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You’ll All Pay

© Joe Conat 2001

“To those who pit Americans against immigrants, citizens against non-citizens, to those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve.” – John Ashcroft

I don’t know about you all, but to me that sounds like “Shame on you, putting the Bill of Rights before the need to kick some immigrant ass.”

Maybe I’m naïve. I admit that politics, to me, is a confusing muddle of overwhelmingly pointless maneuvers. C-SPAN makes me sleepy. I’m sorry, man…I’d like to be all aware and junk, but, let’s face it…this stuff could get you through a root canal no problem.

But on September 11th, I was worried. About terrorists, yeah, but also because we have a Republican in the White House. And a Bush to boot. And to me that yelled out “incipient police state”. And, golly gee, turns out I may’ve been right.

It’s funny. We never seem to fuckin’ learn, do we? During WWII we thought it all good and dandy to round up every person of Japanese descent and lock ‘em away in desert compounds. You know…”for the safety of the American people”. Just in the past few years have we started doing the “Damn, man, I’m sorry, that was cold. Here’s some money” routine for those so interred or their descendents.

But we’re doing it again, aren’t we? I mean, to be fair, we’re not grabbing everybody who looks like they may be of Middle Eastern descent off the streets and shoving them into paddy-wagons. Just a bunch of non-U.S citizens. And then we detain them, without charging them, for months at a time. We listen in on conversations between them and their lawyers, something that would be completely unacceptable and unlawful were they American citizens. We hold secret trials, not with a jury of their peers, but military tribunals.

When I was growing up, I remember…I think it was Schoolhouse Rock…making a big point of America being the “melting pot”. You know, all colors and creeds and religions are welcome, c’mon in, be free. “Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles” as Emma Lazarus said. That was right before she said “”Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”

She had it. She knew. Imprisoned lightning, lightning in a bottle, and you know what that is? Voluntary citizenship, as Aaron Sorkin wrote in The American President “advanced citizenship”. And in exchange for our participation, we are given certain “inalienable rights” as laid down in the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America and GODDAMNIT JOHN ASHCROFT IS ADVOCATING THE VIOLATION OF THE FOUNDATION OF OUR COUNTRY!

Okay, you know what? I’m a liberal. You got me. Not a radical liberal, a moderate. I do believe that in certain cases the death penalty is A-OK. Absolutely. Shoot that fucker. Twice. But, you know…AFTER due process.

Let’s get into some remedial Civics:

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

So far, no Grand Juries that I know of. Sep. 11 was not a case “arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger”. Rather, it was the cause of a time of War or public danger. And involved civilians.

These poor bastards have been “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. Now, you know…I’m also not saying “Let them free.” If there’s a legitimate danger to our shores, fine, hold them, interrogate them…by the rules of our laws. I mean, the Bill of Rights isn’t just some wacky liberal tool to protect criminals and scumbags. There are provisions for the protection of the rest of the citizenry both from the scumbags and an overzealous gummint bent on tyrannical control of its subjects. There are rules. We’re supposed to follow the rules because it’s the following of the rules that makes us better than those fuckers.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence

This does not allow for military tribunals. I think it’s pretty clear. “Speedy and public trial”. That was put there specifically to abolish Star Chamber tactics. The Rosenbergs had a public trial. HUAC of all Satan-spawned mockeries of justice, had public “trials”. Somewhere, the shade of Joe McCarthy is cackling and saying “See? See?”

I’m so disappointed.

Maybe it’s appropriate that I write this on the sixtieth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack that got us into the war vs. this sort of oppression. Maybe that brings it all home a bit more. I mean…we’re the good guys, right?

Right?

No, I guess we’re not. We’re terrified sheep acting unreasoningly in our sense of panic. I want to be safe, don’t get me wrong. And I want the perpetrators of 9/11 punished, damn skippy. Shoot those fuckers. Twice. But not at the expense of what makes our country great.

I do. I think our country is the greatest in all the world. We’re not perfect, but it’s built into our system to allow for change. It’s required that we question our leaders and make sure they don’t do what John Ashcroft is doing. It’s our duty, damn it, it’s our job. And fuck John Ashcroft for implying that anyone who questions the way he persecutes suspected terrorists is un-American. To my mind, what he’s doing is un-American. Hey, Johnny boy, here’s a clue, free of charge: jingoism is not patriotism.

I’m a patriot. I love America. I love America. Not some thinly-veiled police state that happens to call itself America. And there is no way that Ashcroft can justify these actions and convince me that it’s American.

Sorry that this column isn’t amusing. Sorry. But I’m sad and pissed off and scared. We’re five minutes from listening for jackboots in the street and I’m upset because I grew up in a land where freedom was held higher than anything. And I wonder when I moved.

“You’ll All Pay” is written by Joe Conat. You can tell him to shut up at conat@martyandgroovechicken.com. He won’t listen, but what the hell, right?