Crazy pills

So a military tribunal sentenced Salim Hamdan (he of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld fame) to 66 months, a large chunk of which may get lopped off due to time served. Way to go, Military Commissions Act.

I'm not so concerned with the conduct of the trial, or even the results. Everyone knew the Guantanamo military tribunals were going to be a joke. I'm extremely concerned with what could happen to Mr. Hamdan after he completes his 66 months. Money quote:

"It was not immediately clear how the Pentagon would handle Mr. Hamdan after the sentence. For years administration officials have maintained that, because detainees facing war crimes charges here are all classified as unlawful enemy combatants, they could continue to hold an accused even if he had completed a sentence or were acquitted by a military commission panel."

Pardon? The man will have finished his sentence (or paid his debt to society, as we say about less...touchy...ex-cons), and he can still be held indefinitely? What the hell was the point! Didn't the English fight a civil war about stuff like this? I would call Mr. Hamdan's situation Kafka-esque, but honestly, I don't think Kafka would have sold a book if he had written a story so ludicrous.

I was going to title this post "The day the Constitution died," but honestly, I've had that sentiment dozens of times in the past, and I'll have it dozens of times in the not so distant future. Crazy pills.