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| Attorney General Eric Holder 2011 |
Looking at the 2011 reports of the decision by United States Attorney General Eric Holder to decide to have a Military Tribunal prosecute the Terrorist's held at the Guantanamo, U.S. Military Detention facility (also known as "GITMO") should end the public debate on prosecution. Such debates are nothing new in American history.
History tells us that in order to stop Islamic Piracy against the U.S. and other country's ships off the coast of North Africa, President Thomas Jefferson debated with the founding fathers of the new America as to how to stop the attacks on American ships being hijacked at sea, and Americans being placed in slavery by the Islamic Pirates.
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| Thomas Jefferson |
This problem was debated for years until President Jefferson made the decision to go to "WAR" with the pirates. Known as the "Islamic Wars" , 1801 - 1805, America did not have a war time Navy, yet used the shipping privateers to transport U.S. Marines and Navy to fight the war off the coast of North Africa. He formed a coalition with Great Britain, the motherland of most Americans at the time, to protect America's ships from piracy. When the agreement was stopped America was on it's own to protect it ships and people.
This was not a signal that Jefferson or the founding fathers of the United States of America were anti Islamic. History tells us that Jefferson and James Madison first proposed the "Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom" ( the basis of the First Amendment to the Constitution in 1779) The preamble to the statute began; "well aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free." However Patrick Henry and devout Christians attempted to replace the words "Jesus Christ" from "Almighty God". Henry and the Christians were rebuffed. This was interpreted by Jefferson that Virginia's representatives wanted the law "to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohammedan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination."
(first published by Christopher Hitchens, Jan. 9,2007)
link http://www.slate.com/id/2157314
This was not a signal that Jefferson or the founding fathers of the United States of America were anti Islamic. History tells us that Jefferson and James Madison first proposed the "Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom" ( the basis of the First Amendment to the Constitution in 1779) The preamble to the statute began; "well aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free." However Patrick Henry and devout Christians attempted to replace the words "Jesus Christ" from "Almighty God". Henry and the Christians were rebuffed. This was interpreted by Jefferson that Virginia's representatives wanted the law "to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohammedan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination."
(first published by Christopher Hitchens, Jan. 9,2007)
link http://www.slate.com/id/2157314
It was a war against the CRIMES against the American People, yet Jefferson was hesitant to enter into this conflict. In 1786 Jefferson would have to deal directly with the tenants of the Muslim religion. The Barbary States of North Africa were using the ports of today's Algeria, Libya and Tunisia to wage war through piracy and enslavement against all shipping that passed through the Straits of Gibraltar. As a result of the decision to enter into war, he established what we now know as the United States Navy.
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| Ottomon Empire 1300's - 1856 |
Some Muslim nations show us that this is nothing new but rather conflicts of more than 200 years of on/off history. The conflicts are often based on religious zealots and extremists who follow the interpretations of the Kuran as to representations that Tripoli's Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman of England told Jefferson;
"the right was founded on the
laws of the Prophet. He further
explained that it was written in the
Koran, that all nations that do not
answer their authority were sinners,
that it was their RIGHT and DUTY
to make war on them where ever they
could be found"
"the right was founded on the
laws of the Prophet. He further
explained that it was written in the
Koran, that all nations that do not
answer their authority were sinners,
that it was their RIGHT and DUTY
to make war on them where ever they
could be found"
Today 200+ years later the United States and it's allies find a repeat of history, both in war, conflict and even within conflict of the ideology of the American appeal. In Jeffersonian times, the problem was piracy and the attack on American shipping, enslavement and even murder of Americans. Today, 2011 the crimes leading up to our wars in Afghanistan is the result of CRIMES committed against America. We call it "911".
Therefore, the debate as to the prosecution of captured "terrorists" who are now sitting, lingering in Guantanamo Military Prison, for civilian criminal trials in American Courts or Military Court is based on the interpretation by Attorney General Eric Holder's claim of constitutional rights for the prisoners versus a Military Tribunal. Since the accused were captured during war conflict a delayed action for a period of more than 4 years, seems like the same time period that it took Jefferson to declare War on the Barbary Coast pirates.
"HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF"
Having the view of this conflict with nations in the middle east, Americans should consider the history of the American conflict in the early 1800's to today's war involvement.
America has decided these prisoners, "enemy combatants" and will be tried in a Military Tribunal, in Guantanamo, therefore not bringing the WORLD'S criminals onto American soil.
WE SHOULD EXAMINE AMERICAN HISTORY -
IT HELPS ANSWER TODAY'S QUESTIONS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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