Let him rot
One week ago today, a terrorist attempted to murder over 200 people. Like his predecessor Richard Reed, he smuggled an explosive device onto an aircraft bound for the United States, and attempted to detonate it in flight. Again like Richard Reed, he failed in his mission, and was taken into custody by federal agents. He wanted to die for his cause, to martyr himself and become a hero, at least in his own mind.
There has been an outcry against trying him in civilian court, as if he is too important to be treated as a common criminal. To some, he deserves to be elevated above the criminal justice system, and given special treatment. To some, he deserves a secret tribunal, or a hidden prison, or a lawless execution - in short, he deserves to be a martyr to his cause.
I find this to be far too merciful.
The criminal justice system dealt with Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczynski. It dealt with Richard Reed and Eric Rudolph. And it will deal with him.
He will go through a court system that tries wife-beaters, drunk drivers, and child molesters.
When convicted, he will go to a prison system that holds rapists, drug dealers and hit men. He will probably be in solitary confinement for the rest of his days, as even the worst of his fellow criminals will view him with contempt and disgust.
Every day, he will wake to the pain of the wounds he inflicted upon himself in the commission of his crime.
Every day, as he prays or doesn't pray, if he keeps his faith or if he converts to another, he will know that he failed in his crime, and that he is not different, not deserving of special treatment, not a martyr - nothing but another criminal.
When Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab dies in prison, his last sight will be the gray walls and bars around him.
And that is exactly what he deserves.
There has been an outcry against trying him in civilian court, as if he is too important to be treated as a common criminal. To some, he deserves to be elevated above the criminal justice system, and given special treatment. To some, he deserves a secret tribunal, or a hidden prison, or a lawless execution - in short, he deserves to be a martyr to his cause.
I find this to be far too merciful.
The criminal justice system dealt with Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczynski. It dealt with Richard Reed and Eric Rudolph. And it will deal with him.
He will go through a court system that tries wife-beaters, drunk drivers, and child molesters.
When convicted, he will go to a prison system that holds rapists, drug dealers and hit men. He will probably be in solitary confinement for the rest of his days, as even the worst of his fellow criminals will view him with contempt and disgust.
Every day, he will wake to the pain of the wounds he inflicted upon himself in the commission of his crime.
Every day, as he prays or doesn't pray, if he keeps his faith or if he converts to another, he will know that he failed in his crime, and that he is not different, not deserving of special treatment, not a martyr - nothing but another criminal.
When Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab dies in prison, his last sight will be the gray walls and bars around him.
And that is exactly what he deserves.