Posted on 08/24/2009 9:55:36 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Scotland’s government faces a fight for its survival as the furore over its decision to free the Lockerbie bomber escalated last night.
Opposition parties north of the Border are preparing to hold a confidence vote over the decision by Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, to free Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, has confirmed that he would resign if the Holyrood vote went against him.
The development comes after a weekend of fierce criticism from the United States of the decision on the ground of compassion to return al-Megrahi to Libya, where he was fêted as a hero on his return.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was appalled by the freeing of al-Megrahi, echoing the earlier attack by Robert Mueller, the FBI Director, who accused Scotland of “making a mockery of the rule of law” and giving “comfort to terrorists around the world”. Threats by Americans to boycott Scottish goods and services on the back of the al-Megrahi decision are being taken seriously by the British Government.
Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, who is standing in for the Prime Minister, has told aides that the prospect of an American boycott was of concern and “something that we need to keep an eye on”.
Mr Brown has been criticised by David Cameron, the Conservative leader, for refusing to make any statement on al-Megrahi. The Prime Minister had discussed the possible release when he met Muammar Gadaffi, the Libyan leader, at a G8 summit in Italy last month.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Doh!
No more Haggis for this American family...
Government, both in Scotland and HERE, had better pay more attention to the will of the people, and releasing a cold blooded murderer is NOT what the people want.
Opposition parties north of the Border are preparing to hold a confidence vote over the decision by Kenny MacAskill...
You know, Charles Manson is getting a little long in the tooth. Maybe he should also be released on “compassionate grounds”?
I want to know what the admin and Congress knew and when they knew it.
In the wake of the release and “hero’s welcome” in Libya, three governments need to fall. The First Minister in Scotland, Brown in London, and Ghadaffi in Libya. They all three need to go.
I’m not planning on “Kicking the Bucket” in the near future, but one of my prime “go do its” in my bucket list is a trip to Scotland to Spey Fly Fish on the river Spey and other Scottish rivers.
However, I will not go until these A$$holes, who returned a mass serial killer of Americans to Lybia to be a returning hero, are fired or resign.
Then those who govern Scotland will have to do some serious apologies to the Americans’s whose innocent relatives and friends were slaughtered because of this mass serial killer.
Lovely pic of Obama and the guy who held al-Megrahi's leash....
Just to recap this...
1) You have a convicted terrorist
2) That terrorist was convicted of a plane bombing
3) That terrorist now has 2 months to live
4) That terrorist is released
Connecting the dots...
Does ANYONE see a problem with a convicted PLANE bomber whose going to be dead soon anyway as a potential problem for a SUICIDE BOMBING of epic proportions?
Outside of the general idiocy of the release (i.e., response should have been “compassion for him? F OFF!”), this release concerns me more from this angle than anything else.
Anyone?!
“You know, Charles Manson is getting a little long in the tooth. Maybe he should also be released on “compassionate grounds”?”
You realize that the State of California just released one of the Manson girls (can’t remember which) on compassionate grounds?
Despite all the American chest-thumping on this issue, we do it here as well. Maybe just not as often.
Release Manson to Scotland.
“You realize that the State of California just released one of the Manson girls (can’t remember which) on compassionate grounds?”
####
Susan Atkins.
I thought that was refused.
She was Demon #2 those two nights.
Most of the carnage was done by one Tex Watkins scum, who by the way, has enjoyed conjugal visits and other comforts, for years.
i agree. While i´m still thinking that is was a big failure to release this guy. We should stop to “hyperventilate” because of this and don´t turn this into another US vs Europe fight.At the end he will be dead before christmas (well if not then of course i will change my point of view). The scottish government really screwed this up big time (and does rightfully getting “flak” because of this) but if we would boycott every country “only because” some politicians managed it to screw it up. we soon would have to boycott every country including our own.
“I thought that was refused.”
I stand corrected. See what a quick web search before you post will do.
I guess my fall-back (humiliated) position is that our justice system also makes provisions for compassionate release. We are just less likely to release mass murderers.
No need for humiliation.
The fact that “compassionate release” even EXISTS, and can completely circumvent a sentence justly in place, is reason enough for your outrage.
We are just less likely to release mass murderers.
Squeaky Fromme.
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