Now that New York is out as a venue for a 9/11 terrorist trials, Attorney General Eric Holder is considering western Pennsylvania. Not so fast, says LV Congressman Charlie Dent.Dent, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, raised the issue with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday during a Homeland Security budget hearing, particularly in light of a request for $200 million to provide security for the trials.
According to a news release, Dent told her, “Madam Secretary, I cannot support, and in fact I will vehemently oppose any attempt by the Administration to relocate Guantanamo terror detainees to Pennsylvania, whether for detention or prosecution.”
His opposition to civilian terrorist trials on American soil is based on security risks and associated costs. He also believes it is insensitive to the families of victims killed on 9/11. Dent prefers that enemy combatants be tried in military tribunals, at the Guantanamo Bay facility where they are currently housed.
“The fact that the Attorney General didn’t even consult with Homeland Security before opting for a trial venue in New York is especially troubling,” Congressman Dent said. “Coordinating our security efforts here at home was a significant reason we created a Department of Homeland Security in the first place. If DHS isn’t being consulted in such a major security matter, I must wonder what other decisions are being made without careful consideration of homeland security impact.
“The plan to try KSM and the other terrorists in New York is not well considered, and the increasing opposition by lawmakers from both parties underscores that fact. I’m even more concerned that Plan B appears to be a trial in Western Pennsylvania, just miles away from the site of the Flight 93 crash on 9/11. Pennsylvanians have suffered enough and need not relive this terrible tragedy and play host to its mastermind.”
Dent has cosponsored several pieces of legislation to prevent terrorist trials within the United States. He also joined several members of the Pennsylvania delegation in a bipartisan letter to President Obama, opposing terrorist trials in Pennsylvania.
In the meantime, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan is practicing hard for a stint as a celebrity bartender next week at Louie's Restaurant.
22 comments:
He didn't seem to mind at all when Pres. bush tried the terrorists. Oh well, maybe he had an epiphany, hand delivered in an unmarked envelope.
Charlie's big on death, whether it be executions, abortions, or undeclared wars where innocent civilians are slaughtered. I'm sure Charlie would just like to shoot everyone he doesn't like - and maybe experiment on the remains. Love you man. Charlie "Thin The Herd" Dent is our guy.
good thing callahan is learning to be a bartender. he needs to look to the future because he doesn't have one politically
Dent has got to go.
Fact: The Bush Administration only held 3 Military Tribunals resulting in 2 of the 3 to serve very short sentences and be released in their home courties AND go back to being terrorists.
Fact: Last time I looked, the prison system in the US looks nothing like the movie Con Air or the 1996 movie The Rock staring S. Connery as a convict who escapes from Alcatraz.
Fact: Charlie Dent is a partisan R who follows the party line, not the "moderate" he claims to be.
Perhaps the Bush Administration tried terrorists because they had no other legal option until the Military Commissions Act in 2006. Perhaps Dent supported changing the law because he DID mind how the Bush Administration handled terror suspects at first.
But wait -- Bush and Co, always ignored the law -- but now they apparently followed the law -- but Bush was always wrong -- but now Bush was right and Dent is wrong -- but Dent was a Bush rubber stamp -- but -- DCCC talking points -- failing -- small brain -- malfunctioning -- error -- error -- daisy -- daisy
The reason the tribunals resulted in the return of the terrorists was because the Supreme Court upheld habeas corpus rights as though they were Americans who were arrested, instead of enemy "soldiers" (I use the term loosely) captured in battle or intelligence operations.
This will be the norm once KSM and other more centralized terrorists get into US courts. You think any of these guys were arrested with search warrants? You think the Marines, CIA and Saudi intelligence read them their rights?
In fact, in a US court, KSM has the right to have his accuser face him. He has the right to know why he was targeted for surveillance and arrest and question it in open court. That means he can demand that covert CIA operatives appear and detail how and why they thought he was a suspect. He can demand the names of local informants who led to his capture.
And where are they going to find an impartial jury of his peers? The "crime" is 9/11, so anyone who ever heard of it and has an opinion about it can be dismissed by the defense.
And let's not forget that KSM already has grounds for mistrial -- the President of the United States went on television and declared him guilty BEFORE the trial. Now where is he going to get a fair hearing? I guess Obama never got to presumption of innocence in his Constitutional law class.
Dent is absolutely right, and the Obama Administration is slowly but surely admitting this was a campaign promise they can't keep and that was absurd to make. They are going to have to admit that the "evil" Bush Administration weren't just kneejerk tortuters and lawbreakers, and actually put a lot of thought into how to deal with terrorists.
Dent, as usual, is never focused on important issues that matter to his constituents. he's always focused on some obscure sideline thing. If Dent's house were on fire, he'd be busy trying to straighten all the crooked picture frames on the wall.
10:15 -
This IS a concern to me and most of the "constituents" I know.
There is more to a Congressman's job than getting you something.
I'm glad Dent understands that.
10:15 thinks Dent's job is to provide handouts all day long to unfortunates, in my opinion.
Glad to see 10:15 thinks national security is obscure and not terribly important.
Progressive Liberalism at its finest?
Exactly how much is it going to cost the US taxpayers to put America on trial for the benefit of the Progressive Liberal agenda of Obama and Holder?
"America has shown arrogance"
Dent is not a conservative. He's a left-leaning progressive who's running on the populist "I'm not one of them" line. He, like Specter, is a survivor; not a leader.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Yeah, leaders are guys who do stints as celebrity bartenders instead of taking stands on any issues.
Anon 1:47, I support Dent, but an allegation like yours needs either your name or some other way of verifying it.
you need to light a fire under your snithch in City Hall, Bernie
Will do.
Yea, where we try the terrorists is a hell of a lot more important than some guy with a bad heart who can't get health insurance.
Hey sick guy. Charlie is busy so he left this message; go die already!
Tell Dent; we of his District want to say. boo! lol
You serve us no more!
When Dent was elected; the American
voice went bye bye miss American pie. Drove my Chevy to the levy...
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