"Oh what a tangled web we weave...."

We hate Terra-ists and wish them the worst. They ought to be tortured to find out what they know (or what they will admit to), summarily tried, and harshly punished and all that for their crimes against humanity.

Except....

... when the terrorist is our former CIA agent. Different rules apply. We won't try them for their terrorist acts (and to be sure, we can't, except as perhaps war crimes under international jurisdiction ... oh, waidamminnit; we don't recognise that). Sure, we'll put on a show of trying them for making false statements about their terrorist acts. But we'll acquit them on even that lesser crime. In our Article III courts, with a jury of civilians. Of course, for the Terra-ists that matter (that is to say, the ones not in our employ), special rules need to apply (see also here). This is because we need to have convictions and can't take any chances that these people might be found not guilty (because, of course, these are evil Terra-ists and if we let them go, they'll blow us up again, plus what kind of message does that send to any other aspiring Terra-ists?) So it's military commissions for them. But not for our terrorist Luis Posada Carilles....

Worse yet ... if there is such a thing: We can't even send this terrorist back to face justice for his crimes in the countries he committed them. Why, you ask? Why because we won't send people off to countries where they might [allegedly] be tortured, because that is really inhumane and illegal and they might not get a fair trial!!!:

On September 28, 2005 a U.S. immigration judge ruled that Posada cannot be deported, finding that he faces the threat of torture in Venezuela.[12] Likewise, the US government has refused to send Mr Posada Carriles to Cuba, saying he might face torture.[13]

So the Cuban government responds:

His trial for lying in a migration process and not for terrorism, is an insult to the people of Cuba and the families bereaved by the actions of Posada.

The shamelessness that occurred in El Paso is quite contrary to the professed anti-terrorism policy of the United States government and that has even caused military interventions in other countries and claimed thousands of lives.

The U.S. government knows well of the participation of Posada Carriles in the bombing of the Cubana aircraft over Barbados in 1976, the bombing campaign against Cuban tourist facilities in 1997, and plans to attack the life of our Commander in Chief in Panama in 2000, for which he was even convicted in that country.

The U.S. government is in possession of all the evidence of Posada's crimes, many of which were presented at the trial of El Paso.

Maybe this is what the U.S. government fears: That U.S. citizen jurors might find Khalid Sheihk Mohammed not guilty. Who knows. But never fear. U.S. citizens hate Terra-ists ... at least certain types.