"Nigerian Indicted in Terrorist Plot": New York Times writer Charlie Savage reports that the indictment of the Nigerian man who attempted to blow up a plane on Christmas day has rekindled the debate over whether terrorism suspects should be treated as criminals or enemy detainees. In a six-count indictment, a federal grand jury in Michigan charged the man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, with attempted murder on a plane, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and related offenses. In a statement, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that Mr. Abdulmutallab could face life in prison. Christopher S. Bond (R.- Missouri), said on Wednesday that the indictment was a mistake. "We have learned the hard way that trying terrorists in federal court comes at a high price, from losing out on potentially lifesaving intelligence to compromising our sources and methods. We must treat these terrorists as what they are, not common criminals, but enemy combatants in a war."
Focus for Governor Schwarzenegger Shifts From Prison to Schools: New York Times writer Jennifer Steinhauer reports on Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to greatly reduce the amount of money California spends on its prisons and funnel that sum to the state's higher education system. Yesterday, the governor also stated that he would push for a constitutional amendment prohibiting the percentage of the state budget earmarked for prisons from exceeding what is set aside for its public university system. While the governor provided few details of his plan, much of the prison cost savings he envisions would come through privatizing services or prisons themselves. Steinhauer writes this will be difficult to pass because the union for corrections officers holds political sway with lawmakers.
Ohio Uses Single Drug Execution for Second Time: Columbus Dispatch writer James Nash reports on today's execution of a Toledo man. This is the second man in the U.S. to be put to death using a single drug. Vernon Smith was pronounced dead after prison staff administered a fatal dose of thiopental sodium, a powerful anesthetic. Ohio's second use of the one-drug execution method met with much less critical acclaim than their first successful one-drug execution.
Militant Activity Begins Again for Former Gitmo Detainees: LA Times writers Julian E. Barnes and Christi Parsons report that a report from the Pentagon states that one-fifth of the detainees who have been released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have resumed extremist activity. The report follows the announcement by the Obama administration that it would halt Guantanamo transfers to Yemen. Republicans are pushing for a more expanisive moratorium, in particular, demanding that the U.S. stop sending detainees to Saudi Arabia. Charles Stimson, a scholar at the Heritage Foundation, criticized the Pentagon's report saying, "I have every reason to believe it is a very conservative [estimate] and the actual number is substantially higher than 20%."
Handling of Abdulmutallab: Today's Wall Street Journal features an opinion piece by former US Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey criticizing the administration's reaction to the bombing attempt on Northwest Airlines flight 253. Mukasey believes that the President fell short when he acknowledged that the plot had been hatched in Yemen, but then added "the misleading statement that Yemen faces 'crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies.'" For Mukasey "crushing poverty" is irrelevant because, as millionaire Osama bin Laden has shown, poverty does not beget terrorists. The former Attorney General also writes that "[h]olding Abdulmutallab for a time in military custody...would have been entirely lawful" because the current administration will hold dangerous detainees for even a lengthy period in the U.S. Mukasey closes his argument, stating there is much to worry about if the administration thinks that the principle challenge of the day is detecting bombs at the airport. He believes the administration should be actively searching out, finding and neutralizing terrorists before they get there.
Focus for Governor Schwarzenegger Shifts From Prison to Schools: New York Times writer Jennifer Steinhauer reports on Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to greatly reduce the amount of money California spends on its prisons and funnel that sum to the state's higher education system. Yesterday, the governor also stated that he would push for a constitutional amendment prohibiting the percentage of the state budget earmarked for prisons from exceeding what is set aside for its public university system. While the governor provided few details of his plan, much of the prison cost savings he envisions would come through privatizing services or prisons themselves. Steinhauer writes this will be difficult to pass because the union for corrections officers holds political sway with lawmakers.
Ohio Uses Single Drug Execution for Second Time: Columbus Dispatch writer James Nash reports on today's execution of a Toledo man. This is the second man in the U.S. to be put to death using a single drug. Vernon Smith was pronounced dead after prison staff administered a fatal dose of thiopental sodium, a powerful anesthetic. Ohio's second use of the one-drug execution method met with much less critical acclaim than their first successful one-drug execution.
Militant Activity Begins Again for Former Gitmo Detainees: LA Times writers Julian E. Barnes and Christi Parsons report that a report from the Pentagon states that one-fifth of the detainees who have been released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have resumed extremist activity. The report follows the announcement by the Obama administration that it would halt Guantanamo transfers to Yemen. Republicans are pushing for a more expanisive moratorium, in particular, demanding that the U.S. stop sending detainees to Saudi Arabia. Charles Stimson, a scholar at the Heritage Foundation, criticized the Pentagon's report saying, "I have every reason to believe it is a very conservative [estimate] and the actual number is substantially higher than 20%."
Handling of Abdulmutallab: Today's Wall Street Journal features an opinion piece by former US Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey criticizing the administration's reaction to the bombing attempt on Northwest Airlines flight 253. Mukasey believes that the President fell short when he acknowledged that the plot had been hatched in Yemen, but then added "the misleading statement that Yemen faces 'crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies.'" For Mukasey "crushing poverty" is irrelevant because, as millionaire Osama bin Laden has shown, poverty does not beget terrorists. The former Attorney General also writes that "[h]olding Abdulmutallab for a time in military custody...would have been entirely lawful" because the current administration will hold dangerous detainees for even a lengthy period in the U.S. Mukasey closes his argument, stating there is much to worry about if the administration thinks that the principle challenge of the day is detecting bombs at the airport. He believes the administration should be actively searching out, finding and neutralizing terrorists before they get there.
Leave a comment