Pirate's Cove

Aw, how touching

SAN FRANCISCO Apr 5, 2007 (AP)— The lawyer and parents of American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh asked President Bush to commute his 20-year prison term, citing the case of an Australian man who was sentenced to less than a year for aiding terrorism.

Lindh, 26, was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 by American forces sent to topple the Taliban after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was charged with conspiring to kill Americans and support terrorists but pleaded guilty to lesser offenses, including carrying explosives for the now-defunct Taliban government.

Lindh's lawyer and father said the lighter sentence given to Australian David Hicks should be reflected in Lindh's case.

Maybe Lindh should have had a better lawyer. Maybe Lindh shouldn't have been caught actually aiding Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Different situation then Hicks.

But, you just knew I had to do some dumpster diving, right? The comments started out well, looking like both from Conservatives and Liberals, but, then, the HuffPo norm occured

• Yeah, I think you do have it wrong. I find it pathetic that after all we know about the lies, the torture, the railroading that went on in all of this regime's foreign efforts, that people are still so willing to project themselves back to the "sheeple" mindset they had back in 2002.

  By all objective accounts, this guy had nothing to do with any al-Qaeda action against americans–these forces were in some pretty isolated areas, it's not like they were reading the New York Times every day. He did not take part in the prison uprising. His confession was almost certainly obtained by torture. Remember all those accounts of torture that have been coming out in the past few years–when do you think they started? This shit has been going on since day 1.

  This was a lynch job and a kangaroo court. If Lindh was guilty of associating with a terrorist organization (a weak crime to begin with), he has served around 5 years in prison already–that ought to be enough. His story is a another shame on America for allowing itself to take leave of its rational senses following 9/11.

• Well if he does 20 years, Bush should do life.  Bush's crimes outweigh his 1000 times over.
• I have no sympathy for the Taliban, but come on, this is a kid, he didn't know what the hell he was getting in to. He got caught up in a very bad situation, that's all. He had a religious experience that led him there, not some hatred or desire to blow up America. (said religious experience is designed to help take over the world, sparky!)
• What is WRONG with you people?? The US supported the Taliban for many years! So this kid has a religious conversion at age 14 to Islam and then decides to go over there to be part of the Taliban. The Taliban informs him they are fighting against the Northern Alliance. At that point the Northern Alliance is being supported by the US. Clear on that scorecard? The US switched from supporting Taliban to supporting the Northern Alliance. Did they telegragh that to Lindt, do you think?

  Also this kid Lindt has stated that the Koran does not support terrorism, that he does not support terrorism and he never would.

  Here's a bone I have to pick with alot of you Christian hypocrites who write in here: you claim that your faith is ABOVE the laws of man, that you would follow your Lord before you would follow politicians and so forth. That you only vote for politicians who are in line with your religious beliefs. Fair enough. But THEN you go ballistic on a KID who is doing the same damn thing! He was compelled by his religious beliefs but when it comes to him, you suddenly say he should put country about his God. WTF???!

  Screw you hypocrites.

  This kid needs to be released. He served a long time already and AT Gitmo btw to the person who said he was lucky he never went to Gitmo. Where do you think he WAS, nimrod? (see, it is all the USA's fault, especially you damn Christians!)

• This was one mixed up twenty year old kid, whose father had just left him and his mother, to take up living with another man. He was being laughed at by his classmates for this, he couldn't understand how his father, whom he loved, could do this, so he sought for direction in his life. If this happened to you when you were twenty, how mature would your decisions have been? (I just got a few tears in my eyes. Then again, they say this about every mass murderer and pedophile)
• Ashcroft needed someone to prosecute, to show the Patroit Act was working. This kid was all he could find. What do'ya expect from the Department of Justice – justice? (whew! Now that is one heck of a historical rewrite)
• This guy was a complete victim of the insanity of those weird months post-9/11, that presaged this whole weird and frightening era we've been suffering through. He was a sacrificial offering to assuage America's national nervous breakdown. His 'trial' and conviction were utter travesties. He should be released. Now. (Yeah, he must of had that weird insanity when he went to Afghanistan prior to 9/11, and supposedly met OBL the summer of 2001. You know, before 9/11.)

There is more seething and irrationality, particularly of the "blame Bush" variety, but, you get the point. I would recommend checking out page 3 of the comments, though. There is a screamer, with all sorts of capitalization. Hilarious the world these folks live in. "Reality." Snort chuckle giggle.

Of course, it isn't actually so funny when you realize that Defeatocrats do not believe there is a Global War on Terror, and want to ban the use of that language in Congress.