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Fox News – Sept. 8, 2006
Post-Sept. 11 terror prosecutions unsuccessful
Despite a sharp increase in the prosecution of terrorism cases just after Sept. 11, 2001, only 14 of the defendants have been sentenced to 20 years or more in prison, according to a study based on Justice Department data.
Of the 1,329 convicted defendants, only 625 received any prison sentence, said the study, released Sunday (9/3/2006) by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a data research group at Syracuse University. More than half of those convicted got no prison time or no more than they had already served awaiting their verdict.
The analysis of data from Justice's Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys also found that in the eight months ending last May, Justice attorneys declined to prosecute more than nine out of every 10 terrorism cases sent to them by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. Nearly 4 in 10 of the rejected cases were scrapped because prosecutors found weak or insufficient evidence, no evidence of criminal intent or no evident federal crime.
The report comes at a difficult time for the Bush administration: It is sagging in public opinion polls just before congressional midterm elections. Democrats hope to regain control of at least one house of Congress, and President Bush has urged Republicans to run in part on his record in the war on terror.
"There are many flaws in the report," said Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra. "It is irresponsible to attempt to measure success in the war on terror without the necessary details about the government's strategy and tactics."
TRAC totaled the cases that prosecutors labeled as terrorism or antiterrorism no matter what charge was brought. It found only 14 prosecutions in fiscal 2000. That rose to 57 in fiscal 2001, which ended three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. The figure then soared to 355 in fiscal 2002. But by fiscal 2005 it dropped to 46. And in the first eight months of fiscal 2006, through last May, there were only 19 such prosecutions……
At the penalty trial of Al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, the government acknowledged that it has captured most of the Sept. 11 ringleaders including mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and operations coordinator Ramzi Binalshibh. Although prosecutors suggested they might be charged somewhere someday, the government has never disproved persistent allegations they were tortured during interrogations overseas and thus cannot be tried in U.S. courts.
If prosecutions "have been compromised by unlawful interrogation or surveillance, that would be worse than ironic," said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' government secrecy project. "It would mean the government has performed in a self-defeating manner."
Justice reported in June that 441 defendants were charged and 261 convicted or pleaded guilty in terrorism or terrorism-related cases from investigations conducted primarily after Sept. 11. Citing those figures, Sierra said the department's strategy "has helped protect this country from terrorists since the attacks of September 11th."
Unlike the data from the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, the June figures did not contain definitions of which cases were looked at. Former New York Times reporter David Burnham, TRAC's co-director, said Justice officials refused to give TRAC the definitions used in compiling the June figures on grounds that might undermine anti-terrorism enforcement.
"An empirical study like TRAC's cuts through the rhetoric, lets us see just how many terrorists are being brought to justice," Aftergood said. "The data suggest that some of the official rhetoric is misleading."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,212039,00.html
New York Daily News – Sept. 5, 2006
NY: Exam-free rule for religious holidays
By Owen Moritz
A Queens state senator and an array of clergy yesterday hailed a new law that prohibits the state Education Department from scheduling statewide exams during religious holidays.
"The law is now on your side," declared state Sen. John Sabini (D- Queens).
The law was spurred after statewide English exams for third-graders were scheduled during the
Muslim holidays of Eid-al-Adha and Eid-al-Fitr during the last school year.
"Countless Muslims will benefit from this law," said Imam Qazi Qayyoom of the Muhhamadi Community Center of Jackson Heights, Queens.
"It's very important because now we can be with our children during our auspicious holidays. We're excited that the problem we had in January will never happen again now." .....
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/449389p-378270c.html
Ynetnews – Sept. 8, 2006
New Yorkers to study about Israel
City council approves curriculum on Israel initiated by Israeli Consulate in New York; curriculum to be integrated into training program for educators teaching in 1,400 public high schools
NEW YORK - The New York City Council's education committee approved a curriculum on Israel initiated by the public relations department of the Israeli Consulate in New York.
The curriculum will be integrated into the training program for educators teaching in 1,400 public high schools in New York City. The teachers will be able to register to a 30-hour course dealing with the history of the State of Israel, its economy, the high-tech industry, Israeli art and Ethiopian Jews.
The incentive offered to teachers who will take the course: Credit points for an academic degree. . .
Israeli Consul General in New York Aryeh Mekel said that "through the teachers a generation of leaders will be educated to maintain the special relations between the United States and Israel."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3301443,00.html
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