Patriotic to be mad

Normally I don't get particularly passionate about politics, especially in the country that I have only recently adopted as my own, but it's because I love America that I'm angry.

Glenn Berry, a workmate of mine who served in the marine corp said it beautifully:

When I was growing up and when I served in the Marine Corps during the Reagan Administration, there was never any doubt in my mind that we Americans were the "good guys", and that the United States was a force for good in the world.

But last night the senate passed a bill that suspends Habeas Corpus. No, this isn't the President's bill, but one that has been a more reasonable alternative. The Daily Kos has a very insightful article.

What is Habeas Corpus? Basically it is the right to a fair trial. It gives detainees the right to appeal to a court about the validity of their incarceration. Without it, any "enemy combatant" (who, by the way is anyone the government decide to call one - no evidence needs to be presented) can be detained indefinitely.

Furthermore, though this bill doesn't try to redefine what constitutes torture (like the bush bill) is denies the right of anyone who IS tortured to appeal to a court about their treatment. [Section 6, Page 55 - PDF]

America has long prided itself on it's morals and it's fierce defence of individual human rights. This has been the lynch pin of the judicial system since the Founding Fathers declared independence. In fact they though it to be so important that in Article 1 of the constitution they wrote:

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

If we win a war by playing by the same dirty rules as others, does that make us better? or just a bigger bully?