FAIR TRIALS FOR MONSTERS?

By Harvey Tobkes

Below is a short excerpt from an article written by Christopher J. Dodd the son of Thomas J. Dodd, Executive Trial Counsel at the Nuremberg, trials for Nazi war criminals. Chris Dodd wants us to believe that if last century’s most heinous criminals received due process, it should apply to the amorphous army of terrorists who come against us in this century, as well.

Today, we see an administration oblivious to the lessons learned at Nuremberg and an America more vulnerable as a result. Indeed, perhaps the greatest symbol of what has been lost these last six years is the passage of the Military Commissions Act (MCA). Signed last fall, the law affirmed torture as a tool in our fight against terrorism, allowing secret evidence to be admitted at a trial and denying individuals the right to counsel, to invoke the Geneva Conventions or the protections of habeas corpus.

This administration would have the American people believe that we can either protect America or uphold the basic tenets upon which the country was founded. Nuremberg established that the choice between moral authority and security is a false choice — that it is precisely our respect for the rule of law and justice that keeps America secure and our people safe.

Similarities? Yes! But there are important differences, the Nazis on trial were part of an identifiable and defeated army that used inhuman means to wage war and accomplish evil goals. The British and the Soviets wanted quick vengeance; death by firing squad. We wanted to show our leadership as a moral people and put on a show trial whose outcome was never in doubt, to prove to the world we are the good guys. In the eyes of the world, we were probably looked at as soft, stupid and hypocritical.

Sadly, religious differences are the rotten core of the problem.

To read Chistopher Dodd’s article in full: Fair trials for Nazi `monsters’ – 09/18/2007 – MiamiHerald.com