Why the 'Enemy Combatant' T-Shirt?

Let me tell you a little story.  It is fictional but, like all fairy tales, it contains an important moral.

A long time ago in a fair northern land, there lived a wise and noble king.  If you must know, the time was 1942, the northern land was the kingdom of Denmark suffering under Nazi occupation and the wise and noble king was Christian the Tenth. 

This great king was beloved by all his people.  He was accustomed to daily horseback rides around the capitol city of Copenhagen where he was heralded by his adoring subjects.  Unlike many a modern counterpart, King Christian needed no bodyguards to assure his safety.

A contemporary Danish song summed it all up: 

The next day his astonished subjects were greeted with the familiar sight of their beloved King astride his horse making his familiar rounds. Fixed prominently upon his chest along with all his proud ribbons and military medals of rank was a yellow Star of David. patch.  The next day, every citizen in his kingdom proudly turned out wearing the Yellow Star.

Unfortunately this story about the Yellow Star is apocryphal.  There indeed was just such a wise and noble king and he was a symbol of hope for his people under the fascist boot in those dark days of WWII.

And here comes the moral…

Did you know that any American citizen can be declared an “enemy combatant” on only the say-so of President Bush alone, without the presentation of any writ or evidence of any kind?  

Did know that this citizen can be immediately detained, without the benefit of Habeas Corpus, held for an indefinite period of time and denied contact with anyone including a lawyer?

Did you also know that said American citizen may be subjected to the most inhumane forms of cruel and unusual torture without hope of release or legal redress?

These conditions have all been put in place and are currently being carried out by your government at the present moment.  

I have another question for you.  What are you going to do about it?  The category of “Enemy Combatant” needs only be defined by President Bush.  Presumably he can define it as: any Muslim, any political enemy, anyone engaged in protest of government policies, anyone, even YOU.

Like the wise and noble King Christian X, I am defying this unconstitutional imposition on the people of this country.  If any of us can be classified “Enemy Combatant” then all of us can. 

That is why we all need to declare ourselves as combatants against this infringement of our constitutional rights.  I am certainly President Bush’s enemy and the enemy of all who would deprive us of our rights and freedoms.  If, like the Danish citizens in the fairy tale, we all declare ourselves “Enemy Combatants,” Bush cannot possibly detain us all.  That is why I urge you to get your own “Enemy Combatant” T-shirt and protect our Constitution.  Let’s meet this fascist boot with an army of T-shirts!

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Comments (7)

1. 31-10-2007 22:52

What I learned in school today...

I have taken to wearing my T-shirt with the words “Enemy Combatant” emblazoned across the front in public. Today is the first day I took my shirt to school and, except for a few stares, most just walked by, oblivious. Today being Halloween, I figured, if one of the many burly guys swaggering around campus in his National Guard combat fatigues decided to pummel me into a quivering mass of hasty pudding on the hallway floor, I could always cop out and swear it was my Halloween costume.  
 
In the elevator between classes, one undergraduate did ask me about my shirt. I gave her my handout (a variant of the article published above) and tried to tell her a little about how Bush can declare anyone an “Enemy Combatant.” I questioned her blank stare, “You do know what an enemy combatant is don’t you?” “No.” came the reply. The elevator stopped at my floor and I got out. I’m glad I didn’t have time to ask her if she knew who President Bush was. 
 
 
 
Bob Boldt

http://myspace.com/bboldt2

deboldt@gmail.comNOSPAM! ">Bob Boldt

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