As a teen, I used to walk daily past the old prison where captured German troops were kept in the Orleans County, NY, Village of Albion. Perhaps other villages, or towns, had these still up in the late 1970's. Today, the site is an apartment complex.

What is my point? Well, just this, during WWII, we housed foreign soldiers on our soil. There was never any talk about trying them for crimes, or terrorist activity. There was never any talk of returning them to their homes, their home country, or any other country, until the war was ended. Many in the area told stories of how some stayed within the community, and the United States, afterward. Whether these stories are true, or not, is a matter for historians to investigate.

We simply housed them until after the war was over, then returned them to their home countries as was necessary. They were "Prisoners Of War," treated in accordance with international law.

Today we argue about whether the terrorists must be tried for crimes, and whether these should be military, or civilian trials. Should they remain jailed at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) Naval Base? Should they be tried as enemy combatants, or as persons who have committed a criminal act? Can we prosecute them for a criminal act which may, or may not, have been on our soil? For instance, if the person was arrested in Afghanistan on the battlefiled, and they are members of al-Qaida, do we prosecute them for simply being in Afghanistan fighting with the Taliban, or must they face a world court? Since the Taliban was ruling Afghanistan at the time of our attack, if they are Taliban, how long can they be held? When will the war against the Taliban end? Has it ended yet? How would we know? If they admit to being al-Qaida do we prosecute them as William Clinton's administration would have, in civilian courts, or as George W. Bush's would, in military tribunals?

Should the known terrorists, or any of the other enemy conmbatants, have all the rights of an American citizen, even though captured on the battlefield of another country, where U.S. troops engaged them? If they have all the rights in a civilian court, will that compromise security here in the U.S., or cause the government to have to give up secrets about how we track their terrorist buddies, and any other top secret information? Will it open others of our own (U.S. citizens) to possible trial should something come about which shows that these committed acts which were against the law?

Well, we do have past precedence on our side. The keeping of enemy combatants on our soil, imprisoned as such, not subject to trial, or other, only herein kept so as to see to it they remain out of any future fighting, as POW's, is precedent. The left would have us believe that terrorism is a criminal enterprise, but is killing multiple thousands of people at one time, or even attempting such, in the guise of religious jihad (Holy "war"), something we should even consider a criminal act? Is Holy "War" a terrorist act, or an act of warfare, subject to world laws, and world courts? Should they be tried in our courts, or in a world court? If tried in a world court, will they be subject to, once again, using their status to reduce our governments ability to protect us? Not that our current government seems likely to do such, being more worried about Christian's, gun owners, and right wing "extremists, but I become redundant, within our own country?

And what of the recent arrests of four criminals in NY City who were attempting to blow up Jewish synagogues, and take out at least one of our military planes, in a coordinated attack. These were, supposedly, former criminals, recruited by Islamists while in jail. Should we waterboard them to find out if they came by their desire to plan this attack with the assistance of their former jail Islamic leader, or other Islamic leader of any sect(s) outside the prison?  Will we need to? Since it was FBI in coordination with NY City police who brought about the arrests, does the U.S. government even have jurisdiction? Perhaps we need treat them as we would any other murder, or attempted murder, perp? Are they liable for the same civil rights as any other enemy combatant, or are they to be treated as just another group of crimials, tried in civilian court?

And what of their religious affiliation? Should our government be more watchful of Islamic groups within our own country? Or should they continue to be much more concerned about right wingers, tea party-ers, Christian groups, and other who believe in the principles of Constitutional Republican governance, instead of the Communist/NAZI (National Socialist) takeover of the nation's businesses, raising taxes on the people to allow this government to take what cannot rightfully (Constitutionally) be their domain?
 
Should these four be housed in a POW camp within our borders? What of the Gitmo detainees? If we do, at what level of security? Do we do a supermax camp? Do we treat them as we did the German POW's in WWII? Simply keeping them in barracks within a fenced in lot of a few acres, with barbed wire on top? Should we feed them as we did the Germans, many having never eaten so well in their lives prior?

Or, are these combatants more likely, if they escape, to continue with their terrorist ways? If they did, and do, would the government be able to keep them from killing multiple numbers of us, or would  they allow us to protect ourselves by reinstating the original Second Amendment? Since we know this administration sees the Second Amendment as a hindrance to their plans for communist control, and NAZIfication, of our society, would they even be amenable to such? Or, would they celebrate the death of every American citizen, especially if one of those is one so designated as possible internal dissenters, i.e., rightwing Constitutotional Republicans, gun owners, or Christians, at the hands of an escaped jihadi terrorist?

And, is that why some people want to know more about  Massa (master, from "Roots") (President) Obama-Soetoro, his origins, and whether he is, in fact, a natural born U.S. citizen? Or is it his past history in Indonesia, where he was schooled as an Islamist for several years? Or was it his time spent in Pakistan which many are worried about, at a time when travel there was restricted to U.S. citizens?  Or, could it merely be the quickness, the recklessness, with which he has tried to institute the federal government into all facets of American life?

And, why is it he doesn't know about, that George W. Bush didn't know about, these past internment (POW) camps of WWII? Does he think that U.S. citizens of Japanese descent were the only ones kept prisoner here in the U.S.? That, after all, is the history the majority of us are taught.