11.15.2009

Conservatives piss all over American values; turn into cowards

With the decision by the Attorney General to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self- proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, in federal court in New York City, conservatives are flipping their shit in three directions.

First, they feel it's presents a security threat.

Second, they don't want to give Mohammed a forum for his extremist views.

Third, they fear that putting him into criminal court, as opposed to a military tribunal, will expose the trial process to "unforseen circumstances"

Let's go one by one and address the security issues first.

Rudy Giuliani said moving the trials to New York will create additional costs and security concerns for the city.

To refute Rudy, I present.... Rudy. On March 5, 1994, he said:
"(The verdict in the trial of the 1993 WTC bombers) demonstrates that New Yorkers won’t meet violence with violence, but with a far greater weapon — the law.

It should show that our legal system is the most mature legal system in the history of the world

I think it shows you put terrorism on one side, you put our legal system on the other, and our legal system comes out ahead."

Additionally, in 2006, he praised the civilian trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, saying he was "in awe of our system" and that we "are a nation of law."
So, at it's essence, when it's George Bush putting them on trial, our judicial system is the proper venue. When it's Obama, it's a mistake.

Hypocrite much?

Plus, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly have declared New York ready to handle the security issues. And finally, Giuliani is acting like NYC isn't currently a terrorist target - trial or not.

Secondly, the forum argument. Sarah Palin decries allowing our Constitution to work, saying:
"Criminal defense attorneys will now enter into delaying tactics and other methods in the hope of securing some kind of win for their 'clients.' The trial will afford Mohammed the opportunity to grandstand and make use of his time in front of the world media to rally his disgusting terrorist cohorts. It will also be an insult to the victims of 9/11, as Mohammed will no doubt use the opportunity to spew his hateful rhetoric in the same neighborhood in which he ruthlessly cut down the lives of so many Americans."
Let me get this straight. We should throw away the document that makes us better than them. We should strip them of the rights and protections that they themselves would see removed from their own people. We should prove ourselves to be hypocrites and conduct a trial in secret, without the rule of law.

I always suspected that the far right wanted to be like the Taliban, this just helps prove it.

Lastly, the danger of "unforseen circumstances". Ummm..... like the waterboarding that the GOP supported to obtain confessions? The waterboarding Mohammed went through 183 times? The risk that a judge might throw out parts of the confession?

I don't like the idea either. But I like much less the idea that we'll conduct ourselves like a 4th world banana republic when it suits our needs. Our judicial system has been one of the bulwarks of our democracy for the last 218 years. We can't go ditching it now out of fear or expediency.

1 comment:

mac said...

Well said my brother!