Frank Lindh, father of jihadi jailbird John Walker Lindh, really ought
to swear off public speaking. Every time he opens his mouth, something stupid
comes out. Yesterday, after his son had pleaded guilty, the elder Lindh dared
liken him to a statesman: "Nelson Mandela served 26 years in prison. He's
a good man, like John. Some day I hope--I hope that the government will come
around even further and say that even 20 years is wrong for this boy."
The Washington
Post notes that Frank Lindh also said of the Marin mujahid: "Never,
in all the interrogations . . . did John ever say anything against
the United States--never once. Not one word. John loves America, and we love
America. God bless America." But the fanatic's father told a different story
back in December, when we
noted this, from a Newsweek
report:
When the U.S.S. Cole was bombed as it refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden
in October of 2000, killing 17 U.S. sailors, father and son had an uncomfortable
e-mail exchange. Frank says he was upset that the dead sailors were the same
age as his son. John seemed to have a more casual view of the attack, which
U.S. authorities blamed on operatives of Osama bin Laden. He suggested that
the U.S. ship should never have been there in the first place, and that by
docking in an Islamic country, had committed an "act of war." The bombing,
John implied, was a justified response. Lindh says he was "concerned" by his
son's views, but felt that since John was an adult, there was little he could
do to change them. "It was clear he had developed a different point of view,"
says Lindh. "My days of molding him were over."
Then there's this, from an earlier
Newsweek piece:
When asked if he supported the September 11 attacks, [John Walker Lindh]
hesitated. "That requires a pretty long and complicated explanation. I haven't
eaten for two or three days, and my mind is not really in shape to give you
a coherent answer." When pressed, he said, "Yes, I supported it."
And of course John himself admits, in the "statement
of facts" that he signed as part of his plea
agreement (links in PDF form), that he "traveled to the al-Farooq training
camp, a facility associated with Usama Bin Laden," and "participated
fully in its training activities, including courses in weapons, orienteering,
navigation, explosives and battlefield combat."
That John Walker Lindh is a criminal is not his father's fault, and one can
sympathize with a parent whose child has gone bad. But Frank Lindh's efforts
to wrap his son in the flag are an affront to common sense and good taste. "opinionjournal"
11:48:00 AM 
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