Verdict in on the Moussai death penalty phase...

[Hawkmoon]

I find the entire episode sorely troubling. I do think that what's-his-name wanted to be a martyr and did a lot of grandstanding in an effort to persuade the jury to execute him. I am pleased that he did not achieve martyrdom. Oddly, however, at least on the basis of reports so far it appears that was NOT high on the jurors' list of considerations.

But what I find troubling is that this clown's arrest and trial were in any way linked to 9/11. Suppose you were a member of a big club, a national club, made of people that some Americans might not care to spend a lot of time with. For argument, let's say you're a Hell's Angel. You happen to belong to the Newark, NJ, chapter. You get around a bit, and from a visit to the west coast you happen to know that some members of the Sacramento chapter are planning to knock over a bank in Seattle.

So, before they hit the bank, you get busted in Chicago for riding without a helmet. And while to cops are putting flaming skewers under your thumbnails for riding without a helmet, you manage to NOT tell them some of your Hell's Angels brethren are planning to rob a bank in Seattle. And, in fact, they DO rob said bank ... but they get killed in a shootout after killing a teller and a police officer. However, because of their distinctive jackets and tattoos (all saying "Hell's Angels"), the authorities cleverly deduce that they belong to the Hell's Angels. And then some genius says "Hey ... they got one of them in the slammer in Chicago right now."

So they come back at you, and they beat on you a bit more, and finally you break and ackowledge that, yeah, you actually DID know they were going to rob that bank.

Are you an accomplice? Are you a co-conspirator? Remember, you did not participate in the event, you did not participate in PLANNING  the event. You just knew that it was probably going to happen. Under the rules as pursuded by the Feds in this case, you should be tried for felony murder just because you happened to overhear a couple of fellow bikers mention that they wanted to rob a bank, and you didn't tell the cops.

I dunno. I'm not sure that really works for me.

[doczinn]

Right or wrong aside, legally if you know about it and do nothing you are a co-conspirator. IANAL, but I know that much.

[m1911owner]

Hawkmoon, I agree 100% with what you said, except on one point:  As near as I can tell from the reporting I've seen, I'm not aware of any evidence (other than his attempt at "suicide by jury") that Moussai knew about the 9/11 plans.  Further, one would expect that information about an operation of that sort would be on a need-to-know basis; Moussai didn't need to know about it, so presumptively, he didn't.

As you outline, it looks to me like this prosecution was all about finding a scapegoat for 9/11.  The actual perpetrators were dead; bin Laden has evaded capture.  They needed somebody to take out vengence on.  Mr. "20th Hijacker" got the nomination.

That said, he's an admitted terrorist who was in training to kill as many of us as he could.  Either death or life in prison are reasonable rewards for that, in my book.  So I'm not unhappy at all with the outcome, only with fact that it appears that the major thing he was prosecuted for was something that he had nothing to do with, rather than what he actually did do.

[Hawkmoon]

That said, he's an admitted terrorist who was in training to kill as many of us as he could.  Either death or life in prison are reasonable rewards for that, in my book.  So I'm not unhappy at all with the outcome, only with fact that it appears that the major thing he was prosecuted for was something that he had nothing to do with, rather than what he actually did do.

Yep. That sums it up pretty nicely IMNSHO.

[Guest]

I find the entire episode sorely troubling. ...I dunno. I'm not sure that really works for me.

Thank you; me neither.


 

...it looks to me like this prosecution was all about finding a scapegoat for 9/11.

Thank you; I agree.

[Guest]

Right or wrong aside, ..