Friday, November 13, 2009

America on Trial

No surprises as the announcement came today. The justice department plans to bring the September 11th terrorists to New York to stand trial in a civilian court. This would be no big deal if these were ordinary thugs accused of purse snatching or DUI. These are not ordinary thugs. These are hardened terrorists that have all admitted that they planned and executed the events on that dark day. They have asked to be martyred so they can meet their virgins. They have no defense.

Now they will be given rights and privileges, the same as American citizens. They will plead the 5th amendment. They will push for a speedy trial. They will make a mockery of our systems and will tear open wounds of the survivors and families that desperately need to heal.

Their fate is sealed. This trial will not be so much about them as it will be about the previous administration's ideals and practices to receive intelligence from the terrorists. The attorneys will mull the so called "torture" techniques. They will accuse American officials of over reaching and will put on the black board all of our ways of gaining information. All terrorists will learn valuable information on how to beat the interrogations. This will end badly. This will give America a black eye. This will become a three ring media circus.

All this for a terror leader that has pleaded guilty and expressed his wishes to die. All this for a trial that can and should be tried in a military court. All this from an administration that still blames America for the world's troubles.

5 comments:

Bob G. said...

Daniel:
While I can sympathize with the "sentiments" attached to having the trial in NYC, I just have to look back to the Nuremburg trials.
They were held NOT in London...or Moscow, or Washington, D.C.
They were held in GERMANY.

ANd by a MILITARY tribunal...none of this "lawyering-up" crap.
NO "rights" or privileges...just a cell and 3 meals until your trial where YOU are your own defense...period.

These camel-jockeys today are enemy COMBATANTS, and should be dealt with AS SUCH.

If we want to get "really" technical, what Major Hasan did to his "fellow soldiers" was nothing short of TRAITOROUS.

ANd that always called for the EXECUTION of said perpetrator.

Certain actions WILL incur the strongest penalty under military law...such as DESERTION and being a TRAITOR.
Killing your fellow comrades-in-arms seems to fall under that auspice.

But hey, maybe I'm missing something.

Good post as always, Daniel.

The New Albanian said...

Sorry that the notion of a fair trial that reflects the American principles you purport to uphold is so bothersome to you and yours.

But I don't know why.

Daniel Short said...

Roger, with all due respect...did you actually read my post? These are enemy combatants, they carried out an act of war by their own admission and they have admitted guilt.

You and I know this trial is more about the Bush administration and its tactics. This fiasco will cost the tax payers millions and lift morale in terrorist camps.

Doc said...

Wow, Roger, I don't quite know what to say to your response. "A fair trial that reflects the American principles" is for AMERICANS...not radical extremists that want nothing more than to blow us off the planet! These guys have admitted guilt and deserve death...sounds fair to me!

Ask the families who lost loved ones in 911 or ask the firefighters who managed to live through the terror and see if they care about a fair trial.

This is America, and they will get a fair trial, even though they don't deserve a trial at all. So Roger, you don't have anything to worry about in that respect. But you can worry about how these terrorists will feel when they meet their maker and not the virgins they are expecting. But that probably doesn't sound fair to you either, does it?

Jeff Gillenwater said...

Imagine how the citizens of Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with any of this, must feel.

We overtook their country by force, killing tens of thousands, and you think a few trials are an undue burden?

Otherwise, I'm not sure why civilians who commit crimes against other civilians should be tried in military courts. It was us, after all, who went to great lengths trying to prove they weren't soldiers.