The Worst of the Worst

I wrote earlier this week about the dismissal of the case involving Omar Khadr in Guantanamo Bay. What I didn't know, that this post taught me, is that the the kid was only 15 years old. 15... According to Donald Rehkopf, Jr., co-chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Military Law Committee, "The government has steadfastly refused to allow hearings on this alleged [unlawful enemy combatant] status because there are so many prisoners at GTMO that were not even combatants, much less 'unlawful' ones. Khadr is in an unusual situation because he has a viable 'self-defense' claim - we attacked the compound that he and his family were living in, and the fact that he was only 15 at the time." Are you kidding me?? This kid is the "the worst of the worst"? A member of "very dangerous people who would gnaw hydraulic lines in the back of a C-17 to bring it down"? Of the THREE people in Guantanamo that have actually had a hearing, here are the results: David Hicks - Convicted of a misdemeanor, sentence commuted to time served +, sent back to Australia. Definately a fitting sentence for the "worst of the worst". Salem Ahmed Hamdan (Osama's driver) - Case thrown out. Omar Khadr (15 year old) - Case thrown out. Guantanamo Bay has been in operation for 5 years, with hundreds of captives that have not been charged with anything. Of the three that have finally received hearings, their sentences equate to a grand total of - 19 months. Worst of the Worst, indeed...