Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader first heard yesterday about Zacarias Moussaoui getting life in prison without parole from an e-mail from our friend and loyal minion, r Rusty Shackelford. The good Doctor and his co-bloggers have the best round-up of links about this story (as is always the case it seems).

Your Maximum Leader had blogged earlier about how he didn’t think Moussaoui should get the death penalty. He still believes this to be the case - based on what he’s read of the case. (NB: Your Maximum Leader will freely admit that if he had full access to everything presented in court his opinion may have been different.) That being said, your Maximum Leader is concerned about what the jury felt might be a mitigating circumstance. Namely that Moussaoui’s unfortunate childhood and poor upbringing somehow lessens the fact that he did plot to kill many thousands of Americans. It is distressing if this is, in fact, a key reason for the jury sparing Moussaoui’s life.

What every happened to free will and people being responsible for their actions?

Carry on.