubt this has cost millions already, as we are paying for both sides.

If the Bush administration doesn't have any proof that Padilla has committed any crime, then it is plain and simple, they are torturing the man. Holding an American citizen, and taking all his rights away from him, and refusing to even charge him with a crime is out and out torture. Every day he sits in that cell with no idea of what is happening to him and by now he is sitting there with no hope. We are talking years of sitting.

I know the Bush administration is into torture. They have done it in Afghanistan where they kicked suspects to death, while they were chained to a wire ceiling. We have seen some of the photos of what we did to suspects in Iraq. There are other photos, but the Bush administration will not allow the American public to even see them because they are so awful. We have hundreds of people in cages down in Cuba and on top of all of this, when Bush and his people really want to hurt someone, we take them to countries that are really good at torture. I am not making this up. This administration is sick.

Now they are torturing American citizens. If Padilla is guilty, then I say hang him or give him the appropriate punishment, but don't keep the guy in solitary confinement year after year. I mean, does that sound like the Soviet Union or what? What is Bush doing to our country?