Dec. 04, 2001 - 18:21 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Ambivalent

There are some things that just don't make sense to me. Palestinians are using terror to try to effect a change in Israel. Seems to me that the Israelis are doing what we are doing in Afghanistan, and in our ultimate funk we are passing restrictive laws that could be kept on the books, by force to destroy any semblance of human rights here. Oh Yeah, we say that this will only apply to foreigners on our soil. Yeah right. My funny bone tells me that the way things are being set up that anyone can be snatched and imprisoned, without lawyers and with no contact with family. All because a minor official decided that person is guilty because, "I say he is, and anyway he is under suspicion and has no rights." Trial by peers in a court of law, with adequate defense and a right to appeal to a higher court - - - not any more Buster. A lot of this stuff now going on in a panic and made into law having no expiration date could be turned against all of us very easily.

I cannot believe the reassurances that are put forward.

Voting reform ? In a national election, why should any state arbitrarily decide to go the chad route ? If they want to foul their own sty in state elections so be it. But I think the process of voting in national elections should be uniform and especially accurate, with precautions taken so that every one can vote freely. Am I wrong?

Michele Ames a Rocky Mountain News staff writer has an article in this morning headlined, "Rights violated in anti-terror effort, lawyer says." This lawyer Gerald Goldstein of a San Antonio based law firm is one of the people who will testify before a congressional committee today (Dec. 4). Mr. Goldstein will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of the National Assocition of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His testimony comes while nearly 5,000 people are being questioned and there seems to be some doubt of how many are being detained. It has been estimated as several hundred up to two thousand.

Defense lawyers, often thought of as "Shysters," who are accused of keeping the guilty from being punished are the same corps of lawyers who any one of us would try to get to defend us when we are accused and who are illegally imprisoned. What can a civil lawyer do in defense of someone who has secretly been arrested and detained, to be tried by a Military Tribunal and secretly executed? By a Kangaroo Court where no case can be taken up to higher courts. What can a civil defense lawyer do in that case ? Hold his finger over the muzzle of the excutioner's guns?

I am beginning to wonder how soon we will be forced to have national "Good Guy" cards to move about our own city - or to go out of town or state ? How soon will all citizens have the tattooed Nazi style arms?

I hear uproars from all kinds of places about the Israelis killing innocent people -- what the heck are the terrorists doing with their shotgunning type of suicidal kamikaze type of misled people but killing the young and innocent ?

I am trying to come to grips with Afghanistan. We are in the process of blowing up a country supposedly in the Stone Age whose people are carrying sophisticated arms that were supplied to them when they were on our side. Say again, say what ? Will we have any success or will it be another Korea or, another Vietnam yadda yadda, will we again train and arm foreign troops in schools in our country to be used to violate human rights in South America ? . . .It seems to me that in our muddle we are doing the same things that we are accusing other countries of doing. There is a fancy dancy word for that, it is Ambivalent . . . . .

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