Know Your Rights

During the Nineteen thirties and forties a group of our own 'Race' we're so horrifically abused it's beyond belief.

1.6 Million of them were forced into Labour Camps. Conditions were appalling, they had minimum sanitation, provisions or warmth, disease was rife and their chances of survival were less than 50%.... These however, were the lucky ones.

18 Million others were forced into extermination camps [Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Chelmno, Majdanek and Auschwitz]. Their chances of survival? No one knows exactly, how do you count bodies when all that's left is Ash. [Some estimates put it as high as 11 million people!].

Why did this happen? In between the megalomania, xenophobia and pure insanity, fundamentally the cause was that no individual had 'rights' afforded to them in any way, they were dehumanised. International Law and the Geneva Convention were held in such a low esteem by their captors, that both were completely ignored.

[I don't know about you, but when I read that it makes my stomach turn and my heart heavy :-( ]

But maybe there's hope in there somewhere. Maybe we've progressed sufficiently as a Global Society to believe that the abuse of a group of individual's 'rights' could not happen again. Surely within our own civilised 'western' society we wouldn't forsake anyone these, no matter what his or her values, creed or colour.

But we'd be wrong wouldn't we.

In January 2002, hundreds of 'captives' we're interned by the USA. As above, tortured, detained without evidence and detained without their 'rights' under International Law afforded to them. None of them have been brought before a 'competent tribunal' to determine their status, as required by Article 5 of the Third Geneva Convention. Their incarceration in Guantanamo Bay is even unlawful under America's own laws...

So here we are on a very 'Slippery Slope'... On a path which our leaders have decided on. A path where our 'civilised' society has decided once more it can 'Pick and Choose' which laws we 'do or do not' want to obey. Have we learnt nothing from history? The road the US has taken is a extremely frightening one, for all of us. If we take away a single individuals rights, you take away far more, you take away everyone's freedom.

'Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.' - Abraham Lincoln - 1859

So then George can you live up to old Ab.? What's your 'Final Solution' then?

'Remember, these are - the ones in Guantanamo Bay, killers. They don't share the same values we share' - G.W.Bush - 2002.

Fcuk !!! So now in the world according to Bush, it's fine to imprison individuals without trial because they have different values to him! :-/

If they're murderers or terrorists George prove it, or let them go. [Remember 'Innocent until proven Guilty'?] If they're prisoners of war; soldiers, then treat them as such and afford them that status. [And now the war in Afghanistan is over, I think you will find you're meant to return them!].

Oh and Shit George, I really hope I don't share the same 'values' as you, even if that does mean I have to forfeit all my rights as an individual...

'Quis Custodiet ipsos custodes'

Ciao Ciao
Confused From Chichester

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