washingtonpost.comJustice Department attorneys made the highly unusual request that Hayden's and Alexander's full arguments be stored in courthouse safes, be viewed only by judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and be kept out of sight of any other court personnel, including the judges' law clerks, because of the highly classified information the documents contain. Versions that do not convey classified information were also provided to the court.
"These declarations generally explain . . . the risks to national security imposed by the panel's decision," the Justice Department attorneys wrote.
The July 20 ruling centered on how much information detainees should be able to see about the Defense Department's decision to imprison them indefinitely as "enemy combatants." The appeals court ruled that the government must provide to judges and opposing counsel all information, including classified information, used by Combatant Status Review Tribunals in making such determinations. Courts need that information, the judges wrote, to properly determine whether the tribunals were fair to the detainees and whether the individuals should in fact be considered enemy combatants.
You know what? Enough already. To hell with the Justice Department's request for super secret decoder ring court proceedings. These people are being held without any type of human decency or respect. Civil Rights are more a cornerstone of our freedom, our way of life, and our security than CIA dirty tricks. Upholding the rights of any human being over the so called security measures of government is inherently more powerful then Extraordinary Rendition, secret prisons or Enhanced Interrogation Techniques.
But then, this is not about security for the country. This is about little boys in big boy bodies running around playing spy games.It's also about making sure we keep the darkies in their place.
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