Lawyers’ motion: ISIS is not a terrorist organization
There are seven people facing a trial in Minneapolis later this year and their defense attorneys have filed scads of motions trying to frame the case against their clients, according to the Star Tribune. One motion disputes the charges that they were supporting a terrorist organization.
“While the group has adopted partly violent and repressive tactics, and engages in military and insurgency attacks against the Syrian and Iraqi armies, it has also embarked on a systematic process of civilian governance over the eight to 10 million people with the territory it controls,” attorneys said.
Essentially, the lawyers claim that because ISIS builds roads and schools, it is a government, not a terrorist organization;
“Mere travel to Syria, or willingness to ‘join’ ISIL, cannot constitutionally be equated with material support. Accordingly, the material support statute is void,” the attorneys argued.
Also in dispute is the amount of security at the courthouse where the trial will be held. The lawyers claim that a large number of police officers, Homeland Security officers and a bomb sniffing dog will prejudice the jury against their clients.
“ … The security appears not to be designed to protect against potential danger posed by the accused but, rather, perceived danger from members of the Somali community who are not accused of any crime.”
Not as much as a terrorist attack on the courthouse will prejudice the jury, though, I’m guessing.
Category: Terror War
PLO, anyone???
So..the terrorists hire “terrorists” to defend them? Ship ALL moraless, honorless, lying, lawyers with the scumbags to the shythole of their choice! 90% of this countries problems come from lawyers!!imho
As a lawyer I am acutely aware of the stupid arguments lawyers can make.
Indeed a lawyer tried saying this guy who killed a police officer in my area was not gulity cause the officer did not have probable cause to chase him. The jury found the guy gulity.
Well, in this case we better get UN involved and maybe offer bags of rice and job training opportunities.
Yeah, Marie Harf said so, they just want jobs.
I sincerely hope that the opposing attorneys are able to dispute, deflect, and dispose of any such nonsensical arguments.
They are defense lawyers. They are doing what they are hired to do. The lawyers have a no win case so are throwing the kitchen sink at it.
Exactly. It’s a pretty straightforward case, so gathey need a Hail-Mary play to get their clients free.
Part of being a defense lawyer is defending the indefensible, regardless of their own personal feelings.
It’s like being in the military and listening to stupid politicians make policy that will get people killed. I either get out, or deal with it.
Well, given that every time someone makes an argument about reducing the size of government lefties respond, “bur roads! But schools!” You can’t be surprised at this line of argument.
They could actually have a point though I’m inclined to think they’re just full of it. If they don’t export violence to other places in an attempt to force political and social change then they wouldn’t be a terrorist organization. They would be a very violent group of thugs and war criminals attempting to take over a country. They do have ties to terrorist groups however and if they aren’t one, I’d say it’s only because they’re to busy at the moment and as soon as they’ve finished their war and settled in (assuming that is allowed to happen) then they’ll become an active supporter and exporter of terrorism.
Mike, I disagree with your definition. I think that McVey and Nichols were domestic terrorists. They weren’t trying to export terror outside their own country, just terrorize the government.
A government should bring order to a country. If ISIS is a government, they apparently were outside bringing order to Syria by killing women and prisoners when that part of the mission statement was read.
Part of the problem is that there isn’t a good definition of terror.
I want to be absolutely clear, I think they’re thugs and assholes and setting their dicks on fire and letting them crawl through broken glass and barbed wire to get to the fire buckets that you have hilariously filled with gasoline would be to good for them.
BUT
Are they terrorists or brutal revolutionaries? As long as they are actively engaged in open warfare with the government of Iraq inside Iraq, I tend to classify them as the latter. If they were just running around Iraq blowing shit up I’d call them the former. I’m usually much more sure of my definition of terrorism than the liberal whiners who like to claim that there’s no difference between terrorists and any other soldier or warfighter. ISIS has mostly found its way into the narrow band of grey in my definition of the subject because they seem to have gone to fighting a war rather than a terrorist campaign. I have no doubt that terrorism would be one of their top exports if they became a national goverment though, just like the PLO.
Personally, I don’t give a flip what they are called as long as it is recognized that anyone who expresses a desire to kill folks and have the means to do it is denied the opportunity to follow though.
Amen
It sounds to me like they’re just throwing whatever they can at the wall just to see what sticks.
Exactly. The arguments are silly and that security issue is merely loud banging on the table.
Recruiting people over the internet to commit violent acts in their name makes them a terrorist organization. The don’t recruit Muslims to go to Syria to train in road building and school administration. They recruit folks to learn fighting skills, or to commit acts of terror in the name of Islamic Jihad.
I can only hope that the judge in this case brings this sorry attempt a obfuscation to a screeching halt. I predict twenty years underground at Florence Colorado.
Florence, that shining facility on the hill. It shines at night from all the lights. It shines during the day because the sunlight reflects off the wire. It needs a sign, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here”. We need places like Florence because there are people who need to be kept away from the rest of us. And, on the hill, there it shines.
This morning the Muslim Brotherhood warned the United States that if it continued meddling in Islamic affairs and the Middle East they intend to cut off America’s supply of 7-11 and Motel 6 managers.
If this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell, AT&T, and AOL customer service reps.
Finally, if all else fails, they have threatened not to send us any more Presidents.
Comedic gold. GG
LOL-Oh please don”t throw me in that briar patch b’rer Bear!
Will someone please call those critters and tell them I said to HURRY UP AND BRING IT!!!
Would you like a Slurpee with that?
I grew up in the Minneapolis area many years ago. Today, parts of the Twin Cities are being taken over by Somalian gang’s. Sad.