The concept of guilt, is what powers many actions of the rich and social elite in Leftist circles. They have many methods to cope with this guilt, such as buying carbon creds. Or making you use one square of toilet paper only.

I’m MORE against assuming the terrorists are trying to surrender and allowing them to suicide kill themselves and those nearby. I’m pretty sure this has already happened, more than once even.

Alphie neo-troll is correct about the need for some kind of trial, for those who surrender and those who are captured by non-Americans (and sold? really? how many?). Every prisoner who surrenders on the battlefield should be noted, with the commander of the particular battle, and the post-battle report including the names of the prisoners. In the dozens, at most (so far).

The presumption of guilt is the most key issue, not the “trial”. Fingerprints, blood samples (& DNA) should be taken as well as foreign weapons. Illegal combatants, whose prints or sweat (?) or blood traces are on weapons, should be rapidly found guilty and become “illegal combatant detainees”. With no more, and possibly fewer, rights than POWs — since they refuse to wear uniforms.

Any who move suspiciously in surrender should be shot, if deemed a possible threat — in the judgement of the local soldier.

Interrogation should include significant sleep deprivation as well as frequent video taped questioning sessions.

They should be held until they are deemed to be no further danger to others, or until all the ME countries are functioning democracies.

As for Maher Arar, if mistakes were made, blame the terrorists. Their very methodology (concealing themselves by posing as civilians) forces these things to happen. It is by design, and the sooner you realize that, the better off we’ll all be. They work our ‘weaknesses’ against us, our ethics, or moral standards- of which they possess none. Back off on these issues, and they continue to erode our ability to defend ourselves, contine to chip away at our very existence.

In the meantime, we fiddle with issues of whether we called them ‘illegal enemy combatants’ or just ‘enemy combatants’. Ridiculous. How about we just go back to calling them spys, sappers, sabotours… whichever applies.

This question answers itself. Of course you keep them through the “duration.” If it is a long time or a lot of them, all the better. We need to build cheap quarters (no priavte rooms or even coops). I’d rather have them sweating it out for 10 years a GITMO than killing Marines. ………. this should be obvious to anyone that knows we are in a war, long war and must win.

Robert A. Heinlein, “Starship Troopers”

I fear that ol’ Bob was more prescient than we know yet.

Removing the source of violent from the brain. This is good, no?

They were held as prisoners of war for a VERY long time. So I have no qualms about holding AQ and Taliban “fighters” for the duration.

If holding prisoners until the enemy capitulates (or we do) bothers the squeemish, perhaps simply trying and executing them for their grevious violations of the laws of war will suffice. That way they won’t be being held as prisoners anymore. The very facts that prevent their being considered to be legitimate Prisoners of War are by themselves war crimes.

Get a rope!