There was an interesting article in my local newspaper this week by Nat Hentoff under the heading of "War Crime Trials," and a subheading "Proceedings leave detainees with no voice, no hope." The article concerned the Pentagon plan to hold war crime trials this year for dozens of prisoners at Cuba's Guantanamo military base.

The article went on to tell how Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee will cointroduce a bill with Republican Senator Arlen Specter, former chairman of the committee to change last year's Military Commission Act: an act that removed the habeas-corpus rights of Guantanamo prisoners to petition our federal courts on the lawfulness of their detention, and the conditions of their confinement.

Ex-Defense Secretary Rumsfeld claimed most of the detainees are "the best trained, most vicious killers on the face of the Earth." But, two "extensively documented reports" from New Jersey's Seton Hall Law School, based entirely on Defense Department data" gave many examples of how flawed are such claims, and how unfounded many of the Administration's charges.

The article gave specific examples of the unfair and tyrannical treatment given the prisoners in the years they have been contained. It ended by saying, "Congress needs to fix a lot more, including the National Security Agency's lawless, warrantless spying on Americans, and the CIA's "renditions" of suspects to be tortured in other countries...authorized by the president, although outside all American and International laws." (Italics are mine.)

I don't know how many of the Guantanamo detainees are truly dangerous terrorists. But, based upon the lies and deceit of the American president and his Administration, I would bet very few are. But also based upon these actions, if I had the power, I would be among the first to bring charges before the International War Crimes Court against the president and his advisors as proven terrorists, who truly deserve to be tried for their crimes against humanity. The deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people demand it.

I would also like to advise the American people, that unless they voluntarily turn all of these arrogant men and women over to the War Crimes Court for their crimes soon, the world will never believe they didn't condone the actions of these despicable people.