Here's a clear example of why treating terrorism as a crime rather than enemy combatants is dangerous. Apparently, in order to be a juror on the Padilla trial, you have to be totaly unaware or a conspiracy therorist.
Many potential jurors in the Jose Padilla terrorism-support case say they aren’t sure who directed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because they don’t trust reporters or the federal government.
“There are too many ifs, too many things going on,” one male juror said. “I don’t know the whole story.” Others say they just don’t pay close enough attention to world events to be certain.
“I’m oblivious to that stuff,” one prospective female juror said during questioning this week. “I don’t watch the news much. I try to avoid it.”
The doubts were noted by a significant portion of the more than 160 people who have been questioned individually since jury selection in the case began April 16. ...
Before they came to court, each of the jurors filled out a 115-question form asking about a wide range of legal, political and religious topics, particularly their views of Arabs, Muslims and Islamic radicals. On question No. 60, which asks for an opinion about responsibility for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, many people said they don’t know.
I guess it couldn't be the guy who said he was going to do it, tried to do it before, and admited to it afterwards.
One female juror agreed that was a "general public consensus" but still held out skepticism.
"I don't have an opinion. I don't tend to trust the news media," she said.
Many jurors seem to be unwilling to state the al-Qaida connection as fact because they don't have firsthand knowledge. An older male juror said he answered "al-Qaida and bin Laden" on his questionnaire because "that was what the news said."
"I really can't say who did it," said the man, who was not being identified because Cooke has prohibited publication of jurors' names.
Samuel Terilli, a journalism professor at the University of Miami and former general counsel at The Miami Herald, said that hesitancy often comes naturally when people are asked for their opinions in an official setting, such as federal court.
"You have a tendency among some people when they are called to jury duty to heighten their skepticism about what they have read or watched, and also they have a desire to be more neutral," Terilli said. "People are on guard too much."
Some people say they don't necessarily believe the U.S. government's statements about Sept. 11, with many of those people citing the faulty intelligence and misinformation about weapons of mass destruction that led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the toppling of President Saddam Hussein.
"It could have been Saddam Hussein. It could have been bin Laden. I really don't know who," one woman said.
