Coming Soon: The New York Terrorist Trials

Khalid Sheik Mohammad (KSM), the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and the executioner of Daniel Pearl by beheading, will be moved from Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) and tried in New York City. The news was announced by United States Attorney General Eric Holder. Several other Gitmo detainees will also stand trial in New York. Once again, as in all things Obama, ideology triumphs over common sense.

To be honest, my feelings are mixed. It certainly has degree of poetic justice that the 9/11 guru be brought to New York, the scene of the crime, to stand trial. It has the possibility of being cathartic. The country is still feeling the after-shocks of the World Trade Center attacks. Many of our current economic ills can be traced directly back to September 11, 2001, and the subsequent flooding of the world economy with dollars and cheap money causing economic bubble after economic bubble; and ultimately the near collapse of our financial system.

But I suspect that this decision was purely ideologically based, and as in all such decisions, has a high risk of being a complete disaster. Several of the issues are practical. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be a circus like atmosphere surrounding the trial. It runs the risk of focusing terrorist attention on New York City, and I fear NYC runs the risk of new terrorist attacks during such a trial. It puts KSM right smack dab in the middle of our prison system, where disaffected prisoners can fall prey to his propaganda, and become activists upon their release from prison.

Legally, KSM will now be afforded all of the Constitutional rights that we enjoy. He will be given the best legal defense money can buy at the taxpayers’ expense. And those high priced lawyers will do Eric Holder’s, and Barack Obama’s dirty work, in delving into perceived Bush missteps, like claiming the charges should be dismissed because any information derived came from water boarding. You can’t even fathom the issues surrounding classified information that KSM’s lawyers will demand. The possibility exists, although small, that KSM may walk.

And don’t be surprised if you see many of Obama’s supporters from the far left hope for that very result. In their eyes, the United States, and particularly George Bush and Dick Cheney, are the enemies. They would be far more interested in embarrassing the United States and the previous administration than convicting this piece of vermin. They have twisted view of life, and they will be unable to contain themselves.

I have a real bad feeling about all of this.