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Again, Govt's Kooky Cult Terrorism Case Goes Bust
Back in December, jurors deadlocked on the Seas of David terrorism case. As I wrote back then:
The Miami "Seas of David" terror bust was such an important blow in the War on Terror that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales himself gave a press conference in July of 2006. Federal agents had stopped a plot to blow up the Sears Tower, he said. The group had planned to "accomplish attacks against America," the FBI's deputy director said at Gonzales side. "We pre-empted their plot."
Well, a second trial has reaped the same result.
It's no mystery why. I recommend to take a trip through our archives to get a feel for why the jurors might have balked.
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Comments (15)
When the indictment just came out, I read it to my then 12 year old son (or was he 11?) as a bedtime story with some minor alterations for clarity. After I finished, he was on the edge of his seat, "what happened to the Sears tower?" I assured him I had just read him the totality of the allegations. "That's all?" Incredulous, he buried his face in his hands. I suspect most of the jurors felt rather like that.
I wonder if the jury sent out any questions to the Court regarding whether they could convict the FBI of anything as long as they were there anyway.
I was reasonably confident that these guys were not convictable, but its nice to have suspicions confirmed.
April 16, 2008 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
JAYZ! These guys didn't even have shoes at the time.
It's sort of a relief that bu$hCo's kangaroo courts aren't winning their "cases." What have they actually won? Zippo.
But they hold these guys forever, then, BECAUSE they can't win. Look at Sami el Arian, he starving himself to death and the feds haven't got two charges to rub together.
This bu$hCo practice is depraved, despicable.
US Soldiers, too, are being held against their will. How they vote this fall will never be known. We're ALL more or less being held hostage by these maniacs - it's heads I win, tails you lose for them.
April 16, 2008 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Crazy inept people prosecuting crazy inept people? Like we could see how this was going to turn out.
-AF
Andrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
April 16, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
what's your beef with andrew sullivan?
April 16, 2008 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Atropos nails it:
Please follow up on this to see if these guys are actually ever released. I'm betting, despite the deadlock and unlikely retrial, that the gov't will hold them in detention anyways.
On what charges, I have no idea. But the words "terrorist", "Patriot Act", and the like will be all over whatever press release they use to defend it.
April 16, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
They could be held on immigration charges. Lyglenson Lemorin, the 7th defendant who was acquitted at the first trial in December, has been locked up since his acquittal and is facing deportation even though he had a valid green card at the time of his arrest.
To make matters worse, the US government imposed a gag rule on him after his acquittal and said he could not talk about the fact that he was found Not Guilty in the terrorism case.
April 16, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your kid seems pretty smart. Maybe Bush can get him to run Homeland Security?
April 16, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
My beef with Andrew Sullivan? For starters, though not a US citizen, Sully repeatedly claimed to have voted for Bush in 2000. Sully later claimed that he cannot become a US citizen due to his HIV-status when in fact US law prohibits such discrimination. Documentation of both lies is readily available on Youtube. Among his many other sins Sully has also blogged in praise of the racist Bill Saletan.
Lookit. Andrew Sullivan is a weathervane. As one of the loudest drum beaters in the run up to the Iraq invasion, he was a major Bush cheerleader and apologist. Sully's conversion to "liberal" status conveniently made him more relevant to "progressives" than he ever was to the conservative crowd (who never really accepted him anyway). He's parlayed this into a Time magazine gig and increased TV exposure.
You can bet your ass that if and when the Republicans can find the "right" candidate, Sullivan will flip flop his back out jumping on that bandwagon. He'll blame his new crush on that candidates "forward thinking libertarian view."
Plus ASIAF a damn catchy name fer a blog.
-AF
Andrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
April 16, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
If these terrists go free, we should all track them down and kill 'em!
We won't let no stinkin' terrists destroy our freedoms!
April 16, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I just want to know if any of you who can send me your used Track II razors. We can use the blades in our secret plot to dig a tunnel from our secret lair at 322 E. 3rd Street in downtown Chicago under the Capitol Building in Washington so that we may capture Congress. (Oh yeah- is that Washington State or somewhere else?)
More seriously, tyrants have always lived in abject paranoia. They understand that at some point others will rise up to end their criminal activities. This may be such paranoia, or, more likely, an attempt to fan the fears of the people and to extend dictatorial powers.
Too bad that Bush and his henchmen are really no more competent than these idiots were.
April 16, 2008 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who would have thought that a dedicated band of terrists would tunnel thousands of miles from Chicago to Washington State to kidnap the prezdint, only to find they were in the wrong Washington. Off to Gitmo with these dunces!
ps- what PO Box for the Track II razors?
April 16, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've got some remington electric shavers that are supposed to shave as close as a blade. This automation will surely speed up the completion of our glorious task.
I recommend we additionally demand a ransom of "all the money in the world". With that much money, not even the United Nations will be able to stand in our way.
PS. should i convert to some religion or is this a non-denominational sort of cult, like the Unitarians?
PPS. can someone send me black socks? my white socks don't match the rest of my ninja outfit :
April 16, 2008 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's called ENTRAPMENT of easily demonized and marginalized scapegoats.
It surprises me...that the usual idiots on the jury did not roll over on The US Constitution like jurors have been programmed to do.
Want tohear a horror story from the heartland?
In SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA FED DISTRICT COURT WITH A DASCHLE APPOINTED FED JUDGE...a guy got plea bargained into the fed pen for 18 monthes because he said, "....burning bush...".
Yup...that was all the evidence to make a Terroristic Threat against The President charge...and the No Defense counsel, JOHN SCHLIMGEN, did not file a MOTION TO DISMISS BASED ON THE OBVIOUS DUE PROCESS ARGUMENT THAT THE FACTS COULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS PROVING AN INDICTABLE OFFENSE?
April 16, 2008 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK - DAMMIT - that's IT! I'm sick and tired of the Dept. of Homeland Security coddling these Shoeless Joe Wino Terror Cells. The remedy is simple: Lock up anyone wearing a watch cap and holding a bottle of Night Train. And throw away the KEY! Next on the slug line to Gitmo? How about Subway Panhandler-o-Fascists?
Besides, I just had a great idea: The Seas of David bust came in the summer of 2006, just before a national election... Right? How about a skid-row roundup right now? This is an election year! The White House can say it detected a plot to... booby trap bus station restrooms... OK? Wrap up the whole thing with some catchy slogans, like "Brother Can You Drop a Dime... On These Criminals?" The average voter will feel secure, shop - and vote Republican. Beautiful, huh? I know: I SHOULD be making the big bucks...
April 16, 2008 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
And meanwhile, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are still alive, still planning and almost certainly ready to kill many more people while the Bush Admininistration continues to do... well, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Heckuva job, Georgie!
April 16, 2008 6:31 PM | Reply | Permalink