Two points that were not mentioned:
One, the Japanese-Americans were forced to sell or abandon their property. They were literally stripped of everything, including their Constitutional rights. When they were released and allowed to return home, most had nothing to go back to.

Two, Executive Order 1066 was literally state-mandated racism. It was no better than the German persecution of the Jews. Interestingly enough, the Jewish community did not speak out against this action.

Was FDR correct? Only if you consider the taking of property for political and economic reasons to be correct. There had already been much animosity against the Japanese-American community for the inroads they had made into the agricultural industry. Many people were actually upset that the Japanese-Americans were able to turn the desert land of the camps into flourishing gardens. FDR caved in to the demands of corrupt politicians and businessmen by taking advantage of the wartime hysteria. Why were no German or Italian-American citizens rounded up into camps? And don’t tell me it was because Japan was the only country to attack American soil. Don’t forget there were German U-boats off the Northeast coastline.

Is there anything we can learn from this? Yes, but sadly, we most likely will not. The issue of reparations split the Japanese-American community. Some said the only way America would recognize its fault was to have it cost them money. Others said it was dishonorable to accept payment. Still others wished to just forget the incident that scarred their lives. I thought the reparation money should have been directed into required teaching of this event in all American schools so it would never be repeated. So here we are, 20 years later, and we apparently have learned nothing. We scream that China should not host the Olympics because of their treatment of Tibetans, but in the next breath support the immoral imprisonment and racist treatment of Muslims in America. We are the greatest nation on Earth; it’s time we started acting like it instead of some two-bit dictatorship. But, as with WWII, the leaders who so desperately need to come forward are conspicuous by their absence.

The government establishing the former campsites as historical landmarks is a welcome step toward educating the public. However, as they were purposely located in remote areas, they do not get many visitors. And can you guess who actually visits? You got it…Japanese-Americans! Kind of like preaching to the choir.

Michael: Please accept my apologies for being so trite but you are comparing apples to oranges. The individuals who have been interned in Guantanamo Bay are not US citizens and have dedicated themselves to the destruction of Western civilization as we know it today. Many who have been released have gone back to the Middle East to kill our US military. There are several hundred who have been incarcerated in Cuba versus the 100,000-plus Japanese-Americans who suffered under FDR.

I would HOPE that there is a difference between the Japanese-Americans in the camps of 1942 and the Guantanamo Bay detainees.

I am by no means an authority on this. All I know is what I have learned from history classes, independent reading and what the media tells me today.

1. Aren't the detainees in Cuba there because of some overt act or investigation? I would also assume that some have actually been caught as a result of combat operations against UN or US forces.

The Japanese-Americans, for the most part, were at home and reported to assembly centers as instructed by the government. Most were not rounded up, and while many were under investigation, I doubt that any were caught in combat against the United States.

2. While there was racism during WWII directed toward Japanese-Americans, I have not heard of anything like water-boarding incidents or other forms of torture used on them.

3. My understatnding is that Japanese-Americans, as a whole, wanted to prove their loyalty and patriotism even while incarcerated and this resulted in the formation of the Military Intelligence Language School, 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, all with significant contributions toward victory in WWII.

I have not heard many Muslim-Americans or Muslims from anywhere even opposing the 9/11 hijackers actions, IEDs, or beheadings of civilian non-combatants.

I don't think this was the best comparison for making a case against the existence or activities at Guantanamo Bay because it looks like apples and oranges are being compared.

The comparison between the Japanese internment in our country and Germany's treatment of the Jews is grossly unfair. What happened to our Japanese citizens was a stain on our country's history, but it was also understandable. The horror of that war reached into every American home; almost everyone had lost someone to the war. People were afraid of the Japanese.
So yes, we made a mistake. On the other hand, we did not kill any Japanese in the camps. Everyone was housed, fed and provided with medical care. My God, they even had schools, movies and baseball. Needless to say, this is NOTHING compared to the horrors perpetrated on the Jewish people by Nazi Germany. They should NEVER be compared.

A common misconception about the detainees is that they were captured "on the battlefield". Our military offered money to Afghanis & Iraqis to expose "enemies" and their say-so was all that was required to get them locked up. Our forces did not have the manpower to investigate the claims of those doing the accusing and thus we created a system ripe for abuse.
I know it makes us feel better to believe these detainees are the "bad" guys, however by denying any legal recourse to these people, who is "bad" and who has been unjustly accused is a question that must weigh heavily on anyone who believes in the value of justice as a basic human right.

To JJ Flowers:

I suppose you don’t think slavery in America should be compared with the Jewish camps. After all, the slaves were housed, fed and provided with medical care. My God, they even had music, dancing and horseshoes!

My guess is that you are Jewish. You are so cavalier in your dismissal of the WWII internment of Japanese Americans with, “So yes, we made a mistake.” Are you saying that Jews are so much better that they should not also accept this trivial apology from their captors? Germany has apologized over the decades, yet the old Nazis are still being hunted today. Why haven’t the Jews accepted their apologies and moved on? Could it be because a simple “Ooops!” isn’t enough?

There is no doubt that the Jews suffered more than the Japanese Americans during WWII. That was not the point of reference. The comparison was between Germany’s state-sponsored racism and WWII America’s. What’s the difference between an order to round up all the Jews vs an order to round up all the Japanese Americans? The fact that one group was treated better than the other does not diminish the unethical role of the respective governments. Fear does not justify unethical actions. (“People were afraid of the Japanese.” And “it was understandable.”) Well, Hitler was afraid of the Jews. So by your reasoning he was justified in rounding them up. Why, it was perfectly understandable. What kind of moronic logic is that? It’s the kind that allowed everyone to support Hitler until it was too late. It was the kind that allowed the Holocaust to occur. And it’s the kind that is being marched out today in our “War on Terrorism.”

Lastly, you need to learn your history. There were Japanese Americans killed in the camps by soldiers. No, they were not tortured to death, but they are just as dead, aren’t they?

You are wrong. Not only should the internment of both races be compared, they MUST be compared! You have to understand, it’s not about how they were treated, it’s about how they were targeted.