Khalid Sheikh Mohammed | Hanlon's Razor

Even Feinstein “concerned” about 9/11 trials in New York

By Hanlon, on January 29th, 2010 at 02:42 PM

I yearn for the day when we actually have radical liberal Senators. Yeah we’ve got Russ Feingold, and Leahy has his moments, but that’s about it. I don’t know how they do it, maybe it’s the sheer repetition, but somehow the right managed to get friggin’ Dianne Feinstein to buy into the “it’s dangerous to try KSM in the US”.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein joined a chorus of concern about the risks and expense of bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men to New York for trial from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

“The dynamic has changed,” Feinstein told MSNBC. “The administration should listen to the mayor and the mayor’s concerns and candidly make a change.”

Now, there are legitimate concerns, I suppose. One that’s being leveled is that the expensive security requirements will become a huge burden on the area, but unless they’ve decided to transport the guy in a Fort Knox style safe with air support and half of the army surrounding him, I don’t see what the need is for such absurd measures.

Again, it’s one guy. Al Qaeda isn’t the Russian army. It’s not like there’s going to be an assault on the Big Apple if this guy shows up in court. We’ve tried terrorists before in our borders, this guy isn’t anything special. Even from a strategic standpoint, al Qaeda’s best strategy would be to just let him take the fall and then resume operations in the Middle East.

I think this is one reason our policy vis a vis the “War on Terror” has been such a monumental failure: no one seems to be capable of accurately assessing the situation. At least Obama isn’t budging on this one. Maybe he’s finally found his groove.

The KSM trial protests

By Hanlon, on December 5th, 2009 at 02:05 PM

Someone pass me a Motrin... In a way, the worst part about September 11th (beyond the obvious) has been that it’s turned into such a thorny thing to discuss in any way outside of “Never forget! Honor the fallen!” Any questioning of anything, any actions or words that could vaguely be construed as “disrespectful” cause an avalanche of rage from the irrational quarters.

I just watched some footage of a protest in New York, angry that KSM would be tried within the United States. One of the women was asked why she was there, and her answer was as predictable as it was irrelevant: her husband had died in the towers, he was a rescue worker and this tragedy affected her personally. My heart goes out to that woman, but that has absolutely no bearing on anything.

And, as the organizer said:

This shocking revelation [that the decision to try KSM in New York was made without consulting city officials] makes it crystal clear that the Attorney General’s decision to bring Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to New York City was pre-ordained, and he wasn’t about to ask for input that would have resulted in his having to defend the indefensible.

I want you to watch closely to this whole kerfuffle. See how often any objections are made for objective reasons. There won’t be any, because if you look at the issue plainly there is simply no reason to prevent this trial from going forward. Instead, the objections are gut reactions, primal revulsion in the form of “but he’s a monster!! How dare you bring him here!” I’ve even heard a few people incensed that this guy would get our “rights”.

Two problems here. One, what rights? Yeah he’s getting a trial by jury, but it’d be like if a KKK member got a trial by jury in Harlem. It’s not like anyone’s going to be on his side here; I doubt even the defense is trying that hard. Secondly, if you commit a crime in a country, you get tried in that country. End of story. That kid in Singapore got caned in Singapore. That’s just international law. Terrorists are not some quasi-mystical entity to which the normal rules don’t apply.

I truly cannot wait for the day when we can talk about 9/11 like adults.