Should 9/11 Terror Suspects Be Tried in a Military Court?

By U.S. News Staff

March 5, 2010 RSS Feed Print

Contrary to its previous decision to try 9/11 terror suspects, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, in Manhattan civil courts, the Obama administration may decide to try these men by a military tribunal. According to NPR, the details about how and where the military trial would be conducted are still up in the air, yet this reversal comes after weeks of political scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats alike. Last month, in a U.S. News Weekly Two Takes debate, Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, argued for a civilian court trial, saying that the U.S. criminal justice system is capable and best honors the nation's values; Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert was in favor of a military trial, arguing that the Constitution provides for military tribunals and that a civilian court would introduce safety issues for the American public.

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Previously: Should Rep. Charles Rangel Step Down as Ways and Means Chair for Good?

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This had gone on long enough. Common sense has got to prevail soon. All this controversy about where to try terrorists, detainees, apprehendees or whatever we can't decide to call them has got to be absolute torture for the accused. How about this? If we capture al Qaeda on the battlefield, we try them in military tribunals and if they don't like the outcome, they can appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. If we arrest al Qaeda here and they have only killed or participated in the plans to kill 3,000 people, we treat them like U.S. citizens, with full Constitutional rights, except we provide them with lawyers most U.S. citizens couldn't afford. U.S. citizens arrested enroute to al Qaeda training may choose where they want to tried, while those arrested returning from al Qaeda training will be tried in the courts if they have not blown up more than 1000 people on U.S. soil. Perhaps there are some other circumstances and conditions I've overlooked, but hopefully my scheme will be a start in eliminating some of the uncertainty confronting those snared by our system of justice and enhance our image in the eyes of those who despise us.

RetFed2k of CO 8:12PM March 08, 2010

The GOP seems to have decided that processes that worked under Dubya (civilian trials) won't work under Obama, and that policies that failed under Dubya (torture and military tribunals) must be reinstated. But then logic or consistency never was their strong point.

As to the security/inconvenience issue: Find some basement in an undisclosed Federal facility and conduct the whole proceeding via closed-circuit TV. You could even tape-delay it and put it on C-SPAN. Worked for Saddam.

Oh, one last thing for those who might be confused. The protections of the Bill of Rights are granted to persons, not just citizens. Otherwise, we'd still have slaves, so long as they were foreign nationals.

James of NYC of NY 6:55PM March 08, 2010

Military courts are for nation-based warriors. The thugs who have perverted Islam by their jihad of terror should not have the satisfaction of being treated as warriors. They should be tried in civilian courts as ordinary thugs, which they are. This would reduce their mystique for impressionable Islamic youth.

Haitchjay of OH 6:02PM March 08, 2010

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