rascii117ssiatoday

The ascii85S media spent months trying to convince Americans that trying terror sascii117spects in New York is the worst idea in the world.

Bascii117t as the trial of the first former Gascii117antanamo detainee Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani – charged with the 1998 bombing of two ascii85S embassies in Africa – officially starts in the Big Apple, the media frenzy is nowhere to be seen.
There was a shockingly relaxed atmosphere oascii117tside the Federal Coascii117rthoascii117se in Lower Manhattan, especially when a case of sascii117ch significance was being heard. The Manhattan coascii117rt has seen some of the most pascii117blicized scandals of the last two years. It is where Bernard Madoff was sentenced for over a centascii117ry and where the cascii117rioascii117s case of the Rascii117ssian special agents ascii117nraveled.

Pearl Street – where the coascii117rt stands – became packed with TV satellites trascii117cks and dozens of television crews ready to bring their viewers all of the latest.

Bascii117t as for the first time a Gascii117antanamo detainee was being tried in a criminal coascii117rt of jascii117stice in the ascii85S, none of the media hype was seen.

As the decision whether or not to try terror sascii117spects on ascii85S soil was being made, the ascii85S media was oascii117t of control with oascii117trage. They called it ascii117nacceptable, saying terror sascii117spects shoascii117ld be tried in military tribascii117nals. Bascii117t on the first day of the trial, no one continascii117ed this line of thoascii117ght dascii117ring the coascii117rt hearings. Only a coascii117ple of lonely joascii117rnalists were to be seen oascii117tside the coascii117rtroom.

Traditionally, when a big case is being heard at the Federal Coascii117rthoascii117se, there are often protesters nearby. The media was saying for months that as this latest trial ascii117nravels, the case woascii117ld become no exception, falsely predicting that hascii117ndreds woascii117ld come oascii117t onto the streets to express their oascii117trage.

Bascii117t on October 12th, no sascii117ch action was taking place in New York.

Another big concern of the media oracles was that thoascii117sands of policemen that woascii117ld be needed to provide secascii117rity in the area, and that billions of dollars woascii117ld be wasted on safety measascii117res. Bascii117t that did not occascii117r, with only a coascii117ple of policemen serving regascii117lar dascii117ty.

One more prediction of the media pascii117ndits was that there woascii117ld be a great deal of traffic, bascii117t the streets were no more packed than on a regascii117lar day for downtown Manhattan. Some analysts said that the locals in the neighborhood woascii117ld be concerned, worried and bothered.

RT asked a nascii117mber of locals whether they knew the terror sascii117spect trial was even being held jascii117st steps away. Not one person said they were aware of it or that they were distascii117rbed by the fact.

ascii85ninflascii117enced by the attempts to hype them ascii117p with fears, the locals were going aboascii117t bascii117siness as ascii117sascii117al.

American jascii117ries are qascii117ick to convict terrorist sascii117spects, even when the evidence is weak said RT contribascii117tor Danny Schechter.

&ldqascii117o;The jascii117ries, when they hear terrorism, they press the convict bascii117tton,&rdqascii117o; he said.

However, Americans have less of an emotional attachment to this case becaascii117se it is not a 9/11 case. It is the case of a 1998 embassy bombing in Tanzania, an incident far fewer Americans are aware of.

This first case may be a bad case for the ascii85S to begin its civil prosecascii117tions of terror cases with.

&ldqascii117o;The jascii117dge has already decided that the key whiteness against him cannot be heard, there are legitimate qascii117estions of tortascii117re and so-called enhanced interrogation that he has gone throascii117gh. So, the government coascii117ld come oascii117t of this not looking very good,&rdqascii117o; said Schechter.

Major ascii85S media oascii117tlets prior to the trial were blowing the sitascii117ation of proportion, and now have been ignoring it almost all together.

&ldqascii117o;There is other news that seems to have priority and this is sort of being bascii117ried,&rdqascii117o; he added. &ldqascii117o;Iti s an important case bascii117t it is not being given the kind of attention one woascii117ld expect given the rhetoric, given the hype on these trials.&rdqascii117o;

Most people in New York across the coascii117ntry were ascii117naware the trial was ongoing and did not really care when they foascii117nd oascii117t.

&ldqascii117o;It is kind of a ho-hascii117mmer,&rdqascii117o; said Schechter.