When the court found that he was eligible for the death penalty he proclaimed; "You will never get my blood. God curse you all!" After being found guilty and sentenced to life in prison he shouted; "America, you lost... I won."
We have already discussed his insistence on representing himself at the trial, and the incomprehensible pleas he entered. However, he was found competent to stand trial, and the court allowed him to represent himself. Thus, Mr. Moussaoui convicted himself.
Can you tell us whether your client Mr. al-Baluchi and the other detainees are also vehemently anti-American? And what of the mental stability of the detainees, some of whom have been incarcerated for over seven years, tortured, and placed in long term solitary confinement?
SF: I have had no interaction with Messrs. Mohammed, bin al-Shibh, or bin Attash. I have met with Mr. al-Baluchi on five separate days and have corresponded with him since the fall of 2007, except for about a year from July 1, 2008, when the government cut off my ability to write to him, until the summer of 2009, when I obtained my signed habeas authorization form. I corresponded with Mr. al-Hawsawi from the Fall of 2007 until July 1, 2008, when the government cut off my ability to correspond with him. I haven't been able to write to him since then. He attempted to send me a signed habeas authorization form, but the government blocked it and is holding it at the secure facility in Virginia.
Mr. al-Baluchi seems fine, although a little angry about his treatment, which is understandable under the circumstances. Mr. al-Hawsawi also seemed fine, at least as far as I could tell from his letters.
Asking whether these men are anti-American is a more complicated question than might seem at first blush. The detainees with whom I have corresponded and met do not seem to be anti-American at all. In fact, I think they, as a group, both like and respect America. What they don't like is America's policies, which is understandable. These men are well-positioned to see America for what it is, rather than what we Americans would like to believe it to be. They hold Americans responsible for our country's policies, as they should.
America's history of criminal activity is legion and stretches from before the Declaration of Independence to the present day, December 12, 2009. I have been a personal witness to some of its latest crimes, which is why I would refuse to participate in the upcoming 9/11 trial in New York. If we, as Americans, do not see our conduct as criminal, then we are only kidding ourselves. In my normal criminal practice, it is quite common that my clients think they have done nothing wrong, notwithstanding the evidence to the contrary. Our society is little different. Others, however, can see us for what we are. These men have, and decided to teach us a lesson, one we haven't learned. Instead of treating 9/11 as an opportunity for national self-reflection, we have lashed out at the messengers, to the benefit of certain segments of our society, but to the overwhelming detriment of our country as a whole.
As Mr. al-Baluchi told me, they don't need to attack us again. We are destroying ourselves in a quest for vengeance. They won, not because of what happened on September 11th, but because of what we have done since.
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