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pvtmorriscsa

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Howdy all,

I know this may seem like a strange thing to ask. Let me begin by explaining that I live in Columbus, OH, and I sling pizza for a living. In my job, I deliver to all sorts of people. From the very rich to the very poor. Furthermore, we have a fairly diverse population here in Columbus, so I see people from all parts of the world.

The other day I delivered pizza to a couple of middle eastern looking men. The language barrier was a bit of a problem, but the tip was good so I thought little of it.

That is I thought little of it until I saw the photo's that Asscroft released the other day.

I know how untrustworthy eyewitnesses can be. I am sure Rationalcop will back me up on that. However, the two guys I saw in that apartment, looked amazingly like a couple of the guys in the photos. Course the guys I saw were clean shaven, unlike the photos.

On the one hand, I hate informers. I would feel horrible if I dropped a dime on a couple of guys that have moved here to pursue the same freedom that I do. Especially with all the questionable treatment of detained persons.

On the other hand, I will feel pretty damn stupid to find out that I could have stopped two enemies of freedom, and rationality, but did not.

I guess I would just like to hear some comments on this. I hope like hell I am not being too paranoid.

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On the one hand, I hate informers.  I would feel horrible if I dropped a dime on a couple of guys that have moved here to pursue the same freedom that I do.  Especially with all the questionable treatment of detained persons.

On the other hand, I will feel pretty damn stupid to find out that I could have stopped two enemies of freedom, and rationality, but did not.

Give me their address and I'll check out who they are :( But if you mess with the guys who run Mediterranean Foods, I will be quite irritated. I assume they were meatless pizzas (think pork, dude).

I won't presume to know how you would feel if they were terrorists and you were the one person who could have prevented them from flying a plane into GWB, nor how you would feel if you turned two innocent people over to Homeland Security for extended interrogation at Gitmo. If I were in that position (I'm serious about the address thing), I would not consider turning them over to the government unless I could say specifically what terrorists I thought they were, by name. Since presumably they are not citizens, they do not have rights here and are not entitled to constitutional protection, so you need to take seriously the fact that there may be serious and unjustified consequences to your actions, no matter what you do.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Since presumably they are not citizens, they do not have rights here and are not entitled to constitutional protection,

Since when? You, sir, just flunked Americanism 101.

Individual rights are not contingent upon citizenship.

At this point, the proper policy to follow is the same as that for criminals, citizen or not: if you honestly believe you recognized one of them, call the FBI.

"Informers", like anyone else, should be evaluated by context; ratting out Jews to the SS is the moral opposite of informing the Air Force where bin Laden is hiding.

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Since when?  You, sir, just flunked Americanism 101.

In fact, the US Solicitor General argued in the Supreme Court (in re the detainees at Guantanamo) that "citizenship is a foundation for a relationship between the nation and the individual…". Non-citizens do not have the right to vote (subject to change in California). It is well known that they have limited rights to hold jobs. Non-citizen rights are at will, and easily taken away without fear of a constitutional challenge. Most importantly in this context, they do not have the same rights to a lawyer and can easily be tossed out of the country without a trial. The latter is the relevant concern, and the reason why it is improper to turn an Arab-looking foreigner over to the state on a whim. That's why I cautioned against moving to get these guys improsoned unless he is certain that they do look like the accused al-Qaida members.

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You may be able to ask of the FBI, before you report these guys, to promise you that if they are not terrorists they will not report them to immigration authorities.

I hear the FBI uses this technique sometimes, when trying to get people to inform about suspects who may be illegal immigrants in addition to being suspected of terrorism.

Anyway - you should report them if you really think they looked like the pictures.

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My suggestion mirrors many others. If you believe those are the terrorists you specifically saw "advertised", then call the FBI. While many eyewitness accounts may be in error, I think you need to ask yourself how sure are you, and what is your motivation for turning them in. It sounds like your pretty sure and your motivation for acting is proper.

I believe that the FBI would indeed want the ACTUAL terrorists involved, and would not seek to just make these guys the next best thing. Most likely, they wouldn't make something out of nothing.

VES

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