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Sentence Far Too Light
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
By Charles E. Richardson
For the editorial board of The Macon Telegraph

Now one must wonder how the government will handle the accusations against Yasser Esam Hamdi and Jose Padilla, both Americans being detained, but not charged, in the war on terrorism.

It was astonishing when news broke last December that an American was found in Afghanistan along with 400 other captured Taliban fighters. The Taliban attracted warriors from Pakistan, Uzbekistan and several other Arab countries, but almost no one thought an American would be fighting for a regime so despicable that it held public executions for minor infractions.

There was more astonishment when that American, John Walker Lindh, entered a plea bargain with federal prosecutors this week that lets him off the hook after serving 20 years. He could have been given life in prison.

While 20 years is no short period of time, the sentence leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many Americans. In Georgia there are people serving mandatory life sentences for trafficking less than $100 worth of drugs.

What is not puzzling is the effort of the defense attorneys to seek a deal. Judge T.S. Ellis had made it clear that he was going to allow Lindh's own statements to be used against him and had hung huge drapes in his courtroom, presumably to protect the identities of government witnesses. What is puzzling is why the government, with President Bush's approval, went along with it.
(More: Macon.com News Source)
2002 © The Macon Telegraph.

Dan