Every time a terror suspect is not tortured and denied habeas corpus rights, a neocon dies a little on the inside. With Michael Goldfarb, the testicles are the first to go:
If he (Abdulmutallab) were treated as an enemy combatant and transferred to military commission system, we could use Army Field Manual techniques without Miranda (not as effective as enhanced techniques, of course, but much better than standard police practice). We could use his non-Mirandized statements against him in military commissions, so long as the statements were not forcibly coerced and were otherwise reliable. Instead, it’s three squares a day, the best legal defense the ACLU can provide, and maybe the chance for parole before the kids he was trying to kill on that plane even make it out of college.
Right. Because we’ll never have enough evidence against the underwear bomber to convict him in a civilian court and send him away for life. Just like we let Moussaoui go. And that shoe bomber guy. And the first WTC bombers. Etc.
Wank. Or.
(h/t)
December 29, 2009 at 9:19 am
Didn’t know the ACLU was into defending terror suspects. Live and learn, I guess.
December 29, 2009 at 10:48 am
Someone please correct me if I am wrong but, according to Yemeni government officials who are begging for money because “militants” are there and coming to bomb the USA, shouldn’t the term “militant” be construed as from the same root word as “military”? Saying that, wouldn’t it be legal and rightfully so, to try these “militants” in our military courts? Just asking.
Oh wait! I looked it up myself: Look up militant at Dictionary.com
1413, from M.Fr. militant “fighting,” from L. militantem (nom. militans), prp. of militare “serve as a soldier” (see militate), originally especially in Church militant. The noun, in the sense of “one engaged in war or strife,” is first attested 1610, from the adj.; in political sense, it is first attested 1907.
Yep…those who come into our country to bomb us should be tried in our military tribunals. End of story.
December 29, 2009 at 11:26 am
Wow.
So, because the Yemeni government complains about certain groups that they call “militants,” and then a Nigerian attempts to bomb a plane in the US, therefore we should try the Nigerian in a military court.
QED
December 29, 2009 at 11:54 am
Do you send your bank info when a Nigerian e-mails you too?
December 29, 2009 at 1:08 pm
That was the reason the DHS totally fucked up with the guy: His dad’s email began: “Hello, my name is so-and-so and I am a banker in Nigeria….”
That was as far as they read before hitting ‘delete’.
December 30, 2009 at 8:15 am
Lolz
December 29, 2009 at 12:01 pm
thats just a dumb argument man. did u know that the word assassin comes from the same word as hashish. therefor i guess we should prosecute assassins with the dea.
also guess what. my favorite candy is swedish fish but its made in canada. i cant figure that out either lol.
December 29, 2009 at 12:51 pm
“End of story.”
You mean Fairy Tale, doncha?
December 29, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Unless the underwear bomber files his briefs in civilian court, then Fruit of the Loom and Hanes Co. could be tried as co-conspirators. Next up, only the naked can fly.
January 1, 2010 at 6:36 pm
The guy was caught in flammante, which is even more dispositive than being caught in flagrante.
This guy could have the OJ dream team working on his defense, he could be as popular as OJ, as opposed to the pariah that his beliefs make him among the potential jury pool, and even then, about the only thing that could get him off would be prosecutorial misconduct. So, of course, prosecutorial misconduct is what Goldfarb is demanding.
January 14, 2010 at 7:02 am
I always wonder what clever defense is supposed to work in these cases that wouldn’t also work in a military tribunal, or what evidence exactly they expect to get in a military court that they need to get the conviction. What’s the defense?
“No, I have no idea whose underwear that is; I’ve never seen that underwear before in my life. That underwear was out of my sight for most of my preparation to board the flight and anyone could have put that underwear on me without my knowledge.”
“I was not in fact attempting to ignite explosives. I merely had severe jock itch, and I believed those ingredients could treat it. I was not trying to ignite them either; I was merely engaged in a prolonged scratch.”