So what are the Geneva conventions anyway? I've heard the term thrown around in war movies since I was a child. The context of the usage in both the movies and in the news media up until recently was that some bad people--the Germans, the Japanese, or the Communists--were violating the Geneva convention. Perhaps they were purposefully killing medics displaying the red cross on their uniforms. Perhaps they were denying package delieveries to POW's in the stalag. Perhaps they were torturing POW's. These abuses made me think that other nations were horrible and that we were civilized good people.

As I have read about WWII, I have found that abuses of the Geneva convention took place on our side as well. At times, POW's were routinely executed in the heat of battle. On the other hand, the Geneva conventions were oft times observed. POW's wounds were tended. They were fed. They were shipped out of the combat zones. The Germans also observed the conventions. "The Longest Winter" is a book by Alex Kershaw that chronicles a platoon of Americans who were captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. Most of the story tells of the terrible conditions of their capture. As I read, there was another thing that stood out in my mind however. This platoon was entrenced in superior positions to the Germans and they were well supplied with munitions. For one day they held off the Germans and inflicted horrendous casualties on the enemy. Every member of the platoon was injured, but none were killed. They fought until they used their last bullet and then put up a white flag. Hundreds of Germans lay dead on the field of battle, yet the advancing troops did not slaughter the weaponless Americans. Rather, they took their surrender and got medical attention for the men's wounds. I find that amazing. The Germans that captured them were professional soldiers. They knew the Geneva Conventions. They followed them. Many years later a member of the platoon was able to meet his captors again in the same town. When he asked why his men were not killed the German was insulted. He said something like "I had too much respect for you as soldiers to kill you unarmed." Now truthfully, the treatment of these men was terrible after they were taken to POW camps.

I looked up Geneva Conventions on Google and found a lot of information. Did you know that the United States signed the Geneva Conventions first in 1882! Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross led the push to have this treaty signed by the United States. 200 nations are signatories of this agreement. The world is in agreement on these principles. Violations of the principles are war crimes and are punishable under law in every one of those countries.

Can you believe that the Bush-Cheny doctrine says that we should not abide by these doctrines in our "War on Terror." I'm fairly certain that treaties are put in place by the congress and not by the president. The president and vice president are not above the laws and while they might lobby for the congress to withdraw from the treaty, the president and vice president cannot just decide to disregard the treaties. That is against the law. The congress should hold them to account or announce to public that the president has become the emperor.

Treaties by damned, Constitution shreded. Just trust us. That is the message of today's administration.

Isn't that just trading one terror for another?