Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld: A Teacher's Take

Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld: A Teacher's Take on Treatment at Guantanamo:

On June 29th, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Donald Rumsfeld, representing President Bush's administration in rejecting the rules that the administration had established for trying Guantanamo detainees. The administration had sought to establish millitary tribunals to try detainees. It also held that prisoners could be treated in such ways that would enable investigators to extract relevant infromation. The Court declared these rules illegal since the administration had failed to obtain Congressional approval. Furthermore the rules established by the administration failed to meet standards of treatment for prisoners as set by American law and the Geneva Conventions, according to the Court. Yesterday, the Pentagon released a memo stating that Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions "applies as a matter of law to the conflict with Al Qaeda." This article demands that all prisoners be treated humanely. Though President Bush publicly stated that the June 29th Court ruling did not force a change in his administration's policies, according to a New York Times report, the Administration had earlier declared that Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions did not apply to Guantanamo prisoners.

As I wrote the above paragraph I worried that I was stepping a bit beyond my area of expertise. However, newspapers and news-stations across the country ran stories about the Pentagon memo last night and this morning. As an intelligent member of society I want to understand current events. I should be able to make informed political decisions that not only effect me but effect other people as well.

As teachers shouldn't we be educating our students to understand these complicated issues? How many high school students truly have the capacity to understand the complexities of laws relating to treating prisoners at Guantanamo? How many high school students even know where Guantanamo is? Can someone be an informed citizen and not understand the checks and balances that exist between the different branches of the federal government?

Students must not only understand the various disciplines of social studies in order to comprehend the recent Supreme Court decision and the treatment of Guantanamo prisoners. They must also have a background in biology. In 2002 the Justice Department asserted that no treatment, other than that which specifically caused "organ failure" was banned as torture. Though the department reversed this assertion in 2004, shouldn't educated citizens know something about organ failure and what causes it?

There are so many things that an educated citizen must know in order to understand the complexities with treatment of Guantanamo prisoners. Without this knowledge it's unfair for people to say how these prisoners should be treated or to vote for individuals who will make these decisions. As teachers it is our responsibility to ensure that our students have this knowledge and it is our students responsibility to obtain the knowledge.

Am I wrong?