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Patrick Fitzgerald, Justice, and the American Way

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 1:11pm.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Christine Bowman

"I consider all American laws under the Constitution to be evil." – Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

I'm no expert on Patrick J. Fitzgerald, US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. But just considering his public persona, he looks a lot like a 21st century Eliot Ness of "The Untouchables" fame -- that steely legend-in-his-own-time who relentlessly pursued mobster Al Capone.

Straight-arrow crime fighter. Nonpartisan gotcha guy. Principled. Tough. Effective. He appears to be kind of a buttoned-up, hard-working version of Superman. The quintessential American hero. He puts his faith in the system and works like a dog.

Fitzgerald Rezko Courthouse

Tribune Photo by Scott Strazzante

Yesterday, as the Rezko trial concluded in Chicago, Fitzgerald came before reporters to present the facts of the case, just as he had done not long ago at the conclusion of "PlameGate" – the case he prosecuted proving criminal wrong-doing at the White House and resulting in the conviction of Vice President Cheney's right-hand man, Scooter Libby.

With guys like Patrick Fitzgerald on the job, it seems like no evil-doers are beyond the reach of American justice. (Putting aside presidential pardons.) He got the job done -- even though -- as testimony in the Rezko trial had alleged, "high-ranking Illinois Republicans had conspired to have Fitzgerald outed." What? Republican operatives wanted to get rid of Fitzgerald and apparently thought they could make it happen?

Keeping Patrick Fitzgerald (June 5/Chicago Tribune)

In fact, Fitzgerald now says he may need to talk to some other investigators about that. "If I owe a response [about the US attorneys scandal], I owe it to Congress, first."

Fitzgerald to Conyers: “Okay, Now I’m Ready to Talk” (emptywheel.firedoglake.com)

My question is, then: Why couldn't Patrick Fitzgerald, or somebody like him, have been the guy to go up against the worst 21st century criminals we currently have in custody – the guys at Gitmo accused of the 9/11 terrorism travesty?

Patrick Fitzgerald has shown that the US justice system can do the job. Criminals in America get found guilty, and they get sentenced, under US law. Despite political interference.

Which is why Thursday's Chicago Tribune reports deeply disturbed me.

Splashed on page one, and headlined in the largest imaginable type size, was "Rezko Convicted." Inside, too, The Tribune's columnists, reporters and editorial writers reviewed the successful prosecution of Tony Rezko, and the political implications, with careful, exhaustive, and insightful coverage.

But inside on page 3 was their understated story of the 9/11 military tribunal just getting underway down in Cuba. Below a dreary photo in which a barbed-wire Gitmo fence obscures the American flag in the background, was this:

A top tribunal official, Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, said the trials will be fair even though the evidence may include coerced statements and material so classified that even the defendants can't see it or challenge it.

Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey said Wednesday that the tribunals will be "in the best traditions of the American legal system" even though the military judges can consider hearsay evidence and confessions obtained through coercion, which aren't admissible in civilian courts. "Different situations call for different solutions," he said …

Human Rights Watch urged the government to move the trials to federal court.

Who are we trying to kid? "In the best traditions of the American legal system"?

Who says the real US justice system isn't up to the job?

* * *

From The Tribune's Friday reporting:

Under the John Adams Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Mohammed has been provided the services of capital case experts Nevin and Scott McKay "to supplement the underresourced military defense teams," the ACLU said in a statement criticizing the tribunal for ramming through the arraignments before the defendants could adequately consult with the attorneys.

"At every step of the way, these commissions have denigrated our country's historic commitment to the principle of due process and compromised America's reputation in the eyes of the world," said Anthony Romero, the ACLU executive director, who is observing the proceedings here."

KSM: Make me martyr (Chicago Tribune/June 6)

From The Tribune's Thursday reporting:

"After five years of torturing .. you transfer us to Inquisition Land in Guantanamo." – Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

"At every step of the way, these commissions have denigrated our country's historic commitment to the principle of due process and compromised America's reputation in the eyes of the world." – ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero

5 Sept. 11 suspects set to face military tribunal (Chicago Tribune/June 5)

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

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Rezko, 9/11, Peak Oil---- & Mr. Fitzgerald

Submitted by mike1001 on Sat, 06/07/2008 - 2:16pm.
Fitzgerald's prosecution of Mr. Rezko will be mercilessly exploited by the Repug Thugs to roil the NASCAR/Limbaugh teeming millions against Mr. Obama for taking campaign contributions form him. Funny thing, though, Rezko, and the Chicago "Combine", which includes Dems AND REpugs, gave equally to BOTH parties. Everybody pays to play, not just in Chicago, but nationwide. I'd like to see Mr. Fitzgerald send the entire population of the Executive branch, down to the last file clerk, and the oil company executives, to Leavenworth for life and put them to work building eco-toilets and learning proper methods of accounting. But I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. We will see high-tech Corporate Feudalism in the USA first. As far as bringing the Cheney/Bush Crime Syndicate to justice---It's fairly common knowledge, I am finding out, to the rest of the world that 9/11 was ALLOWED to happen. A great win-win situation for the powers-that-be here...the Corporatists, neo-con-victs, and the oil companies---built in plausible deniability with our very own "Reichstag Moment". There were no intelligence failures on 9/11---on the contrary, our intelligence agencies were right up to snuff, and doing their job for their Corporate employers...and had been doing the job for many, many years. If you doubt this, there is a declassified CIA document available on Russia's first oil production peak---from the 1970's. The US Intelligence community (and their Corporate employers) were well aware of Peak Oil (remember those high oil prices and the corporate speculation helping to drive them?) long before any of us gave it a second thought. BE AWARE! It's time to pay the ignorance tax---their power to create what you'll see as truth is no illusion.
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Mike, you speak as a true patriot

Submitted by Norm on Sat, 06/07/2008 - 3:20pm.
God Bless You. In case anyone else is interested in what Mike is saying, please check out: http://www.peakoil.net/ http://911scholars.org/
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Better yet, how about some data and scientific method....

Submitted by teknikAL on Sat, 06/07/2008 - 10:52pm.
Journal of 9/11 Studies: http://www.journalof911studies.com/ Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice http://stj911.org/welcome.html
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Propaganda goes both ways

Submitted by urthsong on Sat, 06/07/2008 - 1:18am.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed could tell all or could tell propaganda. The bottom line is that the government's cases have been so harmed by the abuses of our laws that these men cannot be tried in a US court under the rules or a US military court under its regulations. That's what we get when laws and treaties are broken. All the careful work done in developing law after WW II is lost unless and until things are put right again. If the Military Commissions Act processes go forward and anyone is convicted and sentenced under these processes, it may be nearly impossible to recover our rights, OUR RIGHTS, under the law ever again. Freedom, liberty, justice, a nation of laws will all be empty words. As to those who have suffered extreme rendition remaining imprisoned, tortured, perhaps killed or being driven mad in isolation, never being convicted of any crime, estimates go into the thousands around the world, this cannot continue. It's evil and insane. My former doctor's sister and her children are among the missing swallowed up by this insanity. Pat Williams
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Bush obviously wants these guys disposed of before November 4th

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 2:00pm.
It's obvious that this is a "show trial" in the tradition of Joseph Stalin's "show trials" of his murderous 1930's purges. Bush won't make Khalid Shaikh Mohammed available to the press (as he didn't allow Saddam Hussein available to the press) because this guy will tell the world what he knows - which is he planned the 9/11 attack years before 9/11/2001 which can only mean that the FBI and the CIA have known about the 9/11 plot for years. This whole show trial smells of cover-up. America should know the truth of 9/11 - not the garbage spewed by the Bush propaganda machine.
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