Americans Outraged at Scottish Release of Mass Murderer
By Dr. Tony Magana
The cold blooded killer of Pan Am 103 in 1998 was released from prison by Scotland and awaits a hero’s welcome in Libya. Americans are rightfully outraged and should demand not only a Scottish boycott and sanctions for Libya unless al Megrahi is placed in prison. Future crimes against Americans should only be tried in American courts.
The families of 259 passengers and crew of Pan American World Airways Flight 103 who suffered an incalculable loss when the Libyan government sanctioned the mass killing of their loved ones were dealt a second perhaps even greater blow today when the Scottish government decided to release Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, an admitted agent of the Libyan government, who was convicted of involvement with the bombing. Scottish officials say that the rule of law allows compassionate release of prisoners who have less than 3 months to live and claim that medical experts have determined that al-Megrahi meets that criteria by suffering with advanced prostate cancer. However initial reports indicate that the application of this specific law is discretionary with at least a third of applicants being refused.
The 1998 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland has been controversial in many ways. Although the crime occurred on American sovereign territory, an American owned airliner, the Clinton administration decided to let Scottish authorities prosecute the case. Many liberals have sought for the United States to surrender its sovereignty to “world courts” or other nations. It now appears this decision has come with a heavy price. Early reports are coming in that the British government may have been acting with self-interest because it wants access to the oil fields off the Libyan coast in the Gulf of Sidra.
Many vague incriminations have been made that various law enforcement or intelligence agencies may have missed warnings that could have prevented the tragedy but little doubt now remains about the veracity of the involvement of al-Megrahi in the bombing and the complicity of the Libyan government. In 1993, the Libyan government sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council in which they admitted the actions of officials of the Libyan government were to blame for the terrorist act.
The world was shocked to watch the terrorist treated like royalty as he was driven in an limousine to a jet waiting at the airport. He was greeted by the son of Libya’s longtime leader, Gaddafi who will accompany him to a hero’s welcome and celebration in Libya. Clearly this event had been planned some time ago, yet the Obama administration is pretending that they are surprised. Secretary of Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying she was only “deeply concerned “
Americans should be more than concerned, they should be outraged that the country that many consider our closest ally would sell out justice for cheap oil. Never again should we compromise justice by allowing another country to try a case of terrorism against American citizens on American territory be it a ship, a plane, or an embassy.
Americans must demand an immediate boycott of all British products and travel to British territories. The President of the United States must immediately demand that Congress pass legislation mandating American justice for crimes against Americans on American territory. Any and all diplomatic relations, aid, and/or trade with Libya must cease until Libya places al-Megrahi in a prison.
Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review. Follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/contempomagazin
Copyright 2009, Dr. Tony Magana. Some rights reserved.
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