Who's afraid of blind justice...?
Some have speculated that an upside of terrorist trials in New York is that the accused will lose their aura of super-villainy amidst the drudgery of the American judicial system. That is good both for Americans and for those who the terrorists seek to recruit. Their "cosmic war" would seem a good deal less glamorous.
But a friend offered me an intriguing insight into those Americans who decry the idea of terrorists being tried by our American justice system instead of secretive military tribunals: they trust the latter more than the former. They believe the former is more capricious and unreliable. They prefer the values of the military more than that of a jury of Americans. Given that our military is supposed to be giving their lives specifically to defend things such as our justice system, that's a bit ironic.
Frankly, if Saddam Hussein got a public-ish trial, then the Gitmo detainees deserve similar consideration. A secret kangaroo court trial would simply feed into their martyr fantasy and cause more problems. Also, I doubt most Americans (even including bleeding-hearts) are going to let the detainees that actually did something just walk out the front door. If anything, holding the trials in New York specifically will ensure that leniency will not be the watchword in this case. When it comes down to it, the USA has to try these people sometime. We are not an authoritarian regime. We can't maintain our principles AND lock these people up and throw away the key without a chance at justice.
Nice points, thanks, Craig.
Good grief, Rob, have you so insulated yourself that you don't actually KNOW any "Americans who decry the idea" of terrorists being granted Constitutional rights in this fashion? You have to rely on a friend for an "intriguing insight"?
With only a passing interest in this immediate topic, I have heard powerful arguments on both sides of the case. You do a rather snide injustice to those who passionately oppose this treatment of terrorists by blithely painting them as afraid of justice. That misses their very valid points -- entirely.