One of the first things that President Obama did was to issue an order to shutdown the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay. The justification for this action is because of the prisons bad reputation around the world. In addition to this President Obama has suspended many of the military tribunals that were in process to try the worst of the terrorist.

For years the Liberals have been fighting to give the terrorist regular civilian trials with all of the rules, procedures, and rights of a normal citizen. And as we all know, it is a lot easier for a crafty lawyer to get their client off in a civilian court than it is in a military court. Because of this, many Conservatives have resisted this idea, believing that it would lead to the release of dangerous enemies of the U.S. But with the change of administration, it looks like the civilian courts will hold sway. President Obama and his cabinet tell us that this will make us safer, but will it? 

Recently an article by the associated press illustrates another problem with the civilian courts. In this article, a convicted terrorist, bomb expert, has been in prison since 1993. He is serving a 30 year prison sentence for a plot to set off three car bombs in New York in 1973. However, he is scheduled to be released in less than a month. If you are wondering if your math skills are not quite up to par, don't worry, they are. Khalid Duhham Al-Jawary was sentenced in 1993 to a 30 year sentence but 16 years later he is scheduled for release. Like other prisoners in the U.S. justice system, he was eligible for time off for good behavior. Now does this really make sense with the kind of cradle-to-grave killers that the Middle East is so good at producing? If you look at Al-Jawary case you see that it took 20 years to track him down and arrest him for the attempted bombing in New York. And in those twenty years you can bet he was involved in other plots to murder in the name of Palestine. 

Our recent experience with the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay show that most of the men we captured, went right back to their terrorist organizations once they were released. It is probably safe to say that other terrorist like Al-Jawary will also return to their murderous ways once they are released. So why can't we keep him for the full 30 years? He had a fair trial, and he was convicted. The man is a threat to the U.S. and there is no reason to believe once free that he will not try to return and finish where he left off. And how many other captured terrorist will be set free early? It takes a lot of time, effort, and capital, to capture these men and foil their plots. Is President Obama and the other Liberals prepared to ensure that they are not released prematurely? 

I certainly hope that Obama's government takes these things into consideration. Showing leniency, and kindness to these men will not make them like you. It will only convince them that we are weak. 

 - Thomas Paine 2 

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