The price we pay?

The scandal that is Guantánamo has continued for many years now. The U.S government has decided not to call it's prisoners in the "war on terror" prisoners of war, but instead defined a new category: Illegal combatants.

It's all about what you call it, how you describe it. If your description of the world changes, then the world changes. Maybe this is how we relate to the world. But still it seems strange that the linguistic tag you place on a human being, the word you use to call him by, should be a reason to deprive a person of his human rights?

How is an illegal combatant defined? A group of U.S soliders on NATO exercise in my home town here in Trondheim, Norway beat up a good friend of mine. No reason, they were just drunk and started calling him names. When he talked back they punched his lights out. Not as much as a by or leave.

Their actions were illegal. (My friend reported them to the police, no action was taken however. It seems US forces can use violence whenever the want to without prosecution) Their actions were combative?

Could they be illegal combatants too?
Should we deny them their human rights?