Today, Keep America Safe’s Debra Burlingame released the following statement on President Obama’s support for the Ground Zero Mosque and trying 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian court:
“President Obama’s remarks today, on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, showed a regrettable disconnect with the American people who regard 9/11 as a world-changing event that touched all of our lives.
The President dismissed opposition to a 15-story mosque and Islamic center at Ground Zero as a symptom of religious intolerance. The President knows this to be false.
The American public, including the vast majority of 9-11 families, view the building of this mosque on Ground Zero as an insensitive and unnecessary provocation that will be viewed by our enemies as a symbol of triumph at the site of their bloodiest attack.
The American public’s opposition to the mosque project is simply a call for respect for that historic site and for the innocent people who died there nine years ago.
The President also made news today on another front.
After dodging the question for nearly a year, the President signaled today that he is renewing his bid to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9-11, in a civilian court. This comes after the Justice Department and the White House, according to numerous reports, had apparently decided to shelve the issue until after the November elections.
The American people and a bipartisan majority of the Congress are overwhelmingly opposed to bringing KSM to American soil for trial, as such a trial would likely last many years, increase the security threat to the city in which he is tried, and provide KSM a high-profile, public platform for which to spew his hateful jihadist propaganda.
Justice for KSM and the other captured 9-11 co-conspirators can and should be delivered by the safe, secure and effective military tribunal system at Guantanamo Bay.”
Debra Burlingame
Board Member
Keep America Safe
