there is something rotten in denmark. there is something missing. what’s missing you ask? it’s that shield, that armor that protects you, the citizen, from the government, from oppression from the state. that shield is habeas corpus. latin for “you [should] have a body.” the writ of habeas corpus is an important instrument for safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action, such as illegal or unlawful imprisonment. and how is it gone? in the united states, it no longer exists. the military commissions act was put into law with the hancock of one george w. bush. amongst a backdrop of waspy suits, with a smirk on his face and a flick of his wrist, he took away one of the most important defenses an individual has. with that single signature, bush has said that the geneva conventions are not relevant unless he says so and that he can imprison anyone indefinitely.
consider the case of maher arar, a syrian born canadian citizen who was sent away to a secret prison by the united states government, only to be tortured by his syrian captors. then he was finally released and found to be innocent of all charges. consider his case: under current u.s. law, someone like him could be locked away, kept in prison indefinitely. forever. for the rest of his natural life. all without the opportunity to prove himself innocent.
no fair trial, no chance to prove one’s innocence, no future. sound un-american? well, you’d better get used to it, because it’s about to be as american as apple pie and baseball.
the united states as the bastion for freedom and human rights? yeah right. don’t piss in my face and tell me it’s raining.
the united states is losing on all fronts. it is losing in afghanistan. it is losing in iraq. And now the u.s. is losing its morality. they say that the human soul weighs 21 grams. but let me ask you this: how much does habeas corpus weigh? how much does morality weigh? how much does dignity weigh? if you’re an american, go weigh yourself right now. see how much you weigh after having lost all that extra stuff. really, the best advice for losing weight is to stay the course with the republicans. i guarantee by the time george w. bush is through, you’ll feel like you’ve just endured the most violent of crash-course diets. the bush regiment is harder on the body than a binge and purge diet, but it will get you results. and i guess you can’t argue with that.
farewell, america. nice knowing you. it was fun while it lasted. maybe we’ll see each other again sometime. chances are, if we do, you’ll be changed. ain’t that a shame.
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there is something rotten in 
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