‘Question: If the federal court system and the Bill of Rights are good enough for two foreigners who committed terrorist acts against the World Trade Center – Ramzi Yousef and Zacarias Moussaoui – and an American accused of being an active member of al-Qaeda, then why isn’t it good enough for all persons accused of terrorism? Equally important, where are the rule of law and equal treatment under law when some terrorist suspects can be treated one way (ie: military custody and kangaroo courts) and others treated another way (ie: federal court jurisdiction and the Bill of Rights)?

If the U.S. government had followed the same procedure with bin Laden, who, as everyone knows is still at large, that it followed with Ramzi Yousef, Zacarias Moussaoui, and now Adam Yahiye Gadahn, instead of having followed the military route, countless innocent people would still be alive today; untold numbers of people would not have been detained, tortured, and sexually abused by the CIA and the military; and the world’s post–9/11 sympathy would not have turned to anger, hatred, and disrespect for this country.

In fact, if the world had stayed with us rather than turning against us in response to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo, bin Laden might well be in captivity today or, at the very least, would be isolated and would not be having such an easy time recruiting people to his cause.’

Al-Qaeda In Federal Court