quote:

ORIGINAL: hisannabelle
... to be punished above and beyond the punishment our own justice system has given, then in my mind, we might as well just get rid of that justice system altogether.
respectfully,
a'ishah.

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ORIGINAL: amenableboy

Then again, this guy was a driver for OBL. I suppose we might overlook the fact that he was present when OBL was planning the operation that would kill, ultimately, upwards of 4000 people. It's easy, I know, it was so long ago.

The guy admitted to the fact that he belonged to AQ. He was sentenced and given a term that will expire in 5 months. You can rail against Bush all you'd like, but this is still a guy who wanted you dead.

I find it odd, in the extreme, that in our passion to condemn Bush, we forget the simple fact that there are people out there who want to kill us. They existed before Bush, and they will exist after Bush. And here we are, conflating our hatred of the man with the cause of an admitted terrorist. Who participated, however indirectly, in the deaths of everyone who was in the World Trade Center on that day. Remember the people jumping from the windows 100 stories up to avoid the flames? I do. As such, I am not sure this particular gentleman deserves much sympathy. He was there in the planning stages, after all.

Ok, hate Bush. So many people here do, though I wonder if they might be able to either fully articulate that hatred, and, more importantly, defend their viewpoint. Be that as it may: what has that got to do with the verdict handed down by the military tribunal at Gitmo?

Before you spout on and on about due process, you may wish to review the facts. This was a gentleman providing material support to a terrorist, the likes of which has never been seen before. Furthermore, he wore no uniform, he concentrated his efforts on killing civilians, and thus foresook the protections of the Geneva Convention (look it up).

And yet, here I see some defending this gentleman in order to denigrate the President. You may wish to get your priorities in order, ladies and gentlemen. I am no fan of Bush, but I am a fan of our great country. Your intellectually lazy criticisms do you, and our country, no favors.

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o you're essentially saying the end justifies the means? Regardless of who wants me dead or what hatred may be directed towards infidels, it doesn't justify Bush's actions. I truly believe there are/were innocent people who were locked up in Guantanamo. That was the point I associated with this case. I didn't say I had sympathy for someone who was in league with bin Laden. I don't. But how people were rounded up and sent to Guantanamo is really scary and doesn't reflect well on America.

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ORIGINAL: L8bloomer

So you're essentially saying the end justifies the means? Regardless of who wants me dead or what hatred may be directed towards infidels, it doesn't justify Bush's actions. I truly believe there are/were innocent people who were locked up in Guantanamo. That was the point I associated with this case. I didn't say I had sympathy for someone who was in league with bin Laden. I don't. But how people were rounded up and sent to Guantanamo is really scary and doesn't reflect well on America.

As for this guy admitting to being part of Al Queda, was that a freely given admission or one divulged after torture? I'm not saying I know one way or the other because I don't. But I think it's a possibility to consider.

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ORIGINAL: philosophy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_bin_laden_s_driver

...so, we've had a trial of one of these 'unlawful combatents', a phrase which at its very heart speaks of justice and observence of the law.
Something that jumped out at me from the linked story is the idea that when, in a few months the man finishes his time, he may not be released.

Should the sentence he's been given be respected or ought the authorities that hold him ignore the decision of a court?

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ORIGINAL: Rule

The prosecutors attempted to put away for an extremely long time a lowly driver of a CIA operative. What are the important beans about that CIA operative that he might spill to the public that they tried to keep from the public for that extremely long time?
 
He is likely to be murdered in prison or shortly after he is released, to prevent him from making public some odd little facts that he may know.

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ORIGINAL: peterK50

When does the trial of Bin Ladens dry-cleaner start?
When he tries to kill someone or helps plan to kill someone.

There used to be great somber doccumentarys about the Nazi's & WW II & a grim voice over would say "How could the German people allow this to happen?" Now we know.

quote:

ORIGINAL: philosophy

Should the sentence he's been given be respected or ought the authorities that hold him ignore the decision of a court?