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Jul 4, 2005

A Special Place, Outside the Constitution




"I see," said Mr. Dooley, "Th' supreme coort has decided th' constitution don't follow th' flag." . . .

"An' there ye have th' decision, Hinnissy, that's shaken th' intellicts iv th' nation to their very foundations, or will if they thry to read it. 'T is all r-right. Look it over some time. 'T is fine spoort if ye don't care f'r checkers. Some say it laves th' flag up in th' air an' some say that 's where it laves th' constitution. Annyhow, something's in th' air. But there 's wan thing I 'm sure about."

"What's that?" asked Mr. Hennessy.

"That is," said Mr. Dooley, "no matther whether th' constitution follows th' flag or not, th' supreme coort follows th' iliction returns."

The anti-imperialist satirist, Finley Peter Dunne, commenting on the Insular Cases in 1901

It was these cases which made Guantanamo a special place, outside of the Constitution. If you can torture there, I suppose our imperial Court might even agree you caan burn a flag there.


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