The sequence of events leading to and following the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi turned out to be all too predictable. The families of the 189 Americans killed back in 1988 were outraged.
The US government roundly criticized the decision of the Scottish government to free him on compassionate grounds. And Megrahi was flown home to Libya on a VIP configured jet to a hero’s welcome.
What bears close examination here is the very notion of compassion, as practiced by the Scottish government and opposed by so many others. Megrahi has terminal prostate cancer, and, doctors say, three months to live.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill explained the decision he made in literate, and some might say compelling terms.
Which might lead some to ask, what is the difference between the way Americans view compassion and the way Scots do (taking into account not all Scots agree with the decision)? Kenny MacAskill made his choice knowing it wouldn’t be popular, and he must have figured Megrahi would return to a hero’s welcome in Libya.
So what drove his decision? Was it, as some cynics argue, the new relationship between the UK and Libya, one that promises OIL RICHES for big business on both sides of the Atlantic? You certainly can’t blame people for thinking it’s possible.
And what of the contention that Megrahi should have been confined to die in Scotland, and returned to Libya as a corpse? Would that have blunted the joyous reaction to his release in Tripoli? Probably not. He’d just have been seen as a martyr.
And so, people from all sides in the controversy speak out. President Obama says he opposed the release, as did his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Conservative talk show hosts blather about some sort of economic retribution against Scottish goods in the US.
And the families express their legitimate pain and outrage at what they see as justice denied.
And some in Britain, including some of the families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing, contend that Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi is innocent, a scapegoat whose trial and conviction masks the real culprits in the bombing, now nearly 21 years old. Perhaps this is one of those times when there is no right, no wrong, no winning side to be on.
One can say, however, that the joy in Libya at Megrahi’s release and arrival there was the wrong reaction. It says to the world that Libyans condone planting a bomb on a plane, and taking 270 innocent lives. Such jubilation could have consequences down the road, no matter how much oil Muammar el-Qaddafi is sitting on.
What do you think? Was Scotland wrong to free the Lockerbie bomber?
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A significant objection has been to Macaskill’s conduct, such as when he visited al-Megrahi personally in Greenock Prison. I don’t think there has been a single case of either a Scottish Jusitice Secretary, or his counterpart in Westminster, doing similar.
Oil is likely a red herring. It was born out of political immaturity from a gaggle of glorified local councillors who wish influence, but have failed at the first display of responsibility. The compassion was delivered when al-Megrahi was treated in prison, and even had his family visit.
The criminal justice system is about pursuing criminals, and seeing that justice is done for their victims. It’s not about making us feel warm and fluffy about showing “humanity” to terrorists. We’re a lot better than them in the first place, so can afford a little bit of leeway.
Now there’s the sight of Saltire’s being waved like the two-fingered Viking salute in Tripoli. Not all of us who respect that flag wanted this. The likes of John Smeaton would have instinctively known what to do.
There was no duty to release him. And now there’s going be precious little moral authority in refusing other appeals for early release. As I said on my blog, Macaskill has declined to meet with commoners. It appears that one must be a high-profile criminal in Scotland to get the ear of someone so important.
In January, he [the Justice Secretary, mind] preferred to attend a Burns Supper in Canada rather than attend a summit on knife-crime in his parish. Any reports you may have heard about knife-crime in English cities is, in relative scale, far worse in Glasgow which has been stalked by razor-gangs for decades. There are cases of boys inherting their “chibs” from their fathers, who’d inherited them from *theirs*.
It’s like The Wire!
Kenny Macaskill must resign.
Hey Mark, nice new look here!
I know this is off topic, but what do you think of this thread?
http://dailydose.us/2009/08/20/busted-msnbc-caught-dishonestly-editing-town-hall-gun-footage/#comments
Man, wow.
I’m gettin pissed on from BOTH sides of the isle here.
This is what I get for being a regular there too.
Guess I’m done with that.
Tell the Loon I said howdy.
BTW, I saw the report and read your report too.
This really looks bad for the UK.
But then again, can it be any worse than Cheney and Halliburton?
Loving the site Mark. Hey there Sekan. Geez, I am lost for words over this. Compassion may mean allowing his family to visit him in the Scottish jail…. but giving him freedom???? Does that mean if Charles Manson gets sick he should be released too? What is more concerning is if rumors that he was innocent are true and this was merely a way of saving face, then we have much bigger problem. The 270 victims need compassion and that can only be achieved with “truth”, no matter how hard a tablet it may be to swallow for the Scottish AND British Government!
I am glad to see that the truth may be coming out about Gitmo detainees.
Bush/Cheney belong in jail. Ok, throw in Rummy and Harriet along with a few others.
Maybe Gonzales.
He remembers less than Reagan did.
Hi sekanblogger,
Thanks for the kind words about the changes. MSNBC should have shown the guy in full enough profile so that people would know he was black. They also should have mentioned he was one of a number of people (12?) who brought guns to that gathering. There is enough evidence to debate the role of race in the protests against healthcare reform without this kind of poor reportage.
Take care,
Mark
Hi Mark, yeah I agree.
What I was trying to express was the fact that most people are more upset with the right wing nutballs.
I saw the MSNBC bit and thought nothing of it.
I later saw the full report showing the black guy and still it never entered my mind that anything improper was going on with MSNBC.
My entire point at that other site was that race was not an issue for most people.
Obstructionists from the right are the issue with me.
Not that any news source should get a pass for manufacturing outrage. I’ve had way too much of that, generally from the right.
My own family is mixed black/white, guess I just didn’t buy into any of the BS.
I do know one thing, I’m not going back to Tommy Christopher’s site.
He seems pretty self-important to me.
Also his big claim to fame seems to be getting fired from MSM and then manufacturing his own controversy over that.
I was one of very few who even bothered to comment there, even though there’s not any interaction there.
My fault for wasting my time!
I meant to thank Mark for linking to my blog.
Some background information… what is called the Scottish Government is not a government in the sense it has tax-raising poweres or executive authority. It’s formal name is the Scottish Executive, but when the Scottish National Party took control of Holyrood in 2007, it decided to re-brand itself a Government.
The SNP Administration is a minority administration, with just 47 of the 129 seats. It’s enjoyed an easy ride the past couple of years ‘cos of the disarray of the opposition parties, and the insouciance of the Scottish media. Then this happened – the biggest single foreign policy event to hit Scotland since Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in 1745 with the intention to taking the British throne – and, in a word, they fluffed it.
There are doubts about al-Megrahi’s conviction, and an appeal was granted in 2007. But, flush from the success of back-door electral success, no action plans were put in place, no committees were established to prepare for what would happen if he were acquitted. And that’s before we get onto Macaskill’s headless-chicken act over the past few weeks: in May he said that he was not minded to release al-Mehrahi. So what changed?
The SNP are very small fry in a very big tank. First Macaskill spoke of this “higher power” judging al-Megrahi – cancer is not a punishment from God! Every prisoner is going to judged by this “higher power”.
The past two years, they’ve defined themselves on simply not being English and self-aggrandizement; and given political clout to the angry and frustrated brigade. One Minister, in perfect seriousness, called for Berwick-Upon-Tweed in England, to be ceded to Scotland. Alex Salmond recently decalred his determination, when it was suggested the haggis is an English dish, to fight it to last. Macaskill has called the English football-team, the Great Satan.
And they simply do not appear to have grasped what’s happening. Start with Macaskill’s claiming ownership of Scottish opinion, which he said was “compassionate”, i.e. Americans ain’t. Then there was his announcement at 1300 hrs local time. This is not a big news time here – that belongs to breakfast or evening news. Funnily, though, it did coincide with the Eastern Seaboard waking up. He wanted to put himself centre-stage.
When asked if he sympathized with American disgust, he replied that “we and they have different standards”. Although, to be fair, a large part of the smart liberal left has shown difficulties as seeing an aeroplane-load of human beings being blown-up – it is only Americans to them (cf. the BBC audience who verbally abused and reduced to tears the American Ambassador, a native New Yorker, after 11/9) – and make no secret of seeing this as delivering a snub against Washington.
Salmond has insisted that US/Scottish cultural/business relations remain strong, as if just wishing for it can make it true. If I were a businessman, with significant interests in the USA, I would be very scared.
Holyrood has been recalled one week early. It was requested for last week, but was swatted down. They’re meeting as I type, and all the opposition parties were against this. With only 47 seats there is a very good chance that motions of no confidence will be made both against Macaskill and the whole Administration.
Remember my mentioning that M(S)P who wanted Berwick to be ceded?
Well, she is threating to accuse an American Syrian – code named Abu Elias – of being the man responsible. These are the people running my country!
gorgeous that portal unequalled ft,