Pirate's Cove

To follow up with the story about an al Qaeda member, Ali al-Marri, who has been held in detainment without trial (posted at Stop The ACLU), the ACLU is thrilled that SCOTUS has take up the case

The following can be attributed to Jonathan Hafetz, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project and counsel for al-Marri:

“We are pleased that the Supreme Court has accepted Mr. al-Marri’scase for review. The president has deviated from the principles on which the United States and its Constitution were founded: that individuals cannot be imprisoned for suspected wrongdoing without being charged with a crime and tried before a jury. We are confident that upon review, the Court will strike down this radical – and unnecessary – departure from our nation’s most basic values.”

Say, Jon? The Constitution applies to citizens of the United States of America, and those applying for citizenship. We can also extend it to visitors.

Furthermore, “suspected wrongdoing?” I usually do not like to use Wikipedia entries, but, this is quite concise

In 2002, Ali was charged with making false statements to the FBI and to financial institutions, identity fraud, and credit card fraud. Al-Marri was alleged to be in possession of more than 1750 credit card numbers, along with the names of the account holders, none of whom were Al-Marri. He was also alleged to be in possession of falsified identification documents. Additionally, he was alleged to have used a Qwest calling card to call a number in Dubai linked to the reputed al-Qaeda financier Mustafa al-Hawsawi. After searching al-Marri’scomputer, folders were found labeled “jihad arena” and “chem,” which (according to the government) contained information on hydrogen cyanide, a poisonous gas used in chemical weapons, along with lectures by Osama bin Laden and links to Web sites related to weaponry and satellite equipment.

Nice guy.

The following can be attributed to Steven R. Shapiro, Legal Director of the ACLU:

“We are hopeful that the Court will reverse the appeals court decision and ensure that people in this country cannot be seized from their homes and imprisoned indefinitely simply because the president says so. This sweeping claim of executive authority violates America’s best traditions and defies fundamental principles of due process that have governed the nation since its founding.”

BDS at its best. Apparently, Steve-o thinks that Bushitler went to Marri’s house himself and took him in to custody, the poor little darling.

But, OK, let’s charge him. With all the aforementionedissues, I’m sure the jury will find him guilty, and then we can ship him off to ADX-Florence, the toughest, most dangerous, most brutal supermax in the country. See how he fares. I’ll bet he wants to return to his jail cell in South Carolina toot sweet.

The New York Times is thrilled at the attempt to assign American rights to foreigners who are al Qaeda associates, too.