JOHN CURLEY

What is true justice for terrorists in America?

Sep 20, 2016, 5:30 AM | Updated: 9:12 am

It’s a debate Americans have been having for centuries: What is true justice?

Police have captured one man believed to be responsible for a bombing over the weekend in New York City that left 29 injured. There was also a pipe bomb that exploded in New Jersey before a charity race. The man, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was arrested Monday morning following a police shootout in New Jersey and is undergoing surgery for his injuries.

Military analyst: Call a bombing what it is

The debate over the proper form of justice in these types of situations is a touchy one. Over the string of mass shootings in America, many times the alleged perpetrator of the crimes are killed or commit suicide prior to apprehension — such as Omar Mateen in the Orlando nightclub shooting in June, and Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik in San Bernadino in December. Then there is the other result, with Allen Ivanov having pleaded not guilty to a triple fatal shooting in Mukilteo in July and James Holmes who was sentenced to 12 consecutive life sentences for the 2012 fatal shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Col.

And let’s not forget the heated debate over capital punishment that is decided by the states. There are 30 states that allow the death penalty, 20 (including the District of Columbia) that don’t and four — including Washington state — with a gubernatorial moratorium on executions. Of course, there is also the issue of the Guantanamo Bay detention center and torture.

The debate and the list goes on.

At a campaign rally in Florida on Monday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump expressed frustration with “amazing” medical treatment the New York bombing suspect will receive.

“Now we will give him amazing hospitalization. He will be taken care of by some of the best doctors in the world,” Trump said. “He will be given a fully modern and updated hospital room. And he’ll probably even have room service, knowing the way our country is. And on top of all of that, he will be represented by an outstanding lawyer.”

Trump added that law enforcement must “use whatever lawful methods are available” to extract information and predicted that Rahami’s case would linger in the courts “for years” and that “his punishment will not be what it once would have been.”

KIRO Radio’s Tom and Curley Show touched on the debate, with each taking a side: death versus imprisonment.

John Curley: Should have killed him. Unfortunately, we didn’t.

Tom Tangney: No, you don’t want to kill him. He may have connections, we want to find out if he was inspired by anybody if there is a cell going on here. This is much better that we actually have him alive.

Curley: Will we be able to waterboard him, get the truth from him? Are we going to put him in jail, do we send him down to Guantanamo?

Tom: We’ll get the truth from him by being very nice to him. That’s how it works, John.

John Curley on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for The John Curley Show.

John Curley

John Curley

grocery dynamic pricing curley...

John Curley Show

‘You’ll end up hurting the poor customer’: Curley slams Seattle’s push to ban dynamic pricing at grocery stores

The Seattle City Council is considering an ordinance that would bar companies from using algorithms and personal data to set prices, a practice critics call "surveillance pricing."

9 hours ago

democrat supermajority olympia...

John Curley Show

‘Things get worse’: Walsh warns a Democratic supermajority in Olympia would let the party rewrite the rules

Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh said Democrats are within reach of a legislative supermajority this November.

10 hours ago

seattle mayor katie wilson budget deficit billion...

John Curley Show

‘She doesn’t have to repay favors’: Curley says Katie Wilson’s independence is fueling the backlash against her

KIRO host John Curley said on "The John Curley Show" on KIRO Newsradio that the backlash against Mayor Katie Wilson isn't surprising.

2 days ago

spokane fire drone...

John Curley Show

‘It’s going to be ugly’: Firefighting pilot details the danger drones pose to aircraft above Spokane fires

Helicopter pilot Ryan Cutter highlights the serious dangers drones pose to firefighting aircraft in his decade of experience fighting fires from the air.

3 days ago

spokane complex fire cliff mass climate change...

John Curley Show

‘It’s nonsense’: Cliff Mass says ‘crazy people starting fires’ has nothing to do with climate change

Spokane Complex Fires rage on as Cliff Mass highlights the climate change claims are unsupported and rising winds could affect the region's safety.

4 days ago

data center (2)...

John Curley Show

‘We all benefit from their selfishness’: Curley defends billionaire-driven data centers, warns Cle Elum is making a mistake

Cle Elum passed an emergency six-month pause on data centers three days after a developer revealed plans for a 20-megawatt data center.

5 days ago

What is true justice for terrorists in America?