From: Andrew Clough (aclough@mit.edu)
Date: Sat Oct 27 2001 - 16:30:18 MDT
At 11:04 AM 10/27/2001 -0400, you wrote:
> While it is true that the conventions say that *uniformed* POWs
>are only obligated to give their name, rank, and serial number, I can
>say that the US is the ONLY country ever to fully observe the
>conventions (though we have made some significant classified
>exceptions). Ununiformed insurgents, saboteurs, infiltrators, etc do not
>fall under this treatment, nor are they considered to be spies as
>covered under the US constitution. There is no Geneva convention for the
>treatment of ununiformed terrorists. A terrorist, by his very actions in
>operating without a uniform and targeting civilians specifically, thumbs
>his nose at ideas like the Geneva Conventions, human rights, etc. Thus
>they deserve none of the protections that combatants AND common
>criminals both enjoy.
OK, we're agreed that they are not POWs under the Geneva convention. I
still disagree with you about whether it would be a good thing to use drugs
in the interrogation of suspected terrorists. Letting the authorities pick
up people, hold them, and give them mind altering drugs without a trial is
a very scary power for any government to have. I understand that federal
officials can generally be trusted not to abuse that power, but our
democracy hasn't survived this long by giving this sort of discretional
power to any group.
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