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Comment by kaustubh | Hacker News Reader

So Obama has right to detain Americans and, please note, foreigners indefinitely, but he says he will not use these privileges to keep Americans (only?) imprisoned indefinitely. So does it mean foreigners have no rights in America? I guess its time governments all over the world start adding US to the list of rogue countries.

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Trickier than that is the following:

If such actions are committed on US soil, this section will not be applicable. So this is about arresting and detaining, indefinitely, someone on foreign land. Land where the US government has no jurisdiction. Am I missing something here?

No, I think that's the picture. It's already happening in those "black sites" we hear about and the sad thing is that the citizens in those countries would be up in arms about them if they were more widely known. It's the government complicity in each of those locations that allow these things to happen.

I.E. Not technically detained by the U.S. but they are detained the request of U.S. officials. It's the most flagrant (and disgusting) use of plausible deniability.

> the sad thing is that the citizens in those countries would be up in arms about them if they were more widely known.

By the way. These sites in Europe were discussed, could be/are widely known, but I really do not see anyone here up in arms against these sites. On the contrary, a lot of people think of them as something good, as they are clearly there, to get rid of some nasty terrorists. And that only. And as long, as it is the poster-boy for democracy (the US) doing it and not say China, nearly (a very little exaggeration) everybody just goes along.

Wikipedia has a whole page on "black sites"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_site

Your comment has made me realize something.

It is said that the enemies of the USA hate the USA for its freedom. Well, what you describe is American freedom, freedom for Americans to abuse non Americans on non American soil, with the backing of American law and power.

I have to be honest here, I too hate those freedoms.

Obama does it again. He tries to play down the domestic upheaval by telling its citizens that they are not the primary subject; foreigners are. He did the same thing with Prism, and I don't know why the rest of the world just accepts it. (By the way, note that most of the EU doesn't care about Prism, and that the EU only became agitated when it became apparent that it's officials/embassies are being wiretapped.)

Furthermore, Obama promises that he will not abuse the right, but he can't vouch for his successors; having such laws in place is just an accident waiting to happen.

What gave you the idea that the US government give a shit about foreigners? Even most Americans don't, let alone the US government. It's appalling.

When I was young, America was a model country. At least that's what I though at the time with my limited knowledge. I always wanted to go there and maybe live there. Now I don't think I'd go there even if I was offered money. I had met many Americans and they were all very nice, smart people. It's such a shame that they have to put up to this. But I always believed people get what they deserve in democracies. If American people really are sick of this stuff, they should act instead of sitting in front of their computers and whine about how Obama has changed.

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