[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: quote: Originally posted by Chewbacca: Or how about "Give me liberty or give me death" --Patrick Henry

Spoken by Patrick Henry when he was given the option to renounce his ideals and pledge his loyalty to England in order to avoid being hanged.

I don't know if the teens at Gitmo would prefer execution to their current conditions of imprisonment, but we could certainly ask them. "Alright boys, what's it going to be - Death....or another game of soccor before your next math lesson?"

Originally posted by Chewbacca: Or "Live free or Die" -- John Stark

Can't recall the exact circumstances of this statement, but the above response applies here as well.

Originally posted by Chewbacca: or "All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope." --Sir Winston Churchill

Freedom - Lost by the teens and other "enemy combatants" upon being captured by American soldiers after they had engaged in open combat with these same soldiers.

Justice - I suppose it depends on your definition of justice. They haven't recieved legal representation, but they also weren't arbitrarily executed upon being captured - and their is still a chance they WILL receive legal counsel, even though the U.S. Constitution does not apply to "enemy combatants".

Honor - I think it can be argued that soldiers on both sides acted with honor...or at least their definition of it.

Duty - Same as honor. While I am not familiar with the particulars of the Taliban's "Code of Honor", I think it can safely be said that all the Taliban soldiers fulfulled their duty to thier cause.

Mercy - Shown by the American soldiers who chose not to shoot their prisoners, even though these same men had been trying to kill them just moments before. And arrangements have been made to allow ALL of the "enemy combatants" at Gitmo to observe their religious practices in as accomodating a setting as possible. As for the teens (which this thread is actually about), they are being tutored in their own language. They are being taught reading, mathematics, and other skills they did not possess. They are kept separate from the older prisoneers in better housing and allowed to play soccor, volleyball, and other recreational activities. I would say a good deal of mercy has been extended to these young men...even though it is quite likely they fired upon American troops.

Hope - How much hope did these teens have in Afghanistan before being captured? Did they face a bright future where they could provide adequate housing, food, and education to their families...or did they face the possibility of being killed in service to the Taliban before ever having a chance to have a family of their own?

Originally posted by Chewbacca: or "Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right." --Mahatma Gandhi

If by "freedom to err", Mahatma was suggesting never having to face the consequences of your actions...then I would have to disagree with him. Yes, humans should have "freedom to err", but if you use that "freedom" to break a law, you may still have to go to jail. If you use this "freedom" to fire upon enemy soldiers, you face the possibility of being captured or killed by those same soldiers. In either case, they should not be "free" from the consequences of their chosen actions.

Originally posted by Chewbacca: or "There can be no friendship when there is no freedom; Friendship loves the free air, and will not be fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures." --William Penn

I don't know if friendship is possible between the Taliban and the United States. Since they consider us "The Great Satan" and have hated us for years...but I'll agree that it is an admirable goal. [/QUOTE]While I can appreciate your perspectives offered in the disection of these quotes, trying to frame them in the context of when or why they are spoken cannot overshadow the over-all theme presented:

The ideals of Freedom crosses time, culture, and ideaology. No amount of excuses, justifications, rationales, or good intentions can explain away the disinctly human drive, want, and perhaps inherent right for freedom.