"Hey Taliban John, get back in your cell before I deport you to Yemen"
Posted on 09/29/2004 1:24:27 AM PDT by kattracks
While the U.S. prepared to deport one of the captured American-born Taliban fighters, the other one asked President Bush yesterday to commute his prison sentence.John Walker Lindh's lawyer complained that his client was punished more harshly than Yaser Esam Hamdi, who is being deported to Saudi Arabia after being held for three years as an enemy combatant.
"It's basically unfair to have John Lindh serve the remainder of his 20-year term," said Lindh's lawer, James Brosnahan. "It seems to us a matter of justice and, may I use the word, compassion."
But compassion for Lindh was in short supply at the White House, and a Justice Department spokesman noted there are key differences between his case and that of Hamdi.
"John Walker Lindh pleaded guilty in a court of law to supporting the Taliban," said spokesman Mark Corallo. "Mr. Hamdi never was in the criminal justice system."
Clemency expert Frank Zimring of the University of California, Berkeley said Brosnahan is wasting his breath.
"The morning line on the commutation of a sentence of this kind in a middle of a presidential election is one of those situations where London bookies would offer you millions of pounds for just a shilling or two," he said.
Lindh, who is from the San Francisco suburbs, and Hamdi, who was born in Baton Rouge, La., but reared in Saudi Arabia, were captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 and accused of fighting U.S. forces.
While Lindh pleaded guilty in 2002 to aiding the Taliban and admitted having met Osama Bin Laden, Hamdi renounced "terrorism and violent jihad" and said he had nothing to do with Bin Laden or Al Qaeda.
Under a deal worked out with the feds, Hamdi was not charged with any crime but had to renounce his U.S. citizenship and go back to Saudi Arabia.
A convert to Islam, Walker was denounced as a traitor and dubbed the "American Taliban" when he was captured. Brosnahan said he tried to negotiate the best deal he could for Lindh at a time when the U.S. was still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks.
But now, Brosnahan said, "comparable conduct should be treated in comparable ways, in terms of sentencing."
Lindh's mother, Marilyn Walker, said she hoped "America can find it in her heart to forgive John."
"Despite what people may think, John Lindh took no action whatsoever against his native country," she said.
Time magazine reported that Lindh may try to knock some years off his sentence by testifying in upcoming Guantanamo Bay military trials against suspected Al Qaeda terrorists.
Originally published on September 29, 2004
"I'll forgive Mr. Walker, after he has served his full sentence."
Same here!
Liberals don't understand that actions have CONSEQUNECES!
It's comparing apples to oranges. The other guy was never charged. Walker was charged and pleaded GUILTY. The other guy was born here but raised over there. He was held differently and when challenged in courst DEPORTED to his homeland.
She is parsing words here
Because the treason he committed was on foreign soil, it's doesn't count as real treason
As a parent, I feel for her, as a citizen, she should be glad she can visit him in prison rather than visit a headstone
"It's basically unfair to have John Lindh serve the remainder of his 20-year term,"
yeah, right
No pardon; kill him.
If John Kerry is elected he will give him a Presidental Pardon and probably a medal for fighting U.S. troops and aiding in the murder of Mike Spann.
In my opinion the sorry bastard should have been hung by the neck until dead.
Addendum to post # 25.
If we do not get the National fortitude to properly deal with traitors and terrorists we will not surivive as a free Nation.
I fail to understand why this POS didn't meet his demise the day he was captured. The liberals will make a hero out of this terrorist traitor. I hope who ever captured him at least gave him an attitude adjustment. The klintoon years produced a PC prevailing environment in our military. The scum should have been shot. Casloy you are probably correct in your assumptioin of taliban john's role in the murder of the young marine. What better way of showing his loyalty to the taliban then killing a real American Marine. Bush/Cnheney 2004
The lawyer's head as well for even taking the case to defend this POS.
Reference your post # 5.
Seconded!
I should not have even read this thread.
I get mad everytime I even think how this murdering traitor got off scot free in my opinion.
At least the guy's got a sense of humor.
Would have been nice to at least see him tried for treason. The courts decided it was impossible to prove, but I still think we sometimes need to do what is right instead of what is expedient. We could have tried him on multiple charges so if the treason didn't stick we could get home for aiding and abetting, or something. It's the same mentality that didn't go after Jane Fonda when she went to Hanoi and sat on an anti-aircraft gun and thought it was funny.
I like the idea of letting him testify against the Al-queda scum from gitmo, THEN deport him to Saudi or Afghanistan.
He should be freed on the proviso that he does 10,000 hours reading the federalist papers and the US Constituion to high school students around the nation!
Oh, I getcha... because he was picked up during an unlawful and immoral American invasion of the sovereign nation of Afghanistan, he is a VICTIM of American OPPRESSION!
"I'd be willing to see him go free following a "liberal application" of Rachel Corrie therapy.
Heck, I'd ask at least as much for all his terrorist scum brothers."
Yeah if he managed to survive it...he probably deserves to live!
Boo-freaking-Hoo.
Ah but you're assuming he can read and COMPREHEND!
I'm not so generous.
I am afraid that you are right. Expedience(Real) for Hanoi Jane and taliban John to no longer be a part of America. Ie; dirt naps-r-them-inc.
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