The Herald Tribune opened with the important decision of the US Supreme Court: “Foreign terrorism suspects held at the Guantánamo Bay naval base in Cuba have constitutional rights to challenge their detention there in United States courts, the Supreme Court ruled, 5 to 4.” If you want to know something about a society go to its prisons, Dostoevsky remarked.
Unfortunately many societies still think that undesirable elements deserve to be tortured, raped, killed or just put away without due process.
And voters in democracies tend to love politicians who are tough on crime.
I guess they appreciate toughness or at least the illusion of toughness.