Jose Padilla

Reminiscent of the ordeal of Angela Davis in the late sixties and early seventies, Jose Padilla has been held hostage by the federal government for three years without any real movement towards a trial. This is an utter violation of the very basic of our constitutional rights, which ensures us under the sixth amendment to a speedy and public trial. In total disregard of this, the U.S. government has had a history, especially since the revolutionary movement of the 1960s, of holding people in custody indefinitely, without any movement towards a trial, sometimes even without access to legal counsel. They held Angela Davis in prison for two years without ever going to trial and after the trial eventually occurred, she was acquitted of all charges. We live with a bullish monster as a government and it must be reigned in. Everyone must take it upon themselves to demand justice for this man and for all political prisoners.