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Your little diatribe in the beginning only makes me glad... Libby Send a noteboard - 22/11/2009 05:32:57 AM
Holy $@#*, who put these idiots in charge of a war? Oh yeah, that's right. We did. This is complete insanity, a purely political decision, with the only factor taken into consideration being "apologizing" for the Bush administration and "setting things right", with no thought of the consequences. This decision (trying enemy combatants while AT WAR in U.S. criminal courts) is so far beyond stupid that I'm having trouble coming up with the words. This, on top of the endless agonizing about the most politically helpful move on Afghanistan and the threat of "discussions about the seriousness of possible consequences" against Iran, is causing me to severely doubt the ability of this administration to tie their own shoes, let alone execute a war.



That people who think as you do are no longer in charge of our foreign and domestic policy. Thank god for that. Oh by the way, don't lecture other people on foreign policy, considering how much damage your ilk has done to our country and the world in the past 8 years, your really not in a position to be doing that.

***

Now on the subject at hand let me explain to you something about the Jihadist narrative, because If you want to defeat the enemy you're going to have to understand why they think the way they do.

Their narrative is largely about justice or what radical imams and their followers perceive as injustice. In the their version of history, the West has a long history of exploiting the Muslim world. We occupy Muslim lands to steal their resources. We install corrupt lackeys as their rulers. For all our high and mighty talk about fairness and justice, we reserve these luxuries for ourselves. In this warped worldview, we deserve any atrocities that jihadist “warriors” might commit.

Many of the officials and commentators who are so upset about the decision to give Khalid Shaikh Mohammed a civilian trial were also quick to call the Fort Hood killings an act of terrorism. But if the suspect, Maj. Nidal Hasan, is indeed a terrorist — not just a deranged man who snapped — then his awful rampage helps demonstrate the point I’m making. Hasan reportedly considered the U.S. military deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan a war against Islam, at one point arguing that Muslim soldiers should be excused from combat as conscientious objectors. In other words, he apparently bought at least part of the jihadist line.

In this context, putting Mohammed and the others on trial in a civilian proceeding on U.S. soil is not just a duty but an opportunity. It’s a way to show that we do not have one system of justice for ourselves and another for Muslims, that we give defendants their day in court, that we insist they be vigorously defended by competent counsel — that we really do practice what we preach.

Even if a military tribunal would be just as fair — and a military court might be even more offended by the fact that Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding — a trial by men and women in uniform would be seen as an extension of the “war on Islam.” Holder’s choice is not without risk. The biggest question I have is whether an impartial jury could be impaneled in New York. And while I think the chance of an acquittal is incredibly remote, if it happened, Mohammed would be kept in indefinite detention anyway.

But there’s one more huge benefit to a civilian trial: It would show the preachers of hatred and their followers that we’re not afraid of them or their poisonous ideas. It would show that they haven’t changed us or our ideals — and that they never will.

I say bring it on.




This message last edited by Libby on 22/11/2009 at 05:34:02 AM
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No need to interrogate Osama bin Laden? - 20/11/2009 12:48:27 AM 1000 Views
oO uhm, what? - 20/11/2009 12:54:13 AM 482 Views
Yeah, a lot of people were fuzzy on that till this started. - 20/11/2009 09:30:39 AM 511 Views
on the other hand, we're more than willing to take them out back with a confession. - 20/11/2009 06:34:12 PM 507 Views
As it seems we will. - 24/11/2009 09:41:18 AM 490 Views
New York is now asking for $75 MILLION for the KSM trial - 20/11/2009 01:43:26 AM 439 Views
Its to salve their conscinse - 20/11/2009 01:55:08 AM 441 Views
That's exactly the problem! - 20/11/2009 01:58:37 AM 465 Views
If this trial were being held in any other country - 20/11/2009 01:56:07 AM 468 Views
It's a terrible precedent no matter how you look at it. - 20/11/2009 02:13:46 AM 495 Views
It IS a terrible precdent, hence you and others are citing it 65 years after WWII ended. - 20/11/2009 09:23:45 AM 380 Views
Spare me the bullshit. - 20/11/2009 01:57:16 PM 376 Views
I will if you will. - 20/11/2009 02:55:30 PM 466 Views
No, you won't. You never will. - 20/11/2009 06:14:30 PM 363 Views
You're putting your cart before your horse is the problem. - 23/11/2009 05:40:46 AM 466 Views
No, that's not right. You don't read very closely. - 23/11/2009 02:21:54 PM 379 Views
In this case my reading comprehension is more than adequate. - 24/11/2009 09:16:39 AM 422 Views
You don't think this is a military struggle? Wow. - 20/11/2009 02:52:26 PM 418 Views
Allow me to point out... - 20/11/2009 03:02:33 PM 399 Views
Well, Timothy McVeigh was in OUR Army. - 20/11/2009 03:55:18 PM 517 Views
That's the thing, they aren't a terrorist group - 20/11/2009 04:54:31 PM 441 Views
It would help if you would offer any argument in favour of your stance. - 20/11/2009 08:43:08 PM 386 Views
I only use the word army cause I can't think of a better one - 21/11/2009 04:32:01 AM 402 Views
Yes. "Terrorist group". - 21/11/2009 12:02:04 PM 478 Views
Yeah I guess you're right - 22/11/2009 01:34:34 AM 388 Views
Military struggles involve militaries. - 20/11/2009 03:23:14 PM 554 Views
Once again, bullshit. - 20/11/2009 06:09:31 PM 524 Views
Aaaah, I see; it's a question of who's the master, is it? - 23/11/2009 07:47:43 AM 528 Views
You're wasting your time - 23/11/2009 02:24:57 PM 425 Views
This is wrong - 20/11/2009 07:41:35 PM 425 Views
We're a long way from the shore of Tripoli. - 23/11/2009 05:59:19 AM 471 Views
Nevertheless, uniforms or a nation is not a requirement - 23/11/2009 03:09:22 PM 433 Views
Rightly or wrongly, I disagree. - 24/11/2009 08:48:25 AM 481 Views
That is bad - 21/11/2009 12:31:04 AM 411 Views
You're not going far enough, man. - 20/11/2009 11:03:08 AM 459 Views
Blah blah blah blah blah *NM* - 20/11/2009 01:57:39 PM 193 Views
I just can't imagine how they expect to get a fair trial. - 20/11/2009 03:17:28 AM 385 Views
The Code of Conduct - 20/11/2009 07:23:02 PM 489 Views
The mention of God is interesting. *NM* - 21/11/2009 05:24:14 AM 307 Views
Your little diatribe in the beginning only makes me glad... - 22/11/2009 05:32:57 AM 544 Views
I understand your "jihadist narrative" - 22/11/2009 06:36:41 PM 529 Views
enemy combatants and terrorists - 23/11/2009 08:03:25 PM 503 Views
They're not different because from the Third World, but because terrorists. - 24/11/2009 08:09:13 AM 619 Views
not every soldier in history has worn a uniform - 24/11/2009 11:00:34 PM 296 Views
One example would be Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys - 25/11/2009 06:23:08 PM 472 Views
Just for fun, let's call them fundamentalist vigilantes. *NM* - 24/11/2009 11:12:09 PM 168 Views
Works for me. - 01/12/2009 09:12:29 AM 449 Views

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