Yeah, but get this, Jami Floyd–John Walker Lindh is an American, and one not born into the Muslim religion, unlike Yaser Hamdi. THAT is why he’s considered a traitor. He CHOSE to ally himself with the enemy. He even went out of his way to do so. Bad decisions are bad decisions, whether you’re addled in the head or a closeted gay or whatever the excuse might be. And once you make a REALLY bad decision, like this ninny did, you should have to pay the price for it. He’s just lucky he wasn’t sentenced to a firing squad.

If this guy was not fighting US forces, I fail to see why he is in prison to begin with. People do all sorts of stupid things but fighting for a cause one believes in is not one of them. But, if he was fighting American troops, then he does deserve his sentance.

Don’t bet on it…
He signed a confession… got 20 when he could have got life.
Allegations of torture for confession could be true… and if so I’d agee however until that happens I believe he did what he said he did and should consider himself lucky… if he was firing at US soldiers… I don’t have a slightest bit of compassion for this guy.

I agree with that if Lindh was firing on US soldiers and took up arms against them, then he deserves the sentence and stay in jail. I would be open to a reduced sentence, only if (a) he was not hostile to American forces, (b) gives a full accounting of his activities in regard to Al Qaeda. Jami you make points in your story that I hope you have researched out. And, yes, I know you couldn’t help yourself, you had to have your little political spin in there, even though this is the WRONG forum for that expression.

It is so sad for the young boys whose life was just haterade, killing, blood, screams of scared people. Life is so beautiful. The terrorists’ leaders might have become successfull in the Mumbai attack but at the same time they are successfull in making these young boys’ life and after life a living hell

Jami Floyd’s blog articles always generate such a rousing and expansive response.

I often wondered why he plead guilty, John Walker was in the mountain of Afghanistan with no Radio or TV or newspapers when the Taliban handed him a gun (probably did not know how to use it) and marched him into combat and when they came in contact with the Afghanistan rebels(who we supported) they surrendered. The kid never knew what was going on and was in a jail during a uprising when he was discovered. But since the temperament and emotions of this country at the time would have prevented him from getting a fair trial, I can understand him being scared into pleading guilty. After all he was made to be the scape goat for the Bush propaganda machine to help scare us into giving up our rights. I think if he does not get clemency he should at least be allowed to have a retrial of his case.

William D. Bethel Ct.:

Excellent summation of facts you made up about this case.

Poor guy, was just out on, what he believed was, a Taliban camping trip Unbeknownst to him, the Taliban was a terrorist group. When they set up the booth in his high school they spoke about teaching young men self sufficiency. One morning during the campfire sing along, some of the camp leaders forced a gun in his hands and then dragged him to a battlefield.

This guy, knowingly, discarded his life in the United States, moved to a foreign country and joined a quasi-military group. The members of this group spoke openly about their hatred of all things related to the West, the United States in particular.

Oh yeah, release him. He can always find another group that hates his homeland.

If america is america he has a right on foreign soil to fight for his cause, and america is too quick to blame someone other then itself. I don’t think one thing has any thing to do with the other. Watch when the Iraq action is over america will love IRAQ and act all giddy. The truth is he was or should be a pow and has rights if he stood up and said I quit the taliban then hes now an american then he has rights. Thank god Bush is gone the econmy and the coubtry sufferd too much with Iraq.

I have a question; Have any of you served in the US Armed Forces? I have. I spent 9 years in the Army. My last 4 years I spent in and out of Afghanistan. I have watched young men and women die fighting in this war. A war that was brought to our country. A war we did not ask for. You want to talk about human rights when we are fighting a group of people that do not believe in human rights. Worse of all we are talking about a trader to America. 20 years is not long enough. He should spend the rest of his life in prison. He knowingly went to a country and joined up with a group of Terrorist cowards, that not only killed inocent men, women and children in America but have killed their own country men as well. Wake up America, we are fighting a war against a country that degrades women, degrades America, and degrade their own contry men. This is war not a debate. I feel eye for an eye tooth for a tooth. You think they have any feelings about the people they torture? Why should we? These are POW’s, Prisoners Of War, not a Cub Scout meeting. If we capture a hundred, let’s get information from them. We want all our soliders home and be able to come home to their families. Information leeds us to victory. All you Human Rights Acctivist, how about you pick up a weapon and fight for what you believe in, instead of sitting on the sideline complaining about it.

Cacafuego–you should probably read up on the facts of this case. He was not fighting against the US, he was studying Arabic and Islam in the middle east before going to Afghanistan to fight war lords (yes with the Taliban, who btw the US funded for awhile) in order to protect those who could not protect themselves. He went there before 9/11 even happened. He was captured by war lords (actually he was practically GIVEN to them). 9/11 then happens and while captured, the US stormed the camp he was in and he got caught up in it. Since in prison in the US he has spent time in our only supermax prison in solitary confinement.
And speaking of inappropriate comments by justice department officials (see above post), there were comments made by officials in this case which would fall under this category.

You get brainwashed into that crap. You pay ,Tough. No Symapathy here.

As a traitor to this country and captured while fighting US forces he should have been executed. He got off lucky with 20 years. He does not deserve to walk the streest of this country. A Viet Nam vet who has been deployed to the Middle East in 2003 and 2004. My son was in Afghanistan as an Army Officer. Someones parents didn’t do their job.
John Walker Lindh should remain in Prison.