Charles Krauthammer On Why Terror Trials In Civilian Courts Is A Terrible Idea
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12 brave men and women needed for trial of evil 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
BY Elizabeth Hays
NY DAILY NEWS
Wanted: 12 New Yorkers willing to put their lives on hold – and maybe on the line – to try the mastermind behind the biggest crime in U.S. history.
The jury ultimately chosen to hear the case against confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will face months of heart-wrenching testimony amid air-tight security.
In the 2006 trial of Sept. 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui in Virginia, jurors were picked up and dropped off at constantly changing rendezvous spots far from the courthouse and whisked inside as snipers and a wall of blazers stood by.
It was part of an elaborate security system set up to protect the jurors from reprisals or tampering and keep their identities secret, even from the judge.
“To this day I wouldn’t be able to tell you who any of the jurors were,” said Moussaoui’s lawyer, Edward MacMahon, adding that graphic testimony about the thousands of victims killed in the attacks also took a toll on jurors. “I’ve read that some of the jurors felt it was like going to 10 funerals a day.”
Anonymous Juror 526 from the Moussaoui trial, the lone dissenter against the death penalty, wrote afterward that the trial was “emotionally overwhelming.”
“Most of us shared in the nightmares described by so many family members,” he wrote in a letter posted on the Families of Sept. 11 Web site. He said he and other jurors suffered migraines, anxiety and insomnia. “The centerpiece of our jury room table was a bowl of Tylenol.”
Legal experts said it is too soon to know the precise details of Mohammed’s trial in Manhattan, which is still months away.
Court officials will certainly go to great lengths to protect jurors’ identities.
“If they use anonymity for mid-level coke dealers they’re certainly going to use it here,” said lawyer Ron Kuby, who defended Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman.
Christopher Lofting, 73, jury foreman in the July 2001 trial of convicted terrorist Mokhtar Haouari in Manhattan, said the high-stakes trial will certainly trigger an avalanche of excuses from potential jurors terrified of being picked.
“In my case they had a hell of a time getting together a jury that wanted to play and this was all pre-9/11,” he said. “Getting the jury together this time is going to be hell on wheels.”
Despite the challenges, experts said the trial will give jurors a chance to be part of history.
“It’ll be a front row seat to the largest criminal case in American history,” Kuby said. “They will definitely have something to tell their grandchildren about.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
VERY scary indeed to be picked to be on the jury.l would not do it.
The NY Times will do everything in their power to find out who the jurors are and publish their names and pictures. Not only will the juror’s lives be in danger, so will their families. Obama is revisiting Hell upon his own people.
Exactly. They will have to be sequestered and kept out of the limelight of the paparazzi and so-called journalists. This will be a dangerous trial for them and their families. Eric Holder is an idiot for deciding to bring these terrorists to NY for a civilian trial. They aren’t Americans! They don’t deserve it!!! I kind of believe that Obama is hoping for a mistrial so he can “look good” to those who want to kill us. (Look, we freed your comrades, now don’t attack us.) He is so desparate that he’s grasping at straws.
Anything to piss off We Americans who believe in what this country stands for – because these people do not. They hate We Americans who believe in the Constitution and will do whatever it takes to bring us down, bearing more and more pressure on those of us who love this country and all it stands for, to break us..
There is absolutely no good reason for this except to screw and insult We Americans – again. They do not care what We Americans think about anything. The end justifies the means and we know what kind of means they are happy to employ. It’s all abut them and their agenda – the collapse of the Unites States as we have known it – and they will do everything in their power to attain this end.
And the kool-aid addled sheeples will turn a blind eye and keep hoping for the delusional change this anti-American president so vaguely but so prettily offered up.
“VERY scary indeed to be picked to be on the jury.l would not do it.”
Not to worry about serving on the jury, you like I and many others would be dismissed during questioning. It is none the less a despicable decision by despicable people.
“12 brave men and women needed for trial of evil 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed”
If picked, I would do it. I proably could pass any juror questioning they pose. I’m getting old and grouchy. Anyone who came after me (retaliation) would have a VERY RUDE awakening.
If not picked for jury duty, I would volunteer for his firing squad. I’m a very fine sharpshooter. I would only need five bullets…one each for his knee caps, one each for each of his elbows. The fifth would be used 5 hours later to his head (after rubbing pig feces on his face and forehead).
I learned a great deal from the Viet Cong.
The trial should be at Gitmo with a jury of military personnel. Like others here have stated, this public trial in New York City is to feed obama’s ego and his agenda to change America. I can only imagine the scope of security and the cost to taxpayers.
The prospective Juror list for New York is probably huge. The defense would probably pick the libs from New York and the prosecution would do the same but more conservative.
Once you pass the initial Challenges, the prospective jurors get a booklet to take home and fill out, with similar questions to the selection process. In the small town of Warren Ohio, they had picked 24 jurors and the 12 would be picked form the answers from the Challenges and from the Booklet. Then they would pick 6 alternates. If you are not picked then you get to sit in the Jury room pool until your time is up or another trial comes along.
If you are picked, then for something like this you are stuck for a long time. this trial is expected to take more than a year. That’s a hell of a long time to expect people to be away from Work and their family routine.
I am sure for a trial of this magnitude everything will be done on a much, much larger scale.
You can bet this Trial is going to put the Bush Administration on display and the Terrorists will be the victims. Worse will be when they call CIA agents and other National Security People to testify, by the time this is done even third world countries will have our deepest National Security Secrets. Obama and the Lame Stream Media will see to that.
Well hell, I’m 67 years old, meaner than a snake and have no sense of humor where my country’s welfare is concerned. Put me on that jury and he’ll be meeting his 72 virgins (who all look like Moms Mabley) in no time flat!
For the first time in my life I’d refuse, as all have stated above this is not a trial of the terrorists, it’s a trial of the Bush administration and our military before a world court of opinion.
I know New Yorkers. They’re not like you and me. This is likely to turn the city upside down, and divide everyone. This is a very bad decision for lots of reasons, and it won’t help Obama.
Attorney for the defense: Mr Russell have you reach any conclusions as to the guilt or innocents of the accused. Answer: Give me a short rope!! Defense attorney: Your honor may I request that Mr Russell be excused for cause. Judge Roy Bean: Take you place on the panel Mr. Russell! Oh, for the good ole days of a tall tree and a short rope!
Ron, LOL I agree so much.
A couple of years ago I did jury duty.
The trial lasted only 2 days and it
was a good experience.
But this one would not be like that.
I agree with so much with the things
you all have said. Thank you for your
input on this.
I am soory this is not on topic, but I found this to be very intersting.
Dr. James (Pastor) Manning gets visit from Homeland Security
by DefendUSx November 18, 2009 02:54
Video of Dr. Manning explaing the matter:
[link to http://www.atlah.org]
Tags: eligibility
videos
Please check this link
Pastor Manning was visited by homeland security
regarding his potential(and probable soon to be) arrest. Web site Rupubx (defend our freedoms)
http://69.84.25.250/blogger/post/Dr-James-(Pastor)-Manning-gets-visit-from-Homeland-Security.aspx
If the 1946-1947 World War II Nuremburg Trials were held in New York City, I doubt that ANY Nazis would have hanged! Senaturd Upchuck Schumer wants Eric Houlder to now PAY for the tens of millions that will cost (security/OT)to conduct the FIVE trials in NY City! This is already a circus…
cb, thank you so much. I will post it for
the morning post.
Thanks again!