Day 1 from Gitmo
Remember when Jonn live blogged the last hearings, and it sounded like a debacle? Well, there are 33 motions before the court to address this week. We are currently stuck on number 0. Yup.
This morning revolved around two key issues, 1) whether Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi can speak English, and 2) why haven’t the defense attorneys signed the memorandum of understanding that the judge ordered them to sign back in January.
As for #1, I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you, but yeah, dude speaka da English just fine. He was interviewed by 3 college educated people for 20 hours spread over 4 days a few years ago. They asked him if he needed a terp, and he said no. They asked if he understood his rights, he said yes. Apparently the defense theory is he was just saying things for the sake of saying things. You know, but for an ironic twist of fate he might not have said so much “yeah dude, I totally get what is going on here, and I am fine with it” and perhaps more so “pickles!” Which is odd because the FBI agent this morning testified that Hawsawi was articulate and had a friendly demeanor. Which is not what one expects when someone is yelling at you in a language you don’t speak. For instance, if I ran up to him and started yelling in Pastun “parmak preweja” (lay down on your stomach) I’d expect the dude to look confused, or punch me in the face. This guy was friendly.
Anyway, the part 2 was so convoluted that I’m not even going to go into it here. I’ll just say that I was somewhat amenable to the argument the defense was making, but I haven’t read the governments response. And because it deals with secret info, and how shit is classified, I can’t really base it on anything tangible. Two of the lawyers seemed really rational, two seemed batshit crazy, and I was agnostic on the last attorney. So, I don’t know.
Either way, the morning session drew to a close because Hawsawi (who you’ll recall can’t speak English, despite his being able to write English, including work documents) somehow conveyed (possibly) through interpretive dance and/or shadow puppets that he wasn’t feeling well. Something about his neck, but I saw the dude looking around the whole time. In fact, dude gripped his neck like Rodney Dangerfield grabbing his elbow in Caddyshack. Not to be outdone, bin Attash (represented by the lady in the Burkha Cheryl Bormann) complained about gastroenteritis. So, we come back from a 75 minute break, and now bin Attash is asking to be able to put on the PUP (physically unable to perform list) with Rob Gronkowski and Major Hasan’s legs. So now the question is whether this guy having the hot squats should stop the hearings for the day, or whether they should move on without him.
So, after an hour and 15 minutes, we are waiting now on the doctor to show up and tell us how this guys bowels are doing.
Maybe more later. More likely I’m going to go to my tent and watch episodes of Psych I have on DVD and fall asleep by 7 pm.
OH, BTW: KSM looks every bit like the lunatic you would assume. His beard is asinine. Looks like he tried to tye dye it or something. Just silly bad. Also, he walks like a lego person. I don’t really know how to describe that. You ever seen a little person fall over and push himself back up by just using his hands? KSM looks like that’s his preferred ambulatory method as well.
And bin Attash looks like a skinny Jerry Garcia. Hawsawi is like the kid in the Science club at your school, and Aziz Ali looks like a stoner who is on the verge of getting very angry about the theft of his caramel corn.
UPDATE: Yes, we are now discussing Al Qaeda diarrhea. So, I am sitting here listening to Bormann and the doctor discuss how long he’s had the shits, I am mentally adding to the Diarrhea song.
When you’re sitting there in court, and you have to make a squirt, diarrhea…diarrhea
When you’re lawyer wants to fight, but you just want to take a shite, diarrhea…diarrhea.
Category: Politics
KSM … brings back memories.
I was the CMC and on duty at the NOC in DC when he was apprehended.
I wish I could tell you about what he had on him when they kicked down the door and found him … looking like a surprized and horrorfied teenager who was just caught beating off by his father!
Let’s just say … everything but the kitchen sink!
He looks so peaceful now with his long hair and man beard, traditional clothes. Far cry from the alcohol, drugs, prostitutes, and little boys that he often used and abused!
Ah … but times change.
DEATH PENALTY … I SAY!
Sounds like things haven’t changed a bit since my MP Company ran the security and the detainee movements for the first four commissions back in August 2004.
IMO, the majority of these attorneys representing these scum are a necessary evil, but they are so low they aren’t even worthy of being called scum. And that includes some of the military lawyers as well.
I still hate the reporter from the Miami Herald who tried to bring in little binoculars to the court room. Called me every name in the book.
As did David Hicks’ dad, until I reminded the Australian consulate employee that I was doing him a favor letting him see his son before court started.
Don’t let the banana rats get ya!
I’m seeing in CNN that the President is going to direct the DOJ to investigate the Gitmo indefinite detainees and then I read your post and think that maybe they wouldn’t be being detained indefinitely if they’d actually get around to having a trial.
Get to the open air/drive in movie theater in GTMO if you have time. Running there and then sitting and enjoying the 7:30 show under the stars with a cold drink was the highlight of my day.
We’ll probably be treated to s Rolling Stones magazine cover in the near future.
They need to give them a choice .A trial or a bullet
Geez, I was hoping you were going to tell me that military court ran better than civilian court….it’s not very inspiring to discover it sounds as equally inane and wasteful at times….who cares if he has to get up and take a trip to the crapper….once we execute him it won’t matter if is IBS is cured or not…
Classic stuff. If only you were also a court artist and could give visuals on these characters! But I have to say “He looks like a Lego person” is deserving of some sort of award. That line damn near kilt me.
TSO, meet me in the lobby at O’Kelly’s tonight at 2130. I will have the IDF t-shirt on.
– AP
Man, I despise liberals, in uniform or out.
I was hoping you were going to tell me that military court ran better than civilian court
VOV, you know better than that. Look at that abortion called Hasan’s trial.
TSO – give them pepto for the runs.
Worked on my dog Bandit. She liked them. She thought they were candy.
I’ll bet Attash ate some soap. An old prison trick. Pepto and Ensorb turns the trick on our German Shepherds when they eat deer droppings or decaying ground squirrels. It should work on a primitive pre-human digestive tract of a terrorist.
Meh. Pepto costs money. Let him suffer.
@ #2 – please don’t remind me that Muhammed Dawood (David Hicks’ name after his conversions, something his left-wing media supporters have conveniently forgotten) is an Australian. Not exactly a glowing recommendation for the rest of us down here.
Jalapeño cheese from an more will stop that diarhea
Dammit, did you have to post that update?
When you want to go on jihad, but your bowels are churning real bad, diarrhea…diarrhea
Sweet baby Moses on a pogo-stick that post was hilarious.
Damn Patriot. I missed that until this morning.
Let’s set up a new time if we can. I’m in the media shack today (all day) wearing a red Ranger Up collared shirt with a rhino on it.
Are we going to get pictures?
@11 Nik, I know but I can dream dammit, can’t I?
Hope they don’t mistake TSO’s Beard for one of the residents and lock him up.
[…] now I’m too afraid of Zombies to sleep, I’ve been shitting like bin Attash, and I don’t get the cartoon channel here. So I guess I’ll sit my happy ass right […]