The Rights of a Political Prisoner versus the Rights of a Terrorist
In this essay I will discuss why political prisoners are often categorized as terrorists ever since September 11, 2001, also I will examine what rights political prisoners have to that of terrorist. In this essay I will have the contents of first my reasons for why political prisoners are categorized as terrorist. Secondly, I will make the objection to the rights. Lastly, I will respond by explaining my position in which I believe that in any case that in any form a political prisoner who looks to takes in any actions of any form to infringe against my right to live life and to enjoy it should be categorized as terrorist.
Several reasons come into of why political prisoners are categorized as terrorist. Before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we have had a right to safe society meaning the right to live freely in this America with no interruption with an orderly society free from interference from outside influences. In this case on September 11, 2001 those rights got infringed upon with the attack on America. This showed that for one day in 2001 that America was not so superior. The right of living in a safe society was now a fore gone formality. The right to work was not the same as well meaning in reference to those who were working that morning of the attack. Just when I thought it was safe to go to work I was wrong with one day that changes my life. I wrestled with this profiling of all actions of the political nature.
A web site called the ABC federation, which supports political prisoners as a totally autonomous unified group, which looks to grow collectively on struggles against government policies. They informed me that Political Prisoners act to carry out support of legitimate struggles for self-determination or for opposing the illegal policies for the government along with its political sub-divisions. In the Common Dreams New Center web site reported a study on what a terrorist was. It explains to me that a terrorist is one who acts or engages in an act of terrorism.
This paper is about the book 'Behind a Convict's Eyes' by K.C. Cerceral. This book was written by a young man who enters prison on a life sentence and describes the world around him. Life in prison is a subculture of its own, this subculture has its own society, language and cast system. The book describes incidents that have happen in prison to inmates. With this paper I will attempt to explain the way of life in a prison from an inmate's view.
Erich Maria Remarque’s classic novel All Quiet on the Western Front is based on World War I; it portrays themes involving suffering, comradeship, chance and dehumanization. The novel is narrated by Paul, a young soldier in the German military, who fights on the western front during The Great War. Like many German soldiers, Paul and his fellow friends join the war after listening to the patriotic language of the older generation and particularly Kantorek, a high school history teacher. After being exposed to unbelievable scenes on the front, Paul and his fellow friends realize that war is not as glorifying and heroic as the older generation has made it sound. Paul and his co-soldiers continuously see horrors of war leading them to become hardened, robot-like objects with one goal: the will to survive.
This disaster comes in the form of Ice-9. Kurt Vonnegut creates a surrealistic view of the apocalypse. It is a new and strange world that Jonah returns to after hiding for a week in the bomb shelter. It is a world that could have been found on the canvas of a Salvador Dali painting. The earth is a blue-white pearl, and the sky is filled with worm-like tornadoes while the sun has become a tiny cruel sickly yellow ball (261).
Categorical terrorism, according to Jeff Goodwin, is defined as “the strategic use of violence and threats of violence, usually intended to influence several audiences, by oppositional political groups against civilian or noncombatants who belong to a specific entity, religious or national group, social class or some other collectivity, without regard to their individual identities or roles.” More so, in terms of definition, according to a study done by Jeffrey Record in 2003, there was a count of over 109 definitions of terrorism, covering 22 different categorical elements. During the 70s and 80s, the United Nations struggled to define the term, finally coming up with the following definition: “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.”
In her essay Can U.S. Citizens Be Held as Enemy Combatants, Jennifer Vanklausen explores the ethical question of our government’s policy to hold American citizens suspected of terrorist activity against the United States as enemy combatants, withholding their constitutional rights as provided in the fifth and sixth amendments, during an undeclared war.
Terrorism is not a new concept and although the treat has been highlighted by the events of September 11th, there has been a history of terrorism in America leading as far back as the establishment of the country. Although the proverb of “one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter” can be true on certain accounts, there is a distinction. The CIA uses a definition outlined by Title 22 Section 2656f(d) of the US Code, which states, "terrorism means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents ” (2013). This definition has two important aspects, politically motivated violence and the targeting noncombatants. These two aspects address the motive and methods of a terrorist organization. Through the understanding of this definition it becomes clear that organizations like Al-Qaeda are ...
Within the world today, there are many organizations with varying opinions about specific ideals. But some of the organizations will take things to the extreme, and will do almost anything to prove that their view is the right one. This extreme act to further an objective is known as terrorism, but what exactly is a formal definition of terrorism? Frank Schmalleger defines it as “[a] violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state, that is committed to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (Criminal Justice Today, 2013 p.560). The American way of life and other aspects such as policy and the criminal justice system have been impacted by terrorism in many ways over the course of the twenty first century.
In Stephen Chapman’s essay, “The Prisoner’s Dilemma”, he questions whether the Western world’s idea of punishment for criminals is as humane as its citizens would like to believe or would Westerners be better off adopting the Eastern Islamic laws for crime and punishment. The author believes that the current prison systems in the Western world are not working for many reasons and introduces the idea of following the Koranic laws. Chapman’s “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” is persuasive because of his supporting evidence on the negative inhumane impact from the Western form of criminal punishment and his strong influential testament to the actions used by Eastern Islamic societies for crimes committed.
A contentious issue in current debate is the death penalty and its application in society. The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, occurs when a individual is punished by execution as a consequence of an offence they committed (Taylor, 2014). Although Australia does not practice the death penalty, many countries continue to employ it as a means of justice and uphold its value in society. The death penalty debate is a multifaceted issue, encompassing many aspects of society including ethics and morality, the judicial system, and politics and the economy. It will be argued that the death penalty is a morally dubious and obsolete practice that is no longer relevant in modern judiciary, as it breaches the inviolable human right to life. Ethics and morality are primary arguments for both supporting and opposing the death penalty, as some individuals believe that the death penalty is a immoral practice and others consider that it can be morally justified when prolific crimes are committed. Punishment is fundamental element to any legal system as a means of justice and ensuing that the offender is unable to commit additional crimes; however, in the case of the death penalty there can be dire consequences if the legal system is wrong. Politics and the economy are also greatly influenced by the death penalty as they determine if the practice is maintained. The death penalty breaches a number of human rights laws and some individuals support that it is immoral; however, others consider it to be justifiable due to the heinous actions of the offender.
Cerjak ,The English Journal, Vol. 76, No. 5 (Sep., 1987), pp. 55-57 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
Freeman, D. E. & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: what you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics and grammar. Portsmouth: Heinemann
The first purpose of the prison is that of Public protection via incapacitation of offenders; this is considered to be the only purpo...
Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2003). An introduction to language (7th ed.). Boston: Heinle.
The worldwide lack of education is due mainly to the scarce availability of formal schooling and its limited depth. In many underdeveloped countries, there is no formal education or schooling available. Because there is often no public school option in those countries, the only possible (note: possible not plausible) recourse is home schooling, a much more expensive option and usually beyond the means of most families in such countries. Even in places where there is a public school option, many children are unable to take advantage of it because they must work for their families. This occurs with frightening frequency in developing countries that have the option for free public schooling, effectively removing the ability to access the education that would otherwise be available. Additionally, because of financial problems in developing countries, teachers often must work for little to no pay, and they are deficient in their own training. This hinders the teacher’s ability to teach their subject well, which causes the students to learn wrong or incomplete information. This dearth of education will result in an unquantifiable loss to all of humankind.
Mesthrie, R.; J Swann; A, Deumert and W, Leap (eds) Introducing Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Pp 279-315.