Re: Padila - Terror Suspect's Brig Life Detailed


JonesieCat wrote:

So what's the deal with this guy, Anne? Did he really do anything or not? I
haven't been following his case, but then saw an article elsewhere recently
suggesting his was a huge miscarriage of justice. Is this a case of
overzealousness in catching terrorists or not? From what I read, he really
is in a bad way mentally now, and tho an unsympathetic type, is pro'bly not
guilty of the charges by a long shot. Now I wish I'd been reading the
Padilla articles you've been posting all along.

Opinions?


1. The government snatched him up to create a test case: to show they
could declare a U.S. citizen an enemy combatant and hold the person
without trial. Now *why* they would want to do that, you can
speculate (intimidation comes to mind). The original claim was that
Padilla was planning to set off a "dirty" (radioactive) bomb, or
possibly plant explosives on the gas mains of apartment buildings.

2. The courts said the constitution and 800 years of English common
law made the administration's stance ridiculous, and he had to have a
trial. This ruling took a couple of years, by the way, while he sat
in a Navy brig.

2.1 - interesting aside: they also snatched up a fellow with dual
U.S. / Saudi citizenship, born to Saudi diplomats while they were in
the U.S. Seems he had a little more pull, a deal was quickly cut and
he was sent back to Saudi Arabia.

3. When forced to file charges, the original grounds on which Padilla
was held were dropped entirely, never to be mentioned again. Now the
charges are that he met with and aided folks overseas, who were
planning attacks, also overseas, on Americans or American facilities.

So the goverment claimed he was incredibly dangerous, but when forced
to bring charges, dropped those claims entirely. Tried to hold him
indefinately without a trial - as if there was no constitution. And
now makes claims of acts entirely outside the U.S., which are the very
kind that are hard to verify or defend against.

All in all, the guy has been railroaded in an attempt by the
administration to suspend habeas corpus.

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