Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
Login | What's Hot
  • Check the boxes and send us your email address to receveive your free newsletter
  • Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
  • Townhall.com’s weekly inside scoop on what’s happening behind the scenes in the world of politics. When news breaks, we report.
  • Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Armstrong Williams :: Townhall.com Columnist
American Taliban
by Armstrong Williams
Forward Print Share Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
 
Poll
Will Congress pass Obamacare by the end of the year?

John Philip Walker Lindh, the dulcet boy who grew up in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, then left to study religion abroad in 1997, should be tried for treason. This can be the only response to the 20-year-old American citizen who, after surrendering to Northern Alliance forces last week, confessed to fighting alongside Taliban forces. "My heart became attached to [the Taliban]" said Lindh, who had changed his name to Abdul Hamid and taken up an AK 47 in defense of the repressive government that harbored terrorist Osama bin Laden. Already, there are those who empathize with Lindh's situation, casting him as a sensitive and misguided youth to massage the fact that he joined forces with a group whose ultimate purpose is to kill Americans. No doubt, accounts of Lindh's good, old American childhood will soon follow. "Obviously he has been misled," President Bush said. "He thought he was going to fight for a great cause..." His father called him "mixed up." There is little question that Lindh was indeed confused and misguided. Most murderers are, but our sympathy is not his birthright. What is his birthright is the U.S. Constitution, which defines treason thusly: "Levying War against them [U.S.], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." Plainly, Lindh fits the bill. And no amount of nostalgia about his American childhood should be allowed to obscure the fact that he took sides with the enemy and acted as a traitor. Any other response would not only be an affront to the memory of those whose remains are still entombed in the ruins of the Pentagon and World Trade Center; it would undermine future efforts to punish terrorists who are non-citizens. The only real question is just how to go about prosecuting Lindh. Though the administration recently laid the groundwork to prosecute terrorists by way of military tribunals, that option applies only to non-citizens. As an U.S. citizen, Lindh would have to face prosecution in a federal court. "At a minimum, he ought to be tried for treason in an American court," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Bottom line: The fact that he is a terrorist, not an American, is the point. In this regard, Lindh is no different than those al-Qaida network members who willingly smashed planes into the Pentagon and World Trade Center.
Share:
Forward Print Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author
Armstrong Williams is a widely-syndicated columnist, CEO of the Graham Williams Group, and hosts the Armstrong Williams Show. He is the author of Beyond Blame.
 
TOWNHALL DAILY: Be the first to read Armstrong Williams' column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com daily lineup delivered each morning to your inbox.

Join The Debate!

Post Your Comment
(0 comments so Far)
View in ascending order     View in descending order
Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
 *
State:
 *
Zip:
 *
Phone:
       
Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
(Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.