Well, I wasn’t expecting to get back on the subject of the trials of the 9/11 plotters being held in NYC so soon, but something that both Attorney General Eric Holder and Barack Obama said this morning got my attention.

Eric Holder defended his decision to hold civilian trials in NYC, as opposed to a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, by stating that “I have every confidence that the nation will see him for the coward that he is. I’m not scared of what (Mohammed) will have to say at trial - and no one else needs to be either.”

“We need not cower in the face of the enemy,” he continued. “Our institutions are strong, our infrastructure is sturdy, our resolve is firm, and our people are ready.”

Obama agreed, and referred to those who would be offended by the legal privileges given to Mohammed by the benefit of a civilian trial as opposed to a military tribunal “won’t find it offensive at all when he’s convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him.”

Almost as if catching himself, he quickly added that “I’m not going to be in that courtroom. That’s the job of the prosecutors, the judge and the jury.”

Look you fools… we’re not cowering before these terrorists. We’re not scared of what Mohammed or his ilk has to scream in the courtroom. Saddam Hussein did plenty of yelling and screaming in the courtroom… that didn’t stop him from becoming an Iraqi tree ornament. 

We have plenty of real, legitimate reasons for not wanting the trials being held in NYC, one of them being security concerns, which I discussed earlier. 

The biggest reason, however, is the idea that these Islamic, terrorist thugs, captured while trying to kill us, will receive the same rights and privileges as a U.S. citizen under the Constitution. They’re lawyers can claim that they’re rights weren’t read, that they were tortured, that they have a right to an attorney, etc. Don’t forget, even with Mohammed’s confession that he was the mastermind of the attacks, that confession could be thrown out. They could, even though the chance is small, be acquitted. 

Now here’s the best part… what happens if they are acquitted?

Well, according to Eric Holder, that’s never going to happen. 

“Failure is not an option” he vows. “These are cases that have to be won. I don’t expect that we’ll have a contrary result.”

Does anyone really believe that these guys, particularly Mohammad, will be released back into the populace if found “not guilty”? 

Can you imagine what would happen if we were talking about American citizens still being held after being found not guilty?

So… what exactly is the point of a civilian trial then? If we’re hell-bent on convicting them and keeping them locked up, wouldn’t a military tribunal make more sense? Why are they making the taxpayers go through with this? 

My guess is that their intention is to “show off” to the rest of the world just how “unafraid” we are by holding these trials in the very city that the terrorists attacked, of the complete faith we have in our justice system. 

Instead, we’re going to be showing the world how our justice system has become a complete mockery of what it once stood for. 

Links:

Graham Accuses Holder of ‘Making Bad History’ with Sept. 11 Trial Decision: Fox News, 11/18/09

Obama, Holder Firm on Convicting 9/11 Plotter: CBS5 news.com, 11/18/09

Holder: ‘I’m Not Scared of What Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Has to Say: Rachel Slajda, TPM Livewire, 11/18/09

At least 7,000 people were waiting for an event hosted by a French marketing site called “Mailorama.fr” to start an event, in which a London double-decker bus named the “Bus of Fortune” would drive past the crowd in Paris and hand out envelopes that could contain anywhere from $7.50 to $750 out the windows to the waiting crowd below. 

At least, that was the plan. 

When the police got a good look at the crowd waiting for them, they changed their minds and canceled the event. 

Uh ohhh.

Well, that didn’t sit well with the crowd, and predictably, things got ugly quickly. Windows were pelted with fruit, and at least one car was overturned. I guess that’s what happens when you deny people their “hard-earned” money. After all, have you ever overturned a car and decorated windows with fruit? It’s more difficult than it sounds. They really worked for that money.

While the organizers themselves claimed that they regretted that the event didn’t go as planned, a government official named Eric Woerth expressed shock that the marketing site even considered organizing the event.

“Just because they do this sort of thing in the United States, that’s not a reason to do it in France. It borders on the ludicrous”.

You gotta love the French. Even though the U.S. had absolutely nothing to do with the event, they still find a way to pin the blame on us. 

Oh, and someone needs to clue in Monsieur Woerth that his Socialist government gives money away to slackers all the time, just not as openly as “Mailorama” tried to do.  

Still, frenchie here does bring up an interesting topic. He’s correct when he says that we’ve actually done this kind of thing before. 

Last year in February of 2008, an internet company called “Cashtomatoe.com” decided to throw their own little cash giveaway promotion in Union Square, NYC. The idea was for representatives of the company, dressed as tomatoes, to pass out tomatoes with money attached to them to the homeless. 

Apparently, the mob got tired of waiting, and began yelling “make it rain” and (my personal favorite) “give me my money!” as the clock counted down until the event started. With only 5 minutes to go, the impatient mob of 100 people then pushed their way to the workers, and began grabbing the bags of tomatoes with the money in them. 

Long story short… the money was stolen, fights broke out and people got trampled and stomped on. The money didn’t make it into the hands of the homeless as it was intended, but into the greedy hands of an unruly mob out for quick cash. 

I’m reminded of a scene from that old “Batman” movie back in the 80’s, when the Joker (played by Jack Nicholson) announced on television that he would be celebrating Gotham’s anniversary by throwing a parade and tossing out millions of dollars to the crowd. However, unknown to the greedy parade attendees, he also intended on releasing a deadly gas from the parade floats on the money-grabbing revelers. 

And he would’ve gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for that meddling freak in a bat costume.

Looking back, I sometimes wonder if maybe the Joker was the real hero. 

Sources:

Free Money Event Turns Violent: Frank Carnevale, MyFox Illinois, 11/16/09

Cashtomatoe Money Giveaway Turns Rotten with Union Square Riot: Seth Fiegerman & Tracy Connor, NYDaily News.com, 03/01/08