Team Bush: Granting Asylum to a Terrorist?

A Cuban militant linked to assassination plots against Fidel Castro and wanted in Venezuela for a 1976 Cuban airliner bombing asked Wednesday for political asylum in the United States, his lawyer said.

Cuba and Venezuela contend that the Bush administration would be harboring a terrorist if Luis Posada Carriles, 77, is granted asylum.

Posada, who entered the United States illegally through Mexico about a month ago, fears that he would be persecuted and probably killed if deported to another country, said his attorney, Eduardo Soto.

``We believe he is in danger anywhere but the United States,'' Soto told reporters. ``If he is extradited from the United States, he will be found dead sooner or later.''

73 People were murdered in the bombing of that flight.

So, Bush supporters, time for the hypocrisy to shine!

What's your opinion on a :

- Escaped fugitive from an allied nation
- A alleged Terrorist with 73 deaths on his hands
- An assasin, a would be one, anyway
- And an undocumented illegal alien

What's your opinion on this individual & his cohorts being granted asylum in the US? And as a second question: If you are for it, how do you reconcile the US's capability to prosecute a "War on Terror" at the critical World Partnering Level if this does take place?

www.sun-sentinel.com...

www.tehrantimes.com.../14/2005&Cat=4&Num=003

Here is the thing - unless a terrorist fits the radical-Islamic profile, it's not going to make big news or be dealt with harshly. There's nothing to gain politically by doing this.

Why you ask?

Well - if we start holding non-Islamic terrorists to the same standards as the Islamic ones the herd might notice that terrorism isn't limited to people from the middle east.

Just look at how Eric Rudolph was just let off the hook - he's a white, Christian terrorist - yet he was allowed a plea bargain.

so to review:
Islamic terrorists = bad
all other terrorists = not news worthy

Giving this man political asylum would not be a good move for this administration. IMO it would be extremely hyprocritical since we would want any terrorist we seek turned over to us by foreign countries.

negativenihil made a very good point regarding the handling of Eric Rudolph


[edit on 4-14-2005 by worldwatcher]

is this the same bush who threatened to take matters into his own countrie's hands if other countries didn't hand over terrorist suspects after 9-11? so why would he now grant a terrorist suspect asylum?

so now if he takes in this one would he not expect that he has given other countries the right to invade the us for this one? how can bush expect others to follow his demands if he will do the same thing? wasn't afganistan invaded for the search for terrorists? so if the us accepts this person's wish for asylum he will declare his invasion as invalid. not to mention of course that he will be hideing terrorists himself. so he has no right to damm others for the same action.

could be a case of foot in mouth. good way to make a hypocrit of one's self

I'm kind of shocked this thread hasn't gotten more replies....

i'd love to hear the pro-bush cheerleading squad's take on this.

It will be unteresting to see what happens.

If half those allegations are true, then he is as much of a terrorist as any of the Iraqi or Afghan fighters charged with the same types of crimes.

However, it is too early to start calling out Bush on this because no decision has been made. I'll definitely be watching for updates though...

[edit on 16-4-2005 by Hajduk]

Well it appears that the Bush Administration has again refused to extradite Mr.Luis Posada Carriles to Venuzula.

The United States rejected on Friday Venezuela's first move to extradite a Cuban exile wanted for an airliner bombing, in a case that could challenge the U.S. commitment to fight all forms of terrorism.

The Bush administration told Venezuela its request that Luis Posada Carriles be arrested with a view to extradition was "clearly inadequate," because it lacked supporting evidence, said a State Department official who asked not to be named.

Venezuela can make a fresh request against the former CIA collaborator, who is accused of plotting from Venezuela the 1976 downing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people, if it provides more evidence, the official told reporters.

Venezuela's embassy in Washington said it would provide the needed documents.

Posada, who has dedicated his life to trying to oust Cuban President Fidel Castro, is already under arrest on charges of illegally entering the United States in March. He goes before a judge on that charge on June 13.

Cuba said rejecting Venezuela's extradition request was part of a "maneuver" to let the anti-communist militant and CIA-trained explosives expert off the hook.

Castro, who led a protest march of 1 million Cubans last week to demand the United States extradite Posada to Venezuela, called the U.S. response "insolence."

Venezuela's ambassador to the United States, Bernardo Alvarez, complained that Washington was slow to respond to its May 13 request for what is known as a "provisional arrest."

Link

Now what is so stupid about this ordeal is that Osama Bin Laden now can go to Venezula and be just as safe there as he was in Afghanistan. Venezuala would not hand over Bin Laden now because of our actions with this Carriles guy. I for one think Bush and all the other nuckleheads we call our "government" are really botching this one up.

so the "search for terrorists" is proven to be just an excuse to invade and take over countries i guess. nice play for the u government, proveing that they are just more hypocrits. how can one damm terrorists, and make statements about the morality of countries sheltering such persons, only to shelter a terrorist themselves? wonder how many more that they are giveing shelter to? we already know that the us has supplied and helped out terrorist organizatins in the past. i guess that they still do just as long as they are pro-us.

I am in no way ‘pro’ in absolving this ‘unsaintly’ man of his alleged crimes however; extradition (from any country that allows extradition through treaty or under certain circumstances) is not as simple as pointing the finger or picking up the phone. There is a lengthy, proper legal process involved even if promptly expedited in this particular case.
(First Steps, abbreviated example PDF)

Many reports, just as the ones mentioned in this thread, indicate “the United States had not received a formal petition from Caracas to extradite the Cuban exile” and “The Bush administration told Venezuela its request that Luis Posada Carriles be arrested with a view to extradition was "clearly inadequate," because it lacked supporting evidence, said a State Department official who asked not to be named”. Venezuela recently has agreed to file the necessary findings.
(Link to article)

There is nothing extraordinary in this statement or lack of action from the executive branch and the US DHS arrested him. I do question the way Venezuela is handling the extradition in such a manner which strictly serves more of an obvious ‘anti-US’ political purpose inciting endless rhetoric rather than just the extradition of a wanted criminal. This recent diplomatic bout does not mean he will not eventually properly be extradited or that extradition is completely out of the question, it simply means Venezuela needs to put out the paper work and proofs instead of endlessly talking about the problem. Venezuela signed the extradition treaty in 1922; this is not new to them. Personal feelings aside, there are some valid legal arguments which will and should be properly pursued.


.

I guess keeping him safe here is better than having him testifying in open court there about what he did where and who he did it for eh?

maybe republicans are afraid that if they send him back to cuba or venezuala they will lose the Florida cuban vote. They concider him a Hero and patriot.

Probly the best solution is to not grant him asylum, but keep him as a prisoner on US soil.... maybe allow Venezualan's and supporters of Castro to pay to be able to throw rotten fruit at him