A group of Republican congressmen held a press conference in front of the US Supreme Court this morning at which Rep. Steve King (R-IA), with help from some other Republicans, actually constructed a scenario where a courtroom sketch artist could trigger a nuclear attack against the United States.
It used to be the pen was mightier than the sword. Now it's the pastel stick that's mightier than the atom. Who knew?
This is how it's supposed to work, according to the Congressmen:
First, Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) worries what the terror suspects will be able to say in open court:
"This is what scares me because they're in a U.S. court now and the rights are different," she said. "What will they say [about their detention] and what could happen and could they be out among the people again? It's very frightening." [Adjustment to quotation is in the TPM story]
So we give the terrorists a platform to talk about how they were tortured, and that, according to Steve King (R-IA) could lead to:
" ...activist federal judges ... making activist decisions that could end up turning [terror suspects] loose on the streets of America."
And that, in turn, Franks warns:
"only hastens the danger" of, literally, a nuclear terrorist attack.
How so? Because, says Franks, a trial in federal court will give the terrorists:
"a megaphone to speak to the planet...."
But, you say, federal courts don't allow television cameras or any other kind of live broadcast. When a reporter pointed this out to King, he summoned up the awful power of pastel:
"What we've seen happen is artists draw pictures and this will be written up and there will be defense attorneys taking the global stage," King said. "We are in an electronic era where they Internet and all these other media that we have will create a real time look at what's going on in New York."
Note that by the time it gets to King's pastel sticks, activist judges turning terrorists loose aren't even in the picture any more. Nor do we have terrorists preaching hatred on an open megaphone. A simple drawing of terrorists sitting in a federal court is enough to call down nuclear devastation.
Well, if that's the case, we're already doomed: Here is a sketch of Salim Hamdam during his trial at Guantanamo in June 2008.
Every time I think the GOP has reached the limit of silly stuff, they manage to do themselves one better.