The Muhlenberg Weekly

Issue date: 1/31/02 Section: Op/Ed

What will happen to John Walker Lindh remains to be seen, but it is clear that prosecuting him fully will send a message to any terrorists still at large. Yet, recent developments since Lindh's federal court appearance on Jan. 25 suggest a possible plea bargain offer by the Government to Lindh in exchange for any information regarding the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. A recent article in The Economist supports "throwing the book" at Lindh without mercy to ensure that President Bush and his administration do not mock their war against terrorism or the American justice system. Plea bargain or not, I say that the War on Terrorism is already a mockery because it cannot be won. Granted, John Lindh should pay for his crimes if it is indeed proven that he committed offenses against the US. But Lindh also represents a political trophy that the Bush administration has been searching for all along to validate plans for massive "homeland security" and the need for our presence and activity in Afghanistan. John Walker Lindh is ironically the tangible product of the futile war on terrorism, but prosecuting him will not send a clear enough message to terrorists. Continuous unwanted US military presence in parts of the world is only serving to exacerbate a distaste for Americans in the mouths of other nations. The only way to fight terrorism is to reduce it, first by removing US military presence from hostile nations and secondly by educating masses of people ignorant or misinformed about the United States. Prosecuting John Walker Lindh will not end terrorism, and may only serve the self-interests of a bloodthirsty American public, but Lindh should pay for his crimes.



Eric Deutch is a senior.

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