While Taliban fighters had an initial claim to protection under the conventions they lost POW status by failing to obey the standards of conduct for legal combatants: wearing uniforms a responsible command structure and obeying the laws of war.

Human-rights advocates for example claim that the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners is of a piece with President Bush's 2002 decision to deny al Qaeda and Taliban fighters the legal status of prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions.

When I started law school I was shocked to learn that our legal system traditionally had the man as the head and master of the family. As late as the '70s and '80s when we were fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment states like Louisiana still had a head and master law.

Our country was thereby saved from the consequences of its distracting individualistic conception of democracy and its merely legal conception of nationality. It was because the followers of Jackson and Douglas did fight for it that the Union was preserved.

In my role as Wikileaks editor I've been involved in fighting off many legal attacks. To do that and keep our sources safe we have had to spread assets encrypt everything and move telecommunications and people around the world to activate protective laws in different national jurisdictions.

People do not win people fights. Lawyers do.

I discovered that in a story I could safely dream any dream hope any hope go anywhere I pleased any time I pleased fight any foe win or lose live or die. My stories created a safe experimental learning place.

For 'So Cold the River ' I'm actually working on adapting the book with Scott Silver who was just nominated for an Oscar for 'The Fighter ' and who also wrote '8 Mile ' which I think is a terrific screenplay. The chance to work with Scott is a tremendous pleasure and I'm learning a lot.

Remaining vigilant toward this ever-present threat means constantly learning how better to protect ourselves. But primarily it reminds us that we must fight and win the war on terror so that we do not have to fight it here in America.

I used to be so aggressive but after a while I started learning. It's not that I know how to adapt but I know all styles of fighting so I can change my style of fighting to whatever it needs to be. That just comes from years of training and a lot of sparring partners.