If the "Men in Black" come and arrest your neighbor and say he's a "threat to national security"?

Question

...will you believe them? Or will you trust the fact that you've known the guy/gal for 20 years, borrowed eggs from his wife, helped him fix his lawnmower, had cook-outs with him and his kids?

Will you trust the relationship you have had with this person? Or will you turn your head and say, "He was arrested, that's all I need to know."
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9) Acting to strip United States citizens of their constitutional and human rights, ordering indefinite detention of citizens, without access to counsel, without charge, and without opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the Executive of a citizen as an "enemy combatant."

To ErinYes: I get your point, it's a valid point. Perhaps I could have come up with a better "analogy."

I'm trying to make a point.

And I'm not talking about "just any neighbor" - I'm trying to make the point that if you or I have lived with someone and worked with someone or are related to someone who has never done a wrong or illegal thing, even THEY can be "whisked away" for being outspoken against this president or this war - and that's just wrong.

To capnbill - I laughed my butt off at your answer. THANKS!

To Sam: EXCELLENT. You get it.

To "This Can't be Good" - GOOD FOR YOU!!! I'm very glad to hear that. It's a sane response.

Answer 1

You are probably going to get a lot of partisan answers here but this is not a partisan issue to me. Are the Bushies going to have the same response when a D president has the power which this administration has taken upon itself? It will happen at some time. We are a nation that was founded upon the rule of law, that rule of law is in serious jeopardy and only we can stand up to defend it. The government has only the power that we the people give it. When we sit idly by and watch rights being eroded, it is tragic. There have already been numerous people released from Guantanamo and secret prison camps. Are you telling me that these people were all guilty of some sort of terrorist plot? If so, why were they released? Why are we asking our soldiers to die for principles that we believe in while violating those very principles?

Would we have more terrorist attacks if we did not capture "enemy combatants" and hold them without trial? No one knows. But if we betray the legal principles that form the foundation of our society, we have nothing. Our nation was founded on a principle of limited government for a reason. The founding fathers believed that there was a natural order to society and that a free people with a representative government was a system that would survive in this natural order. How far have we already strayed from that ideal?

Answer 2

Guy I have known for 20 years and had over for cook outs and been friends with the family? I assume the government has made an error and do everything I can do to help him and his family clear up the error.

Answer 3

Erin, it isn't a matter of trusting people 100%. I would like to think that anyone with an ounce of common sense doesn't trust anyone 100% no matter how well they think they know a person.

This is an issue of who you trust (or would trust) more: a government full of liars who would do anything to further their agenda and silence opposition or the Joe next door who hasn't given you a reason to be suspicious? I'm with Joe. The men in black can kiss my azz.

Answer 4

depends, the neighbor on the one side i like better than the neighbor on the other side

certainly jumping up and down on youre truck in the driveway with a beer in youre hand and going Woo Hoo in the middle of the nite is a secret code for some kind of terrorist thing

Answer 5

having lived in Belfast NI, I was subjected to this treatment from the British Government. Of course the US did nothing, as the Brits were our alias. But let me tell you, living under those conditions causes people to fight back. When they do they are called terrorists. Funny that word, did you know the Brits called the boston tea party guys the same name?????

Answer 6

I am amazed at the number of people willing to trade their freedom for political gain. At the moment, our country is frightening in its move toward dictatorship...fueled by people who seem to cheer this kind of government.

They have been so inundated with fear that they use the possibility of terrorism to give up every right given to American citizens in our Constitution, never stopping to realize that, once given away, the strong possibility is that they will never come back.

The chances of being killed in a terrorist attack are far, far less than being killed in an automobile accident. In fact, more people are killed by faulty electrical devices in the U.S. than are killed by terrorists. We must remain alert to terrorism, make our country safe by closing borders and watching carefully, but we should not go the route of Nazi Germany, allowing average citizens to be hauled away.

At the moment, if that neighbor is led away, you will not dare protest it, even if you believe him to be a good, innocent person, because at the moment, they are passing a law, H.R. 1955, that will cause you to be arrested if you even speak of the injustices or protest his arrest.

Be very careful, Americans. We should protest these laws and fight for our Constitution, not fight each other.

Answer 7

under which Administration? If under Bush then I won't believe a dayum thing that man or his thugs says. I bet he’s itching to arrest Powell on counts that he knows too dayum much!

Answer 8

You can never really know someone until you have been on their bad side...and even then it's limited knowledge...this is a bad analogy, how many children have been hurt or molested by someone the family knew for years and trusted?

Answer 9

Write your congressman, senator, pass around a petion. Vote, somehow someway let others know.

Answer 10

Often, the "men in black", as you call them, manipulate situations as well as charges filed against a person, to work in their favor. I other words, too often, the "men in black" who are sworn to serve and protect only do so in order to protect their own crooked asses. They could care less about yours or mine, so I am inclined to trust my own judgment. Innocent until proven guilty, as it is supposed to be. A trusted friend is still a trusted friend regardless of what national security thinks about it all!