Bill Sykes' - In Retrospect
XX.
(November 2009)
Bill
Sykes looks back in retrospect at material which has
been published in previous editions of "View from
America", in an attempt to determine whether the
subject matter written then is still applicable in
today’s world.
Article # 20E.
Late Breaking News.
American Attorney General, Eric Holder, announced on Friday the 13th of November 2009 that five 9/11 terrorist suspects, who had been detained for several years in the American Prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be tried in a civilian court in Lower Manhattan, New York City, which is a short walk away from where the terrorist attacks took place upon the World Trade Center Twin Towers.
The five alleged terrorist detainees, apparently operating under mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, are suspected of being involved in the planning and overseeing of the 9/11 attacks which involved commandeering and flying commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center Towers building in New York, and a Pentagon building in Washington D.C, which destroyed a number of buildings and initially was reported to have killed over three thousand American citizens and other nationalities.
Please refer to the September 2001 edition of View from America.
Apparently, contrary to the rules of the Geneva Convention which the previous Bush Administration
would not accept and abide by, it has been reported that several of the accused have suffered prolonged harsh interrogation at the hands of United States intelligence officers, which apparently included waterboarding that has become a well known method of torture.
One must remember that in general I’m quoting American news reports from a number of different sources. In fact it was reported that Khalid Sheik Mohammed had apparently been tortured by waterboarding 418 times. I’m sure that most persons who have suffered such torture would willingly tell their interrogators whatever they wanted to know, which of course in a court of law defense motion it could be suggested that information coerced from a prisoner under the duress of cruel and inhumane conditions of torture should be inadmissible. Whether the Judges would accept such a defense in this case is another matter.
May I suggest that a trial within the precincts of New York City should be the last place that the five suspected 9/11 terrorists should be placed on trial as they obviously could not receive a fair and just trial for obvious reasons and a group of good defense attorneys would have a field day in presenting a defense motion to dismiss the case on the basis that the defendants suffered cruel and inhumane punishment when they were pressured by a number of waterboarding incidents and other cruel and inhumane acts of violence into confessing to acts of terrorism, (whether this be true or false), which I’m sure that under certain circumstances the case against them could be dismissed.
The United States Constitution, which I’m sure does not apply to terrorists who committed acts of supreme violence which killed many American people and people of other nationalities, during the 9/11 event, states that defendants in criminal proceedings are guaranteed by the sixth amendment to a speedy trial and should not be subjected to unreasonable incarceration prior to their trial, (again I must state that obviously this does not apply to foreign terrorists that have committed heinous crimes against the people of the United States).
There does not appear to be any mention in the Constitution of the United States that the torture of prisoners is condoned in order to obtain confessions from them.
Apparently there are exceptions to the statutes which appertain to a speedy trial and the length of time before a trial commences. I wonder what the rules are for prisoners who have been incarcerated for long and indeterminate periods of time in the American prison in the Guantanamo Bay.
Note: I’m certainly not condoning the heinous acts that occurred on 9/11 and I’m certainly not defending the criminals who committed theses terrible acts of terrorism upon American soil which killed so many Americans, and people of other nationalities, during the acts of terrorist violence that took place.
Attorney General Eric Holder apparently stated that if found guilty the defendants could be faced in a civilian court with the death penalty. The case apparently will not be televised.
Surely a guilty verdict, with an accompanying death sentence, would be instrumental in making the so called conspirators into heroes and martyrs who so say suffered torture at the hands of American iIntelligence officers and I’m sure that it would really set the Muslim world on fire with a desire for revenge which could ignite even some of the home grown Muslim people into participating.
New York obviously is a large city and no matter how much, and how tight the security would be, if the trial of the five terrorists takes place there, I’m afraid that a terrorist organization will rise to the challenge to breach whatever security is put in place. The modern day terrorist has all kinds of devices available to them which certainly could cause more overall damage than crashing aircraft into buildings, and which for obvious reasons I will not go into.
I’m perfectly aware that circumstances have changed since the 9/11 events took place, but surely New York of all places will only provide a challenge to any terrorist organization to breach the security that will be put in place during the trial and perhaps give other terrorists the motive to try and avenge the potential deaths of their compatriots if they are tried and convicted of murder for their involvement in the 9/11 event.
Having served with the British Parachute Regiment in World War Two and also served a two year tour of duty in Palestine, and having seen for myself terrible acts of violence by human beings against human beings that took place in a concentration camp at Buchenwald, I abhor and detest acts of terrorism and violence in any shape or form where ever or when ever those acts take place and whom so-ever participates in such acts.
From any point of view I wish sincerely that the terrorist events that occurred upon American soil had never ever taken place, but seeing that they did then someone has to take the blame for the deaths of so many innocent people and be punished for the dreadful deed, and if found guilty then I’m afraid that the punishment should be severe and in this case the lives of the perpetrators should be forfeited.
So perhaps the Israeli intelligent agent was right after all when he predicted that new acts of terrorism upon America soil are imminent and may come from Home Grown sources.
Of course under the circumstances outlined above which may involve giving the death penalty to the people on trial, it is practically certain that retaliation from the Muslim population against America and Americans could well be expected.
This is a no win situation which could have terrible repercussions and consequences.
Disclaimer:
Some of the information gathered for this news letter
has been gleaned from American and International
media sources, (Including the Internet), and as such
is quoted as accurately as possible. I try to obtain
confirmation on each subject from several outlets,
so the text is a mixture of composite news items
and my personal comments and therefore the reader
must make his/her own judgment as to the reliability
and degree of accuracy of the subjects discussed.
Eric (Bill) Sykes, (Southern California).
November 2009.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents
of these articles. Please send all correspondence
to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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