On The Third Hand

Wednesday, 16 Jan 2002

Despite my previous non-serious post, I am a bit worried about the way the US is treating prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Especially in the area of "trials". We need to prove to the uncivilized world that we are civilized. We need to rub the noses of those in the civilized world who consider us uncivilized in the same fact.

I'm not particularly worried about shaving heads and beards. I once caught head lice from a housemate who worked with children... I'd happily shave my own head to get rid of them, if I had no other way. The only other option the military had to delouse them would have involved the prisoners standing around for about a half hour -- in winter -- with wet heads and beards. I think that would truly have been inhumane. As for the cages, Cuba is a tropical country... it's likely those cages are more comfortable than an enclosed room.

However, despite the fact that these people are dangerous fanatics, I do think there should be some attempt to give them some privacy and some comfort. There needs to be a bit more balance here; the treatment they are getting now will only make them more determined to become martyrs. Admittedly, even housing them in a 5-star hotel might get the same reaction, but there is always the chance we could throw them off-balance if we don't act like 'the Great Satan'. At the very least, we'd force the American-haters to find something else to whinge about.

• I've been a misfit all my life. Should this idiot writer worry about me flying a plane over to England and into the Guardian building? I'd nominate this for the Sontag Award if Andrew Sullivan hadn't done it already.
• Glenn Reynolds has a new motto. It's a good one, too.
• Regarding the article from which Glenn got his motto, all I can say is that I think that one really does need some 'discipline'. He seems to be getting a bit too hysterical over what he considers a 'weird self-referential cyber-culture of warmongers'. Now... where did I put that riding crop?
• Shooting Kills 3 at Virginia Law School. Students subdued the gunman. The one thing the attacks did change in America... we've stopped yelling for help and started fighting back. I hope the trend continues.