The new John Lindh

Orlando Sentinel ^ | June 14, 2002

[Stand Watch Listen]

Our position: It will take more than a makeover to make John Lindh look good.

American Taliban sympathizer John Walker Lindh has undergone a remarkable transformation.

When arrested in Afghanistan last fall during a firefight with American soldiers, he was a tangle of long black hair with an unkempt beard and hauntingly vacant dark eyes. Now charged with conspiring to murder U.S. nationals, providing support and services to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network and using firearms during crimes of violence, Mr. Lindh has radically altered his appearance.

Appearing recently in a Virginia courtroom, Mr. Lindh was clean-shaven, with cropped hair, wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses -- an obvious ploy by defense lawyers to portray their client as a poor, misguided youth. Given the serious nature of the charges Mr. Lindh faces, it should take a lot more than a makeover to convince jurors of his innocence.

[Stand Watch Listen]

[johniegrad]

Maybe if they rolled him into the courtroom in a wheelchair?

[rockfish59]

He'll also plead insanity and walk!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It was his parents' fault.

[spald]

Yes Eric. I'd like to see John Linhd's father tell HIS story to the court.

[johniegrad]

He'll also plead insanity and walk!

While everbody's fear, I don't think you'll see that defense successfully employed.

[WellsFargo94]

If that were my son, I'd be so ashamed and angry that I would let him rot in prison, alone, for the rest of his life.

Considering the sacrifices that our service men and women make every day (whether at war or not) past and present, I cannot accept any explanation for this traitor!

[joesnuffy]

Imagine what Jihad Johnny would be doing right about now if his boys woulda won that round and now had some American prisoners to play with...how would John be treating his fellow Americans..what would he be saying ...and doing to them...

[Paul Atreides]

Maybe if they rolled him into the courtroom in a wheelchair?

And out in a coffin.

[rageaholic]

Lindh should borrow one of the Menedez brother's tennis sweaters, too.

[buffyt]

"Given the serious nature of the charges Mr. Lindh faces, it should take a lot more than a makeover to convince jurors of his innocence."

If only that were true! I won't hold my breath on this one. I fear he will walk.

[buffyt]

</i></i> BUMP

[Fish out of Water]

*Index Bump

[COBOL2Java]

"Given the serious nature of the charges Mr. Lindh faces, it should take a lot more than a makeover to convince jurors of his innocence."

If only that were true! I won't hold my breath on this one. I fear he will walk.

I'm pretty confident of my Northern Virginia court system. First, it's a relatively conservative judicial district; secondly, the judge has a strong no-nonsense reputation; third, with its reputation of being the "Rocket Docket" there won't be opportunities for the defense to slow things down. We've seen this in evidence already, as Jihad Johnny's lawyers wanted the trial to start sometime in November. The Judge vetoed that motion, and trial will start the end of August, I believe.

[buffyt]

I HOPE you are right!!!! But since Clinton and Reno and Hillary and Al and Uncle Teddy are still walking free after all their crimes and treasons, etc., I won't hold my breath! Thank you for being optimistic in these trying times!

[pepsionice]

You all fail to understand, this trial is being held in Virginia for a reason. Folks up in Virginia don't think the way that a idiot from California thinks. Johnny is going to have some explaining to do and they aren't going to buy some psycho babble from a defense shrink. The kid had better develop a better tactic than just clothing.

[COBOL2Java]

Appearing recently in a Virginia courtroom, Mr. Lindh was clean-shaven, with cropped hair, wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses

Perhaps this is the makeover Jihad Johnny's lawyers had in mind?

From Jihad Johnny...
To John Hinkley?

[ImpBill]

You know I have NOT often wondered what I would have done had my gay father, divorced my mother, to take up residence with his Svengalli lover. But if I had wonderend about it I don't think I would have ever considered becoming an Islamist and work towards the death and destruction of all my fellow ex-contrymen.

Do you realize how much money this little twerp is going to cost the tax payer in his prosecution and then endless appeals and then to protect in prison? Is the little twerp worth it?

It would be so much better to give him his freedom and make it official in the swamp at Paris Island during a Marine Corps E & E course at night.

[Kermit]

I say we call Taliban Johnny by his real name: Abdul Hamid. The same goes for Jose Padilla, Cassius Clay, Lew Alcindor, Calypso Louis and the rest of them. If they go Muslim and take a slave-holders name (smirk) then, we ought to use it.

[COBOL2Java]

Do you realize how much money this little twerp is going to cost the tax payer in his prosecution and then endless appeals and then to protect in prison? Is the little twerp worth it?

Civilzation and the Rule of Law enacts a heavy price, indeed.