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Moussaoui sentenced

17:38 / 04.05.06

So, Zacarias Moussaoui has been convicted, but the jury refused to press for the death penalty like the prosecution, the US Government and Fox News clearly wanted.

So, what do people make of the case? The use of relatives of 9/11 victims in the trial, the attempt to pin the crimes of that day on a man who was in prison when the attacks occured? And what do you all make of the jury's decision?

alejandrodelloco

20:41 / 04.05.06

What is interesting is now the French are discussing extradition because of an agreement they made with us in the 70s. I am not sure where that will go...

Our Lady Has Left the Building

10:17 / 06.05.06

Well, a death sentence for the intention to kill people would have meant that most of the population of the U.S. would be guilty and especially the entire government. I've always felt the best revenge for people who do horrific things is to leave them to rot and see the world go on without them, rather than kicking them out of it.

I wonder if he'd have been tried differently if some of the hijackers were succesfully disarmed and captured.

11:08 / 06.05.06

I wonder if I'd feel any differently about the sentencing if he'd actually known what he says he knew at the time he says he knew it, and was something other than a pathetic headcase, a terrorists wanna-be, all too eager to be a sacrificial lamb so the US government can say, "Look! We're prosecuting terrorists!"

The whole thing stinks. In various ways.

Jake, Colossus of Clout

02:10 / 08.05.06

Well, a death sentence for the intention to kill people would have meant that most of the population of the U.S. would be guilty and especially the entire government.

Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean, exactly?

Our Lady Has Left the Building

15:46 / 08.05.06

It's 'supposed' to mean that I'm fairly confident that at some point most Americans have wished at least one person dead. I'm confident to predict every member of the US Government has wanted someone dead, either Osama, Saddam or Fidel.

16:31 / 08.05.06

Certainly, Lady, you don't mean "wished." "Wished" and "Intended" are different, but you could still make an argument that everyone has intended for someone to die, by, for instance, supporting the death penalty, supporting a standing military, supporting a war or minor military operations, etc.

Tryphena Absent

20:55 / 08.05.06

Or re-electing a President who believes that the Shock and Awe campaign was the right decision to make. The US government is certainly guilty of intending to kill a large group of people.

Jake, Colossus of Clout

21:52 / 08.05.06

I'm fairly confident that at some point most Americans have wished at least one person dead. I'm confident to predict every member of the US Government has wanted someone dead, either Osama, Saddam or Fidel.

I'm certainly glad that you're so confident in your ridiculous blanket statements. You sound like a Bush administration spokesperson.

22:45 / 08.05.06

This just in: Even Moussaoui himself thinks he's a lying nutjob.

Jake, Colossus of Clout

22:52 / 08.05.06

From the article Jack Fear linked to:

Zacarias Moussaoui says he lied on the witness stand about being involved in the plot and wants to withdraw his guilty plea because he now believes he can get a fair trial.

He's getting cold feet, apparently. Was he set on receiving the death penalty so he could be martyred? Now that martyrdom seems to be denied him (at least martyrdom via the death penalty), is he just in panic mode? Is he actually legitimately insane? What's going on in this man's head?

00:22 / 09.05.06

So, what do people make of the case?

The sentence makes sense as he did not actually commit a capitol crime.

The use of relatives of 9/11 victims in the trial,

Victim impact testimony is a normal thing to do in a trial. I didn't see it as unusual.

the attempt to pin the crimes of that day on a man who was in prison when the attacks occured?

He did play a part, conspiracy and cover up are also crimes no matter where you were at the time. The question was if the authorities had been given the knowledge he had at the time would it have prevented the crime, and it appears it would not have.

And what do you all make of the jury's decision?

It is consistent with the sentencing of Omar Abdel Rahman (the blind Sheik), Mohammed Salameh, Nidal Ayyad, Mahmud Abouhalima and Ahmad Ajaj. Those 5 men were all sentenced to life for bombing the World Trade Center, which killed six people and injured 100 in 1993. (Had the bomb detonated as intended it had the capacity to kill a great deal more people, but a mass killing is a mass killing either way.) In fact Rahman was the mastermind behind the bombing whereas Moussoui was not directly involved.

02:13 / 09.05.06

Or re-electing a President who believes that the Shock and Awe campaign was the right decision to make. The US government is certainly guilty of intending to kill a large group of people.

Except there is a major difference. Moussaoui (and the other hijackers and planners involved) acted as a part of a stateless terrorist organization, and thus their actions were civil crimes under US law. The Shock and Awe campaign was a mlitary campaign, that (debatebally) violated international conventions on the Laws of War (which we only recognise some of the time). In addition, people voting for a war criminal doesn't make them war criminals. Ex. the German citizens who voted the NAZI party into power and supported it durring the war in non-leadership capacities are not war crimials, despite the fact that the leaders who they installed and supported in power were.