Personally, I am not usually one to write my Senators and Representatives. I have often thought that my voice was insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and that lobbyists hold significantly more sway than my one letter or e-mail. But there was one issue in the past year that I was moved to write about: defining the rights of detainees. I was horrified to learn that the US Government was refusing to grant the Guantanamo Bay detainees from Afghanistan and Iraq the rights of the Geneva Convention. The Bush administration said something like this, according to the Associate Press: “The administration has asserted that al Qaeda prisoners are not entitled to Geneva protections because they are not lawful combatants, although the White House has said such prisoners should be treated as if the Geneva Conventions apply.”

But today, it seems that my letter and the letters of others have actually made a difference in Washington. Senator John McCain and others have passed a Senate bill that clearly defines the treatment of prisoners, in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

I applaud them, and pray that the House will be able to muster the support that the bill needs.

The White House, however, is threatening to veto the bill. From the AP: White House spokesman Scott McClellan objected that the measure would “limit the president’s ability as commander-in-chief to effectively carry out the war on terrorism.”

Just what exactly does “effectively” mean in this instance? Does the fact that some of these suspects may be terrorists give the Bush administration the right to commit human rights violations? I think not. If regular means of interrogation will not work, we cannot lower ourselves to torture. If we claim to be on the side of justice and liberation, we must stand for these things even in the midst of difficult times. It is not right for us to take out our national frustration on prisoners that have not been tried in a court of law. It is not right for us to blatantly disregard our fellow nations and the treaties we have negotiated with them. It is not right.

What is right? Treating our enemies with dignity. Striving for justice in all things, not simply vengeance. I pray that this may come about through the Senate proceedings, and I pray that the House and the White House will have the courage to act correctly.