New Yorkers Rally Against 9/11 Trials
The growing public outrage over Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try the 9/11 plotters in a civilian court was on full display this past weekend in New York City. A rally organized by 9/11 Never Forget drew a large crowd of protesters and a list of high-profile speakers to Foley Square, the heart of the federal government's court system in Manhattan. Cold temperatures and driving rain did not deter those assembled from letting it be known that no good can come from Holder's plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in federal court.
The theme of the event may have been best captured in a moving letter from Judea and Ruth Pearl, parents of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The letter was read to the crowd by actor Brian Dennehy, who opened his remarks with a little light humor. "I hope you all remembered to wear your sunblock."
The Pearls made a cogent argument against the Obama administration's stance on the trial venue. "The international community has given America a moral mandate to fight the new epidemic with all the necessary instruments, including a new court system and new legal regimes. The decision to try the arch-symbols of terror in ordinary criminal court, using traditional legal instruments, constitutes a betrayal of that mandate."
The two-hour program was led by radio personality Steve Malzberg. War veterans, parents of war veterans, New York City firefighters, and survivors of the September 11th attacks all presented passionate, yet reasoned arguments against the trial venue decision. The crowd broke into spontaneous chants of "U.S.A." and "Holder Must Go" at various points. The cheers were loud, but applause was somewhat muted. It's difficult to clap when one hand is holding an umbrella.
Founder of the Guardian Angels and quintessential New Yorker Curtis Sliwa whipped up the crowd's anger with a vivid reminder that by trying Khalid and his co-conspirators in federal court, the government is affording them the rights they denied to nearly 3,000 people and allowing them the opportunity to grandstand for their twisted ideology.
Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor, pointed out that war criminals belong in military courts and should be subject to military justice. A montage of moments from Holder's recent painful appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee was played to the crowd on a JumboTron screen, and it was a sad reminder of the fact that the Obama administration's plan to deal with terrorists is fundamentally flawed.
The crowd was encouraged to contact their congressional representatives at the earliest opportunity to reverse the trial venue decision. It would be a good start toward getting back on track with fighting the war against radical Islamic fundamentalism.
