A little background...
Al-Megrahi had been convicted of 'involvement' with the bombing and was sentenced to prison in Scotland for the rest of his life. The bombing, which is also frequently referred to as the Lockerbie bombing or Lockerbie air disaster, took the lives of 189 Americans including multiple university-aged students from around the United States and four or five (it was never confirmed publicly to my knowledge) U.S. Intelligence Officers. Also lost were 16 crew members, the UN Commissioner for Namibia, a number of prominent UK artists, eleven residents of Lockerbie where the plane fell to the ground, and the loved ones of hundreds of people who bid their fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends goodbye on that day not knowing that they would later watch what was left of their physical presence on Earth rise into the sky in the form of smoke and ash. I apologize for the image, but in order for you to see this story in the way that I do, it is essential that you picture the complete, untainted reality of the situation.
Beyond the fact that Al-Megrahi apparently helped bomb a civilian airplane and forgetting that an act of terrorism, no matter how violent, is still a punishable act of unnecessary, cold-hearted evil, there were 270 innocent lives taken on that fateful day. Imagine 270 of your closest comrades or relatives being taken from you in a flash without warning, without reason, and without resolution. I understand that Al-Megrahi is suffering from terminal cancer that is supposed to leave him dead within in the next three months. I understand that it is highly unlikely that he was the sole actor in this situation and that it may forever be unclear whether or not Al-Megrahi acted alone. Yet, what I do not understand is how anyone, no matter how removed they are from the situation, could release this man from life-imprisonment knowing that he was heavily involved with the act that resulted in the brutal murder of 270 innocent people from across the globe. This act of terrorism is not isolated. Acts of terrorism do not occur in a vacuum. The horror, the anger, the threat of a situation like this permeates the world and strikes all people who are aware of the incident with a sudden realization that no man can be safe with fanatical killers like Al-Megrahi roaming our streets. I am sorry if this sounds harsh and I extend my greatest sympathy to the family of Al-Megrahi because it is quite likely that they have felt a loss quite similar to those who will never see their loved ones again as a result of the Libyan terrorist's actions. However, I am not sorry that he was sentenced to life in prison and I will never cease to believe that unleashing a MURDERER, not just a terrorist, but a MASS-MURDERER back into society because of an ailment is just absolutely abominable. Three months is a loose time-frame. For all we know, Al-Megrahi could be enjoying Libyan sit-com's and sipping cocktails a year from now because sometimes miracles happen. Yet, where is the miracle for those whose lives were viciously taken on December 21, 1988? Will those who lost their friends and relatives on that fateful day too be set free from the unseen shackles that have held them down and jailed them since Al-Megrahi bombed that airplane?
The 270 men, women, and children who passed away on that day will never be set free from their premature deaths. Their loved ones will never be set free from the unwarranted, malicious actions of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. And yet, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi walks free to enjoy his last days on this Earth in his home country with his family knowing that those he murdered were never given the opportunity to do the same.
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