One of the bigger news stories over the past week has been the Obama administration's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 co-conspirators at a trial to be held in New York sometime next year and not before a military tribunal.
I gave myself some time to think about this and came to the conclusion that this idea of bringing these people to New York for trial is simply insane.
New York City has enough of a target sign on its back, and I dread the thought of what it will be like when these assholes come here to stand trial.
I can only think of one legitimate reason why these suspects are getting a civilian trial and not a military trial: it's Obama and the Justice Department getting even with and embarrassing George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and CIA. And you know the defense these suspects will use is: "we were tortured." The trial will be more over waterboarding and the use of "torture." Wait and see.
Good luck for finding an impartial jury to try these scumbags, too. Especially in New York City. And I don't know why anyone would want to sit on that jury, too, even if it is sequestered. (Even if I could be impartial, I'd fear those terrorists finding out who I was.) And I can't begin to think of the security that will be needed when they come here. I have confidence in New York City's police to handle tough cases like this, but we don't have to be put through something of this extreme. There will also be angry (and maybe crazy) Americans gunning for them, too, wanting to be heroes in the name of the 9/11 victims.
And what these trials will do to many of the 9/11 families makes me cringe. They will have to relive the horrors they went through that awful day. Especially when seeing these creeps gloat about how proud they were to slaughter their loved ones.
As you may have guessed, I don't have one iota of sympathy for these suspects. They don't deserve a civilian trial. Not at all. They don't deserve the rights afforded to all Americans. This is just an awful decision, and it just reeks of politics. What they did was an act of war, and should be treated as such.
Obama and his administration better damn well get convictions on all of these people. If they walk on technicalities, he better forget about running for re-election, as it will cost him his presidency.
4 comments:
If I may respectfully play devil's advocate here -
I happen to think exactly the opposite. That to consider the terrorists members of an opposing side in a legitimate war is to afford them an honor they don't deserve. They are no more than thugs on the street who rape or rob innocent victims and deserve to be treated as such. My father fought in WWII and has always said that he considered the soldiers on the other side as someone simply doing the same job he was. These guys do not deserve the honor of being considered soldiers.
As to having the trials in NYC - I do not know the answer to that question. Is it a good idea? I really don't know. But I can't help but wonder this - if the Obama administration favored having the trials elsewhere - would not there be an outcry denouncing the liberal's refusal to let the accused be judged by the people most affected by their actions? I know that when high profile murder cases are moved to "another jurisdiction" there is usually an accusation of liberal politics letting the accused avoid their just dues, and denying the true vicims their chance to see justice served. Would that not be exactly the accusation here if the Obama administration took the opposite stance?
You are right, I'm sure, that the defense will try to turn this into a trial about the use of torture to redirect the attention away from the heinious acts their clients participated in. This would be the case no matter who was president. I only hope they are not successful, and if they are, just as in the OJ Simpson case, the people who abused the legal system and ignored our own constitution have only themselves to blame for the injustice that prevails.
As to finding an impartial jury - you're exactly right. Good freakng luck! And that's as it should be. No one who is a citizen of this country should be "impartial" when it comes to this. These assholes committed the most cowardly, disgusting acts of terrorism imaginable. And again - I can't help but wonder - if the trials were moved somewhere else, wouldn't the acusation be that moving the trial is a plus for the defendants? That it would take them away from the inherient assmption of guilt and the
oops - hit the send button mid sentence by mistake - as I was saying -
I think moving the tials elsewhere benefits the accused, and that there would be just as much of an uproar, if not more, from Obama's critics if that were to happen.
Anyway, just one view from the peanut gallery. And one that is humbly offered with the full knowledge that I don't live there, and might feel differently if I did.
And on a lighter note - I noticed you checked out my friends "Big Daddy Love" and became a "fan" on FB. Thanks for doing so. They are an awesome group of guys who are all very good friends, and they are incredibly talented as well. Hope you enjoyed what you heard. Like almost all bands I admire, they are at their absolute best when playing live and free-wheeling it.
Any of the rest of you out there who would like to check them out, do so at http://www.bigdaddylove.net
It's hard to pin down - Americana, New Grass, Jam Grass, I've heard it called all of the above. Somewhere between Allman Bros. Grateful Dead, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with a bluegrass undercurrent and a mean slide guitar.
They have a Facebook page as well.
OK - plug over. Sorry I couldn't help myself. And no, I don't get a dime :)
Thanks for your views, SoSock. I know the Obama administration will be criticized heavily no matter they decided to do with these terrorists. I just feel there are too many negatives bringing them back to the scene of the crime. And my first concern is always with the victims. And what it will do to those that love them.
My pleasure to support Big Daddy Love. I appreciate your support of them. I have some friends who are musicians and I like to spread the word about them too!
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