John Walker: Enemy of the State?

Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the so-called "War on Terrorism" has been in full swing with few tangible results. The prosecution of 20-year-old John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban fighter, may change all that. On Jan. 15, Attorney General John Ashcroft held a press conference detailing the criminal charges against Lindh. According to the transcript of the press conference, Lindh is charged with three offenses: 1. "conspiracy to kill nationals of the United States of America overseas;" 2. "providing material support and resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda;" and 3. "engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban."

If convicted, Lindh may face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Furthermore, if the Department of Justice finds evidence of Lindh's partaking in battles with the Taliban against the United States, he will be charged with treason, and may be executed. Lindh, who was discovered at Mazar-e-Sharif among hundreds of captive Taliban soldiers, reportedly was a member of the Taliban, trained at Al Qaeda terrorist camps and even met Osama Bin Laden himself. In defense of his son, John's father, Frank Lindh, said after the Department of Justice's press conference, "John did not take up arms against America. He never meant to harm any American, and he never did harm any American. John is innocent of these charges." Lindh's lawyer, James Brosnahan, claims that his client is a misguided youth that inadvertently ended up supporting an enemy of the US. John Walker Lindh's own comments seem to contradict those of his supporters. Shortly after his capture, Lindh commented to a reporter that he expressly supported the Sept. 11 attacks. Time Magazine quoted Lindh as saying, "I was a student in Pakistan, studying Islam, and came into contact with many people connected to the Taliban.I started to read some of the literature of the scholars, the history of Kabul. My heart became attached to that." These comments do not sound as if they came from a "misguided youth" who "never meant to harm America." During the Department of Justice's press conference, Attorney General Ashcroft said, "the criminal complaint filed today describes a series of crossroads John Walker Lindh encountered on his way to joining not just one, but two terrorist organizations. At each crossroad, Walker [Lindh] faced a choice and with each choice he chose to ally himself with terrorists."

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.