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From: squires@csd2.UUCP (Charles S Squires Jr)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Concentration Camps
Message-ID: <3630032@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Dec-85 15:09:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.3630032
Posted: Mon Dec  2 15:09:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Dec-85 22:45:56 EST
References: <979@utai.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 31

I do not think all jails can be called Concentration Camps.  In fact, the
concentration camps (now, I'm NOT talking about the death camps) of Nazi
germany bore extremely little resemblance to American prisons.  The Maze is
is very much like an American prison and is not like a Nazi concentration
camp.  In any case, the crux of the debate is the nature of the people being
imprisoned there, how/why they are being held, and how they are treated
in their confinement (I think that's a politically neutral statement).  I
believe that no one has been starved there (rather, people have starved
themselves), no one has been executed there, etc.  For these reasons, I
find it impossible to call the Maze a concentration camp without calling
any American prison a concentration camp.  In the course of a debate, one
should not take too much time out to redefine the language, so let's
go on NOT calling American prisons "concentration camps."  Maybe we can
argue whether or not the Maze holds "political prisoners".  I support the
internment of these prisoners (as if the British give two hoots about my
support), yet I can see why someone would call the Maze a political prison,
even though I disagree.  I find it ridiculous for people to call the Maze
a Concentration Camp.  (To bring in a similar tactic... if you persist in
calling the Maze a Concentration Camp, I'm going to say "Your comments sound
like comments Adolf Hitler would have made."-- See, throwing around 
inappropriate, heavily slanted terms gets you nowhere).


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| Charles Squires, Rm 619 WWH,       |  ARPA:   squires@nyu-csd2.ARPA        |
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