Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Shed No Tears For Moussaoui

Sorry, but I have no tears for Moussaoui's supposedly rough upbringing. No matter how he grew up, condoning mass murder, engaging in terrorist plots to commit mass murder, and taking steps in furtherance of those plots cannot be laid at the feet of an unhappy childhood.

Moussaoui is responsible for his actions as an adult. Period. No nonsensical sob story by the defense team changes that.
Lawyers trying to persuade a jury to spare the life of Zacarias Moussaoui began presenting testimony about his childhood on Monday, to show that he grew up in a neglectful household in France where his father beat his mother regularly and that he spent much of his youth in orphanages.

Witnesses also said Mr. Moussaoui was unprepared to deal with the racist anti-Islamic taunts of schoolmates and the hostility of the parents of a French girlfriend.
Kids get taunted all the time, and they all don't turn into sociopaths. And Moussaoui knows that the legal maneuverings by his advisors are nothing more than a smokescreen. Michelle Malkin has more.

UPDATE:
Some relatives of 9/11 victims are going to testify on behalf of Moussaoui. I think it's misguided of them to think that showing any kind of compassion towards Moussaoui will change anything, but that's what they think.
One of the family members expected to appear for the defense is Alice Hoagland. She's the mother of Mark Bingham, 31, a passenger on United Flight 93, the hijacked plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Hoagland, who was in court observing the trial Monday, said in a recent interview with CNN that she hopes that the United States would show Moussaoui more mercy than his confederates showed September 11 victims.
I suppose that those who oppose the death penalty will find a reason to oppose it in this case as well, as the cross section of political views of 9/11 families is much like that of America at large.

UPDATE:
Moussaoui is up to his usual tricks - mocking the psychologist who were called to testify on his behalf today.

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