Oh Kharn
Kharn-
You are not going to get any arguments from me that 4,000 American innocents are worth more than 4,000 any innocents. What I am saying is that there is not much sympathy going to be given to the people who killed 4,000 Americans, not by Americans at least.
Innocent till proven guilty, yes. And I believe some of the prisoners on Cuba have been released because they were found to be innocent.
ANd yes, those bastards who were behind the bombing should roast. My position on this is totally nationalistic.
ANd if they could, they should roast again. ANd if there is a lot being said about them, I am also guessing that there are fewer of them then there used to be.
Do these folks deserve a trial, yes. ANd I think that the judicial branch should have the right to review the practices of the military in holding these folks captive. I am hoping that the legal system works out so that they do get their trial, and I am hoping that more people protest this.
Don't expect me to vote for Bush next election. There are times I even think of leaving.
But I certainly have more faith in this system than yours.
Nobody gets brought up on charges at the International Court of Justice. The International Court is a forum for nations, not people. There is an international criminal court, and yes, the US has decided to opt out, although it came close to joining a few times. There are also international criminal tribunals for certain cases - former Yugoslavia and Rwanda for example.
I doubt that there will be an international criminal court for Al-qaida. As you point out, one persons terrorist is another person freedom fighter. And its easy to turn your back or hold up your hands and say, what a tragedy. Like Bosnia and Kosovo. Its easy to recognize one part of a fractured country, realizing that recognition will lead to violent civil war and ethnic cleansing, especially if you won't take responsibility for it. But that's German sovereignty for you.
Its hard to take responsibility, but its easy to criticize and its easy to turn your eyes away even while you profit from it.
The reasons why the US opted out are complex, and they don't concern only the fear of propaganda against the US, or the danger of trumped up charges or even real charges against US heads of state or political officials (like Kissinger). The matter does have to do with jurisdiction and sovereignty. It also has to do with the importance of rule of law in this society, which is not found elswhere.
There are lots of problems with being labelled civilized. Generally you don't see to many Americans using that word. We don't always understand it.
For example, under old rules of international law, to be recognized as a sovereign country one had to be "civilized." This is old style international law. This was changed under the UN Convention, a convention written in New York and pushed by the US government.
It was this change, and the ommission of the idea of "civilized nations" that ended practices such as colonialism. After all it was ideas like "civilized" that allowed trading companies like the Dutch East India company to wipe out people in pursuit of trade. Of course that's history and the colonies are mostly no more- (even if it took years for countries to decolonize and often after long, bloody combat- like the Netherlands in Indonesia).
Personally I support the idea of more personal responsibility in international law. International criminal court, more international responsibility for companies too. I think it would be a wonderful thing if the other countries would pass a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act so that their companies would have some legal restraint in their business practices abroad.
Kharn, have the dutch passed a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act yet? Or Can Royal Dutch Shell do what it wants?
Has the Netherlands made up for Indonesia yet, Kharn?
Have the Netherlands taken responsibility for the fact that drugs from Amsterdam are spilling over into other countries, that laundered money from drugs throughout the americans and europe, and the money flows through Dutch banks?
Hypocricy is a big word. Its a difficult word too, even if its thicker than maple syrup, or oil.
If the Dutch were still a major power, as once they were, would the world be that much better a place? The track record ain't great, Kharn.
Does the US have blood on its hand. Oh yeah. Lots and Lots of blood.
That's hardly hypocricy. Hopefully the legacy of the past near 60 years is better than what came before that, but yes, there's a fair share of blood there.
Is that barbaric? Well that makes us brothers, doesn't it Kharn.
