Justice vs. Bush

As the New York Times reports, a Federal Judge has just ruled that 17 Chinese Muslims being held at Guantanamo should be immediately released in America because of their innocence. Guantanamo of course has been the symbol of the illegal, immoral, and otherwise counterproductive policies that have been utilized by the Bush Administration in the ‘War on Terror’. But the following excerpt from the article really does shock the conscience:

The Uighurs, who were detained in Afghanistan in 2002, say they have never been enemies of the United States. They were cleared of suspicion in 2004, but they have remained in detention because of controversy over where they could go. They say they would be persecuted or killed if they were returned to China, but efforts to find a home for them have been complicated by fears in many countries of diplomatic reprisals from China.

My emphasis added. That an Administration would knowingly hold innocent people against their will, unconstitutionally, because its own policies had rendered them a potential risk if released, is unconscionable. That italicized sentence alone far surpasses any crimes committed by William Jefferson Clinton. Some day people will come after Bush, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, etc., for violating international and domestic laws. They will be called war criminals. On what grounds, I wonder, could they possibly be defended against such a charge?

A Truly Catastrophic Financial Crisis

It’s hard to find much about the current economic picture to be optimistic about, but it’s always worth remembering a little perspective. Here’s a view into the reality in Zimbabwe:

Today I went from one meeting to another using the main streets in Harare – it was pure chaos. The City had no electricity, the traffic lights at all intersections were not working and the traffic was gridlocked. The Police were nowhere to be seen and even as we sat in the traffic a police car drove past – ramped the pavement and drove though the intersection paying no attention to what was going on around them…Desperate people are queuing for days at the banks and other financial houses to try and get their money out of the system so that they can spend it before it literally melts to nothing. In Gweru last week the main street was almost closed by crowds at ATM’s and banks. In Harare literally thousands of people jam every cash outlet. The maximum withdrawal by an individual is $20 000 a day worth US$ 0,001 cents.

Though the institutions of Zimbabwe have now virtually failed in every public sector, all of this mess is almost entirely attributable to the reckless and sadistic policies of Robert Mugabe. There is no worse man in all of Africa, and few in the world could compete with his record of turning a country, with a once enviable record of indigenous institution-building in the aftermath of colonialism, into a bankrupt and broken state so quickly. While he is busy blaming his country’s woes on America and the British, the country he rules (despite the recent agreement to share power with Morgan Tsvangirai, his Zanu-PF party still controls the vital financial ministry) continues to burn.

If anyone was going to be protested at the recent UN gathering, it should have been this sham of a world leader. He, far more than the idiotic President of Iran, is responsible for the ongoing misery of millions.