If the president does decide to try the 9/11 terrorists in a military tribunal instead of civilian court, it would be a major blow to finding any kind of justice in the war on terror, not to mention American values.
"If the president flip-flops and retreats to the Bush military commissions, he will betray his campaign promise to restore the rule of law, demonstrate that his principles are up for grabs and lose all credibility with Americans who care about justice and the rule of law," Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, told CNN.
The fact is if we as a country decide to back down on Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try these scumbags in civil court, we are basically saying that we don't believe in our justice system, and in many ways proves to the terrorists that good can not triumph over evil.
And if you don't think this is true, ask a native of a Middle Eastern country who has been victimized by terrorists themselves. I have had many eye-opening conversations with a friend from Pakistan who I met while writing an article about a family of Pakistani natives who had been forced to flee their country due to threats from terrorist organizations in their homeland. He told me that the only way we are going to show the terrorist "bastards" right from wrong, good from evil, is to show terrorists how a virtuous justice system can prosecute them and make them pay for their crimes. And he is right. For how are we supposed to make ourselves out to be the good guys if we are killing alleged terrorists without a proper trial. In many ways it lowers us to their level and gives terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda another recruiting tool to bolster their efforts.
“I would be deeply saddened if this thing would be reversed,” said retired Army Major General William L. Nash. “It would give aid to our enemies. It would lessen our relationship with allies who have been extremely happy with the reversal of course we have taken. This is not the time to be scared.”
Not only does trying these sick fucks in a civil court make us stronger and more just in our cause to defeat terrorism, but it is also proven that civilian courts have a higher conviction rate than military tribunals in terrorist trials. Civilian courts boast an 88 percent conviction rate on 828 trials, compared to a 15 percent conviction rate on 20 terrorist trials conducted in military tribunals - with two of the five convicted terrorists later being released.
The other major argument against trying the 9/11 attackers in a civilian court is the estimated $200 million price tag and the assumption that such a trial will make us more vulnerable to a terrorist attack. NEWS FLASH! Terrorists want to attack and kill Americans, not to mention if they are going to attack our nation again it is most likely going to occur in our largest and greatest city. And in terms of cost, it is going to cost us a fortune to hold these trials whether they are held in downtown Manhattan or rural Illinois.
In the end, if the president decides to try Mohammed and his co-conspirators in a military tribunal it will most likely have more to do with public opinion and other political leaders who object to such a trial than a fear that our justice system can not effectively try and convict the five terrorists. A recent public opinion poll shows that six in 10 Americans support using military tribunals to try non citizens charged with terrorism. However, six in 10 Americans also believe Mohammad and his co-conspirators should be tried on U.S. soil and not foreign soil.
However, while a small majority of Americans believe terrorists should be tried in military tribunals, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of more than 200 relatives of victims of the attacks, issued a statement saying they were “deeply troubled” by reports that the accused terrorists in the 9/11 plot might not receive a civilian trial after all.
“Civilian trials in federal courts have resulted in hundreds of successful terrorism prosecutions whereas military commissions are an illegitimate system that undermines the rule of law,” Donna O’Connor, a spokeswoman for the group, said.
But all I want to know is, 'what happened to the America where "there was nothing to fear but fear itself."' This country has faced far greater threats than terrorist attacks in our history, why now have we decided to act like spineless little bitches when it comes to showing the world that we are just and right in our cause in the world.
Grow some balls Mr. President, the right decisions are never the easy ones, for if they were we would all be terrorists. And as for my fellow Americans, stop being fearful of terrorists and start standing up to these bastards, because continuing to fear them means in the end they win.
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