4-20-07, 9:09 am
As of 4/16/07 Rumsfeld vs. Padilla became a reality in a Miami federal courtroom. I anticipated this trial for years and the jury selection phase already began. First there was Zaccarias Mousaoui; the lone black man and so-called 5 th-plane hijacker and considered to be one who could have prevented the 9/11 attacks and didn't. This time around a Hispanic American is being tried for plotting to detonate a radioactive 'dirty bomb' and blow up some projects (high rise apartments).
The US shockingly enough has no hard evidence as to these charges, all that is known about Jose Padilla is that he was born in New York, raised in Chicago, joined a gang called the Maniac Latin Disciples and changed his sir name several times to Rivera, Hernandez, and Ortiz among others. Wooo, now I understand W's fixation, this guy is a real maniac. When Padilla refused to change his name to Kawalsky, Rothstein or O'Hare (after the airport of course) that's when Bush's keen detective skills kicked in. Plus Padilla spent time in a juvenile detention center, moved to Florida with his family later on and converted to Islam. Terrorist traits for certain, he's the expert I guess.
In '98 Padilla traveled to Egypt to continue his studies in Islam. Reportedly he adopted a non-violent way of life. Upon returning from Zurich in May of '02 he was arrested at O'Hare airport. In the grand jury investigation of 9/11 one month later in a dazzling piece of mind-reader ability, George 'the decider' Bush proclaimed Padilla an 'enemy combatant.' Nothing is really known as to whether he engaged anyone in combat outside of reform school and probably a couple of essays in Cook County , but on 8/9/02 Bush ordered then-Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to detain Padilla. He was taken to a military brig in South Carolina without any notification to his family or attorneys.
The most Padilla may be guilty of is simple association, he is being connected to Adham Amin Hassoun who is believed to have worked for a terrorist fund-raising organization. Authorities feel has ties to al Qaeda. What seems certain is the abuse he suffered while in lock down, his lawyers say Padilla was victimized by ongoing physical and psychological abuse that has affected him mentally. The Bush Administration want it both ways, they say he was not abused and is fit for trial and then they say details about his detention should be kept out of the trial. The 9 jurors were selected out of 17 prospects. Trial could actually begin in early May, this time prosecutors won't be focusing on connecting Padilla to a dirty bomb. Conspiracy to further violent Jihad will be the focus for now.
Padilla's court battles are marred by a level of determination to detain that is only equaled by incompetence and is too lengthy to list in this column. But then again what more could you ask of the Bush Administration? That this determination is based on an obsession to link black and brown American boys to 9/11 should surprise no one.
--Chris Stevenson is a columnist for the Buffalo Criterion, Contact him at
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