Timothy Lawton

     The Obama administration is again proving their lack of understanding of history. The attacks on 9/11 were an act of war not a crime. Therefore those who were involved should be tried by the military’s justice system not in civillian courts. Aside from this legal reality the spectacle that this trial will be is preposterous. Safety concerns, the media, and the potential legal obstructions that the lawyers for these terrorists will no doubt pull will lead to a circus that could lead to these men being acquitted. On top of this is the fact that much of the information that may aid in convicting these men is of a classified nature. This decision by Attorney General, Eric Holder, to try these men in open court is an absurdity.

     This decision flies in the face of history. The attackers on 9/11 are not subject to the Geneva Conventions and they certainly are not entitled to a civillian trial. They are the equivalent of spies and spies are generally executed on the spot. Since the September 11th attacks are an act of war these men have to be subject to the rules of war. They do not meet a single one of the four requirements to be recognized as a legitimate enemy combatant under the Geneva Conventions. This means they are to be treated as spies. Do they wear uniforms? Are they part of an armed force representing a country? Do they have readily recognizable insignia marking their rank? Do they use the public to hide and shield their identities? How has Eric Holder made the determination that these men deserve anything other than a military hearing?

     Yet, that is not the worst part of this move by this administration. The Pandora’s box that this trial will open up will lead to a plethora of unintended consequences. This trial will be a showcase for Al Queda and radical Islamists. The amount of recruitment that they will get with this free publicity will be enormous. The revelations of national security operations that will be exposed could potentially devastate our abilities to gather intelligence to prevent future attacks. The fact that the Army already failed to stop a terrorist attack at Fort Hood, in Texas, by one of their own proves how precarious our ability to defend ourselves from such extremists actually is. The possibility that these defendants may get off on a technicality is another looming potential disaster. Was Khalid Sheik Muhammed read his Miranda rights? And if so, when? What about the potential for one lone juror, who is sympathetic to their cause, to hang a jury or cause a mistrial? We also have to consider the security considerations of such a trial. How can this not heighten the already dangerous threat level for the city of New York?

     Time and again I am baffled by the Obama administration. If they really care about this nation how can they do what they are doing? How do these trials do anything other than weaken our security and promote the cause of the Islamo-fascists? This is similar to the trial that Adolf Hitler had after the Munich putsch. Were the Nazi’s not greatly popularized by the publicity Hitler received for free? The debacle of bringing terrorists into a civillian court under the circumstances of the 9/11 attacks is insane. If these men deserve anything less than a quick trip to meet their maker it is military justice.