9/11 lead defendant Khalid Shaik Mohammad, in the Guantanamo Bay courtroom. (Sketch by Janet Hamlin)

A schedule conflict prevented me from traveling to Guantanamo Bay last week, but I will be in Ft. Meade on Monday to observe one day of hearings in the 9/11: Khalid Shaikh Mohammad et al. case. These are truly historic proceedings from so many perspectives including legal, cultural, and political, and I am glad to have the opportunity to Observe.  Paul Schilling reported directly from Guantanamo last week, and Matt Kubal will be doing the same this week.  Their posts have contributed, and I have no doubt will contribute to the mission of the Military Commission Observation Project and I hope mine will do the same.

Travel:

I left Indianapolis around 2pm, it was sunny and in the 60s.  I saw people in shorts and t shirts as I drove through Fountain Square and onto 70 East, where I would spend the next 9 or so hours.  Professor Lemmer referenced the “Guantanamo Diary” in one of her posts. It is a book written by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a current detainee at Guantanamo Bay. I was able to listen to a few hours of it on the drive out east.  I won’t turn this into a book review, but I highly recommend it.   The book certainly helped pass the time, and the perspective it provides, I imagine, is unlike any other.  The drive gave me a lot of time to reflect and the substance of the book certainly provided plenty of food for thought. I arrived at my parents’ house around 11:30 pm, it was pitch black and parts of the ground were still covered in snow.

Fountain Square, Indianapolis at 2 pm. Sunny and in the 60s

Leaving the city.

About 9 hours on 70 East took me past Columbus, Pittsburgh as well as through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Still plenty of snow on the ground in Hanover, PA

Getting ready for tomorrow’s hearing.

I am staying at my parents’ house who live an hour and a half from Ft. Meade.  I plan on getting up in the morning in time to arrive at Ft. Meade by 8:00 am.  In the meantime I’ve been reviewing the manual, recent transcripts, and some of the ae400 Motion documents.  One of the hearings tomorrow is expected to deal with the ae400 Motion.  The ae400 Motion was filed by members of the media stating that certain information was improperly withheld from the public.  Mr. Kubal should be posting shortly with some background on the ae400 Motion, and I hope to provide a substantive overview of the hearing on the ae400 mid-week.