McClatchy blog: Planet Washington
In, "Famous First Facts" (Kane:1973) it states that on 2/3/1949 on Governors Island, NYC was the first court martial trial enlisted men were allowed to sit as members of the court. What I can't understand, is how the "enemy combatants" could in any way be considered within the scope of a "civil" case, when calling them "thugs" or "gangsters" only self-references US history, not theirs. It seems illogical to describe "The Base" (al Qaida) without a hierarchy, without described leaders and without military training. Some gangsters, yes, in the US, served and are serving allegedly in the our armed forces. I can't see the comparison, otherwise why do we need and our allies need thousands of troops? To fight gangsters?
