'American Taliban' Father Urges Clemency

Yahoo News (AP) ^ | 1/19/06 | MARTHA MENDOZA

[madprof98]

After years of silence, the father of American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh said Thursday he has asked President Bush to grant his son clemency, adding that the then teenager never raised arms against the United States.

"In simple terms, this is the story of a decent and honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest," said Frank Lindh, swallowing back tears at times during a speech at the Commonwealth Club, a nonprofit organization.

John Walker Lindh, now 24, was captured by American forces on Nov. 21, 2001, alongside the Taliban. Frank Lindh said his son thought he had been rescued by U.S. soldiers until he was taken into custody and tortured.

Charged with conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists, the younger Lindh avoided a potential life sentence in 2002 by pleading guilty to lesser charges of supplying services to the Taliban in violation of U.S. economic sanctions and of carrying weapons against U.S. forces.

Last year John Walker Lindh asked President Bush for a reduction in his 20-year sentence, repeating a September 2004 request the government rejected.

Until now, his parents have mostly maintained a public silence about the case, hoping to avoid a media barrage that could be detrimental to their son. But on Thursday Frank Lindh shared baby pictures and other photos of his son during the presentation and said he is proud of his child.

Lindh said he decided to break his silence because he hoped the story of his boy's journey from bucolic Marin County to harsh Afghanistan battlefields will help gain him a reprieve.

[madprof98]

I wonder what sort of organization this "Commonwealth Club" is.

[mainepatsfan]

He just has to hope Hillary gets elected. We know the Clinton's have no problem pardoning terrorists.

[steveo]

honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest,

To destroy life as we know it. :p

[samadams2000]

"Im proud my son is a terrorist traitor."

[Bahbah]

his son thought he had been rescued by U.S. soldiers until he was taken into custody and tortured.

Total BS.

[ikka]

Was it ever demonstrated that the boy was engaged in homosexual behavior with his "spiritual Islamic leaders" as well? Thought I saw a story about that...

[Wolfhound777]

After years of silence, the father of American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh said Thursday he has asked President Bush to grant his son clemency, adding that the then teenager never raised arms against the United States. "In simple terms, this is the story of a decent and honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest," said Frank Lindh.

There is absolutely nothing decent or honorable about Lindh. Let him rot.

[muawiyah]

Why doesn't he wait until this is all over to make such requests?

[Mr. Lucky]

John Lindh should be turned over to the custody of his father...for burial.

[LibWhacker]

Pound sand, Frankie, you flake! If you really cared for your son, you would've raised him right.

[frankjr]

Hang 'em high!

[teenyelliott]

this is the story of a decent and honorable young m

Bullshi*t. Maybe that's what you stupid socialist hippies call it, but out here in fly over country we call it treason.

Your son is a traitor, sir. Personally, I think he should have been hung.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Was it ever demonstrated that the boy was engaged in homosexual behavior with his "spiritual Islamic leaders" as well? "

Cindy Sheehan?

[stumpy]

I agree with your sentiments completely. I hope he slips in the shower and dies in prison. No traitor should ever survive incarceration (actually they should be sentenced to death period.)!!!

[phoenix0468]

"Lindh said he decided to break his silence because he hoped the story of his boy's journey from bucolic Marin County to harsh Afghanistan battlefields will help gain him a reprieve." Or show that he was actively involved in fighting U.S. troops. Either way he was sleeping with the enemy, and in my book that's trason. I thought treason was a capital crime during wartime. 20 years is light in my opinion.

[teenyelliott]

embarked on a spiritual quest

I forgot that part of the quote. Ooops.

[ralice]

Considering that this guy started off as a sixteen-year-old to the ME, not knowing the languages or culture, and managed to get close enough to OBL to shake his hand, when the CIA didn't have a single operative in the area, I say he should do community service work as their consultant....

[phoenix0468]

"...taken into custody and tortured."

Now his father is using that old islamofacist tactic of crying torture at every turn. Send his ass to jail too, he doesn't deserve to be an American.

[phoenix0468]

(sic)treason

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"...adding that the then teenager never raised arms against the United States."

Then WFT was he doing on a battle field dressed as a Muslim? Hiding? Performing undercover work for the CIA? Feh.

[PzLdr]

Only if he has enough scratch, in small, nosequential, untraceable bills.

[PzLdr]

I think you've confused father , who I read somewhere, left Mom and Osama Wanna for another man [without being consecrated as an Esiscopal Bishop].

[Doogle]

According to the federal government, Lindh fought terrorism by signing up with the Taliban, attending al Qaeda seminars on how to kill Americans, staying in guesthouses funded by Osama bin Laden, sharing campfire tales about suicide terrorists being dispatched against the United States (just before 9/11 and practicing his anti-terrorism skills with rocket-launchers, pistols and Molotov cocktails (a favorite tool of anti-terrorism forces everywhere). During the summer of 2001, Osama bin Laden personally thanked Lindh for everything he had done to "fight terrorism and oppression." However, when Lindh was invited to take the fight against terrorism to U.S. soil, he declined in favor of a Rambo-style battlefield experience.

...*sniff*

[MediaMole]

While it was never proven in court, Lindh may well have had a hand in the death of Mike Spann during the prison uprising at Qala-i-Jangi.

Lindh deserves no clemency. He was and is a traitor to this country.

[newcthem]

How about letting the little creep out and post his location, in case a few Americans want to impress upon him, their views of his actions.

[martin_fierro]

"In simple terms, this is the story of a decent and honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest," said Frank Lindh

In reality, nothing like that happened.

Better shut up while you're ahead, Lindh. Your boy's lucky to be alive.

[LibWhacker]

Hang him by his thumbs in the lobby of the CIA's headquarters for a year, no cameras or nannies of any kind watching over him. Let every employee give him a piece of their mind -- er, umm, or whatever -- each time they walk in or out of the place. What happens in CIA's headquarters, stays in CIA's headquarters.

[jocko12]

Just hang him.

[El Gato]

I don't know, sounds kinda liberal from their history, but here's the Commonwealth Club Website, figure it out for yourself.

[TexasCajun]

Frank Lindh said his son thought he had been rescued by U.S. soldiers until he was taken into custody and tortured.

What is torture to a 20 yr old kid from Kalifornia, No Eminem CDs?

[oldleft]

Even if that's true, how does that indemnify him over gleefully supporting the shooting in the head of women who had committed such heinous crimes as working or going outside, in the middle of a soccer stadium no less? This guy's a walking piece of s**t who should have been shot with the rest of them.

After an extended period of torture.

[GBA]

Either way, you're right about him being a traitor. 20 years is getting off easy.

[bkepley]

Well I know I'll catch flak for this but I could see Bush pardoning him on leaving office. I don't know if there's any evidence that he fired on US troops. If there is, then Bush probably shouldn't. I think the kid was mostly rebelling against his father over leaving his family for a homosexual life.

[SoldiersPrayingMom]

Oh...Really!! Let him out and he probably try to enlist to help OBL blow up some sight here in the US....just as the last OBL message to US suggested !!

[VOA]

Until now, his parents have mostly maintained a public silence about
the case, hoping to avoid a media barrage that could be detrimental
to their son.

Maybe more likely, Papa doesn't want any more scrutiny of his ditching
his wife and running off with his boyfriend. That was rumored to
be a factor in sending Taliban John on his strange odyssey.
IIRC, this surfaced when Taliban John was a news item.

[SoldiersPrayingMom]

Hear...Hear!!

[definitelynotaliberal]

I don't know about being "dressed as a Muslim" but he sure faked an Arab accent in speaking to his co-national captors. What an idiot!

[SoldiersPrayingMom]

I Agree...20 years is too lenient...he should have to hang high as a traitor!!

Even so, he'll still end up doing his 20+ years with all of the appeals, before they would actually get around to stretching his scrawny little neck!!

[usflagwaver]

It may lean liberal, I am not sure, but I have seen ads for some big conservatives there too. It is the place in San Francisco that most authors and others on the "speaking tour" will go and charge a fee to hear them speak.

[RBroadfoot]

The kid's lucky he didn't get a black bag and a noose!

[CWOJackson]

The kid is lucky he's not one of my sons.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

"What is torture to a 20 yr old kid from Kalifornia, No Eminem CDs?"

LOL Exactly. No latte or frozen yoghurt for you, young man, for like a year.

His dad obviously has the same lame sense of timing that he does. Must be hereditary.

[dagoofyfoot]

"I'm proud my son is a terrorist traitor"


and for just that reason reason I've got your clemency right here dude...hangin'.

[DoNotDivide]

Spiritual quest? Chalk up another life ruined by the Death Cult of Islamic Koraniacs then.

[minus_273]

"I hope he slips in the shower and dies in prison"

no i strongly disagree with you. i hope his soap slips out of his hands every day in the shower for the rest of his life.

[samadams2000]

The gaul of these lefties is amazing. Our founding fathers would have strung him up that day and if they father said a peep, they would have searched for another rope.

[minus_273]

nah, too much whip cream on the latte

[cardinal4]

I agree, he shouldnt be let off the hook. I mean, what the hell was he doing with Taliban fighters if he wasnt raising arms against the US??

[Cheburashka]

He's still a Moslem. I doubt he'd give us anything useful.