Scales In Defense Of President Obama

Dear Mr. Editor,

I was interested to view my good friend Mr.Dida Halake's comments regarding, the release on compassionate grounds, of convicted " Lockerbie "...Bomber

 Mr. Al Magrahi of Libya. Having spent many years following the story and being a distant eye witness to the event and its aftermath....Perhaps you could run that story I wrote once again......

Dida, who has been an ever increasing telephone companion of mine, often phones me to enquire of my health and we have shared some very interesting but brief conversations on matters of mutual interest. I find him to be a very kind and considerate man.

I would agree with his support for the release of Mr.al Magrahi...but perhaps not for the same reasons.

Dida makes some of his usual broad and sweeping statements, which give away a significant bias against the British legal system and against President Obama. I would take issue on both these points.

 The British Welsh/Scottish legal system, like any other legal system or indeed any man made system, does make mistakes on occasion...but it would be unfair to slant a bias towards all British court cases to be "suspect".This is just not the case and to say this is unfair.

 The situation for President Obama is a very difficult one. Again it is unfair to say that all he has done is change the color of skin in the Whitehouse and that he his failing to bring about the "Change" on which he was elected.

 Feelings amongst the families of the majority of those lost on Pan Am flight 103, {the majority were American's}..runs very deep after 21 years.

Feelings amongst the British parents who lost sons and daughters is a little more mixed and supportive to Mr.al Megrahi, on the basis that there is some doubt that the conviction may not have been "Safe"

 Mr.Al Megraghi had filed an appeal against his conviction which started through the judicial process many years ago. This is a very difficult case to appeal and requires the introduction of new and substantive evidence in the Defendants cause.

 However the appeals process in any case, and especially one as complicated as this one, could take or would have taken many more years.

On this point I would agree that The Scottish Minister for Justice, may have considered that Mr.al Megraghi would have probably died before the final outcome was known.

Mr.Al Megraghi is said to now have only 3 months to live suffering from terminal cancer.

 I therefore think that it is not unreasonable for him to return home to die on Compassionate grounds. { Bearing in mind that in months or years to come..his appeal may have been successful.}

 Secondly, Britain is far more experienced than America when it comes to terrorist atrocities on our mainland.

The conflict in Northern Ireland is one with many casualties and significant wounds to find a healing process.

I once employed a family man with two children..living in the Scottish borders {in Hiding}

who was the only survivor of a massacre In Newry Northern Ireland. Some 12 men were returning home from work on a bus late one evening. The bus was stopped by masked terrorists

They were all lined up beside the bus and shot by machine gun fire. The Gentleman I knew was the only one to survive.

He had 58 bullet wounds. There was still one bullet lodged so close to his heart that it could not be surgically removed. Sadly the man died one day when his van broke down and he was trying to push the vehicle off the road. He suffered a heart attack and died instantly.

 Terrorism is the modern scourge of man....It is only man who can find the lasting solution.

 Under the "Good Friday" peace accord reached after decades of fighting.....many terrorists were released and accorded a similar status as prisoners of War. This was a very brave step on behalf of The British government....and one that has so far borne much hope and chance of reconciliation. Though the tensions still exist....the peace process and the chance of progress and return to Law and Order..is very much in evidence.

Goodwill should never be underestimated. Reconciliation should never be denied.

 I therefore agree with Dida Halake,  upon the release of Mr.al Megraghi and trust much sympathy be given to the position of President Obama and to all the families and loved ones lost, here and everywhere in the world. Our thoughts go out to those who will always be fondly remembered, here in this much regretted act of abdominal inhumanity, and to so many more...yet to be perpetrated.    Why?

Trust it is of interest. Hope your well.....and congratulations on so many invitations...Keep up the standard and the quality.

                                                                                                        I remain Michael U.K.