Posted on 02/28/2008 1:13:01 AM PST by Byron_the_Aussie
THE jury in Australia's largest terrorism case has been asked to consider the "evil" America has done, as a court judges 12 Melbourne men accused of plotting to commit "violent jihad".
Opening the defence case today, lawyer Remy van de Wiel, QC, told the jury America had suffered an enormous blow to its pride as a result of the September 11 World Trade Center attack.
Mr Van de Wiel described the attacks as "evil and shocking".
"But don't forget, America has done many evil things too," Mr van de Wiel told the court.
He also told the Victorian Supreme Court jury to be cautious about forming the opinion that Osama bin Laden, who it has heard was a hero to the leader of the Melbourne group, was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
"To say this was all orchestrated by Osama bin Laden is also very silly," he said.
"He has never claimed responsibility."
Mr Van de Wiel, who is representing Abdul Nacer Benbrika, the alleged leader of the group, also told the jury similarities existed between the teachings of the Bible and the Koran.
He pointed to sections of the Bible which detailed the "fanatical destruction of whole cities" and spoke of a "fanatical, vengeful God".
Mr van de Wiel began his opening address after a 10-day opening by the prosecution in which the jury heard that Benbrika and his followers had formed a terrorist organisation committed to violent jihad.
The jury was told of camping trips that were really terrorist training exercises, of masses of terrorist literature they had accumulated and of discussions on killing former prime minister John Howard.
Remy van de Wiel
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
We’ll be hearing about “controlled demolitions” and Jews being warned to stay away from the WTC before this case is done. Further from van de Weasel’s address:
If you think about movies and how many of them have an Arab hero, very few portray them in a positive light, the media, commentators, documentaries. I’m not saying they are all deliberately biased but they come from a particular standpoint.
Yes. Yes, they do.
History and the concurrence of events that were happening in the background of those conversations are relevant. There was the conflict in Iraq, the conflict in Chechnya, the conflict in Afghanistan, the Sudan and Ethiopia, all involve Muslims. The media is very rarely sympathetic to them.
This guy’s a riot.
We all know 4,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq but do you ever say to yourself, how many Iraqis have died? Does the media ever tell us?
Better than that - via repetition of bogus bodycounts, the media even tells us about dead Iraqis who aren’t dead.
What we are interested in is what a person who lives in a Muslim ghetto in Melbourne says as a reaction to what’s happening to people he regards as his people.
His people, eh? The chap van de Wipe refers to has lived in Australia for nearly twenty years. Here’s a novel legal angle:
The leader of an alleged Melbourne terrorist cell could not organise a booze-up in a brewery, a defence lawyer told the Supreme Court today.
Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is even if these defendants had a legitimate complaint against the United States of America (and I do not for a moment, believe they do, but for the sake of argument) on the grounds of 'America's evil', they were not plotting to attack the United States. They were plotting to attack Australia.
I'm trying to imagine an evil and heinous act that could drive me to want to kill - let's say somebody raped my daughter.
I'd want to kill that person.
But I wouldn't want to kill their best friend.
And most juries would understand my reasons for killing the rapist.
But none would understand my reasons for killing the best friend.
I don't believe their view of America is accurate - but even if they believe it, they were plotting to kill whoever they could get their hands on.
And that is evil.
Unfortunately, all the lawyer needs to do is to quote many of the USA Senators and Congressmen who have said the same thing to prove his point. I would just quote Ted Kennedy, etc....he might win his case.
Interesting strategy, as they say in Dodgeball.
ping
I suspect the Aussie jury won’t be very sympathetic towards the terrorist. Australia had her own “9-11” and they aren’t as wussified as we are.
This lawyer is a pantload.
Yeah, America was really evil during World War II when we prevented Australia from being invaded by the Japanese.
A load of steaming caca.
How do you propose we do this? The majority of Americans have been fed the LIE that there was no 'Osama bin Laden' connection in Iraq until we took Saddam out. Not even McCain has set the liberals and their media freaks right about what was really going on in Saddam's Iraq.
The majority of people I talk with think the US opened the door for OBL's gang to move into Iraq. And that if we would have stayed out of Iraq there would be no problem with terrorism on Saddam's turf.
“America has done many evil things too,”
a country doesn’t do anything.
Idiots like this look at one action taken by inhabitants of the country at one time in the past and apply it to the entire country for now and all time.
Slavery was practiced in the United States, and these people call the entire country racist now and for all time.
Other than slavery (which was common around the world) I dont think anything we have done much evil. Certainly less than just about any other large nation.
By the lawyer’s rationale, terrorism is justified against virtually any nation, since they have all done evil at some point in history. Which by the way, justifies attacks on middle eastern countries for stuff they did centuries ago.
The funny thing is that had the lawyer been a victim of a terror attack, this guy’s client would have rejoiced.
Based on that premise then I should be upset about what is happening to Catholics,Czechs,Irish, and German peoples. I should be so upset that I threaten vigilante action against the perpetrators (even though I am American?). The point doesn't make sense, nor hold as valid.
Where does this criminals' loyalties rest? In the country he chose to leave or the country he takes safe refuge in? Who does he stand with?
Of course this might be like asking a Christian in the end times...who do you stand with?
Evil? Like 1941 - 42 where Australian POWs were used for sword practice?
Coach K had put together the perfect Duke team, the only piece he was
missing was a great shooting guard. He had scouted all the high schools
and even the junior colleges, but he couldn’t find the ringer shooting guard
who would ensure a NCAA Basketball title.
Then one night, while watching CNN, he saw a war-zone scene in
Baghdad. In the background, he spotted a young Iraqi soldier with truly
incredible aim. He threw a hand grenade straight into a 15th-story
window from 200 yards away. Ka-boom! He threw another hand
grenade into a group of 10 soldiers 100 yards away. Ka-blooey!
Then a car passed, going 90 mph. He lobs one through the open sun
roof. Bulls-eye!
“I’ve got to get this guy!” Coach K said to himself. “He has perfect aim
and I can train him in the fundamentals of basketball!” Coach K brings
him to the States, teaches him the great game of basketball and Duke
goes on to win the NCAA Basketball Championship. The young Iraqi
wins the Tournament MVP and is named the AP Player of the Year.
When Coach K asks him what he wants, all the young man wants
to do is to call home and speak with his mother.
“Mom,” he says into the phone, “I just won the NCAA Basketball
championship.”
“I don’t want to talk to you,” the old woman says, “You deserted us!
You are not my son.”
“I don’t think you understand, Mother!” the young man pleads. “I just
won the greatest sporting event in the world. I’m here among thousands
of my adoring fans.”
“No, let me tell you,” the mother retorts, “at this very moment, there are
gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two
brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week and this
week your sister was raped in broad daylight.”
The old lady pauses and then tearfully says, “I’ll never forgive you for
making us move to Durham.”
(My fiancee sent me this, and she works at Duke. :D )
Paul
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