Whither Thou Goest
What will you do when ye are on your own?
Whither, oh tell me, shall you wander?
December's hard winds are blowin' cruel and cold
--Where Will You Go?, Enter the Haggis
________________
So Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is soon to be tried in a New York Federal District Court. And before we proceed, let us remember that KSM is less than pond scum, but that is not a legal concept, but rather a moral and ethical one. And that he was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003, and that his unfortunate visage resembles porn king Ron Jeremy.
After seven years, the U.S. government is finally Doing the Right Thing and bringing KSM to trial. Except it is no longer the Right Thing. Contrary to constitutional law, there are those that are found guilty before the trial. Major Nidal Malik Hasan comes to mind. The legal trick is to pretend -- nod, nod, wink, wink -- that everybody is presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.
Ask John Walker Lindh or Jose Padilla how this concept worked for them. The KSM trial will not deliver satisfaction to the victims of the 9-11 attacks or the American people. We know he is guilty because he was tortured and held in an inhumane manner. Ad hoc, ergo propter hoc, only, Americans don't seem too troubled by logical fallacies these days. In fact, it is doubtful that he was ever even legally arrested before being spirited away from Pakistan.
The trial of KSM will simply be theater, and the dénouement understood beforehand. The court will provide proof to the world that the U.S. does not follow the rule of its law, not even in our federal court system.
Questions abound in the KSM scenario. We know he is guilty, but the following are questions for which we deserve the answers:
- Does KSM have previous Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] or Central Intelligence Agency linkage? Has he ever received funding from either source?
- What was the source of KSM's operational funds? Who funded the al-Qaeda operation on 9-11?
- If found guilty, will the jurors be able to find a job, get financing, have a secure future or even have health care?
KSM's trial will be a useless exercise in self-abuse if the proceeding questions remain unanswered. And it is a sure bet that they will not be raised or answered. Without this knowledge there will be no closure for the victims of 9-11, a group which now includes all of us.
This trial is 6 1/2 years too late for justice or truth to be served. Why even pretend?
Labels: 9-11, khalid sheikh mohammed



































