Hang 'em high.
This Ain't Hell is liveblogging the GITMO trial of the Muslim terrorists who attacked America in the largest and bloodiest attack on American soil on September 11, 2001.
Lots of praying and whining from these savages who attempted to destroy and overthrow the US government in the cause of Islam. This Ain't Hell has the best coverage. Enemedia (with their Obama bumperstickers) cannot, must not be trusted.
The defendants are Kahlid Sheik Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Sakith Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, Ramzi Binai Shibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. The lead prosecutors are General Mark Martins (DoD), Edward Ryan (DoJ) and Robert Swann (DoD).
There’s another site here on Fort Meade for CCTV broadcast from Guantanamo for 9-11 victims’ family members. The media doesn’t have access to them (rightfully) until after the broadcast and then both groups are out of the control of DoD. There are also ten family members in Guantanamo watching the trial through one-way glass who were picked by lottery.
The way I plan to do this live blog is like the way I did Winter Soldier, continually update this post once the trial begins. All you have to do is hit F5 to refresh the post. That’s so interested bloggers can just post this link for their readers.
The DoD PAO promises us “high adventure” today, so stand by for the fun.
9:19am; the trial is delayed because not all of the detainees have arrived from their five-star accommodations yet. Their butlers probably didn’t have their tuxes laid out yet, or their Belgian Waffles with whipped cream were cold and had to be reheated. I’m just speculating, of course.
9:24: Called to order. Apparently the defense (Navy JAG) for Ali Abdul Aziz Ali is trying to end his military career because he keeps interrupting the procedure by complaining that Ali wasn’t properly served for this trial.
The judge, U.S. Army Col. James L. Pohl is the guy who appoints judges, but he couldn’t find anyone willing to accept the job so he appointed himself.
9:39am; The discussion now is about the detainees’ attire – one wasn’t allowed to wear the head covering and a vest that his lawyers brought him, so that’s the “high adventure” of this moment.
9:41; KSM’s attorney advises the judge that KSM declines to answer when questioned by the judge because KSM is “concerned that proceedings aren’t fair”. So the judge asked KSM’s attorney if KSM’s ear phones were working, but the attorney didn’t know. So, KSM took his ear phones out completely (for the record, they get a translation of the proceedings through the earphones)
9:53; the judge is trying to find out if all five of the defendants can hear the proceedings. Now he’s talking to one of the counsels (an AF JAG) about how the defendant wont answer until the court removes his “uncomfortable” restraints. He’s the only one in restraints because he wasn’t complying with guards because he didn’t want to go to court. The judge has said that he’ll remove the restraints if the detainee will agree to comport himself civilly – of course, he’s not answering, so he remains in restraints.
10:00; The restrained detainee (Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash) has agreed to behave himself so they’re removing his restraints and then he dropped down into prayer (without his headphones).
10:04am: Now they’re discussing (KSM’s attorney, David Nevin) is complaining that he can’t use the word “torture” and somehow that’s related to KSM not wanting to wear the earphones (yes, we’re still discussing earphones).
10:12am: The prosecution recommends a concurrent translation be provided over loud speakers since the detainees won’t wear their earphones. Apparently, KSM’s attorney says that they’re protesting the way they were all treated this morning.
10:14 am: So that was fast, we’re getting a concurrent translation to Arabic. I guess the prosecution anticipated the problem. Good job, General.
10:21am: KSM’s attorney is complaining that he can’t “advocate for my client when I have to speak like a robot” about the concurrent translation. So I guess we can just have the trial in Arabic. Judge Pohl responds, and I’ll roughly translate his answer to infantryman language; Tough shit, it doesn’t matter.
10:28am: Now someone else is complaining that the judge said “it doesn’t matter”. But the judge hasn’t even had the opportunity to get the detainees to name their lawyers, so yeah, it really doesn’t matter if the lawyers have to talk funny. But, this woman
lawyeradvocate for the detainees, who is wearing a burka (or a hijab – it covers her whole body down to the floor except her face – so you tell me), says that the court should first address the “issues” of the detainees’ treatment in recent months, which is apparently what the detainees are protesting this morning by not listening to the proceedings against them.10:36am: The judge responds that until the detainees respond as to whether they even want to be represented or not, the lawyer have no right to advocate for their treatment.
10:38am: The judge asks the detainees if they understand their rights as to counsel, none are answering the judge, so he appoints lawyers to them.
10:51 am: So while the judge is asking them questions, the detainees are doodling and reading the Koran (I assume) as if they’re not part of the trial instead of the subjects of the trial. So this is going to take a while.
11:22am: Well, that’s it for the morning, now we’re on a linch break. Where’s my chicken club sandwich?
11:39am: Ok, burka woman is back and she’s asking that all women in the courtroom be forced by the court to “dress appropriately” so the defendants won’t commit sins. She even got chuckles from the media-types here at Fort Meade and exclamations from the women in this room of “Oh, my God”.
11:45 am: KSM’s attorney is asking for a list of names of the people who are sitting on the prosecutor’s side of the room because “if there are some shadowy people” it would upset his client.
12:00; Walid Salih just interrupted the proceedings yammering something about how the Americans are just intent on killing the defendants like we did Qaddafi. So the judge told him to behave and, surprisingly, he did.
Wait! Burka woman is back. Stand by. She says she’s a lawyer and she’s presented her quals to the court. I’m guessing she’s Cheryl Bormann, counsel for Walid Salih.
12:25 PM; Yeah, all of the lawyers are introducing themselves to Judge Pohl and their qualifications so they can root out any “shadowy figures”. Just so you know each of the five defendants have two military and a civilian lawyer – so that’s fifteen people right there introducing themselves to the judge. So this is just useless time wasting bullshit by the defense team.
12:40; OK, they’re on break until 1340 hrs.
Go here. This ain't hell is updating throughout the day.
