I visited Orange County last week, now that upstate New York seems to be the new contender for terror trials. The mayor of Newburgh thinks bringing the trials to town would be a great idea. He says it would put the place on the map, and pour money into a dismal economy. I’m not sure how that works. Do you put up big banners on Main Street: “Coming Soon: The Terror Trials, Reserve Early?” Well, maybe not. The rest of Orange County doesn’t seem to want any part of them.
As County Executive Edward Diana asked, “Do you really want to use terror trials to boost tourism?” The NIMBY or “Not in My Back Yard” Syndrome is now running on all cylinders, and the “Back Yard” is the size of the United States. It took Mayor Michael Bloomberg a few weeks to realize that turning Lower Manhattan into a ring of steel would not help local businesses. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly never looked enthusiastic, but insisted the city would keep everyone safe.
It was funny to watch everyone jump on the bandwagon opposing the trials after they checked which way the wind was blowing. Only Congressmember Peter King from Long Island seemed to get what nobody else did: That this was never going to fly. King of course is a Republican and is not beholden to the Obama administration.
The principle, of course, makes sense. Let’s show the world how American justice works and try these murderers right down the block from where they committed their horrific acts. After all, the Bush administration tried the shoe bomber in Washington.
But principles and politics don’t always mix, especially when there’s a price tag of $1 billion or so. Does it really matter if the trials take place upstate, or, where they seem increasingly likely to wind up, at a federal correctional facility? No. The world doesn’t know what jurisdiction encompasses the Southern District of New York. And more importantly, is world opinion more important than public safety? Of course not.
I listened to the people at public hearings in Chinatown who described how their businesses were devastated by the 9/11 attacks. How ironic would it be that the trials for those responsible would do the same thing all over again to these people? Of course, whenever you make such a momentous decision like picking the spot for terror trials, you always do your homework and consult with the people most affected, like the NYPD, right? Uhm, well, uhm, you know the folks at the Justice Department are really busy these days, and when you’re standing on principle, you sometimes don’t sit down and think things through.
So, now the White House has put itself in a lose-lose situation. Wherever they move the trials, there will be a local uproar. If they decide to go back to military tribunals, they will look like they caved into pressure. And where do you hold those tribunals, if you’re intent on closing Gitmo? It is gratifying to know that at least the White House and Justice Department truly are standing on principle. They don’t want any show trials with a pre-determined outcome, right? This isn’t going to be like the Old West, where they used to say, “First we give ‘em a fair trial, THEN we hang ‘em!”
Well, listen to White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs: “Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is going to meet justice, and he’s going to meet his maker. He’s likely to be executed for the heinous crimes that he committed in killing and masterminding the killing of 3,000 Americans. That you can be sure of.” Oops. Dbfox5news@aol.com
Post a Comment