Small celebrations

Jose Padilla, suspected terrorist.

That's all I need to say to instantly stratify an entire roomful of people. Ultimately, it's not about whether or not Mr Padilla has done anything wrong. The issue, from my perspective, is whether or not the US judicial system is operating according to its own rules.

Given the last subject covered, it seems topical to address the article in today's New York Times addressing Mr Padilla's current legal circumstances. None of it is news, but it would appear that the media has been looking for a way to make Mr Padillas long incarceration more controversial, so it's no surprise that we would be faced with the video of Padilla being escorted to a dentist appointment in full torture-victim gear.

I don't know much about this whole debacle other than what I've read on wikipedia, so I'm not going to pretend a whole lot of insight.

What interests me is the legal jargoning, media wrangling and contentious, precedent-setting interpretations highlighted by this case.

I'll be back with constitutional issues in the next post, once I get around to it.