[Malone LaVeigh]

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0626-05.htm

It would be interesting to hear what people here think about this. An exerpt:

Friday, the newspapers and television reported the following matter with no anger or effort to do anything other than serve as stenographers for the government:

On March 1, give or take a day, in Columbus, Ohio, the FBI arrested an American citizen it says is Iyman Faris. There wasn't a word uttered. He vanished. No lawyer was notified. He made no phone calls and wrote no letters.

He was a U.S. citizen who disappeared without a trace into a secret metal world.

[Preacherman]

You're right, Malone, that is an interesting article. However, I'm puzzled by some of the author's assertions. I was not under the impression that Fais had already appeared in court and been sentenced - rather that he had agreed to a plea bargain, so that in return for pleading guilty to various charges and providing evidence, the prosecution would accept a sentence of 20 years. Am I wrong on this?

Second, he makes several unfounded assertions concerning the possibility of torture or mistreatment of Fais. Does he have any evidence to back up his claims? I suspect that any federal LEO who took advantage of a secret arrest to beat up a suspect or otherwise torture him would be found out in short order - the government doesn't have a stellar track record of being able to conceal things like that...

Overall, while I agree with the author's concern about the rights of US citizens, I find his approach polemical, based on suppositions and unproven assertions, and as bad for America in its own way as is the disregard of Constitutional rights. Considering the source (Miami Herald), I'm afraid they're living up to their reputation... :rolleyes:

[Khornet]

If the media is silent on this, how did we hear about it?

[Malone LaVeigh]

Hi, Khornet.

Friday, the newspapers and television reported the following matter with no anger or effort to do anything other than serve as stenographers for the government:

He's not saying the media was silent. Rather, that the media reported in a manner that would have been worthy of Joseph Goebbels.