Today, Jose Padilla, a US citizen, was finally charged with a crime
after being held for 3 years as an “enemy combatant” without any
charges. The Bush regime has proclaimed its right to detain
indefinitely anyone (including US citizens) without charges or
evidence, and the 4th Circuit Fedral Appeals Court has upheld this.
Padilla had been held in a Naval brig with little access to lawyers or
due process.
Former Attorney General Ashcroft had claimed
repeatedly (without evidence) that Padilla was plotting a “dirty bomb”
attack inside the US, and used these claims to justify holding Padilla
without chrages. Padilla’s indictment has nothing to do with this
supposed “dirty bomb” plot.
The case of Jose Padilla is a
concentration of the fascistic measures the Bush regime is taking
society, with the Patriot Act allowing for sweeping new police state
powers, “special registration” and round-ups of immigrants, detentions
without due process, and more.