President Bush and Congress must come out and condemn this man as Human Rights Watch are asking.
Internment Should be Repudiated
U.S. President George Bush and Congress should strongly repudiate statements made by a leading member of Congress that tried to justify the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, Human Rights Watch said today. Representative Howard Coble, chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, made recent remarks that backed the wartime internment of U.S. residents based solely on their Japanese ancestry.
“The United States has long recognized that the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II was wrong,” said Jamie Fellner, director of Human Rights Watch’s U.S. Program. “In the post-September 11 environment and with the United States preparing for a possible war with Iraq, it is more vital than ever for elected officials to recognize that confining persons based solely on their national origin is never justified.” During a February 5 radio call-in show with Representative Coble, a caller suggested that Arabs in the United States should be interned. While he did not endorse the confinement of Arab-Americans, Coble said he agreed with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decision to establish internment camps for Japanese-Americans. Coble also pointed out that, “some Japanese-Americans probably were intent on doing harm to us…just as some of these Arab-Americans are probably intent on doing harm to us."
A representative from Coble’s office confirmed to Human Rights Watch that Coble believes national security as well as protection of the Japanese Americans required their internment. During World War II, more than 110,000 persons of Japanese descent – U.S. citizens as well as non-citizens – were removed from their homes on the west coast of the United States and confined in relocation camps for three years. In 1988, the United States formally apologized and later made reparation payments to all Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II, or to their heirs. Human Rights Watch said Representative Coble’s statements are particularly disturbing since he is the chair of a key subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee that addresses anti-terrorism. “We are pleased that Representative Coble did not support the internment of Arab-Americans,” said Fellner. “But his justification of the Japanese-American internment suggests he fails to understand certain basic human rights principles. Congress and the administration should affirm that all efforts to protect U.S. national security will scrupulously protect fundamental rights, including the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of national origin.”
If left uncheked, Ashcroft woulda had all the people of Arab descent and Pakistanis confined to some camps and constantly harassed post 9/11. One can only imagine his frustration at not being able to accomplish this.
Originally he had proposed registeration for all people of foreign origin living in US (including the ones that are naturalised citizens or whose parents were born in Pakistan). But that was rejected by the courts.
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*Originally posted by 5Abi: *
If left uncheked, Ashcroft woulda had all the people of Arab descent and Pakistanis confined to some camps and constantly harassed post 9/11. One can only imagine his frustration at not being able to accomplish this.
Originally he had proposed registeration for all people of foreign origin living in US (including the ones that are naturalised citizens or whose parents were born in Pakistan). But that was rejected by the courts.
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The Patriot Act II may move towards this direction. But has any leading Bush administration official come forward to condemn this Congressman for his views towards Japanese-Americans yet?
***Rep. Howard Coble “was trying to make the point that the internments were as much for the Japanese-Americans’ own safety as for national security,” ***
So he stands by his remarks, and justfies the internment of Japenese-Americans. I wonder how many other Americans agree with his obvious upport for interning the Japanese-Americans?
**Rep. Howard Coble "was trying to make the point that the internments were as much for the Japanese-Americans' own safety as for national security," **
So he stands by his remarks, and justfies the internment of Japenese-Americans. I wonder how many other Americans agree with his obvious upport for interning the Japanese-Americans?
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