For nearly 10 months, we have been waiting for something to happen regarding Gitmo detainees. On Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder finally announced that he was bringing among others, Kaleid Sheikh Mohammed to NYC federal Court for trial. According to reports, no evidence garnered via torture will be used. The right wing is going insane about this. Personally I think this is the right thing to do, considering Amendment VI of the US Constitution:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

There are those that will say that we picked him up in Pakistan, not Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, and I see that point, but the reality is that this was never a conventional or legal -- conflict. Prosecuting these people this way removes the war from the crimes, as it should have been all along. It doesn't matter where a person was apprehended, it matters where the crime was committed. That is why it is important that we try these people in our judicial system, and not military tribunals as some have suggested (Such as Pat Robertson) -- or in a secret prison in Cuba. If we have proof that this man plotted a criminal act against the United States of America, it is our constitutional duty to bring him to justice in a court of law, the same way we did for the 1993 bombings of the World Trade Center. It's interesting to note who financed that attack: Granted, the attacks on September 11 also occurred in Washington DC and Shanksville Pennsylvania, but I for one would like to see these trials as far away from the politicians in DC as possible. That said, NYC is tough; they can handle this. They survived 2 strikes on it already and came back as strong as ever. It did not for the most part cave to the fear mongering that the right wished us to live in the months and years following 9/11. Quite honestly, anyone who says that this puts people in danger is rather insulting NYC police and firemen, along with the many counterterrorism officals, Coast guard, National guard and anyone else that is responsible for protecting NYC. They might as well say outright that they are unable to do their jobs and protect the city. We already know that is false based on the 1993 convictions -- it's only too bad too bad we couldn't get Khaled Shaikh Mohammed then.

We will see what happens in the coming days and weeks, but it looks like our sense of constitutional justice is on the mend -- we still have a long way to go. Having said that-- if we get a conviction, just ONE -- it dismantles the neocon drumbeat of excusing why so many of our constitutional rights had to be taken away as a result of September 11th attacks. If for nothing else, I would like to see that. It's the beginning of a return to a rule of law.

and
Raine