A Good Speech and a Disgrace to Liberalism

It has been said that it is easier to tear down a home than it is to build one. This point was illustrated by Alberto Gonzales today, with the protesters has his proof. Regardless of what one thinks about the former Attorney General (personally I think he abused his position of power and overly politicized a position that ought to be at most, advisory) it is was nice to actually here him speak.

I had a couple of thoughts while I heard him speak, here they are:

Hearing him speak about how his poor immigrant background and his rise to the highest position in the US Government a Latino has achieved made me realize that he had to do something right. As much as we often criticize those in our government (on both sides of the aisle) for stupidity or untrustworthiness it is always humbling to remember that for them to have gotten to the position they did, they had to do something right. Example A is George W. Bush, while some say that he achieved everything in life do to his father’s influence, we ought to remember that while George W. and Jeb were both successes in life, brother Neil Bush has largely been a failure. So logically there must be something that George W. and Jeb did right that their brother did not.

Similarly, while we criticize politicians for their mismanagement of the government, in reality we know very little as to whether the government was actually mismanaged. In Plato’s book, “Crito”, Socrates who is in prison, having been convicted of corrupting the youth and sentenced to death. In reality, very few people in Athens actually wanted Socrates dead, they hoped that he would exile himself and they would not have to deal with him anymore. So he sat in prison with the population hoping he would escape and leave their country. Crito, Socrates’ rich friend, is sitting at his bedside telling Socrates that he has bribed the guards and arranged safe passage to other city-states in Greece and abroad. He begs Socrates to escape but Socrates refuses. He tells Socrates that if Socrates is put to death people will blame him because he is rich and could have freed Socrates. People will say that he is greedy because he wouldn’t give some of his fortune to spare Socrates’ life. Socrates responds that Crito shouldn’t worry about the opinion of the uninformed masses because the only people who matter are those who know the truth, who are himself and Crito. While we often criticize the government, we are so uninformed that our criticism is often irrelevant if not downright wrong.

Speaking of which Alberto Gonzales made a good point when he responded to a question about the United States violating the Geneva Convention in our treatment of terrorists. The Geneva Convetion says that the following groups of people (among others) shall be considered soldiers and therefore can be considered prisoners of war if captured:

-Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces, without having had time to form themselves into regular armed units, provided they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war.

- Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organized resistance movements, belonging to a Party to the conflict and operating in or outside their own territory, even if this territory is occupied, provided that such militias or volunteer corps, including such organized resistance movements, fulfil the following conditions:

(a) That of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;

(b) That of having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance;

(c) That of carrying arms openly;

(d) That of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.

 

-Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces, without having had time to form themselves into regular armed units, provided they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war.

Anyone who fulfills one of these requirements has the rights accorded to soldiers under the Geneva convention. Since terrorists are not members of an armed force that has a “fixed distinctive sign,” nor do they carry “arms openly,” or conduct “their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.” The laws and customs of war explicity prohibit the purposeful killing of civilians. Since these rules are violated, terrorists technically don’t get Geneva convention rights. But even if you do think that terrorists deserve Geneva Convention rights, among other stipulations the Geneva Convention says:

The Detaining Power may subject prisoners of war to internment. It may impose on them the obligation of not leaving, beyond certain limits, the camp where they are interned, or if the said camp is fenced in, of not going outside its perimeter.

So detaining terrorists in Guantanamo Bay is technically legal. I’m not saying I support the torture of detainees, I am very much against it. But to those people who put up signs and argue about the law, it would be nice if they got the facts right.

Finally, I commend the protesters for doing a good job today. They made their point without resorting to violence or smear tactics. The protesters who wore orange jumpsuits (prisoner outfits) and watched Alberto Gonzales speak were generally respectful and allowed him to say what he had to say.

As for the disgraceful, unfortunately there were a incredibly annoying people at the speech. To those few people who stood up in the middle of Gonzales’s speech and yelled things like “Torture” and “Perjury” before walking out of the speech I just have one thing to say, “Immature”. We are college students and therefore, I hope, capable of using logic to make a point.

One last thought. The one major point I on which I agreed with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was on his call to public service. It is, in my opinion, a noble act to serve one’s country and should be undertaken by more citizens. Besides, as George Carlin once said, If everyone always complains about corrupt politicians, where are all the honest citizens ready to take their place?