Wednesday, December 07, 2005
THE CASE THAT NEVER WAS
FoxNews reported yesterday of the acquittal Sami Al-Arian, the University of South Florida Professor charged as a terrorist in a case that was one of John Ashcroft's "great successes"...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177870,00.html
Al-Arian was acquitted on 8 of 17 counts with deadlocks on the rest. His co-defendents were acquitted on all charges.
Acquitted despite the government's use of rules of investigation and evidence which would have been illegal without the constitutional travesty called the Patriot Act. Acquitted despite hundreds of hours of wiretaps. Acquitted despite the expenditure of thousands - millions? - of dollars by DOJ and the FBI.
Also acquitted, I think were the pre-Patriot Act rules. The Patriot Act is once more demonstrated to be nothing but a terroristic affront to America, an affront that accomplishes nothing while occasionally, randomly destroying people who, as in Al-Arian's case, are "guilty" of nothing more than holding political views the [current, changing every 4-8 years] administration finds objectionable.
Of course, Al-Arian is ruined - career destroyed, everything. Guilty of nothing but nevertheless reduced to nothing.
As far as I'm concerned, the US owes this man a living for the rest of his life.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177870,00.html
Al-Arian was acquitted on 8 of 17 counts with deadlocks on the rest. His co-defendents were acquitted on all charges.
Acquitted despite the government's use of rules of investigation and evidence which would have been illegal without the constitutional travesty called the Patriot Act. Acquitted despite hundreds of hours of wiretaps. Acquitted despite the expenditure of thousands - millions? - of dollars by DOJ and the FBI.
Also acquitted, I think were the pre-Patriot Act rules. The Patriot Act is once more demonstrated to be nothing but a terroristic affront to America, an affront that accomplishes nothing while occasionally, randomly destroying people who, as in Al-Arian's case, are "guilty" of nothing more than holding political views the [current, changing every 4-8 years] administration finds objectionable.
Of course, Al-Arian is ruined - career destroyed, everything. Guilty of nothing but nevertheless reduced to nothing.
As far as I'm concerned, the US owes this man a living for the rest of his life.
