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The Big Question: Where should the U.S. try the 9/11 planner?
Today's question:
Senior
administration officials confirm alternative trial locations are being
sought to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.
Where should the Obama
administration move Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s trial if it is not held in
New York?
Damon N. Spiegel, entrepreneur and writer, said:
I am convinced, without the largest minuscule of a piece of doubt, that Khalid Shaikh Mohammad’s trial shouldn’t be held in the United States. Our inappropriately complex judicial system will only turn this call to justice into a global phenomenon; where a chillingly brazen murderer of thousands of innocent people – including brilliantly angelic children, unsuspecting women and honorable men, would be rewarded with the luxurious confinement of an American prison. In fact, the accommodations in his holding cell are probably far greater than the accommodations he had while staggering through the deserts and mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan eluding U.S. military. A United States trial will only embolden radicals around the world who would witness that the U.S. justice system, even at its best, couldn’t administer the justice that is proportionate to the suffering he caused. This could only serve as an insult to the heart broken families of his victims.
It’s obviously appropriate that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s trial should be in his country of birth: Kuwait. Kuwait is a beautiful country that understands justice; where Mohammed’s trial would be swift and the punishment angelically severe. If his fellow countrymen could try him, it would embolden them with the confidence that can only come from practicing integrity. And, it would be fitting; he should be put to death by his own. This would ultimately legitimize the sentence, and would free the United States from any reckless statements by radicals that we are a land of Muslim persecutors; that Mohammed was never given a fair chance (or whatever else a radical could proclaim to inferring that the United States has an unfair justice system).
The problem is that a trial in the United States may take anywhere from six months to two years. Taking appeals into account this could go as long as six to 10 years. Whereas an overseas trial, especially in his birth country, Saudi Arabia or any other Middle East Country, would finally illustrate to the rest of the world that they won’t tolerate terrorism by their nationals. This national self-respect is long overdue.
Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com, said:
To begin with, wherever they try him, they need to get a plan — and stick to it. All this shuffling around is confusing, and gives us the appearance of weakness. The "undie-bomber" gets on a plane, tries to blow himself up, and we go into a tizzy. KSM is caught, and instead of trying him we torture him — and THEN decide to try him in a court of law. It's another instance in which al Qaeda takes advantage of our indecision.
The idea that KSM can get a fair trial in this country is ridiculous. As to why we have to try him is another question. At the end of WWII, did we bring the Nazi leaders to America to try them? No. Why are we making an exception for al Qaeda?
Now that we've decided to try him in New York City, however, we need to go ahead and do it. Pick a plan — and stick to it!
Ryan J. Davis, political commentator, said:
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed should face trial in New York City, where he murdered over 3,000 people. To say it's too "expensive" or "inconvenient" for the City to be a part of him getting justice is flabbergasting. Who do people think Mohammed is, Magneto from X-Men? Does anyone think he's really going to escape? Is it a remotely serious notion that his buddies will attempt to bust him out of prison? Try the coward downtown, stop pretending he's more powerful than he actually is, and bring him to justice in New York City.
Hal Lewis, professor of physics at U.C. Santa Barbara, said:
It should be at Guantanamo, with no more rights than any terrorist who has deliberately killed thousands of Americans should have. I cannot believe that the supposedly intelligent people occupying the White House haven't noticed the terrorist war against the United States. Osama himself just joined our own Obama in blaming the U.S. for global warming, and went on to say that the only way to save the world is to destroy the United States (Obama doesn't go that far, but he agrees otherwise with Osama). Can these people in the White House really not see that a war is being waged against us, a war that is supported by a large fraction of the world population? Look at the mobs screaming "Death to America." And you better believe that they mean it.
Bill Press, host of the "Bill Press Show" and a contributor to the Pundits Blog, said:
If
true, the White House is wrong to cave in to the wimps from New York,
starting with Michael Bloomberg. KSM can and should be brought to trial
in New York City, just like Zararias Moussaoui was successfully and
safely brought to trial in Alexandria, Va. We've become a nation of
cowards.
Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, said:
I think the trial should stay in NYC. They're tough there, and a microcosm of the whole world.
Michael T. McPhearson, executive director of Veterans For Peace, said:
I begin from the proposition that all people are created equal and have unalienable rights. This means that those accused of terrorism and found guilty of terrorism are endowed with the same rights as me because they are human beings. Human rights can be recognized or denied, they can not be given because they are, as defined by unalienable, incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred.
With that being said, military commissions do not fully recognize the accused full rights. The best way to counter the ideology of terrorism is better and more compelling ideas and implementation of those ideas. Interestingly, justice, fairness and equality are important themes when combating al Qaeda’s propaganda. If we believe in our system, we should showcase it. If we believe in it we should trust it. Openness and transparency will show that the U.S. has nothing to hide. I believe we have no reason to fear Mohammed’s spewing of hate unless we fear there is truth in the hate. Mohammed’s words will expose his ideology of death as bankrupt.
Lastly, having the trial in NYC is important for external politics and combating al Qaeda. We are not afraid, we believe in our system, it is strong in the face of Mohammed’s words/al Qaeda’s propaganda and we have nothing to hide. The Obama Administration having to relook its decision to have the trial in New York is about internal politics. In my estimation, those who are pushing for military commissions lack understanding that our greatest offensive and defensive tools to end al Qaeda’s influence are justice, fairness and equality in all we do. It has been claimed that everyone yearns for freedom. I believe this is true. Then we must be an example of how free societies act or we are only mouthing words that we ourselves do not believe in.
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