In the following article I will try to present to you a reason why we need military tribunals to prosecute war crimes.  However, the war crimes I would like prosecuted are not being carried out by people with the names of Mohammad, Shiek, or originate from some far off middle eastern country, in fact the war crimes I am talking about are being carried out by people with names like Smith, Jones, or Anderson.  These people don't walk around with turbans, dress in robes or have olive skin, in stead they wear baseball caps, dress in jeans and t-shirts, and have white skin.  If you were ever to read about these people in the newspaper they would not originate from places like Syria, Saudi Arabia, or Pakistan, but they would come from the USA, England or another part of Europe.  

You are probably just getting ready to call me un patriotic, anti American, or a host of other names I dare not repeat in good company.  Recently a member from the Council of American Islamic Relations came to MSU to speak.  While he was speaking I sat through it, and he mentioned something that I found very interesting.  He said, and I paraphrase, If someone is doing something wrong, whether it is a radical Muslim, radical Christian or who ever, the first people to tell them that it is wrong should be their peers.  Should be their fellow Muslims, fellow Christians, or fellow Americans.  

So here it goes, in 2001 after Sept 11 the president, George W Bush said that you are accountable for your actions and the excuse I was simply following orders won't work.  So why are we not arresting the people on our side who commit war crimes?  Is it because they are on our side, we allow them to break the law?  Isn't that how genocide happens, when the Rwanda genocide was happening, how many people sat back and said, "Yes it is wrong to brutally murder someone because they are from a different tribe, but the other side is committing horrible crimes so it justifies us doing horrible things to them.  And when you think about it, the people doing horrible crimes are on our side so we will let it pass."  Now lets put that same thought pattern into the war on terror, when the average American says "Yes the US government is committing war crimes, but its to keep the US safer and because the terrorists know how to play the system, so we will look past the fact they are holding people with out trial, kidnapping, set up black sites, and send prisoners to places that we know they will be faced with torture."  Because the people committing these war crimes come with badges and hide behind the veil of patriotism we don't go after them.

i remember from history a term that I think we should apply here, it is called Rule of Law.  Which in a nut shell in ancient times meant no one is above the law.  I find it funny that conservative lawyers and talk show hosts rail on and rail about the need for military tribunals for "terrorists" yet not once do they call for them for US government agents who break the law that they have sworn to up hold and protect.  So that is why I am calling for us to start rounding up CIA agents, private contractors, and other members of the government both military and civilian and prosecute them for war crimes.  If they say that they were just following orders we will simply point to the quote from the commander in chief who said EVERYONE is responsible for their actions and no one can claim they were just following orders and then we will sentence them and lock them up for life.