Warning: Reading This May Cause Spontaneous Cranial Detonation

Brian Zick

In a piece headlined "On Prosecuting Detainees," R. Jeffrey Smith in WaPo writes about "a draft bill detailing procedures the administration is considering for bringing to trial those it captures in the war on terrorism, including some stark diversions from regular trial procedures." (This might generously be described as an "understatement.") The draft states that using the federal courts or existing military court-martial procedures to try suspects in the war on terrorism -- described formally as "alien enemy combatants" -- is "impracticable" because they are committed to destroying the country and abusing its legal processes. Or in other words, the Bush administration wants to dispose of "regular trial procedures" expressly because that's exactly what the alleged bad guys are committed to doing. The doctrine of "Preemptive Tyranny."

SPECIAL DEAL: Subscribe to our award-winning print magazine, a publication Bernie Sanders calls "unapologetically on the side of social and economic justice," for just $1 an issue! That means you'll get 10 issues a year for $9.95.

Get 10 issues for $19.95

Subscribe to the print magazine.