Kiss The Criminal

Gizmo

Well, it looks like everyone's got their knickers in knots about Gitmo and the abuse of a book. For the record, I like books and am generally bummed out when I hear that they're mistreated. On the other hand, I tend to buy mostly paperbacks and when I'm through with them they're usually bent, stained, slightly torn and smell like my fingers (i.e. warm butt). Does that make me a hypocrite? Probably. But the future of Gitmo seems to hinge on things other than books. A lot of Lefties like to rail and squawk about "abuse" at our detention facilities, but I don't understand why. It seems to me that most Americans – regardless of their political views – strongly support locking people in metal cages for long period of time; sometimes until they die. Sure, there are societies that are far more primitive, cruel and murderous than ours… but I really don't know anything about those societies because I'm an ethnocentric jerk. I do, however, know a little about the criminal justice system in my own country. I know that it is growing bigger every day. That American prisons are not fun places to be. That people who aren't in prison are perfectly content to ignore and/or detest those inside. We are a lock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key culture. From what I understand of American history, this hasn't always been the case. People used to be punished physically, through elaborate commitments to restitution, public shame, etc. Sometimes I wonder if our society isn't simply becoming one big lynch mob – addicted to the intoxicating power of exacting harsh justice. Think of it. Who among our political leaders ever speaks of forgiveness? Why, if they did they'd be branded a communist hippy utopian pussy and promptly fired. No, it simply will not do.

I don’t think that Liberals want to close Gitmo because they want the inmates treated better, or even because they think that it'll help our "image" abroad. (Biden's comments on this are well-stated but miss the point; to be primarily interested in our "image" is to be inherently and transparently propagandistic). I think they simply have a generalized aversion to the powerful lording it over the weak, and they see America as being supremely powerful. This antipathy for brute authority (enhanced by a natural psychological affinity for the underdog) fuels much of the anti-war, anti-imperial, and anti-Gitmo mania. But if this is so, where is the outrage at what is happening to our very own non-terrorist brethren? Heck, even the British go to great lengths to keep their citizens from standing trial in America because a) we give people life sentences, and b) we believe in killing prisoners. Frankly, much of the western world thinks our prison system is kinda barbaric. I guess all this leads me to believe that people are carrying on about Gitmo because they don't like the war. And let's face it, we can't do anything about the war and moving prisoners out of Gitmo is a smaller and more attainable goal.