[Mb-civic] Bombing suspect shouldn't stay

[Rhaerther at aol.com]

If the Cuban issue wasn't involved, how quickly do you think Mr.  Carriles 
would have been deported?
 
Richard Haerther
 
Bombing suspect shouldn't stay
A Times Editorial
Published May 14, 2005
 
____________________________________
Luis Posada Carriles poses a sticky wicket for the Bush administration. He is 
 the prime suspect in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger plane in which 73 
 people died and is now reportedly hiding in South Florida hoping to be 
granted  political asylum. But it would be the height of hypocrisy if the 
administration  entertained the possibility of sheltering Posada.  
It shouldn't matter that the fierce anti-Castro feelings of South Florida's  
Cuban exile community could make deporting Posada politically risky for  
Republicans. The message the administration needs to send to the world is that  
anyone who would commit violence against innocent civilians to further a  
political cause is a terrorist and should be treated as one. 
Posada has spent 45 years jumping borders in Latin America to fight a losing  
battle against Fidel Castro. In addition to being a prime suspect in the 
plane  bombing, he has admitted participating in the planning of a 1997 attack in  
Havana that killed an Italian visitor. His attorney said recently that Posada 
is  now in Florida hoping for sanctuary in light of his work with the CIA in 
the  1960s. 
But the government of Venezuela wants to bring Posada to justice for the  
airplane bombing and is seeking extradition. Posada allegedly helped plot the  
attack while in the Venezuelan intelligence service. 
The State Department has avoided dealing with the issue by unconvincingly  
claiming it has no evidence of Posada's presence in the country. Federal  
authorities should open their eyes a little wider. After spending nearly the  last 
four years fighting a global war against terrorism, making an exception for  
Posada would do serious damage to our moral authority in the world. 
It doesn't matter how many big political donors might be offended or how many 
 Cuban-American votes might be lost. Posada should not be allowed to stay. He 
 should be turned over to Venezuela or deported to a country where he will 
face  fair hearing.[Last modified May 14, 2005,  01:24:07]

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