Judge chides Bush administration's anti-terror tactics while sentencing wo

[Judi Lynn]

Judge chides Bush administration's anti-terror tactics while sentencing would-be LA bomber
By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, July 27, 2005
(07-27) 23:59 PDT Seattle (AP) --

The sentence itself was fairly straightforward: An Algerian man received 22 years for plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium. It was what the judge said in imposing the term that raised eyebrows.

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the successful prosecution of Ahmed Ressam should serve not only as a warning to terrorists, but as a statement to the Bush administration about its terrorism-fighting tactics.

"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," he said. "The message to the world from today's sentencing is that our courts have not abandoned our commitment to the ideals that set our nation apart."

He added that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have made Americans realize they are vulnerable to terrorism and that some believe "this threat renders our Constitution obsolete ... If that view is allowed to prevail, the terrorists will have won."
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/07/27/state/n235930D68.DTL

[Starfury]

1. Wow - his words need to be heard everywhere!

Recommended

[Tracyjo]

2. A real Judge on "the right"

[jobycom]

3. Go, Judge!

he could have also pointed out that Clinton's administration stopped the millenium plot through vigilance and coordinated intelligence, not through bombing hundreds of thousands of innocent people in other nations halfway around the world. If he were really bold, he might point out that if Bush had practiced the same vigilance, 9-11 would have never happened.

But I likey him, anyway. :-)

[Wetzelbill]

4. Right on

[ngGale]

5. "Ditto" -

Great judge, I'm sure his status will never be elevated to SCOTUS.
Too clean and fair, great ruling.

[KeepItReal]

9. Exactly!

<EOM>

[hootinholler]

6. This Judge just blew any hope

For a Supreme nod as long as the neocons are in power. I hope he's a lifetime appointee.

-Hoot

[woodsprite]

7. After watching CAFTA go down last night,

I woke this morning thinking we are totally screwed because everyone in authority Dem and Repub has lost their minds. Those who we think are on our sides turn out to be sellouts. People I know and whom I know to be good people are whacked and making off the wall decisions like they're lambs being led to slaughter - wait, lambs have backbones, let's try jellyfish. When I say this, I do mean to exclude Boxer, Conyers, members of the CBC who are standing up for the average American and maybe one or two more whom I can't name off the top of my head.

Reading what this Judge said made me smile, nod in agreement, and just maybe gave me a bit of hope that maybe I am wrong.

[gratuitous]

8. Gee, identify a suspect, build a case, convict him and sentence him

Has Bush been told about this? It seems we have a system of, what are they, courts? And judges? And apparently we have the ability to lock someone up for a long, long time if we develop something called "evidence" (funny-looking word, that) and bring witnesses against that person.

I don't know that I have all the facts in hand, but it seems a little more efficient than emptying the Treasury, depleting the military, and killing a bunch of people who never harmed us or did anything to us until we started emptying the Treasury, depleting the military, and killing a bunch of people who never harmed us.

[DanCa]

10. Here Come Da Judge

I like this guy.

[AzDar]

11. Ah....sweet sanity!! n/t

[Obamarama]

12. Damned activist judges anyway.....

Judge Coughenour rocks!

I think I'm going to email this judge and let him know how much this American admires his "activist agenda."

[Supersedeas]

15. what next? Will * move to repeal Article 3 of the Constitution

[progressivebydesign]

13. BUT.. the sentence was sickenly short!

The guy was arrested with 124 POUNDS of explosive materials, and headed to blow up LAX. WIth good behavior, he'll be out in 14 years, oh.. and deported to France. Feel safe?

[atreides1]

14. "...he'll be out in 14 years..."

Like Charlie Manson will be paroled next year.

This guy will serve out the entire time he was sentenced to serve.

[bunny planet]

16. Just sent this to Olbermann

[centristo]

17. well put...nt

[EC]

18. They managed to postpone this case just long enough

that people think Bush caught this guy and not the Clinton White House. Last year when I was arguing with my boss, when Rush was spewing that Clinton did nothing to stop terrorism, I cited this case and my boss never even heard about it...I showed him this article this morning...he admitted he was wrong...



I'm glad the judge spoke up, although I did notice his criticism was not printed in all papers, the New York Times, didn't even mention it...

[leveymg]

19. AP - Ressam "Judge Takes Swipe at Bush Admin,"

Judge Takes Swipe at Bush Administration
Would-Be Millennium Bomber Sentenced to 22 Years
By GENE JOHNSON, AP
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050727131009990002&ncid=NWS00010000000001

"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal" to prosecute Ahmed Ressam, above, said the judge during sentencing.


SEATTLE (July 28) - The sentence itself was fairly straightforward: An Algerian man received 22 years for plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium. It was what the judge said in imposing the term that raised eyebrows.

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the successful prosecution of Ahmed Ressam should serve not only as a warning to terrorists, but as a statement to the Bush administration about its terrorism-fighting tactics.

"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," he said Wednesday. "The message to the world from today's sentencing is that our courts have not abandoned our commitment to the ideals that set our nation apart."

He added that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have made Americans realize they are vulnerable to terrorism and that some believe "this threat renders our Constitution obsolete ... If that view is allowed to prevail, the terrorists will have won."

Is there really any reason detainees at Gitmo and in torture cells in Uzbekistan can't just put on trial? Or is "extraordinary rendition" now permanent?

[kenny blankenship]

20. Move over Ward Churchill!

You just got some company on the dunking bench.

[eleny]

21. Recommended!

What a great American judge!

[Supersedeas]

23. Seconded

[donsu]

22. thank you John for standing up for america

kick

[TroglodyteScholar]

24. KICK ASS judge who actually has a concept of judicial system's role n/t

[otohara]

25. There's a Poll Asking If You Agree

go DU it now!

[eleny]

28. Where? I can't find it?

I even went to the Home page. There's a poll about the shuttle mission on that page.

[otohara]

31. Click on OP Link - Under Picture of Ressam

there's a two-parter question.

[eleny]

32. I'm not getting the picture of Ressam

I even disabled the popups blocking of Firefox and still don't get the pic. Shucks! :(

[Coloradan4Truth]

35. The poll is at the AP story linked:

above
AP - Ressam "Judge Takes Swipe at Bush Admin," in message # 19.

[eleny]

37. Thanks - I finally got there!

I must be mushy tonight. :/

[lateo]

26. Hero...

[meganmonkey]

27. He must be one of them 'activist' judges

Heh.

Good for him!!!

:bounce:

[eleny]

29. Yes, proacative about The Constitution

[Pacifist Patriot]

30. Oh if we could only "clone" him.

[Miss Chybil]

33. And Ressam is the one who warned the Bush administration about bin Laden's

plans to strike in the US - and it doesn't appear he was tortured for the information. Bush just didn't bother to read the information when it was sent to him - in August of 2001.

[kestrel91316]

34. Why does Judge Coughenour hate America????

[eridani]

36. This is the America I grew up believing in--

==and the America that our ancestors bled for. Too bad that the face of America that the world sees is Bush and Abu Ghraib.