Jedediah Bila
By Jedediah Bila, Author and Political Commentator
Reports that New York City has become an increasingly unpopular and unlikely location for the trial of terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his cohorts have caused many New Yorkers and Americans at large to breathe a sigh of relief. However, it’s no time to sit back, relax, and divert your gaze. The New York Daily News reported on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 that “Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler shot down news reports that the trial in lower Manhattan’s federal courthouse of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has been scrapped.” According to Grindler, “We haven’t made a final decision and it’s not off the table.”
The bigger picture of ensuring that terrorists are tried in a military tribunal and not a civilian court has gained bipartisan support. Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) have joined the crusade to cut off funding for civilian terrorist trials, leaving many Americans with a newfound appreciation for bipartisan collaboration and a hope that President Obama is paying close attention. With a proposed fiscal 2011 budget of $3.8 trillion that includes his health care plan, $237 million to purchase an Illinois prison for suspected terrorists currently housed at Guantanamo Bay, and $100 billion for a second stimulus bill, I have my doubts.
I will not digress at length about the absurdity of such past statements as “I don’t think it will be offensive at all when he’s convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him” by Obama or “He will be brought to justice and he’s likely to be executed for the heinous crimes that he committed” by perpetual linguistic klutz, Robert Gibbs. (I’m no constitutional law lecturer—ahem—but doesn’t disclosing the outcome of a trial ahead of time sort of defeat the purpose of the trial?) The more important question for those gentlemen is why they—or anyone for that matter—believe that terrorists are worthy of American constitutional rights.
While I fully support the push to move the KSM trial out of New York City, transferring it to a civilian court in another great American city is not the answer. Disclosing specifics regarding our interrogation techniques to our enemies, incurring enormous security costs, mirandizing those who aim to destroy us, and threatening the homes, communities, and businesses of Americans shouldn’t be part of this process.
Our heroic men and women in uniform risk their lives every day to defeat the evils of terrorism. We owe it to them, to ourselves, and to our country to not treat the enemies they capture like common American criminals.
Jedediah Bila is an author and conservative political commentator living in New York City. For more information on Jedediah, please visit http://jedediahbila.com. The views expressed by conservative author and commentator Jedediah Bila do not necessarily reflect the position of AMAC.
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To whom it may concern;-It seems that providing sworn enemies of this country that are not citizens the citizen-rights is not just an idea, but a planned action to further encroach on the rights of U.S. citizens. Asir we are already under 1-world govmnt. and not under our Consttution which is being purposely mocked by these same “leaders”. No one could be this stupid as to make us believe this. We have non-patriots in charge just doing their un-Godly beliefs because they speak their native language, which is not in any way Patriotic and have not even any common sense. Common sense should be used for the preservation of our Republic and not the tearing down of our Nation to further speed their evil causes.
I have difficulty in understanding how any person whose primary duty is to protect our country and it’s citizens, can allow these trials to be held in civilian courts where unwarranted rights are being provided to people who are at war with us. The proper response to enemy combatants shoud be a trail by a military tribunal, and it should be held at Guantanamo Bay. We are under no obligation to hold these trials within any specified time frame, and should only be convened when we have derived the information that we are seeking from these terrorists.
We should extend to these animals the same rights they extended to Daniel Pearle, except the right to become martyrs. they should be locked in the foulest dungeon we can find and left to rot for the rest of their lives. Hopefully Long long lives.
How can anybody call themselves American, let alone the President and even think we should have Civilian trials for this pond scum! Three thousand innocent Americans were killed, what about them? How is it even possible, that they haven’t been executed in retaliation for their dastardly deed? Something is very wrong , totally a slap to the face of all of us Americans, especially the families . Ladies and Gentlemen I say Hang’em high!
I can believe it coming out of irresponsible regime. It is totally wrong in every way.
Tell the military ,Take no prisoners.
Get rid of them on the battlefield!!
I FIND IT TREASON .THAT I SPENT TWO YEARS IN EUROPE[WW2] PROTECTING USA THAT THE CLOWNS IN DC WANT TO DESTROY IT
You should read what the great
American marines went through on Wake Island and other places in world WW11 to keep or beautiful America free. Give thes teriost a civil trial? What are good, decent, moral,
American people thinking? Read the book “Pacific*Alamo” It will break you heart. The ones still living are still suffering. Give them what they ask for!
I think we should force feed these killers pig meat
I agree with melvin get rid of the on the battlefield. they are nothing to us they’re terroists, trying to kill we the people of the united states of america. GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY AND OUR MILITARY.
WELL, ALL THIS SAID, NOW HOW WILL WE INDUCE THIS INTO OUR SYSTEM WHEN THEIR WORDS IN D.C. ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN OURS? LOOKS LIKE THEY OR THOSE IN D.C. THINK THEIR PLACE IN GOV PUT THERE BY VOTERS IS SUPERIOR TO THE PEOPLE. HELLO 76…
These animals don’t deserve a “civil trial” they weren’t “civil” when THEY attacked us on 9/11. What happened to the rights of those people who died that terrible day, what about their families rights? Show the surviving families respect, put an end to this now and keep “GITMO” open and off of American soil. Those pigs don’t deserve a trial. Just hang’em in the streets.
USA rights for enemy combatants! Not just absurd. Preposterous!
I believe that a terrorist is a war criminal and should be tried as such in a military court. Why should we the citizens pay for his trial and then support him financially by putting any of the terrorist in our prisons. We are already bankrupted as a nation.
Barack Obama, is a disgrace to American honor, and valor. Nothing, in his administration, stands for truth, he is a fraud,put in power by crooks,he is a weak wrist-ed yes man, who could have never made it through basic training, much less,fight along side our brave American, soldiers on the battlefield. I would be surprised if he could do a single push up, and this is our Commander and Chief. His policies, match his physique,Obama, will destroy our proud nation, that is his goal,and he must be stopped.
..strange thru this whole discussion of the crimes these mutts commited, the name of Mr. Pearle has been left out, thanks for mentioning it Mr. Noard
I agree with eyery thing written here so far. I did’nt give up four years of my life serving my country just to have it given away by some idiot who obviously is’nt even an american.
I say find the nearest hanging tree and high them high just like they did in the old days,for they don’t need a trial, for if the shoe was on the other foot they would shoot us for we would loose our rights. They losts theirs when they killed all those people on 9/11. If they were here I would bury them in a red ant hill up to their necks and let justice take its course..
Hi again maybe all should write to our man in office I did and they answered me by skipping the point. My point was Admendment #2 the right to bear arms, and freedom of choice. I also told the President that we earned the right to keep our country safe from harm and that it was not freely given we are still fighting to keep our homeland save and he’s killing us, he don’t care he’s muslim. Hillary is going to try to take all fire arms away come 2011 so you all need to beware its called a small arms treaty with the un. And why would ya hire a Muslim to work in our homeland secuirty, the President did not just one but 2.. What about the crazy that killed all those people in Texas, what will they do to him? Probably just slap him on the hand and let him go. Wake up America we need to take back what is our’s and push the intruder’s out the door..
So how can we stop Obama from killing us and killing 200 yrs of history? He has all the crooks in the world in is office, how can WE The People stop this ride they are all on? There has to be a way..Obama wants to break our faith, take away our freedom, he wants to rule the world like Hilter… WE all have to do something, can’t we fire him? I mean I didn’t vote for him..
Don’t bury them in the ant hill.Just tie them on top of it so the ants can have all of them.I have been stung by a red ant and it is not funny.
Reply to Terri Sluder
Join the Tea Party Movement we are going to get rid of them all, beginning with Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, Unfortunately Obama will have to wait awhile.
make them talk, they can take just so much pain look what the japs did to our troops in ww11. then take them out and do what you would do to a barn yard rat, what in the world is wrong with our government