Then and Now: Will Life Sentence for Times Square Bomber Silence Fearmonger Chorus?

When Faizal Shahzad was arrested in connection to the attempted Times Square bombing 53 hours after the undetonated device was discovered, the usual crew of fearmongers wanted us to be scared. Rudy Giuiliani said that we should never have read him a Miranda warning. Rep. Peter King said he should be tried in a military commission. Liz Cheney said that reading Shahzad his Miranda rights was the “wrong way to win this war.” Maybe they should rethink those positions. Faizal Shahzad was sentenced to life in prison this morning. More than 400 other terrorists have also been convicted in our federal court system. Shahzad’s stiff penalty and the successful handling of these federal terrorism cases stand in stark contrast to military commission proceedings, which have only secured four convictions since 9/11, including of two individuals who are already free. Our courts can handle terrorism cases now just as they have for decades. Learn more about their track record.