REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

The folly of our boy King

POSTED BY: AURAPTOR
UPDATED: Monday, November 22, 2010 08:54
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Friday, November 19, 2010 12:17 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by BlueHandedMenace:
Ummm, what in my post leads you to believe I am condoning his crimes....please point it out to me.

He is going to spend his life in prison...thats what should happen to someone like this

and of course, since turnabout is fair play...why won't you answer my simple question Rap?



20 years for his part in the massacre. For the 1 count of conspiracy. He should have been put to death.

I'm not playing this game of " show me where I condone his crimes ". This travesty of injustice is a direct cause of Obama and his justice dept.

Deal w/ that issue, first.




Actually, this "travesty of injustice" is a direct result of Bush and HIS Justice Department. Had they not ordered torture and thus tainted every bit of evidence thus gained, this should have been an easy slam-dunk for any recent law school grad.

You need to deal w/ THAT issue, first.

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Friday, November 19, 2010 3:41 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:


Some legal experts warned that Wednesday's verdict damaged the argument for trying detainees in civilian courts. They said the case could make the Obama administration more selective in deciding which suspects to put on trial, because of the risk that someone branded dangerous by the government could be acquitted.

"They really needed this case to go off without a hitch, to be a showcase. Instead, you have the opposite," said Aitan Goelman, a former federal prosecutor in New York now in private practice in Washington. "Civilian juries do screwy things," he said. "There's horse trading in jury verdicts."

Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said the verdict confirms that the Obama administration's decision to try Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts "was a mistake and will not work."

"This case was supposed to be the easy one, and the Obama administration failed — the Gitmo cases from here on out will only get more difficult," he said in a statement.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0d5CYTt7_X2dpBNNUwG
5vi1scgg?docId=7fbb98e3a97344668fc0946ff437a15d




Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani

Born:circa 1974 (age 35–36)
Zanzibar, Tanzania

Ghailani wasn't an American citizen, and was instrumental in the murder of over 200 people, 12 of them American diplomats, and thousands more injured.

He was caught in Pakistan, after a 8 hour gun battle, and not in the United States.

And yet, some still think he should be given all the rights and privileges in a U.S. court as an American citizen?

His crime wasn't armed robbery or check forgery, but participant in an act of great loss of life and the destruction of 2 U.S. Embassies.






" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Friday, November 19, 2010 4:11 PM

CANTTAKESKY


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
And yet, some still think he should be given all the rights and privileges in a U.S. court as an American citizen?

We didn't give him a trial because he had the rights of an American citizen. We gave him a trial because he had rights as a human being.

Do you think all humans should have certain rights, or should US citizens be the only ones in the world with "rights"?

What do you think is fair and reflects our American values of how ALL human beings should be treated when accused of a crime?

What do you think should happen to people we catch abroad that are accused of terrorism?

Should they just be shot on the spot?
Tortured for information, then shot?


CTS


----
Arrogant and proud of it.

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Friday, November 19, 2010 4:21 PM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important


Hello,

One wonders what system of Justice is appropriate for a foreign criminal who has been seized by the United States.

Shall we try Muslims born in Muslim countries according to Sharia Law?

Or shall we instead cleave to U.S. Law, a law we claim to consider superior?

Honestly. Whose law are we to use if not our own?

The unspoken answer: We should do whatever lets us kill the bastard.

Thankfully, my Country went a different way. I pray it always shall.

--Anthony

Assured by friends that the signal-to-noise ratio has improved on this forum, I have disabled web filtering.

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Friday, November 19, 2010 4:35 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:


Some legal experts warned that Wednesday's verdict damaged the argument for trying detainees in civilian courts. They said the case could make the Obama administration more selective in deciding which suspects to put on trial, because of the risk that someone branded dangerous by the government could be acquitted.

"They really needed this case to go off without a hitch, to be a showcase. Instead, you have the opposite," said Aitan Goelman, a former federal prosecutor in New York now in private practice in Washington. "Civilian juries do screwy things," he said. "There's horse trading in jury verdicts."

Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said the verdict confirms that the Obama administration's decision to try Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts "was a mistake and will not work."

"This case was supposed to be the easy one, and the Obama administration failed — the Gitmo cases from here on out will only get more difficult," he said in a statement.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0d5CYTt7_X2dpBNNUwG
5vi1scgg?docId=7fbb98e3a97344668fc0946ff437a15d




Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani

Born:circa 1974 (age 35–36)
Zanzibar, Tanzania

Ghailani wasn't an American citizen, and was instrumental in the murder of over 200 people, 12 of them American diplomats, and thousands more injured.

He was caught in Pakistan, after a 8 hour gun battle, and not in the United States.

And yet, some still think he should be given all the rights and privileges in a U.S. court as an American citizen?

His crime wasn't armed robbery or check forgery, but participant in an act of great loss of life and the destruction of 2 U.S. Embassies.




And yet, the government was completely unable to prove their case without resorting to torture.

For the record, I think he should be given all the rights and privileges of a human being who's presumed innocent.



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Friday, November 19, 2010 4:41 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by canttakesky:
Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
And yet, some still think he should be given all the rights and privileges in a U.S. court as an American citizen?

We didn't give him a trial because he had the rights of an American citizen. We gave him a trial because he had rights as a human being.

Do you think all humans should have certain rights, or should US citizens be the only ones in the world with "rights"?

What do you think is fair and reflects our American values of how ALL human beings should be treated when accused of a crime?

What do you think should happen to people we catch abroad that are accused of terrorism?

Should they just be shot on the spot?
Tortured for information, then shot?


CTS


----
Arrogant and proud of it.



Indeed.



Someone smart once wrote:

Quote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights...



Hmmmm... *ALL* men are created equal. I guess the "unless they're foreigners or Muslims" was more *implied* than stated outright, right, Rappy?

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Friday, November 19, 2010 4:49 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:

Originally posted by canttakesky:
Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
And yet, some still think he should be given all the rights and privileges in a U.S. court as an American citizen?

We didn't give him a trial because he had the rights of an American citizen. We gave him a trial because he had rights as a human being.

Do you think all humans should have certain rights, or should US citizens be the only ones in the world with "rights"?

What do you think is fair and reflects our American values of how ALL human beings should be treated when accused of a crime?

What do you think should happen to people we catch abroad that are accused of terrorism?

Should they just be shot on the spot?
Tortured for information, then shot?



Spot on, CTS.

It amazes me that people jump up and down about government intervention in things like health care and bail out of banks as being 'the road to totalitarianism, and then expect people to be executed without trial....that's okay then...

when you compare the terms of two presidents

In Bush's term - involved US in war with 2 countries, on spurious grounds
torture is approved as a method of interrogation
foreign combatants imprisoned indefintely without trial
rendition of suspected terrorists to countries with hardline torture capacity

Obama - tried to introduce a public health system and mop up (unsuccessfully) the economic mess caused by a corrupt and greedy financial system

Oh, yeah, lets worry about Obama being the dictator!!





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Friday, November 19, 2010 6:17 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:


And yet, the government was completely unable to prove their case without resorting to torture.

For the record, I think he should be given all the rights and privileges of a human being who's presumed innocent.



Completely unable ? I seriously doubt that.

And he wasn't innocent, presumed or otherwise.

I'd love for you to explain to the family members of the dead and the wounded survivors just how comfy you are w/ the kangaroo court justice which was given out.

He should have been tried in a military court, as precedent has dictated that such terrorists ( not mere 'criminals ), and then executed.

Don't really understand the confusion over all this. It's really quite simple.


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Friday, November 19, 2010 6:33 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


I've really understood why terrorists should be subject to any other law than the law the rest of us are subject to.

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Friday, November 19, 2010 6:54 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

And he wasn't innocent, presumed or otherwise.


Yeah, F**K the legal system our founding fathers created, it sucks. If they seem guilty, they ARE.

AU, you disappoint me in your dismissal of, oh, whatever... kill 'em, kill 'em all!!!! We NEED to feel better, so WE MUST TERMINATE, WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!!!!


The laughing Chrisisall


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Friday, November 19, 2010 9:02 PM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important


Hello,

I am grateful daily that not everyone in this country wants to dismantle its basic principles in order to make themselves feel better.

--Anthony

Assured by friends that the signal-to-noise ratio has improved on this forum, I have disabled web filtering.

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Friday, November 19, 2010 10:33 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:


And yet, the government was completely unable to prove their case without resorting to torture.

For the record, I think he should be given all the rights and privileges of a human being who's presumed innocent.



Completely unable ? I seriously doubt that.



Oh, right you are. I should have said "284/285ths unable"; that would have been more accurate.

Quote:


And he wasn't innocent, presumed or otherwise.



So sayeth Rappy, the Emporer or RappyWorld™. So let it be said, so let it be done!

Fortunately, the rest of us live in the REAL world, and you don't get to make the rules.

Quote:


I'd love for you to explain to the family members of the dead and the wounded survivors just how comfy you are w/ the kangaroo court justice which was given out.

He should have been tried in a military court, as precedent has dictated that such terrorists ( not mere 'criminals ), and then executed.



Sorry, but the fact that a few kangaroo military tribunals have been held shouldn't be viewed as the precedent for future behavior. The PRECEDENT is to treat them as criminals and try them in criminal court.

Please cite for us all the numerous terrorists that have been tried by the U.S. in military courts and then executed.
Hell, for that matter, run down the list of suspected terrorists that have been detained, then list how many have been tried by military tribunals, and list their sentences. Then we can compare your brand of justice to the U.S. Justice Department's record on the issue.

You won't, though. You'll run away from this issue after calling me a few names and claiming that I'm "not worthy" of your esteemed response. We're all used to that by now...

Quote:


Don't really understand the confusion over all this. It's really quite simple.



It is quite simple. He was tried and convicted, and he's going to prison. And if the Bush administration hadn't hamstrung their case in the first place with evidence gathered through the use of torture, he might well have been convicted on more charges.

Even your beloved military tribunals wouldn't have heard that evidence, though. Don't know why you can't seem to get your head around that fact. Evidence gathered via torture is illegal in every kind of U.S. court.

As Anthony asked, would you prefer he be tried under Sharia law in another country?



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Saturday, November 20, 2010 2:27 AM

CANTTAKESKY


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
He should have been tried in a military court, as precedent has dictated that such terrorists ( not mere 'criminals ), and then executed.

Other than this-is-how-it's-always-been-done, do you have any principles and/or logistic reasons that a foreign CIVILIAN should have been tried in a secret military tribunal?

If he had been tried in military court, and given the exact same verdict, would you have accepted that as fair and square?



Can't Take Sky
----
Arrogant and proud of it.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 3:29 AM

KANEMAN


Quote:

Originally posted by BlueHandedMenace:
You go ahead, its pretty clear looking at this thread which of us has the intelligence here, and Im sure you think it is you. You are quite welcome to that opinion.

Enjoy your delusions, I've had my fun here, and now I know better than to try and use reason against u. You are clearly immune to it, since you cant recognize it.

Since you havent once made a single comment that has any validity, I'm finished with this thread...I'ma go back to doing a little bit of work b4 lunch now.
[/QUOTE

I'm lost. Correct me if I'm wrong..I believe your "intelligent" debate is asking "what is wrong with this guy getting life in prison, via criminal courts?"

He has not received life in prison. There I Won.

Now, onto the POINT. This whole thing is a disaster. I said it back when holdershmolder came up with and defended this idea. This guy should have been put to death. He is a terrorist who killed hundreds. I am sure AUrapts point(missed by the lesser brains among us) is we should not be taking a chance with our criminal system on things like this. Too many things can go wrong, see OJ simpson, and the outcome is to important to our national security. I won't even bring up the absurdity of giving these "killers of Americans" our rights through citizenship.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 3:32 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by chrisisall:
Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

And he wasn't innocent, presumed or otherwise.


Yeah, F**K the legal system our founding fathers created, it sucks. If they seem guilty, they ARE.

AU, you disappoint me in your dismissal of, oh, whatever... kill 'em, kill 'em all!!!! We NEED to feel better, so WE MUST TERMINATE, WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!!!!





You want a lively debate of the theoretical, where as i'm dealing with reality here. This isn't in the least bit derogatory to the Founders. In fact, YOU drag their memory in the mud by even trying to bring them up here. They'd likely have had this pos shot , then and there, instead of giving him any trial.

Ghailani was no duped fall guy. The day before the bombings, he used a fake I.D., on a one way flight to Pakistan. He was deep on the inside of al Qaeda.

The Constitution is NOT a suicide pact. Those dead by this coward's actions are not theoretical, but were actual real, live people, w/ families and friends who will no longer see them. I wonder if your feigned indignation on display here would be very much different if your loved ones had died in those blasts.




" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 4:43 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
I wonder if your feigned indignation on display here would be very much different if your loved ones had died in those blasts.

A loved one of mine, while not killed (he was RIGHT THERE, but very lucky), was forever changed (not in a good way) on 9-11. He suffers PTSD to this day.

YOU, on the other hand, suffer from Seen-Dirty-Harry-Too-Many-Times Syndrome.
And that's a REAL RapFact.


The laughing Chrisisall


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Saturday, November 20, 2010 5:10 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Yeah, Chrissy, you've told this bit before, and I'm not in the least bit swayed.

The inability of some to come to grips of what Islamo Jihadists say and do does not concern me.

This guy was guilty of a whole lot more than conspiracy to destroy a federal building.

You've got no problem putting Timothy McVeigh to death, right ? Why not this guy?

Because he's black ? Because you perceive him to be an oppressed minority ? What the hell is it ?



" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 5:18 AM

CANTTAKESKY


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
This guy was guilty of a whole lot more than conspiracy to destroy a federal building.

That is why we have courts, to PROVE guilt instead of just killing everyone who BELIEVE is guilty. 'Cause sometimes, you know, we believe wrongly.

The jury decided he WASN'T guilty. You disagree with the jury, fine.

But again, how is the jury's decision *Obama's* fault?

You say he should have allowed the defendant to be tried in a secret military tribunal. Do they always find the accused guilty? Or do they sometimes acquit as well?

Do you know for a fact that had he been tried in a secret military tribunal, that he would have been found guilty on all counts and executed?

If he had been tried in military court and been acquitted, would you have accepted that decision?

Can't Take (my gorram) Sky

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 5:20 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Yeah, Chrissy, you've told this bit before, and I'm not in the least bit swayed.

The inability of some to come to grips of what Islamo Jihadists say and do does not concern me.

This guy was guilty of a whole lot more than conspiracy to destroy a federal building.

You've got no problem putting Timothy McVeigh to death, right ? Why not this guy?

Because he's black ? Because you perceive him to be an oppressed minority ? What the hell is it ?




Not speaking for Chris, but for myself, *MY* problem with putting this guy to death hinges entirely on the problem of tainted evidence, the fruit of the poisoned tree.

He may well have done this. But we lost the ability to convict him of it when we in essence "pistol-whipped" a confession out of him.

Want a better verdict? Be a better cop.

And actually, I do have some serious issues with the death penalty. It's just been conclusively proven, via DNA results, that the last man Dubya put to death as Governor of Texas was completely innocent of the crime for which he was murdered. This is at least the second such murder proven under Bush's "leadership" of my state.

I have to wonder - you claim to hate government overstepping its boundaries and authority, infringing on the lives of its people. Why so quick to sanction government-sponsored murder?

Life in prison without possibility of parole? Go for it. At least if a person is later proven innocent, you can still let them out. You can't undo their death, ever.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 5:29 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



The death penalty has never/ will never bes about "undoing" the deaths of those killed.

That's a completely inane and empty argument.

It's about punishment and deterrence.




" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 5:32 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

The death penalty has never/ will never bes about "undoing" the deaths of those killed.

That's a completely inane and empty argument.

It's about punishment and deterrence.



1) It absolutely does not work as deterrence.

2) You completely missed the point about "undoing" the deaths. I was speaking of trying to undo the murders committed BY THE STATE when they execute an innocent person. This has happened, and it's more common than you'd think.

If you'd think. ;)

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 6:04 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:


Not speaking for Chris, but for myself, *MY* problem with putting this guy to death hinges entirely on the problem of tainted evidence, the fruit of the poisoned tree.

He may well have done this. But we lost the ability to convict him of it when we in essence "pistol-whipped" a confession out of him.

Want a better verdict? Be a better cop.


No, I think you speak for me just fine.


The laughing Chrisisall


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Saturday, November 20, 2010 6:06 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

It's about punishment and deterrence.





It's both sad & funny that you believe it's deterrence in any way. But it DOES indicate the flaws your thinking processes & lets us in on why you are so fear-based, politically.


The laughing Chrisisall


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Saturday, November 20, 2010 6:13 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

1) It absolutely does not work as deterrence.


100% of those put to death never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again.

Deterrence ? Absolute, complete and undeniable.


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 6:41 AM

CANTTAKESKY


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
100% of those put to death never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again.

Deterrence ? Absolute, complete and undeniable.

By this logic, the more people we execute, the more deterrence there is. The crime rate will fall accordingly.

How many people do you think we should execute to "deter" crime? Everyone who is ever convicted of murder? How about everyone ever convicted of rape? Theft? Armed robbery? All violent crimes? Why stop there? Speeding?

Would you support executing me so I never commit another crime again? I do get speeding tickets and plead guilty to the misdemeanor of speeding from time to time. Think of all the speeding taken off the highway if I die. Think of all the potential lives saved if I never speed again.

But why even stop there? Why not just execute people who are ACCUSED of crime? Everyone believes OJ did it. The court was wrong to acquit him. Let's kill him anyway and deter him from any future crimes. And this guy with the 284 counts--just kill him, and he'll never be accused of killing anyone else, guaranteed. Court verdicts be damned.

Can't Take (my gorram) Sky

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 8:16 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important


Hello,

There is a fictional allegory for the current discussion and situation.



In this segment, we learn that prisoners are captured, detained, and tortured as standard procedure. Often, they will not know the charges against them at the time they are seized. The verdict is set before the trial begins. The punishment is set before the trial begins.

--Anthony



Assured by friends that the signal-to-noise ratio has improved on this forum, I have disabled web filtering.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 8:20 AM

CANTTAKESKY


Anthony,

Also pertinent to this discussion is the entire third season of Battlestar Galactica. There was a very nice treatment of the debate between secret military tribunals/summary executions and open civilian trials.

Can't Take (my gorram) Sky

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Saturday, November 20, 2010 11:11 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

1) It absolutely does not work as deterrence.


100% of those put to death never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again.

Deterrence ? Absolute, complete and undeniable.


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "




Sounds like you're a full-fledged supporter of so-called "Death Panels" too, then. After all, 100% of those allowed to die through denial of healthcare never get sick again!

There - we've solved the problem of sickness and the uninsured! Just die already!

This Space For Rent!

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Sunday, November 21, 2010 12:26 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

how comfy you are w/ the kangaroo court justice which was given out.

He should have been tried in a military court, as precedent has dictated that such terrorists ( not mere 'criminals ), and then executed.

Don't really understand the confusion over all this. It's really quite simple.

Only if you think in terms of “simple” and “black and white”, and are out for revenge. Which you obviously are—out for revenge—and your assertions are wrong anyway. People tried in tribunals got WEAKER sentences than those tried in our courts, so that’s not a viable alternative.

Amusing how you’re In favor of the Constitution, but not in favor of the Constitution when you don’t agree with it.
Amazing how you’re all for civil rights, but not for anyone but Americans.
Sad how you would scream your head off if an AMERICAN were tortured, but it’s okay for US to do it.
Quote:

Aside from the constitutional and legal questions raised about military tribunals, controversy has arisen over their use. Even before the proposed procedures were issued, criticism came from both the right and the left of the political spectrum.

The Washington Times, a conservative newspaper, editorialized that, "The president and his men (and women) should think again" and abandon the plan for the tribunals. The Cato Daily Dispatch, a libertarian journal, cited a constitutional scholar who called tribunals, "law on the fly" for their and secrecy and lack of due process. The Washington National Office of the American Civil Liberties Union decried the tribunal plan as further evidence of "the government's increasing willingness to circumvent the Bill of Rights."

http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/military-tribunal
s.html

Quote:

Please cite for us all the numerous terrorists that have been tried by the U.S. in military courts and then executed.

Hell, for that matter, run down the list of suspected terrorists that have been detained, then list how many have been tried by military tribunals, and list their sentences.

Happy to oblige, Mike!

Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan:
Quote:

Prosecutors had sought a 30-year sentence for the Yemeni driver after his conviction on charges of giving support to al-Qaida. Hamdan’s trial resulted in a split verdict—the military jury acquitted him of conspiracy and returned a guilty verdict only on the charge of material support for terrorism. The jury of six military officers handed down a sentence of 5 ½ years behind bars. With time already served, Hamdan - who was apologetic in court and thanked the jurors - could be out in mere months.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/11/tribunal-sentence-co
nfounds-critics
/
Quote:

Three cases had been commenced in the new system, as of June 13, 2007. One detainee, David Matthew Hicks plea bargained and was sent to Australia to serve a nine-month sentence.[5] Two cases were dismissed without prejudice because the tribunal believed that the men charged had not been properly determined to be persons within the commission's jurisdiction on June 4, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_tribunal
Quote:

A military jury on Sunday gave teen terrorist Omar Khadr a 40-year prison sentence for killing an American commando in Afghanistan, but the sentence was merely symbolic — the United States already had agreed to limit Khadr's prison time to eight years, and Canada last week said it would allow Khadr to serve the bulk of his sentence there.
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/10/31/102932/jury-sentences-child-sold
ier-to.html#ixzz15xMtdIeg


Also,
Quote:

Many conservative critics rely on a presumption that a military response is always the toughest available option, but even former Bush administration officials say these conservatives’ faith in military commissions is misplaced. The facts are clear: Criminal courts are a far tougher and more reliable forum for prosecuting terrorists than military commissions.

A consistent line running through these conservative attacks as well as other recommendations to avoid the criminal justice system—that lawyers interfere with intelligence interrogation—is also taken for granted but is equally erroneous. Detainees have the same access to attorneys in military commissions and even when held without charge. Interrogation continues after a detainee meets with an attorney, and the record of recent terrorism investigations demonstrates that interviews with terrorists who have attorneys have produced “an intelligence goldmine.”

Military commissions have never handled a single case of murder or attempted murder and have doled out shockingly short sentences to terrorists—even to a close associate of Osama bin Laden. Two of the three individuals convicted in military commissions are already out of prison living freely in their home countries of Australia and Yemen.

The only person convicted in a military commission that remains in jail is Ali al-Bahlul. Bahlul was Al Qaeda’s top propagandist and video maker and was charged with soliciting murder and material support for terrorism. Bahlul, however, only received his life sentence after he boycotted the entire trial process and was convicted without mounting a defense. The most surprising feature of the military commissions is their leniency. The lesson to defendants seems to be to participate in your defense and you will be set free.

There are some analogous cases in the criminal justice system to compare the length of sentences in the two forums. The allegations against David Hicks in a military trial were quite similar to those leveled against John Walker Lindh—the so-called American Taliban—in a criminal court, while comparable charges to the material support for terrorism conviction for Salim Hadman can also be found in criminal courts.

Hicks pleaded guilty to the charge of material support for terrorism with the underlying allegations that he trained at an Al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan and that he was an armed participant in numerous engagements with American and Northern Alliance forces. Lindh pleaded guilty to serving in the Taliban army and carrying weapons. Hicks received a nine-month sentence while Lindh got 20 years. Even if all of the time Hicks served prior to his plea bargain is counted, his total time in custody was only six years, less than one-third of the sentence Lindh received.

Hamdan was convicted of providing material support for terrorism for being Osama bin Laden’s chauffer. In 2006, Ali Asad Chandia was convicted in a criminal court of material support for terrorism for driving a member of Pakistani extremist group Lashkar-e-Taibi from Washington National Airport and helping him ship packages containing paintball equipment back to Pakistan. Hamdan received a five-month sentence while Chandia got 15 years. Even if all of the time Hamdan served prior to his conviction in a military commission is counted, his total time in custody would be only eight years.

At most, Osama bin Laden’s driver got a little more than half the sentence from a military commission that a criminal court doled out to someone for driving a low-level Pakistani extremist.

One of the reasons interrogations in the criminal system are so successful is that a defendant facing a trial has a strong incentive to cooperate with the government in exchange for a reduced sentence or better conditions of confinement. Two recent examples are Mohammed Babar who led investigators to break up terror plots in the United States and Britain, and three Somali-Americans who helped break up a recruiting network in Minneapolis after pleading guilty.

Mohammed Babar was arrested in 2004 and quickly pled guilty in connection with plots to bomb financial building in the United States and London. In exchange for a lighter sentence Babar has become a “supergrass,” testifying in the trials of suspected terrorists in Britain and Canada, as well as providing U.S. officials detailed knowledge of Al Qaeda plans and training camps in South Waziristan, Pakistan. Babar’s plea agreement required him to give evidence to any U.S. agency at any time, but also carried the extra stipulation that if he ever gave false information the deal would be revoked and he would likely get life imprisonment.

Federal law enforcement officials uncovered a network of Somali nationals in Minneapolis that were recruiting and training Somali-Americans to fight on behalf of the Islamist movement Al Shabaab in their native country. The investigation has so far led to eight indictments and a wide-ranging investigation into a network of at least 20 individuals that had been recruited to fight in Somalia. The extent of the network was only discovered with the assistance of three cooperating witnesses that had been recruited. These three ultimately pleaded guilty to related charges but still aided investigators.

Much more at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/criminal_courts_terrori
sts.html


Ergo, the “chance” you talk about us not taking is the chance on tribunals, which haven’t done nearly as good a job as our criminal courts. THOSE have put people in super-max prisons; the tribunals returned them to their own countries, possibly to re-engage in terrorism!
Quote:

You want a lively debate of the theoretical, where as i'm dealing with reality here
I’M dealing with reality here, too, and reality shows the courts do a better job, pure and simple.

By the way, how is a death sentence a deterrent to terrorists who are willing to suicide-bomb? I don’t see the relevance. Given “100% of those put in prison for life sentences never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again”

The only “death sentence” connected to America regarding terrorism that I could find was that carried out by the Iraqi courts on Saddam Hussein. I believe those courts are modeled on ours, aren’t they? Other than that, life is the strongest sentence thus far handed down, and it was done in American court.



Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off




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Sunday, November 21, 2010 12:33 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Dunno why we're bothering, actually. Raptor has one thought, and one thought only:

This guy should die.
The courts under Obama didn't sentence him to death.
It's Obama's fault.

He's incapable of thinking beyond that, obviously. It's not about the law, the Constitution or anything else; he wanted him dead, wasn't sentenced to death. Period.

I think he does want us to arrest them and then just kill them on the spot. Given the tribunals haven't sentenced anyone to death, and the courts have only sentenced them to "life", it doesn't matter; he believes despite all evidence that tribunals would kill them, so that's what he wants. Not law: revenge, pure and simple.

He'd scream and yell if ANY other country behaved like that, but the two diametrically opposite situations do not compute. It's a familiar attitude, anyone guess from where?


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off




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Sunday, November 21, 2010 12:36 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

100% of those put to death never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again.

Deterrence ? Absolute, complete and undeniable.



Thank you, Judge AURaptor Dredd.


The laughing Chrisisall


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Sunday, November 21, 2010 3:27 PM

KPO

Sometimes you own the libs. Sometimes, the libs own you.


Quote:

100% of those put to death never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again.

Deterrence ? Absolute, complete and undeniable.


No, absolute deterrence would mean they were afraid to commit a crime in the first place. If they've already committed the crime then deterrence has failed...


It's not personal. It's just war.

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Sunday, November 21, 2010 4:30 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


You need pre-emptive death penalty. That'll fix it.

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Monday, November 22, 2010 4:29 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important


"Other than that, life is the strongest sentence thus far handed down, and it was done in American court."

Hello,

I can't solve a simple logic puzzle (;-)) but even I know that when someone is aching to die for their cause, it's best to deny them that opportunity.

A Martyr's death is bright and pure
But his life holds no allure.

Perhaps the rhyme will help the vengeful remember.

--Anthony


Assured by friends that the signal-to-noise ratio has improved on this forum, I have disabled web filtering.

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Monday, November 22, 2010 4:36 AM

BLUEHANDEDMENACE


The most amazing part of this whole discussion (which has gathered some impressive info by Niki) is that I havent yet seen a single argument, and I mean argument, not emotional hate-spew (Hiya Rap) as to why it is bad for us to be using our court system to try these terrorists.

is there no argument? Is that why I haven't seen it?

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Monday, November 22, 2010 4:37 AM

BLUEHANDEDMENACE


I see eloquent arguments for fair trials, I see reasoned arguments on how the tribunals are no better than civilian trials...but nothing of note or worth from the other side....

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Monday, November 22, 2010 8:54 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I believe there has been no response in favor of tribunals because the discussion from that side is emotional, not logical. It is based on revenge, not law; the person in question killed many people, ergo he should be killed.

It's not about whether tribunals would be better than courts to Raptor, in my opinion. It is because

a) "Military tribunals" SOUNDS better, it sounds like the person would get stiff sentences, hopefully be put to death.

b) His arguments reflect his fear, so have nothing to do with whether courts would be more effective than tribunals.

c) The fact that the person in question only got "20 years to life with no chance of parole" is being used as a swipe against Obama; the fact that he had little or nothing to do with it is irrelevant. Raptor didn't get the result he wanted, ergo, it's the "folly of our boy king".

In other words, there has been no argument because the premise on Raptor's part is revenge, not legality, logic or reasoning to it.

Raptor has stuck to only one argument: "This was wrong. He should die" throughout this entire thread. He has never responded to the points made, he has only repeated that one "argument", and claimed that anyone who disagreed was wrong because of how many people died.

Note his last two posts (after which he disappeared):
Quote:

It's about punishment and deterrence.
and
Quote:

100% of those put to death never commit any more crimes in this world , ever again. Deterrence? Absolute, complete and undeniable.
Note he says “punishment” first. The “deterrence” thing is a reflection, to me, of his fear—-as Chris pointed out. He wants all who might harm us put to death, because that will guarantee they won’t harm anyone again. He totally ignores that, when dealing with terrorists quite happy to die for their cause, there is no deterrence in the death penalty, only martyrdom, which is what they seek. That’s been pointed out several times, and ignored.

He also ignores that the death penalty hasn’t even been a deterrent to criminals and murderers right here in the States. He just wants them put to death.

The fact is that, just financially, it is more costly to enforce a death sentence than life in prison; that life in prison is pretty hellish, and that, as Anthony said, a life sentence makes someone merely a convicted criminal, soon forgotten by more dramatic happenings, nothing more, while a death sentence makes him a martyr, much preferable.


Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off




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