Let Him Die In Prison !

Four days before Christmas of 1988, terrorists placed a bomb on Pan American flight #103. The plane was blown out if the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland. Two hundred forty-three passengers from 21 countries were killed, along with 16 crew members. Eleven people on the ground were also killed, bringing the death toll to 260 people.

In 2001, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to life in a Scottish prison. Few people think al-Megrahi acted alone, but he never gave up his accomplices. Now, after serving only eight years for this dastardly crime, the BBC is reporting that al-Megrahi is to either receive a compassionate release or a transfer to a Libyan prison (which would amount to the same thing) as early as next week. He has a terminal case of prostate cancer.

Although the BBC says it understands the decision to release al-Megrahi has been made, the Scottish Justice Secretary says he has not yet made his decision. The United States government has made its position known though. An unnamed U.S. government official said, "We maintain our long-standing position that Megrahi should serve out the entirety of his sentence in Scotland for his part in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103."

I completely agree with the position of the U.S. government. This man murdered 260 innocent people, and deserves no release -- compassionate or otherwise. Personally, I'd like to see him serve at least a year for every life he took. But since that can't possibly happen, I'll settle for him dying in a Scottish prison.

I know that doesn't sound very liberal of me, but I don't really care (actually, I'm a leftist -- not a liberal). I think al-Megrahi deserves the same compassion he showed toward his 260 victims -- none.

I might reconsider if he would sign a deathbed confession and name all of his co-conspirators, so they could be brought to justice for their crime. But he won't do that, so screw him. Let him die in a Scottish prison.