THE MOCK TRIAL

Admittedly, my heart has a personal stake in the NYC trial, but I would be opposed to bringing KSM to NYC for reasons that seem to me like common sense.

WASTEFUL SPENDING:

Why use a Manhattan courtroom? That spot calls for millions of my dollars to be spent to make it "secure"...when they already have spent millions on a specific terrorist courtroom at Gitmo for just such a day. The Gitmo site has all the bells and whistles of protection for the judges and witnesses. The Gitmo courtroom does not have any collateral terror for NYC citizens, and it lacks the allure of a potential prime spot for AlQaeda to show off. So why would we spend twice?

PRECEDENCE:

Have we ever brought a non-national (no uniform) captured on the battlefield...home to our country, entitled them to Constitutional rights that do not belong to them, and provided them with a place to speak internationally (while exposing America's soft security belly). Wow. What a sweet deal! Could we bend over any further?

So why would we set precedence? Let's consider a couple of "why" possibilities:

1. Maybe we need to prove to the world that America is eating humble pie and not seeing herself as the exceptional leader of the free world. Would that buy international "respect points"? How could that contrition be shown? Bow to emperors? Apologize over and over for America's compassionate heart for freedom as she lends a hand to help others escape tyranny?

President Obama shows a mindset born of years of seething over perceived injustice. Rather than read a history book, this mindset foments a supposition that America is the oppressor. That has given birth to an international conciliatory foreign policy called "Let's Talk". It would be helpful to remember that we were unable to talk to Hitler. Do Ahmadinijad and Chavez seem more reasonable than Hitler?

2. Maybe we need to prove that in America, we right our injustices. So our leader promises to close Gitmo and stop torture. Were those shameless campaign promises or did he have a well-conceived plan?

Clearly, there was no plan for Gitmo or it would be closed by now. That was a pandering promise with a huge downside for security needs.

What about stoping torture? Torture is horrendous; so is beheading. Am I saying one wrong deserves another? We live in an evil world and we are up against pure evil. We have faced evil before and it consistently has a murderous face. Still, what hideous disregard for life packs bombs on women and children? I am assuming that everyone in America would prefer not to employ torture as a tactic. But war is hell and we did not start it and we will not finish it unless we are equal to the task...the unsavory task.

Waterboarding is the most humane way to do a job that no one wants to do. Maybe you don't think that is an effective method. The Army does. Now is not the time to be arguing with the Army. Many people don't consider waterboarding to be torture. I don't. Would I want to be waterboarded? No, but I'm not threatening to kill millions. In a perfect world would coercion be necessary? This is not a perfect world. But the rest of the world laughs at us in this area. They know what real torture is.

So all of this proves what? We are going to set precedence because we want international respect and we are sorry for being exceptional? Speak for yourself, Mr. President. But what about one more option...

SHOWCASE AMERICA'S SUPERIOR JUSTICE SYSTEM:

Does the President want justice in the shadow of the Twin Towers? Is it not ironic that the man who would set America's justice system on a shining hill for all the world to see...has already proclaimed KSM's verdict? Doesn't that break all the rules of a system set up to proclaim "innocent until proven guilty"?

What is it called when a guilty man (as proclaimed by our President who assures us that KSM will be executed) is crammed into a system designed to protect the innocent?

Supreme lunacy.

Jesus said "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness." John 10:10 NLT