“There was not a political component to my decision,” Holder told Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).
SAY WHAT? Let's just check out the truth of that statement.
Holder listed five areas of “misinformation” that has been raised in the public debate since his announcement that he was bringing the terrorists to NYC for trial.
“First, we know that we can prosecute terrorists in our federal courts safely and securely because we have been doing so for years,” he told the committee.
So safety and security is NOT a concern? Why then will the taxpayers have to ante up $75-$100 million PER YEAR (according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY) to beef up security (in addition to the cost of the trial, legal team, housing etc.) And we have to do this even though the necessary security is already in place and paid for at Gitmo.
“Second, we can protect classified material during trial.” Holder said the Classified Information Procedures Act establishes “strict rules and procedures” for using classified information in trials, and it has been used in various terrorism cases.
OH, yeah, we have carefully protected classified information which is why an attorney for a terrorist from the first World Trade Center bombing was put under indictment for passing classified information to the terrorists... real secure. Oh yeah, and wasn't it classified information that was provided during discovery at another trial that made Bin Laden and Al Quieda aware of how they were being tracked?
“Third, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will have no more of a platform to spew his hateful ideology in federal court than he would have had in a military commission.”
Holder noted that Mohammad – in appearing before military commissions last year – “declared the proceedings an inquisition, he condemned his own attorneys and our Constitution, and professed his desire to become a martyr.” While his rants were heavily covered by the media, “few complained at that time that his rants threatened the fabric of our democracy.”
And if Mohammed does rant and rave, “I have every confidence that the nation and the world will see him for the coward he is. I’m not scared of what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has to say at trial, and no one else needs to be afraid, either,” Holder said.
Excuse me, Mr. Holder, do you seriously believe that American Citizens do not want to give this vile creature a very public platform from which to spew his putrid vitriol BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID???? Mr. Holder, perhaps it is you who should be afraid, very afraid... about keeping your AG job.
“Fourth, there is nothing common – there is nothing common – about the treatment the alleged 9-11 conspirators will receive.” Holder said he expects prosecutors to seek “the ultimate and most uncommon penalty for these heinous crimes” – the death penalty.
Being Texan, I guess I don't find it quite so uncommon to give the death penalty to the worst murderers. However, that does not justify bringing this circus to our shores when they can receive the "ultimate and most uncommon penalty" right there, safely tucked away at Gitmo.
“Finally, there are some who have said that the decision means that we have reverted to a pre-9/11 mentality, or that we don’t realize that this nation is at war.” Not true, Holder said: “I know that we are at war. I know that we are at war with a vicious enemy who targets our soldiers on the battlefield in Afghanistan and our civilians in the streets here at home.”
Holder said he has personally witnessed the devastation of war – when he recently accompanied President Obama to Dover Air Force Base to witness the return of soldiers killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan; and “in the faces of the families who have lost loved ones abroad”; and in the daily intelligence reports he views each day.
Sorry, Mr. Holder, I don't buy it. You spent a couple of hours at Dover AFB and that is suppose to convince us that you understand that we are at war while you are determined to try war criminals in a civilian court? Mr. Holder, do you have ANY understanding what is required to fight a war?
ATTY GEN. HOLDER: “One thing I would say: that, with regard to those people who are captured on the battlefield, we make the determinations every day as to who should be Mirandized, who should not. Most are not Mirandized. And the people who are involved in that decision involve not only lawyers and agents but also military personnel who make the determination as to who should be Mirandized. But again, the notion that a conviction of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would depend on his getting Miranda rights is simply not accurate.”Let me get this straight... Soldiers capture a terrorist on the battlefield and they, along with lawyers and agents determine if the captured terrorist should be Mirandized? You propose that our soldiers stop and what... radio their superior officer so he can give a call to the lawyers and agents to determine if Miranda is required?
I am not the only one that didn't buy this BS... PATRIOT SALUTE to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for his questioning of AG Holder.
GOTCHA!
The video clip is worth the watch... but you can read the transcript by clicking on "Jump for More Info and Links" TIP: Turn the sound down and let the video load until almost finished (while you are reading all the other good stuff) and then pull the bar back to the beginning, less streaming problems that way.
