"I'm not aware of any situation in the world where there is a system of jurisprudence that is recognized by civilized people where an individual can be tried and convicted without seeing the evidence against him," Brig. Gen. James Walker, U.S. Marine Corps staff judge advocate told a Congressional hearing. - Reuters
As a Christian, I am called to seek non-violent responses and agree with those who assert that war is contrary to the will of God. That is not to say that I believe violence is never justified as a defense. But I do believe that violence - particularly state violence - nearly always represents a failure of our response to God's will for us.
Many Christians have spoken out against the U.S. use of torture in the on-going conflicts associated with Islamic fundamentalism. In fact, the invasion of Iraq was opposed by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches. The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) helped led domestic opposition to the war.
This week the president of the United States announced - as human rights groups had previously charged - that the CIA has run secret prisons where detainees are stripped of all rights. In response, NCC "reaffirmed its abhorrence of secret prisons operated by the United States and called upon the government to bring American prisoners to trial."
The president now wants prisoners to go to trail but does not want them to have access to evidence against them or other basic rights.
"Pentagon lawyers balked at Bush's proposal to limit the terrorism suspects' access to evidence," reports Reuters.
"I'm not aware of any situation in the world where there is a system of jurisprudence that is recognized by civilized people where an individual can be tried and convicted without seeing the evidence against him," Brig. Gen. James Walker, U.S. Marine Corps staff judge advocate told a Congressional hearing.
Back in 1965 NCC offered theological language that addresses the rights of prisoners during a time of war.
"Christians believe that man is made in the image of God, that every person is of intrinsic worth before God, and that every individual has a right to the fullest possible opportunity for the development of life abundant and eternal. Denials of rights and freedoms that inhere in man's worth before God are not simply a crime against humanity; they are a sin against God."
Human rights groups are also concerned with the president's plans.
Legislation proposed by the Bush administration and introduced in Congress yesterday would recreate a system of fatally flawed military commissions akin to those that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down on June 29, 2006 in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Human Rights Watch said today.
Moreover, the legislation would decriminalize the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by civilian interrogators. This would rewrite the standards of basic humane treatment that have guided U.S. policy since the Second World War.
"The last thing the U.S. needs is for public attention to focus on the unfairness of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's trial rather than the seriousness of his alleged crimes," said Jennifer Daskal, U.S. advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "The U.S. should be seeking justice - not preordained convictions."
Clearly, the president is on a campaign to stoke fear among the American people in advance of the November elections and the debate - as it always is with Bush - has been couched in language that boils down to you're either with the president or for the terrorists.
Several key Republican leaders seem ready to buck the president and align themselves with religious leaders and human rights groups opposed to the president's plan. Brig. Gen. James Walker provided a great service to the nation with his testimony before Congress.
What happens this week in Congress will speak volumes about our relationship with God. Are we a people of faith committed to Biblical principles of justice or have we abandoned our most sacred values for political expediency? The president has already answered the question for himself. Where does the Congress stand?
