"And IF Bin Laden had the complete lack of brains to hire an attorney, his funds would be immediately impounded, seized and traced."Not if his attorney had anything to say about it.
Personally, I think the ABA is looking at how long the prosecution of terrorists will go on... and it will go on for quite some time. The representation of terrorists can add up to a huge amount of money. They don't want to be cut out of the process. They want to work their way in. They want the terrorists to be afforded the representation of the American lawyer of their choice. I hope I don't sound over-cynical here. This is what I truly believe.
From CNN:
"In comparing a military tribunal to a court-martial or civilian court:
-- A federal trial is generally open to the public, while a military tribunal may be closed. Advocates of the tribunal process say such a setting denies a public forum to the accused
-- A tribunal may be held in a different country, in a territory such as Guam or even on a U.S. naval ship.
-- Greater security can be imposed over what information is disclosed in a military tribunal as compared with a federal prosecution.
-- Like a court-martial, a military tribunal will be composed of military members, ostensibly only officer members and usually no fewer than five, the minimum number that can sit for a general court-martial.
-- Unlike a federal prosecution, a person tried by a military tribunal does not have the right to a jury trial.
-- A tribunal's finding of guilt or imposition of the death penalty does not have to be unanimous. In the case of a five-member panel, four of the members could vote guilty and impose the death penalty.
-- A death penalty may be imposed immediately."
