Some thoughts on the release of Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbassett Ali Al-Megrahi.
1) This sets a horrible precedent on many levels. Al-Megrahi was a convicted terrorist who masterminded the detahs of 270 people, many of them Americans. Yet, he is now a free man due to terminal illness.
So does this mean that if Osama bin Laden is captured and imprisoned in the UK and is stricken with a fatal disease, he too will be released to "die with dignity" with his family? Where do you draw the line?
What about a rapist, a pedophile or a serial killer? What if they contract a fatal disease behind bars? By al-Megrahi standards, don't they, too, have a legitimate claim that they should be released on "compassionate" grounds? Hey, if a mass murderer can get out, why not an armed robber? Have Scottish authorities even considered the potential dilemma they have created? This is a disgraceful abdication of authority and the ultimate, mindless show of moral equivalency. Which brings me to:
2) This is yet another sign of the moral decay and cultural confusion enveloping the West. The Scots think they are showing "compassion." Our enemies only see cowardice. This killer's release will do nothing to garner the Scots or the UK any good will among the Islamic world. It will be seen as weakness: the kind our enemies prey upon. Scottish authorities may be patting themselves on the backs right now for their supposed moral superiority, but this has larger ramifications than they can even fathom. Witness the hero's welcome al-Megrahi received when he arrived in Libya today. It was a propaganda coup.
3) If al-Megrahi is not placed under immediate house arrest, the U.S. should reconsider it's newfound warm relations with Libya.