Aaaand, he caves to the Right again...[quote]President Obama's advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mast..."/>

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Obama advisers set to recommend military tribunals for alleged 9/11 plotters

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Sunday, March 7, 2010 16:20
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Saturday, March 6, 2010 8:52 AM

NIKI2

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


Aaaand, he caves to the Right again...
Quote:

President Obama's advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, be prosecuted in a military tribunal, administration officials said, a step that would reverse Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s plan to try him in civilian court in New York City.

The president's advisers feel increasingly hemmed in by bipartisan opposition to a federal trial in New York and demands, mainly from Republicans, that Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators remain under military jurisdiction, officials said. While Obama has favored trying some terrorism suspects in civilian courts as a symbol of U.S. commitment to the rule of law, critics have said military tribunals are the appropriate venue for those accused of attacking the United States.

If Obama accepts the likely recommendation of his advisers, the White House may be able to secure from Congress the funding and legal authority it needs to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and replace it with a facility within the United States. The administration has failed to meet a self-imposed one-year deadline to close Guantanamo.

The administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the president's legal advisers are finalizing their review of the cases of Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators. Asked about the process, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that "no decisions have been made."

Privately, administration officials are bracing for the ire of disappointed liberals and even some government lawyers should the administration back away from promises to use civilian courts to adjudicate the cases of some of the 188 detainees who remain at Guantanamo.

'A sad day'

Marine Col. Jeffrey Colwell, acting chief defense counsel at the Defense Department's Office of Military Commissions, said it would be a "sad day for the rule of law" if Obama decides not to proceed with a federal trial. "I thought the decision where to put people on trial -- whether federal court or military commissions -- was based on what was right, not what is politically advantageous," Colwell said.

Administration officials said that an announcement could come soon and that they hoped to finalize their plans before Obama leaves for Indonesia on March 18.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010
030405209.html


The thing that bothers me more than caving, is that military tribunals have been LESS EFFECTIVE in convicting terrorists:
Quote:

As someone who has helped prosecute terrorists in both civilian and military courts — I was a witness for the government in two of the three military commissions convened so far — I think that civilian courts are often the more effective venue. In fact, the argument that our criminal justice system is more than able to handle terrorist cases was bolstered just last week by revelations that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Christmas bomber, is cooperating with the authorities.

Of the three terrorists tried under military commissions since 9/11, two are now free. David Hicks, an Australian who joined Al Qaeda, was sent back to his native country after a plea bargain. Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver and confidante, is a free man in Yemen after all but a few months of his five-and-a-half-year sentence were wiped out by time spent in custody. (The third terrorist, Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, a former Qaeda propaganda chief, was sentenced to life in prison.)

In contrast, almost 200 terrorists have been convicted in federal courts since 9/11. These include not only high-profile terrorists like Zacharias Moussaoui, who was convicted of conspiracy to kill United States citizens as part of the 9/11 attacks, but also many people much lower on the Qaeda pecking order than Mr. Hamdan.

The federal court system has proved well equipped to handle these trials. It has been the venue for international terrorism cases since President Ronald Reagan authorized them in the 1980s, and for other terrorist cases long before that. Prosecutors have at their disposal numerous statutes with clear sentencing guidelines. Providing material support, for example, can result in a 15-year sentence or even the death penalty if Americans are killed.

Military commissions, however, are new to lawyers. Military prosecutors are among the most intelligent and committed professionals I have ever known, but they faced great difficulties as they operated within an uncharted system, the legality of which has been challenged all the way to the Supreme Court three times.

It’s also worth noting that, since 9/11, there have been only two terrorists apprehended under military law on United States soil: Jose Padilla, the American accused of plotting to set off a “dirty bomb,” and Ali Saleh al-Marri, a Qaeda operative accused of being a sleeper agent. After several years, both were transferred to the federal system and are now serving time. If anything, holding them in military detention might have hindered our ability to gain their cooperation, as they gave no new significant information during that period.

Nonetheless, attacks on the abilities of the federal justice system have intensified ever since Mr. Abdulmutallab was arrested in Detroit on Dec. 25 and charged with federal crimes. Critics claim that he should have been held under the laws of war and not read his Miranda rights.

Whether suspects cooperate depends on the skill of the interrogator and the mindset of the suspects — not whether they’ve been told they can remain silent. When legally required, I’ve read some top Qaeda terrorists their rights and they’ve still provided valuable intelligence. Now we’ve learned that “despite” being read his Miranda rights, Mr. Abdulmutallab is cooperating with his F.B.I. interrogators. This should have been no surprise.

Critics were also off base in claiming that the two F.B.I. agents who first questioned Mr. Abdulmutallab were inexperienced local officials. They were veterans of counterterrorism work, at home and abroad, and are led by the special agent in charge of the bureau’s Detroit office, who has run antiterrorist operations across the world. I’ve worked with him; he’s highly experienced. The bureau ignored the attacks on the effectiveness and professionalism of its agents as it focused on getting vital intelligence from Mr. Abdulmutallab. It is owed an apology.

Indeed, it’s very disappointing to see politicians and pundits smear the law enforcement community, to imply that the United States attorneys and the F.B.I. cannot do their job properly under the law. Our justice system is an integral weapon in our war against Al Qaeda, and its successes are a big reason the terrorist group has failed to hit our homeland for nine years.

Other criticisms are similarly off the mark, including claims that classified information is at risk in federal courts. Terrorism cases aren’t the only instances in which classified information is handled in federal courtrooms — in espionage cases the threat of sensitive material being made public is just as great. That’s why in 1980 Congress passed the Classified Information Procedures Act, which allows the government to request permission to withhold classified information, produce summaries and redacted versions, or to show information only to defense lawyers with security clearances. The law is routinely invoked in terrorism trials, especially those related to Al Qaeda.

Critics also claim that trials might give terrorists a soapbox. But federal courts do not allow photography, recordings or broadcasts. What the defendants say is made known only through press reports afterward — just as with military commissions. And federal judges (like military judges) have the power to gag or remove defendants who try to disrupt trials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12soufan.html

More politics, pure and simple. Damn.


"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

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Saturday, March 6, 2010 9:09 AM

SERGEANTX


Meet the new boss ...

SergeantX

"It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah"

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Saturday, March 6, 2010 1:31 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)


300+ terror suspects tried in criminal court as common criminals, with a 100% conviction rate.

3 tried in military tribunals, and two of them were set free.

Yup, makes sense to me.

Can't figure out why exactly it is that the right hates law and order so much. Or maybe they just vastly prefer the military to be in control of it. Hard to imagine why anyone would call the right a bunch of fascists, huh?




"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions


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Saturday, March 6, 2010 5:32 PM

PIRATENEWS

John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!


No way to get a conviction of KSM in a civilian court. Especially with irate 9/11 families and FDNY protestors who know an inside job when they see one murder their friends and families.

KSM was waterboarded 183 times, so no evidence is allowed from those false confessions, which KSM disavowed, to make the torture stop.

OBL denied any involvement in 9/11. Dick Cheney and FBI said OBL had nothing to do with 9/11.

Jews did 9/11 in a false flag to overthrow USA for the jew banksters of the private "Federal" Reserve Bank, that steals 100% of the unconstitutional fed income tax, counterfeits all US "dollar bills" out of thin air ("Federal" Reserve Notes), and stole $25-trillion in the past 18 months under treasonous threat of martial law to Congress.

Jew Larry Silverstein spoke weekly with the PM of Israel and confessed on PBS TV to drag-queen Mafia mayor Giuliani, FBI and CIA bombing WTC in a controlled demolition, so he could perp $10-billion insurance fraud on his 6-week rental investment of $100-million.

First FBI BOLO on 9/11/2001 was for Israeli Mossad bombers headed to the Mex border.

First terrorists arrested on 9/11/2001 were Israeli Mossad dressed as Arabs dancing in celebration driving a white van with a mural of an airliner crashing into WTC, that tested positive for explosives.

Half the Saudi "suicide hijackers" are still alive giving interviews to BBC News, flying for Saudi Airlines and Saudi Air Force. Mohammed Atta was trained at US military bases, according to those base commanders. Some of the alleged 9/11 hijackers lived with an FBI agent.

OPERATION NORTHWOODS IS A SIGNED CONFESSION BY THE HIGHEST RANKING GENERAL IN USA, TO THE US GOVT PERPING THE 9/11 ATTACKS IN A FALSE FLAG TO BLAME PATSIES AND "JUSTIFY" WAR. ISRAEL ATTACKED USS LIBERTY TO BLAME ARABS, IN A FALSE FLAG ATTACK AS PART OF NORTHWOODS. NORTHWOODS ASSASSINATED PRESIDENT JFK, AS PROVEN BY JURY TRIAL IN HUNT VS LIBERTY LOBBY, AND CONFESSED ON VIDEO BY NIXON'S CIA WATERGATE FELON E HOWARD HUNT (AKA "ETHAN HUNT" IN MISSION IMPOSSIBLE).

Illegal alien Hussein Obama's jew chief of staff Rham Emanuel is a citizen of Israel and a soldier in the Israeli IDF military and a Mossad spy, whose parents were terrorist bombers for Mossad. Rhambo is also a gay ballerina, since sodomy (insanity) is required for high-rank spies.

The jew religion should be banned since it requires rabbi to suck dick of little babies during circumcision bris ritual. all jews MUST arrested and required to take a loyalty test of PRIOR ACTIONS, and all jews who fail immediately deported to Palestine (no more foreign aid for Israel, billions in aid to Palestinians), after USA nukes Israel with neutron bombs, for being the most-racist nation on earth that only allows citizenship -- or LIFE -- to jews.

DEATH TO THE JEW WORLD ODOR!

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Saturday, March 6, 2010 5:44 PM

PIRATENEWS

John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!


Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:

Can't figure out why exactly it is that the right hates law and order so much. Or maybe they just vastly prefer the military to be in control of it. Hard to imagine why anyone would call the right a bunch of fascists, huh?



GOP NeoCons are jews, just like Adolf Hitler Shicklegruber Rothschild.

The NWO global dictatorship of the banksters is a merger of jewish fascism and kosher communism. Csar means Khazar non-Semitic "jew".

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Sunday, March 7, 2010 3:50 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


There's your " Hope and Change " leadership, folks.






Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor


Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

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Sunday, March 7, 2010 4:45 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


And the New York Democrats don't care how he's tried, as long as it ain't in NYC.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_white_h
ouse_orders_justice_department_to_look_for_other_places_to_hold_911_terro.html


"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Sunday, March 7, 2010 5:08 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Geezer:
And the New York Democrats don't care how he's tried, as long as it ain't in NYC.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_white_h
ouse_orders_justice_department_to_look_for_other_places_to_hold_911_terro.html


"Keep the Shiny side up"




( NYC Police Commissioner Raymond ) Kelly made an "extremely powerful" speech to a roomful of 150 prominent business leaders about how disruptive and costly the trial would be for lower Manhattan at an annual police charity event on Jan. 13, the source said.

"What turned this around was when Ray made a presentation to the Police Foundation," the source said. "Everyone went from thinking, 'Justice will be served' to thinking 'We are screwed.' "


What a bunch of boot lickin' fascists. Who do they think they are?




Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor


Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

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Sunday, March 7, 2010 4:20 PM

NIKI2

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


Just to say: PN, the waterboarding has nothing to do with it; several politicians and two lawyers I've heard/read have said plainly that is the case; as waterboarding was "legal" at the time, and as he has repeatedly and loudly confessed as well, long past any "undue pressure", they do not enter into the equation, aside from which none of the information they gained from waterboarding needs to be used anyway. Just to clarify, not that it will make any difference to someone who believes 9/11 was done by the Jews to overthrow the U.S.


"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

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