It’s interesting to hear the differing opinions on David Hick’s trial. There seems to be a broad spectrum of opinion, from Hero Worshippers to Hardliners.
- Hero Worshipers would just want you to think of all that Hicks has gone through and how it is amazing that he has survived five years in captivity. This is a marvellous feat of human endurance and perseverance and should earn him Australian of the Year honours. Of course they won’t mention any of the relevant information.
- Civil Libertarians will tell you that no one should ever be kept in captivity, no matter what the charge against them
- Terry Hicks says that David is pleading guilty just to get home and he doubts that he even did what he is convicted of doing
- Bob Brown calls the whole process and injustice and an unfair system
- John Howard says he is disappointed of the pace the process has taken
- Realists would probably acknowledge that he has been through a lot and that it has taken way too long for him to be tried but be continually reminded of the reasons why he was originally detained.
- Hardliners would just look at the fact he was involved in terrorist activities and dismiss the rest as they are meaningless
I would consider myself a realist. I think people are losing view of the big picture. That David Hicks was colluding with a terrorist network and was training with Al Qaeda, amongst other things. If the full story were told I think people would change their tune.
Let’s remember that he was a prisoner of war, whether you agree with that war or not. POW’s of past wars would not have survived at all.
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2 comments:
I think part of the problem with this case is that the USA has named him and "unlawful combatant" and so he isn't technically a prisoner of war. This way they don't have to bother with the Geneva Convention ruling on treatment of prisoners obtained during war. And hence what many see as a serious miscarriage of justice in that he was imprisoned for 5 years without trial on a technicality.
why should he have even got a trial in the first place? he is not a common criminal, he is a bloody terrorist. Why should we, society, give him the right to a fair trial when we are the very society he is trying to destroy with his terrorism. I have a few friends in Cobham remand centre at St Mary's, held in custody awaiting trial, but where is their support and loony lefties protesting to free them? This dog should be hanged, he is a traitor, along with the military officer caught last week selling rocket launchers. Death used to be the penalty for the crime of treason, which is exactly what this traitor deserves.
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