Why Moussaoui and not Khalid Sheik Mohammed?

[Dr.Phool]

Siva Vaidhyanathan had some good observations on the Moussaoui sentence, at Altercation, filling in for Eric Alterman.

(snip)
The Unjustice Department

I was wondering something. Maybe somebody could help me out here. Yesterday a federal jury decided appropriately that this country shall not execute Zacarias Moussaoui, a wanna-be-mass murderer who also happens to be a mentally disturbed megalomaniac who dearly wished to become a martyr for his twisted cause.

No one disputes that Moussaoui should be held accountable for his actions in support of what became the air attacks of September 11, 2001. But it's clearly unjust to execute a person for deaths he did not cause (even if he had wished to) simply because he refused to incriminate himself to the FBI. Even those who were involved in planning the attacks have declared that Moussaoui was too unstable to consider a real part of the plan.
(snip) more

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870

So, anyway, this article got me to thinking. We have Khalid Sheik Mohammed in custody in a secret prison somewhere. This guy played an active role in planning the Sept 11th attacks.

It would make for a great trial. A real terrorist instead of a wannabe.Well we know that they've more than likely tortured the hell out of him. But something else bugs me about this case.

We all know that back in the '80s, Osama was on the CIA payroll, as were the original bombers of the WTC. And most of Al Queda's leadership and the Taliban. Was Mohammed?

I haven't read that much about him, but I assume he was with Osama back then, and we know he went to college in North Carolina.

Do you think that a public trial would prove a little too enlightening for the American public? A lot of similar covert operations have produced a lot of blowback.

[wellst0nev0ter]

1. Because The Bushelvikis Tortured Him

Can't have all the messy facts about our incipient dictatorship spill out, can we?

[uppityperson]

2. link to article I posted earlier today about this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1101259&mesg_id=1101259
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002970792_moussside04.html
(local newspaper, think article out of LA?)

[Dr.Phool]

3. Good articles.

At the moment I couldn't remember Ramzi's name.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Excellent question!

Why not Khalid Sheik Mohammed? He was the alledged mastermind behind 9/11. If anyone deserves to be tried for the crimes of 9/11, surely, he is the guy. So why hasn't the government put him on trial. I can think of a few reasons-

(1) They don't have him
(2) He's dead
(3) He isn't the mastermind, but could provide info that would be bad news to this adminisration.

Lets assume they have him and he deserves being charged....why not show the world and prosecute him like the criminal he is? It's stuff like this that makes me think the GWOT is a political tool by this administration to maintain power while paying off their financial supporters of the MIC.

[Old and In the Way]

5. btw, Kicked/Recommended....this deserves exposure.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Excellent question! Kristin Breitweiser asked the same thing.

Oh, and by the way.. Where is Osama Bin Laden?

[CJCRANE]

7. ...because

it will then become obvious to the general public that 9/11 was planned from Pakistan with funds from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Then people might wonder why those two countries are B*sh's "allies" and immune from his little war on terror.

[Disturbed]

8. Khalid Sheik Mohammed is in a secret prison?

Why wasn't he sent to GITMO?

[CJCRANE]

10. ...because Gitmo's just for show..nt

[htuttle]

9. Such as ISI Chief Lt. General Mahmoud Ahmad?

...who happened to be buddy buddy with Mohammed Atta?
...and also happened to be buddy buddy with George Tenet?

Yeah, I can see why they'd find that embarassing.