> -Faux "doesn't really know that much about why or how they can be detained" Pas

Well, that's sort of the problem. People have been detained. We don't know who they are or why they have been detained other than the Justice Department says they're either possible threats or are material witnesses.

Ideally, we'd like to know who each of these people are, what they're being charged with (if anything!) and what evidence the government has. It's understandable that some of this could compromise security, but nonetheless... it's a very scary thing when your government asks you to trust it blindly. The light of public scrutiny is the greatest check on government abuses of power (which is why the media is so often called "the fourth branch").

I agree with FP that just having names of detainees doesn't really help anyone, but I think it's just the first in a long list of items civil rights groups want to see happen. And don't think that the ACLU wouldn't check out the 1200 people on the list -- they'd be looking for the one place where the government screwed up. This is why I love having the ACLU around, even if they do crazy nutjob things from time-to-time.

Stephen