Prisons

Submitted by Bianca Mittag (United States), Jan 4, 2005 at 16:35

... I know several Japanese-Americans who were interned in Utah as children. These camps were prisons. Yes, many people went voluntarily, because they wanted to show their patriotism in following government wishes. They were deeply conflicted between the desire to be "good Americans" and the humiliation of the camp's daily life.

The Japanese-Americans on the East coast, who were not interned, showed their patriotism by joining the military and fighting for the US in Europe - their regiment was highly regarded for its bravery, and much decorated. Its death toll was also very high.

How do you identify a "Muslim-American? Are you going to intern everyone from the Middle East? What about African-American Muslims? What about secular Arabs (like most Iraqis)? What about immigrants from Albania?

Does the Constitution, with its injunctions against interfering with religious freedom, mean NOTHING ? I think this is a very slippery slope, ...

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