Adam Gadahn is one of only 30 people to ever be charged with treason in the US. Photograph: FBI/AP
The first American to be charged with treason in 50 years sparks much debate on the blogosphere.
Adam Gadahn, a 28-year-old from California, joins a very select group as only 30 people have ever been charged with treason in the US.
Mr Gadahn, who is accused of giving "al Qaida aid and comfort ... with intent to betray the US" by appearing in videos calling for attacks on US targets, could be sentenced to death if convicted.
Of course, the US has to catch him first as he is believed to living in Pakistan, a fact that provokes ironic mirth from the Girl on the Right blog bearing the logo, 'Conservative girls are hot'.
Girl on the Right thinks it's about time someone was hit with a treason charge and lists other candidates - Michael Moore, the director of Fahrenheit 9/11; Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist, and Sean Penn, the Hollywood star. It's unclear whether Girl on the Right has her tongue in her cheek or not.
Earthling Concerned wonders why now, and why Mr Gadahn and not someone like John Walker Lindh, currently serving a life sentence for supporting terrorist organisations.
The Los Angeles Times provides a possible answer. The paper says the indictment, expected for months, was unsealed less than a month before the midterm elections, in which national security is a major issue.
"The timing of the charges fuelled suspicions that the case was being made public to showcase the government's success in pursuing alleged terrorists," the LA Times says.
The Big Lizards blog hopes large portions of the trial (should it happen) are broadcast on C-Span television. "It would be instructive, not only to loyal Americans, but to those loyal to a baser cause."
An entry on the Smirking Chimp blog (an unflattering reference to George Bush) takes a very different view. Aussiedawg believes the US should try its leaders for treason. The Another Day in the Empire blog notes that it is notoriously difficult to make treason charges stick and reminds us that the most famous treason trial in the US, that of Aaron Burr in 1807, resulted in acquittal.
