I was unsure that the release of Guantanamo detainee Salim Hamdan had been diaried. The search turned up no diaries so on I go.
A new day is dawning on America and the sunrise looks like this:
I have read some news this morning that has made me proud, once again, to be born in the USA. This may be yesterday's news but it made my day when I read it this morning. There are a couple of articles out about the military trial of Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, detailing the results of his verdict, much to the chagrin of the DOD.
Hamdan:
Andy Worthington posted a great article yesterday evening in HuffPo. He reports that:
At the end of his trial, a military jury refused to convict Hamdan on the more serious charge of conspiracy, and gave him a five and a half year sentence.
That's not all, Hamdan's last month may be served back home in Yemen.
If confirmed, Hamdan's transfer to Yemen to serve the last month of his sentence will bring to an end an ugly rumor that the administration failed to quell at the time of his sentence: the suggestion that, if the authorities so desired, they could continue to hold Hamdan as an "enemy combatant," even after his sentence was completed.
If the the acquittal of Hamdan's conspiracy charge, the most serious of the charges, and the subsequent sentence of five and one-half years for aiding bin Laden weren't enough to gain the ire of Bush and company, the judge credited his time served.
His judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred, then decided to take into the account the time that Hamdan had already served since he was first charged, which meant that he was eligible for release by the end of the year.
This really pissed off the administration. But that's not all, when DOD lawyers moved that the whole thing be reconvened just because they lost, Allred slammed them again:
Furious at the result, the Defense Department (which had been seeking a 30-year sentence) resorted to claiming that Allred was not entitled to reduce Hamdan's sentence for time served, and called for the jury to be reconvened, but Allred dismissed these claims in a terse judgment on October 30, when, having "read the filings and legal citations, as well as reviewing the sentencing hearing transcript" (as the Wall Street Journal explained), he declared, simply, "The prosecution motion to reconsider, reassemble, reinstruct and re-announce a sentence is denied."
What this all means to me is that the tide is turning. More intelligent and humane leadership is just around the corner, and I think that Captain Allred can see it clearly.
For Allred giving time served! Hurray!
For Allred thumbing his nose at the Bush administration! Hurray!
For bringing Guantanamo one step closer to closing! Hurray
UPDATE: I just noticed that someone beat me to this subject. My apologies for piling on.