Republicans continue to disrespect the U.S. Justice system, and it took a comedian and the host of a fake TV news show to put them in their place.
Since last fall Republicans have been whining about holding the trial for the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks in New York City where the crime occurred, and recently they have been trying to paint the Obama Administration as soft on terrorism in its handing of the Underpants bomber, who tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit Metro Airport on Christmas Day.
Like the Bush Administration who tried more than 300 suspected terrorists in federal court, according to the Bush Justice Department, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab of Nigeria will also be tried in federal court. His case is almost exactly like that of the Shoe Bomber, Richard Reed.
On December 22, 2001 he tried to blow up a U.S. airline flight with a bomb hidden in his shoe, and he was also subdued by passengers, just like the underwear bomber. Three days later he was charged in U.S. federal court at Boston in a criminal complaint. Reid pled guilty to all eight criminal counts on October 4, 2002, and on January 31, 2003, he was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole with three life sentences to be served consecutively. During the sentencing hearing Reid stated that he was an enemy of the United States and in league with Al-Qaeda. He is serving his sentences at a Supermax prison in Colorado.
Now, Republicans are complaining because Abdulmutallab was read his Miranda rights like the law requires of all criminal suspects and just like Reid was. On Tuesday, perennial Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich appeared on the Daily Show with John Stewart to push his latest book where he called the Obama Administration “radical” for reading Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights. When Stewart pointed out that the same thing happened with Reid, Gingrich told an outright lie, saying it was OK because Reid was an American citizen.
That’s simply not true; he’s a British citizen.
When Gingrich asked Stewart what he thought of holding the 9/11 terror trials in New York, Stewart - who lives just blocks from the Twin Towers and did so on September 11, 2001- hit it out of the park.
“I would be happy and I would be proud of New Yorker’s ability to handle whatever inconvenience to show off our resilience and our lack of fear in the face of these idiots,” he said. “I would be delighted.”
No one could have said it better. Stewart has said many times that these guys are simply idiots from the bottom of the barrel, yet we treat them like X-Men with supernatural powers. The fact is they are nothing but common criminals and thugs who should be treated just like muggers, rapists and murderers are. They should not be given any special status as “enemy combatants” or holy warriors. They are criminals and should be given every protection under the law and thrown in prison when convicted.
We have the best, the most just and most humane criminal justice system in the world, and I have no idea why Republicans think so little of it. If we give in to the fear and treat them differently, then the terrorists have won. Hell, that’s their very mission.
Republicans have claimed Abdulmutallab stopped talking when he was read his rights, but that’s another rightwing lie. He has spilled his guts, with the help of his family, and he has given up plenty of intelligence. It’s sad that people like “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra and U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Macomb County, want to torture him. Not only is it against the law and morally wrong, you get unreliable information.
2 comments:
Richard Reid was not an American citizen and he did declare himself an enemy of the United States and did admit he was part of al queda.
He should not have been tried in the courts, he should have been tried in a military tribunal.
The underwear bomber should also be tried at Gitmo. He's an enemy of this country and a soldier of al queda.
He was interrogated for 50 minutes. When completed, the administration claimed they'd gotten all they could from him. But now that he's talking again, after being read his miranda rights (which he's not entitled to as an enemy soldier and not American)they are claiming that he's talking and they are getting more intel. So which is it? Did they get everything in 50 minutes or is he now giving them more?
It's funny to watch the liberals claim that Bush had everything wrong, except that he's right when they do the same thing.
It nothing else, you socialist democrats are entertaining to watch.
I agree, Richard Reid was not an American citizen. You need to tell that to Newt Gingrich; he said he was. His case was handled properly, and if it wasn’t, where were you and the Republicans in 2001-2003 when his case was disposed of?
Reid, like the underwear bomber, is a criminal. I never said Bush was wrong in trying Reid, not then or now. The fact is they are getting plenty of intelligence from the Underwear bomber. It’s being done without torture, which makes it more reliable.
I know you know his, but I’ll say it again, anonymous, there is no such thing as a socialist Democrat in this country, and that is just a fascist Republican talking point.
It’s funny to see how hypocritical Republicans really are. When Bush tried terrorists in civilian courts, it’s OK, but when President Obama does it, he’s soft on terrorism. Go figure.
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