WoT – Update on the Wilders trial
Earlier I posted an outline of the court case against Dutch radical politician Geert Wilders. Tomorrow the trial will begin. A few notes are in place to update you:
- The trial may go on for a long time. Last week Wilders’ lawyer Moszkowicz objected to his client being on trial and stated that the prosecution was false. The court has rejected this. Wednesday 20 january is the first day of the trial. At this day the content of the accusations is not at issue. This day is a day of procedures. The public prosecutor and Wilders can call for experts and witnesses. Then it will take several months for the trial to start. After that Wilders can still appeal if he is convicted and if he is convicted then again, he can go the the Supreme Court and if that does not work out he can go the European Court of Human Rights.
- The search for the ‘truth’ in these cases is not solely done by the public prosecutor, but is done during the court case. This means that it is not by definition so that the public prosecutor will declare a guilty verdict at the end of the case. Today the public prosecutors office stated that it may possible ask for acquittal in this case.
- The trial yields much debate on the internet. IFPS has an online symposium featuring for example Bat Ye’or. Global Voices looks at two Egyptian blogs (one of them Ramblings of a Fool for Life) and Daniel Pipes explains why he stands behind Geert Wilders. An earlier statement by The American Muslim features on a Facebook group Muslims response to Geert Wilders (The Dutch Parliament Member). Also several news sources provide some information: The Times, TAZ.de, Libération.fr, and Deutsche Welle. The Dutch NRC International has a brief but adequate overview of the case Has Wilders broken the law? and Radio Netherlands asks who is funding Wilders’ defence.
- On his Dutch Twitter channel Wilders has stated that he is ready and confident that the case can only lead to acquittal. Freedom of expression has to win, according to him. Also a Dutch language website What Wilders Wants has been setup left wing activists summarizing the case against Wilders as Wilders discriminates against Muslims and migrants, Wilders incites to hatred and fear, Wilders wants racism, insults groups, and refuses debates.
- Stay updated by subscribing HERE and you can also follow on Twitter.
Wilders Trial
Part Zero – Outlining the case
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Profiling has failed us; we don’t need profiling to identify Individuals like the Christmas-Day Bomber or the Fort Hood Shooter! There is a better solution!
Virtually all media outlets are discussing whether we should be profiling all Arab Muslims; I will in the one-page explain why we don’t need profiling. Over 15 years ago, we at the Center for Aggression Management developed an easily-applied, measurable and culturally-neutral body language and behavior indicators exhibited by people who intend to perpetrate a terrorist act. This unique methodology utilizes proven research from the fields of psychology, medicine and law enforcement which, when joined together, identify clear, easily-used physiologically-based characteristics of individuals who are about to engage in terrorist activities in time to prevent their Moment of Commitment.
The Problem
Since the foiled terrorist attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian national on Northwest Flight 253 to Detroit, the President has repeatedly stated that there has been a systemic failure as he reiterates his commitment to fill this gap in our security. This incident, like the Fort Hood shooting, exemplifies why our government must apply every valid preventative approach to identify a potential terrorist.
The myriad methods to identify a terrorist, whether “no-fly list,” “explosive and weapons detection,” mental illness based approaches, “profiling” or “deception detection” – all continue to fail us. Furthermore, the development of deception detection training at Boston Logan Airport demonstrated that the Israeli methods of interrogation will not work in the United States.
All media outlets are discussing the need for profiling of Muslim Arabs, but profiling does not work for the following three reasons:
1. In practice, ethnic profiling tells us that within a certain group of people there is a higher probability for a terrorist; it does not tell us who the next terrorist is!
2. Ethnic profiling is contrary to the value our society places on diversity and freedom from discrimination based on racial, ethnic, religious, age and/or gender based criteria. If we use profiling it will diminish our position among the majority of affected citizens who support us as a beacon of freedom and liberty.
3. By narrowing our field of vision, profiling can lead to the consequence of letting terrorists go undetected, because the terrorist may not be part of any known “profile worthy” group – e.g., the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh
The Solution
Our unique methodology for screening passengers can easily discern (independently of race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, age, and gender) the defining characteristics of human beings who are about to engage in terrorist acts.
The question is when will our government use true “hostile intent” through the “continuum of aggressive behavior” to identify potential terrorists? Only when observers focus specifically on “aggressive behavior” do the objective and culturally neutral signs of “aggression” clearly stand out, providing the opportunity to prevent these violent encounters. This method will not only make all citizens safer, but will also pass the inevitable test of legal defensibility given probable action by the ACLU.
As our Government analyzes what went wrong regarding Abdulmatallab’s entrance into the United States, you can be assured that Al Qaeda is also analyzing how their plans went wrong. Who do you think will figure it out first . . . ?
Visit our blog at http://blog.AggressionManagement.com where we discuss the shooting at Fort Hood and the attempted terrorist act on Flight 253.