David Hicks, good, bad or just plain stupid remains an Australian son. Democratic nations have a responsibility to protect their citizens in times of need; a number of democratic nations have already successfully repatriated their citizens from the illegal torture centre of Guantanamo Bay; however, after a period of four years the Howard government has been unable or unwilling to effect the repatriation of David Hicks. If a truly strong case against Hicks existed it surely would have been prosecuted to the full advantage of the terrorist scare campaign that Bush constantly wages on the American people. The fact that the USA is loath to give Hicks a fair and open trial, and in view of the obvious manipulative tactics utilised by corrupt U.S. ‘legal’ officers to delay proceedings, it would appear that the grounds upon which the U.S. military have based their ‘case’ are extremely flimsy and/or could attract litigation for illegal detention, torture and human rights abuses!