If you captured Osama bin Laden, what would you do with him?

Shortly after 09/11/01 there was an informal query circulating among friends: If by some circumstance you captured Osama bin Laden, what would you do with him?

It was an interesting little exercise. Would you kill him then and there? Would you try to inflict on him some of the pain and horror his victims experienced? Would you see that he got a trial, and if so, in what tribunal?

All of this comes to mind as we learn that Atty General Eric Holder has elected to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to the U.S. to be put on trial. Now there are all sorts of problems that could result from that decision. For starters, Mr. Mohammed is not shy, so we can assume he will be trying hard to exercise U.S. Constitutional rights of free speech in the most outlandish sort of way.

Leap forward and assume Osama bin Laden is captured. He would be read a Miranda warning, and with the precedent set by the Obama administration, brought to the U.S. for trial. Let the circus begin.

In the meantime, we can hope that the main stream media won't provide KSM too big of a soap box.

Comments

[Jeff]

George, I suspect we may disagree strongly here ... but I rather like the idea of an open trial. Grant him all the rights, and give him his chance to mount a 'zealous' defense ... just as we would any other common criminal - not a martyr, not a jihadist, not a holy man. Show the world just how much different - and much better - our system of justice is from al Quaeda's. If found guilty, then punich him to the fullest extent of law ... but again, within the scope of our law.

[Geo]

Jeff, we should show al qaeda prisoners all the respect they show their own prisoners.

[Geo]

One more thing. Throughout history the U.S. has treated prisoners of war better then our enemies treated Americans they captured.

But who knows? Maybe this time is different. Maybe al queda members will see our example and recognize the errors of their own ways. You think?

[Jeff]

George, respectfully, I disagree. Do we really want to show the "al quada prisoners all the respect they show their own prisoners?" I've always thought we were better than that ... and still do ... put simply and - I admit - naively, there's some things the 'good guys' just don't do.

No, I don't think we're going to bring al quada to recognizing the error of their ways. But, it's not just al quada that we answer to ... but something else, something better. There's the matter of answering to ourselves, our regard for law and order, our nation's unique place in the world and its history, and the Scripture of the New Testament that stood some of the Old Testament 'eye for an eye' statutes on their head.

[Geo]

Jeff, we tried being nice all during the Clinton admin. The joke on the Arab street before 9/11 was that they could attack the U.S., and the U.S. would strike back with a lawsuit.

With some people "nice" just won't work.

[Brad]

I would give OBL a sex change operation and drop him back in with the Taliban to live life as a woman under Sharia!

[Geo]

Oh Brad! That's a fantastic suggestion!

I have a feeling that if that happened there would suddenly be a new and much more gentle interpretation of Sharia law.

[IMO]

America was behind 9/11 .It was an excuse to go into the muslim countries and killing people and trying to take over their lands for the precious resources.People wake up Bin Laden dont evens exist .It was an image created by America to be backed up by society to massacre muslims.(innocent people).I saw with my own two eyes children and woman killed by american soldiers on a daily basis and i dont see that been mediated and shown on CNN .But we still see images of 9/11 broadcast over the media.America will kill their own people to get what they want.

[Geo]

IMO, your comment appears to have come from someone so far removed from the actual circumstances that their perceptions have become severely distorted.