Greenwald on the effectiveness of trying terrorism suspects in regular court

[mcablue]

Spain held an open trial in Madrid for the individuals accused of that country's 2004 train bombings. The British put those accused of perpetrating the London subway bombings on trial right in their normal courthouse in London.
Indonesia gave public trials using standard court procedures to the individuals who bombed a nightclub in Bali. India used a Mumbai courtroom to try the sole surviving terrorist who participated in the 2008 massacre of hundreds of residents. In Argentina, the Israelis captured Adolf Eichmann, one of the most notorious Nazi war criminals, and brought him to Jerusalem to stand trial for his crimes.

More: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/11/14/terrorism/index.html

[Warpy]

1. It also presents them as ordinary thieves and murderers

instead of something special. It's humiliating not to be afforded special treatment for mass murder.

Open court under ordinary law is the only way to go in this case, no matter how outraged the Republicans are over it.

We know how they feel about the rule of law.

[unblock]

2. those who complain about our system of justice need to be called on it

those who think our system of justice can't handle people accused of terrorism need to be called out as advancing an anti-justice agenda. they try to keep the focus on the terrorist but the real agenda is an attack on our judicial system, the right to a fair trial, and so on.

if they succeed in convincing people that normal trials and procedures aren't appropriate for those accused of terrorism, then next those same protections and procedures won't be considered appropriate for those accused of murder or rape and eventually trial by jury might be reserved for misdemeanors only.