Friday, November 13, 2009

Trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but not others

Greenwald on Attorney General's Eric Holder's anticipated announcement that the case against alleged 9/11 mastermind KSM will be tried before a jury in New York:
... we're now formally creating a multi-tiered justice system for accused Muslim terrorists where they only get the level of due process consistent with the State's certainty that it will win. Mohammed gets a real trial because he confessed and we're thus certain we can win in court; since we're less certain about al-Nashiri, he'll be denied a trial and will only get a military commission; others will be denied any process entirely and imprisoned indefinitely. The outcome is pre-determined and the process then shaped to assure it ahead of time, thus perfectly adhering to this exchange from Chapter 12 of Alice in Wonderland:
"Let the jury consider their verdict," the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.

"No, no!” said the Queen. "Sentence first -- verdict afterward."

"Stuff and nonsense!" said Alice loudly. "The idea of having the sentence first!"

1 comment:

  1. Well, this is unusual but I cannot say, I don't support it. I think, it doesn't sound very democratically. But those men deserve only to be sentenced with the strictest punishment and I just hope that the court and a jury will take care of it. I cannot imagine any normal reasonable person would let them go with it. Lorne

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