Hicks could be out in 2 years

[lotti]

A judge has announced the maximum sentence David Hicks can serve is 7 years.  It's part of the plea agreement that Hicks made to get out of Camp X-Ray, should've gotten death though.

[mrpc]

Death penalty for something that wasn't even a (military) crime until years after he was handed over to the yanks?  That's a bit rich.

Even in a completely rigged system they still can't find something meaningful to charge Hicks with.

As for providing material support to a terrorist organisation, I wonder how wide that net could be cast if it were ever to be considered a serious crime. 

It's arguable that Bush, Blair and Howard's invasion of Iraq did indeed provide unequivocal material support to numerous terrorist organizations that have since moved in and operate within Iraq with impunity.

Don't get me started on anyone that ever supported Nelson Mandela and the ANC, Robert Mugabe and the ZANU-PF etc.

The folks in the US ought to remember that by their new definitions, George Washington and the rest of their founding fathers would all count as illegal combatants, and quite possibly terrorists.

[Tigger]

I was going to post about this with my thoughts but they're so far politically incorrect with today's standards I thought - nah!
Suffice it to say - I don't want to have my taxes paying to keep him in bloody luxury here in Oz!

[mrpc]

That's fine. They hust have to release Hicks as soon as he gets here, and spend the tax dollars on incarcerating actual criminals.

[Stormwarning[c]]

They hust have to release Hicks as soon as he gets here, and spend the tax dollars on incarcerating actual criminals.

He did plea guilty, so there for HE IS an actual criminal......

[lotti]

2 years is now 9 months and he must arrive in Australia before May 29.

[Blitzkrieg]

They hust have to release Hicks as soon as he gets here, and spend the tax dollars on incarcerating actual criminals.

He did plea guilty, so there for HE IS an actual criminal......

So if someone pressures a guilty plea out of you, even though you KNOW you're innocent, does that mean you're really a criminal? (In asking this, I am NOT making a judgement on Hicks, because I don't know the full story.)

Bloody hell, the media has had a field day with this one - and so has Jackboot Johnny...I wonder if he would have tried to get Hicks returned to Australia if there WASN'T a Federal election looming ("Hey George, it's your old mate Johnny from Down Under, you know, the 'Man Of Steel'...yeh look mate, we've got a Federal election later this year, I was wondering if you could help me buy a few votes...")

IMO it was more of a case of Hicks just wanting so desperately to get the hell out of that bloody sh1thole called Guantanamo Bay...

Even in a completely rigged system they still can't find something meaningful to charge Hicks with.

As for providing material support to a terrorist organisation, I wonder how wide that net could be cast if it were ever to be considered a serious crime. 

It's arguable that Bush, Blair and Howard's invasion of Iraq did indeed provide unequivocal material support to numerous terrorist organizations that have since moved in and operate within Iraq with impunity...

The folks in the US ought to remember that by their new definitions, George Washington and the rest of their founding fathers would all count as illegal combatants, and quite possibly terrorists.

Very good points

[Stormwarning[c]]

So if someone pressures a guilty plea out of you, even though you KNOW you're innocent, does that mean you're really a criminal? (In asking this, I am NOT making a judgement on Hicks, because I don't know the full story.)

I wont make a judgement but........

I wonder if he would have tried to get Hicks returned to Australia if there WASN'T a Federal election looming

The bleeding hearts have been on this for how long? Lets not forget we have had a federal election before while he was being held, so nothing new there.

Lets not forget, although many have, that Hicks would have had his day in court years ago because of the challenge by his and others to the original commission, which took time (two years I think it was)

IMO it was more of a case of Hicks just wanting so desperately to get the hell out of that bloody sh1thole called Guantanamo Bay...

More than likely, but he has just spent the past two days CONVINCING the panel that his guilty plea was real and not just to get the process finished with.

So we can't have it both ways........commission took to long, plead guilty just to get out of there, the commission got sucked in by his statements.

And hasn't his dad changed his tune, after saying in a number of media interviews when Hicks was caught that HIS SON WAS a terrorist.

[perthstormer]

me personally dont have too much intrest in the case but from what I have herd that place needs to be shut and monitored.  Apparntly they have baptised muslims there and I think that is going way too far

[Buzz]

Apparntly they have baptised muslims there and I think that is going way too far

If they were forced baptisms - yes. But it's not unusual to see people convert to the faith of their captors in prison environments. We've had some drug runners convert to Islam in Indonesia. Many in the US become born-again Christians. It happens. Why it happens? Possibly these people might get better treatment or lenient sentences. In World War II it was a practise to save your life.

[Surandy]

Agreed Buzz, just look at the Japanese POW camps in Indonesia during WW2 and the different treatment of those Indonesian born claiming to be Dutch citizenship as opposed to Indonesian.

[Stormwarning[c]]

Have to say that we all must feel very special to live in a country that has a Prime Minister that is so powerful that he has (according to the bleeding hearts) been able to force the US military hand a certain punishment out in this case.

[lotti]

well he's not as powerful as Tony Blair, he got his prisoners home as soon as they were captured instead of 5 years after their capture preventing Hicks from possibly being sentanced to life in prisonment.

[Pal]

Meh.  Discussion is worthless as soon as generic terms like 'bleeding heart' start getting thrown around to denigrate people with differing opinions.  Might as well just read Bolt, at least his frothing abuse of anyone he disagrees with is well written.

[Stormwarning[c]]

Oh come on PAL, surely those that forget that it was a challenge by a defense team about the commission in the first place which saw the extended delay in this case that never mention it are bleeding hearts? aren't they?

And the bleeding hearts I refer to are the same ones who were and have been very quite on this issue for past 4 years. Just have a look at the last march that took place on Palm Sunday, there were more political banners and Union banners than the banners on what they were marching for.

Bleeding hearts only take up an issue once it becomes popular and is getting media coverage, just ask the Fitzory Legal Service, who are happy to run seminars on how to protest and get around laws and non peaceful and get away with it.