While people in New York City have apparently decided that trying terrorists there is too expensive and too much of a hassle, the mayor of a city up thisaway sees an opportunity.
Newburgh’s mayor, Nick Valentine, thinks trying terrorists would be good for business.
The mayor of Newburgh said yesterday he wants to host the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other terrorists.
Nicholas Valentine said the relocation of the case would be a win-win situation
New York City would be relieved of the burden of trying the evil 9/11 attackers, and his own cash-strapped city of 40,000 would get an economic boost, he said.
"I look at it almost as a tourist attraction. The international attention would put Newburgh on the map," an excited Valentine told The NY Post.
"So many people would be following the trial. The businesses around here would benefit. People would be going to restaurants and traveling around the Newburgh area who've never been here before."
Besides the fact that Newburgh’s hurting and can use the cash, the city has enough problems with real violence to worry about what hypothetical jihadists might do to disrupt the trial. Bring it on, the mayor’s saying, only he means the cash and the jobs.
Just in case anyone thought he was kidding, Valentine went on TV and repeated the offer.
Naturally, not every local politician is on board. The county executive, for example, is against it. He thinks that trying the terrorists in the area would be an insult because 44 people from the county died on 9/11. Which is an argument that all murder trials should be held far from the place where the victims lived.
This isn’t a discussion for the sake of discussion. The Feds are apparently seriously considering holding the trial upstate.
One proposed venue is West Point, but merchants in the nearby town of Highland Falls don’t like the idea. Unlike the mayor of Newburgh, they see the prospect of a trial as bad for business because it would scare away the tourists local businesses depend on.
Meanwhile, over in Otisville, home of a federal prison also being considered as a site for the trial, folks are being practical about the possibility and beginning to make plans. They just hope the feds know the locals don’t have the money to pay for it.
I want the trial in NYC.
More, I want Osama to send his minions over to try and stir up trouble.
Bring it down here, on the ground. We'll deal with the bastards. They'll surrender the whole operation before we finish with them. They think Gitmo is torture?
Wait'll they get a load of us.
Posted by: actor212 | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 07:04 PM