“John loves America. We love America,” Frank Lindh said after this morning’s hearing for his son, John Walker. He also said his son was innocent of the charges, a Washington Post story reports.
I don’t doubt Mr. Lindh loves America. I don’t doubt he loves his son. But “John loves America”? C’mon.
…Color me skeptical.
[Update: Walker’s defense is taking on shape. ‘Tseems the U.S. Government, particulary the DOD and DOJ, has mistreated Johnny Taliban by depriving him of legal counsel, his legal counsel will argue. Y’see, Walker is an innocent, a misunderstood quester swept up by a tidal wave of Government misconduct and overreach (brought on by the political pressure to assign culpability). In short, he’s being scapegoated.]
Oh, I dunno… If I was Johnny Jihad and I’d just received an all-expenses-paid trip back to the country I’d committed treason against and found out that not only was I not going to be tried for treason, but that there were a lot of schmucks – id est, potential jurors – willing to see treason as just another little mistake of youth, I might rediscover a love for my ex-country too.
On the other hand, perhaps Mr. Lindh misspoke and what he really meant to say was that Johnny loves to *shot* at Americans. It’s apparently easy for some people to get those two mixed up.
Myria
From a legal perspective it is hard to prove that he did anything except join some wacko group. Unless he actually knowingly (and there in lies the crucial word) fought against the US, then he is off the hook. Ah, America, land of the lawyers and loopholes. God Bless the USA!