Not good...

I subscribe to news alerts from several newspapers. One of them is the New York Times, which hit me with this little blurb recently:

* * *

U.S. Could Let Detainees Plead Guilty Without Trials

The Obama administration is considering a change in the law for the military commissions at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that would clear the way for detainees facing the death penalty to plead guilty without a full trial.

The provision could permit military prosecutors to avoid airing the details of brutal interrogation techniques. It could also allow the five detainees who have been charged with the Sept. 11 attacks to achieve their stated goal of pleading guilty to gain what they have called martyrdom.

* * *

This seems, to me, to be a really stupid idea, on top of being yet another violation of the core principles which make our country great.

I dislike this on principle. Everyone gets their day in court, even those who want to plead guilty. That's the way our country works, it always has been, and while the court is likely to find someone guilty who is bound and determined to plead that way, there are certainly cases where the court has determined that the person on trial was either not mentally competant to plead guilty, or had reasons political rather than justice on their minds during the pleading.

But on top of this, how stupid is this? These people want to become martyrs, they've stated as much. If we try them in a fair trial, convict them and execute them, then justice is served, even if it does allow them to become martyrs.

But if we kill someone without a trial, even someone who asked to have it happen, we play into the worst stereotypes the Muslim world has about us, that we're "the great satan", that we're "at war with Islam", and that our way of life is not just or pure.

We need to stop this increasing tendency to view our laws as inconveniences and obstacles to be overcome, rather than as vital foundations to the strength and greatness of our nation.