Another day, another terrorist trying to wiggle out of the consequences of their actions. This time, it’s Omar Khadr, a former resident of the luxurious Guantanamo Bay resort, who thought he could pull a fast one on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Khadr, now a ripe old age of 37, decided that his convictions for killing a US soldier and a slew of other terror-related crimes just didn’t sit right with him anymore. Never mind the fact that he committed most of these heinous acts when he was just a wee lad of 15. I guess the old saying “old enough to throw a grenade, old enough to do the time” doesn’t apply in his case.
So, what does our dear friend Omar do? He files an appeal with the Supreme Court, hoping they’ll take pity on him and vacate his convictions. But here’s the kicker: a lower court judge had already told him to take a hike, citing the fact that Khadr had waived his rights to an appellate review during a plea bargain with the US military commission back in 2010. Oops, looks like someone didn’t read the fine print!
Now, let’s take a moment to appreciate the irony of Khadr’s upbringing. Born in Canada, his father decided it would be a great idea to take him to Afghanistan and have him trained to build bombs for Al Qaeda. Talk about a wholesome family activity! I’m sure they had a blast (pun intended) bonding over explosives and hatred for the West.
Fast forward to 2002, when Khadr’s bomb-making skills were put to the test during a raid by US soldiers. In the ensuing firefight, Khadr thought it would be a brilliant idea to throw a grenade, killing US Army Medic Sergeant Christopher Speer. Because nothing says “I’m a peaceful teenager” like murdering a medic, right?
Karma came knocking, and Khadr found himself severely wounded and in US custody. He was then shipped off to Guantanamo Bay, where he earned the title of the youngest inmate. I’m sure that’s an accolade he’s proud to have on his resume.
In a shocking turn of events, Khadr pleaded guilty in 2007 to a bunch of charges related to violating war laws and attempted murder. But wait, there’s more! In 2012, the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC issued a ruling that officials couldn’t charge defendants with specific crimes committed before the 2006 Military Commissions Act. Suddenly, Khadr saw a glimmer of hope and decided to appeal his case, conveniently forgetting that he had waived his appeal rights.
His legal team, in a desperate attempt to convince the Supreme Court, argued that Khadr never actually finalized the paperwork. I’m sure the justices were thoroughly impressed by this groundbreaking legal strategy. In the end, SCOTUS decided they had better things to do than entertain the whims of a convicted terrorist and ruled against his request.
So, there you have it, folks. Omar Khadr, the poster child for youthful indiscretion and poor life choices, will have to live with the consequences of his actions. Maybe next time, he’ll think twice before throwing grenades and cozying up to terrorist organizations. Or, you know, he could just stay in Canada and leave the rest of us alone.
