Stardate 20011203.0654 (On Screen): Among the eighty-some prisoners recaptured from the prison uprising in Mazar-e Sharif turns out to have been an American. He's been identified as John Walker, 20, originally from SF, and he's now in custody of US forces in Afghanistan. So, what should we do with him?
His mother still loves him. (Is there any man so despicable that his mother no longer cares about him?) She says he's a good boy; she claims that he must have fallen under the control of charismatic evil men and been brainwashed. I don't blame her for thinking that (she is his mother) but that doesn't mean the rest of us should automatically let him off just because he has a mother. (What criminal does not have a mother?)
So let's be clear: he is a traitor. He joined an army which fought against the US in a war, and was captured in combat. He is 20 and legally an adult, and must be held responsible for what he's done. So he'll have to be tried, and the charge will be treason. I don't know whether he deserves the death penalty; a jury would have to decide that. But he cannot be permitted to walk. There is no higher crime than treason, for treason imperils the nation itself and therefore everyone living within that nation. (discuss)
