Monday, February 1, 2010

Terrorist's Trial

The Justice Department is moving the terrorist’s trial from lower Manhattan.

Lower Manhattan, a great place.

I like many things about it. I like the sophistication of Wall Street, but not necessarily their selective ethics.

I like the history there; the steps where George Washington took his oath of office, the mishmash of streets long before someone thought better with avenues and streets in straight lines. In fact Wall Street was just that. A Street with a wall on it to keep the cows in and the Indians out back in the 16-hundreds.

I like the way the area empties out at night and its people move to uptown bars and restaurants. I like city hall and China town and the boats to Staten Island, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

What I didn’t like, because of the potential disruption, was the plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators a few blocks from where the World Trade Center twin towers stood.

Somehow it didn’t seem right.

Ground Zero is sacred ground now and its proximity to the court where Khalid Sheikh Mohamed would have been tried has a certain justice to it, but the disruption to life and business negates the irony.

At first I accepted the idea because it seemed justice to bring the accused back to the scene of the crime, but then listening to so many explain the hardships they would face because of security, I changed my mind.

Justice will be served no matter where the trial takes place.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We would hope so, but that might only be the case throughout the world, if those in service of 'justice' were enlightened beings.

 
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