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The opposition to trying KSM in civilian court grows: Make your voice heard

January 27, 7:25 AMManhattan Conservative ExaminerHoward Portnoy

Earlier this month, 19 House Democrats from New York added their signature to a letter by Rep. Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island), calling on the Obama administration to reimburse the city and state of New York for the cost of security of trying 9/11 co-conspirators in a New York civilian court. Admittedly, it's a step in the right direction to oppose the actions of an administration whose actions are increasingly losing favor with the American people. At the same time, isn't it just like Democrats to miss the forest for the trees?

The cost of the trial is the least of the problems New Yorkers and Americans in general have with the decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed, mastermind of 9/11, here rather than in a military tribunal. The bigger issue is the Obama administration's weak stance on national security, a dramatically candid glimpse of which was provided on by the botched handling on Christmas Day of the underpants bomber. After 50 minutes of interrogation by the FBI, in which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab freely admitted that other attacks were in the works, the interview was cut short on orders from the Justice Department. The terrorist was promptly read his Miranda rights and then permitted to lawyer up after which he clammed up.

Although the administration has tried lamely to defend this decision --- by, for example, having spokesman Robert Gibbs appear on FOX News Sunday to claim that "useful intelligence was gotten" --- the incident made it abundantly clear that Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, subscribe to a pre-9/11 mentality. This is a recipe for disaster.

Which is why New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio drafted a letter of his in response to McMahon's that highlights the sheer lunacy of proceeding as planned with the 9/11 trials. The letter, addressed to Congress, noted the duty of "representatives of the people to stand up not just for our own personal ideology, but for the basic views and values we swore to protect. This decision runs anathema to those basic views and values." The letter is reprinted in its entirety at Human Events, which has also drafted a petition to Holder that currently has over 118,000 signatures. You can add your own by visiting this link. (Emphasis added)

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