Comments on: Lockerbie Bombing Suspect Released and Controversy Grows (UPDATED)

By: ja_guide

ja_guide — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:31:19 +0000

A very thought provoking piece. My heart goes out to the families of the victims.

By: Jess_newsy

Jess_newsy — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:59:29 +0000

It's shocking that he was welcomed as a hero. I'm all for compassion and to let him die at home is a great gesture but it's so political because who else would receive that same treatment? Even though his conviction is being questioned, that may be another tactic to make his release seem less opportunistic. Here are some more perspectives: http://www.newsy.com/videos/release_of_a_terrorist_or_a_dying_man

By: DLS

DLS — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:46:15 +0000

Well, I had at least some confidence that the guy wouldn't be welcomed as a hero, but here's one time where I really got something wrong. What were those things right at the start of his arrival, at the top of the stairs leading down from the aircraft, flower petals or confetti pieces that were being showered on him? And his motorcade being greeted by cheers, too, and people dancing upon his arrival?

Yeech.

All I can say now is:

a) It's still worth wondering about the geo-politics of this. (Libya-Western thaw; the prisoner was given to the West in an earlier transfer, don't forget)

b) Now (following the Arab celebrations after 9-11) we see again how the Israels feel so often.

By: narciso

narciso — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:43:27 +0000

Well you could take it up with Ricardo Morales, who still had contacts in the Venezuelan govt, and even admitted as much in a 1980s deposition before dying in a drug shoot out in 1982.

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abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi | sodini video — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:11:09 +0000

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By: joeinhell

joeinhell — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:20:31 +0000

Go to Wikipedia, look up "Cubana Flight 455."

Pay particular attention to Bosch and Carriles, then ask me to cry a river over Lockerbie.

No, I don't think that Lockerbie was not a tragedy, but the us started this shit. Specifically the CI lying A.

No, I don't feel more for the Iraqis and Afghans than for the military that invaded their countries but they are all victims of the merchants of war.

By: Leonidas

Leonidas — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:30:58 +0000

We can't impose our judicial culture on Scotland, we have to accept that they see things differently, but we don't have to share their view.

By: ordinarysparrow

ordinarysparrow — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:54:37 +0000

this is one where everyone has a understandable rationale for their rightness. . .but not a win for anyone. . .
this write up is very informative. . . .

By: ThurmanHart

ThurmanHart — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:06:21 +0000

Granting mercy is never about the crime or the criminal, it is about the person who grants mercy.

Does it matter where a person dies? Is he or she more or less dead if it is at home rather than in jail? In fact, by sending him from Scotland, where he would receive guaranteed medical care, to Libya, where he is not guaranteed treatment, they may be hastening his death.

By: shannonlee

shannonlee — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:42:56 +0000

I wouldn't say "Europe". Lets not forget that Germany just imported, tried. and convicted a very old man on his death bed for being a Nazi.

I don't think there is anything "vengeful" about wanting to see a murderer serve his time in jail...no matter what his condition may be.

If there is any real doubt about his guilt, he should be cleared of all charges and set free.
If he did it, he should die in jail.

By: Lockerbie Bombing Suspect Released and Controversy Grows (UPDATED … | CheapAirportParking

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:31:14 +0000

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By: Lockerbie Bomber Released

Lockerbie Bomber Released — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:38:25 +0000

[...] Joe Gandelman has a nice roundup as [...]

By: DLS

DLS — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:34:48 +0000

It's no big deal. The guy is being sent home to die. There's not even necessarily a likelihood that people will treat him as a returning hero. (It's not beyond Kaddhafi to ensure that such behavior is squelched; the Libyan government since the Iraq war has tried to be on the West's better side — it offered reparations to the victims of the bombing, after all.)

By: Polimom

Polimom — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:28:07 +0000

Great round-up of the situation, Joe. I think Lynnehs has it right — the US view of criminal justice is much different from that of Europe. Lots of folks aren't going to get it.

By: RememebrNovember

RememebrNovember — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:20:58 +0000

Whether he did it, or was a conspirator of or a trojan horse patsy still doesn't change the fact that two of my friends from school are dead. The fact that he went to jail in 2001,13-14 years after the event is ludicrous. The fact that parent's groups had to fight on our side to get movement bespeaks of politics over national/citizen interests. Of course there are plenty of plot holes in this, as are many bungled investigations- from witness tampering to evidence manipulation to bad communication and poor security training. Neither President Elect Bush, Nor Margaret Thatcher were so quick to “cowboy” up this and retaliate. Libya issued a half-hearted admission of guilt and an attempt to pay off the families. Still, justice has not been served.

By: Lynnehs

Lynnehs — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:05:28 +0000

What I'm seeing here is a culture clash. From what I understand, it isn't unusual in Europe for very elderly or terminal prisoners to be released to die at home. In the US, our culture is very revenge-oriented (as you can tell from the popularity of vigilante movies). The prison is in Scotland, so it's really Scotland's decision. I can understand why Americans would be upset but maybe learning more about why the Europeans have adopted this practice would help.

By: JUSTICE IS SERVED | Gadget Look

JUSTICE IS SERVED | Gadget Look — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:31:07 +0000

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By: Lockerbie Bombing Suspect Released and Controversy Grows (UPDATED) | Gadget Look

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:18:53 +0000

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