The voices of protest against trying the Gitmo war criminals in our courts speak to a dreaded truth about our sense of justice. These loud voices promote fear that the views of the accused will be heard. They assert that these war criminals are not citizens and therefore do not deserve the rights granted by our justice system to its citizens. They proclaim fear that Americans are in "danger" if we apply our brand of justice to these prisoners.

Well I disagree. As an African American I have participated in the fight to have the virtues of our justice system upheld in behalf of the equal rights of all Americans. Rights which naysayers have denied using many of these same arguments. I am not afraid to let the power of our justice system deliver justice in a manner that the world can see is in keeping with our claim that "all men are created equal." Not just men born American citizens. It is a banner of true strength that we would deliver justice to our enemies under the same rule of law we apply to ourselves. And it honors our brave soldiers and citizens in the best way by upholding the virtues they died for in the face of those who would see them fall.

Justice only when it fits what we want is not justice. Justice that does not sometimes offend our sensibilities and emotional desires is not justice. Freedom is not the ability for those in the majority to do and say what they want. Freedom rings when those in the minority get to voice their opinions with full support of the majority who dissent and otherwise hold differing views.  But we know this. So we have a body of Americans that only want to hear from those who share their views. Who would silence the voices of anyone who holds a different opinion or perspective. Who would deny the rights of others because they view dissent and vigorous preponderance of opposing views as dangerous and threatening to their interests. And worse because they fail to recognize the humanity in those we find most inhumane.

These are the actions of fearful persons, who fear differences and diverse thoughts and actions simply because they are comfortable with and choose to only go with what they know. And what's wrong with going with what we know? As an exclusive policy it ensures we will not grow and move beyond our current state of being and awareness. It ensures we will not benefit from new and different perspectives and events. It ensures we will be left behind as the world around us progresses. And it ensures our obsolescence and ultimately our inability to function as leaders. Not unlike where we find ourselves today on the world stage where our economic and political clout in the world are now universally questioned at best, and viewed by a growing majority as ineffective for addressing the needs of a changing world.

I pray this body among us is not the majority. I pray it is not growing, but rather we are growing with a relentless desire to be free and to pay the price for that freedom. No nation has a constitution like ours. One example of the kind of leadership and perspective we need would be to change our commonly used phrase "God bless America" to "God bless the world." For when we are the America we profess to be, there will be ample room for the world amidst our grace. And we will be better for it.