Mr.Man?: Rubbish and abuse redneck then of course you do have to answer his arguements eh? What a gutless small minded, closed minded, small brain pack of twits, like a pack of wolves. We agree lets turn on the one who dares disagree with us noble, all-knowing intelectuals. What mind blowing arrogance,but of course you see
yourselves as the fonts of all wisdom eh? Pathetic twits. numbat

Minister Downer is a $300 million joke.

To Mr Plantagent.

Enemy captives do not need to be tried. They can be incarcerated until hostilities cease. Acknowledge that point as legally right or legally wrong. People caught on a battlefield who are not wearing uniforms universally recognised as those of legally recognised governments under whom they fought, are not recognised as POW’s under the Geneva Convention. Acknowledge that point as being legally right or legally wrong.

Provided the Americans follow their own laws and keep Hicks and his mates in Guantanamo Bay, they are obeying the laws of United States. If that is not the case, then the US High Court must intervene. But it won’t. Legally, the Yanks have got you.

The argument that you and all the other American haters put forth is a moral one. But there are two moral principles at stake here, not one.

Your mob claim that terrorists must either be considered POW’s or be tried as criminals. You do have a point there because prior to the War of Terror, that has always been the case. But governments who fight a modern war using the tactics of the last one are doomed to fail, and the Americans (who were the first to even propose that POW’s should not be considered criminals) have changed their tactics to suite their new enemy. They rightfully will not consider terrorists based in lawless foreign countries who flit around the globe on international airliners, and who commit mass murder and then commit suicide, as mere criminals. They are obviously correct. The US is also correct to refuse them POW status. If US laws do not yet recognise that essential truth, then in time they will.

The yanks created a law several years ago by which anyone, who had "recently" arrived in USA, could be sent back to their home country if they committed a crime - even as small as not paying driving fines.
The Guantanamo Bay is an area rented from Cuba, so maybe it can't be described as USA property, so maybe "recently arrived'" criminals can't be deported.
The yanks can twist the law and the language in any way they want, so that young man who was found in area where the locals were trying to resist the Russians certainly has a dim future.
When and where did he marry? His wife has an Islamic name - did he meet her in Afghanistan?

Tregenna