Death to all extremists!
Zacarias Moussaoui and the American judicial system: A perfect match. He wants martyrdom, we want a scapegoat. Sure, he seems a bit nutty, but he hates us, we hate him, and something has to be done to atone for the incredible failures of everyone from the President to the local parks and rec department (admittedly, I am not sure what the parks and rec department could have done to stop the 9/11 hijackers, but since the FBI and CIA apparently were on donut break from the start of Bush’s presidency until about 9/14, why not share the blame?). Ultimately, his execution (assuming the case continues as it has so far) will be less about justice than about making the families of victims feel better, about presenting the appearance of having actually done something to avenge those deaths.
Will this have even the slightest impact on terrorism? Not likely. By most accounts, Moussaoui was the dim cousin, a hanger-on to the “cool terrorists club”. He was either too stupid or too nutty to be allowed to join the real terrorists, but damn, the kid had enthusiasm! To even consider that he would be a part of a significantl terrorist plot demonstrates the desperation our administration feels to show that we are doing something right in our war on terrorism. A major argument against him is that he could have warned us about 9/11. That is true, he could have warned us. Judging from the FBI’s pre-9/11 actions, however, it is fairly unlikely that anyone would have actually listened to him.
Do I feel he should die? Not really. In his twisted little world, death at our hands means martyrdom, which means that his life (or at least the hatred he spewed during it and his death) had some sort of meaning. It’s a long shot, but he might actually be considered a hero to other wanna-be terrorists in a few years if we grant him his wish for martryrdom. On the other hand, leaving him alive, just another thug-slash-nutcase in our penal system, means that he will fade into obscurity as he deserves.
