Take the iconic "I Love New York" poster and plunge a dagger into its heart. That's what the Obama administration is doing by bringing the mastermind of 9/11 and other terror freaks here for trial.

We don't deserve this. Why are we being punished again?

Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to ship Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Manhattan for federal trials is beyond bad judgment.

It is a radical call that puts his leftist legal theories over public safety and common sense. The war on terror is being relabeled as a crime problem, in the very shadow of Ground Zero.

Mohammed and his murderous crew don't belong in civilian courts, where they will get defendant rights designed for ordinary criminal suspects. They declared war on our nation, were captured on foreign battlefields and deserve no presumption of innocence or other constitutional protections.

They'll use our liberties to turn the trial into propaganda for their warped cause. Their images and words will fly around the world as fodder for a new generation of jihadists. The federal courthouse and detention center will become a fortress. The judge, prosecutors, witnesses, federal agents and jury will need protection, some for years. It's madness.

New York already took a big hit for the team. The 9/11 attacks were aimed at America, and it is sacrilege to the dead and the living to bring these defendants back and invite another attack.
Here's an idea: Put the trial in Chicago.

The timing reveals Holder's tin ear, with some of the 13 soldiers massacred by a comrade-turned-terrorist at Fort Hood not yet buried. It's hard to escape the thought he chose the day because Obama was in Asia and could duck blame.

Mayor Bloomberg's instant support is also suspect. Given his cozy relationship with Obama, it's likely Bloomberg's nod was obtained in advance and Holder held the announcement until after last week's election. That way Bloomberg wouldn't have to face voters while backing this outlandish attack on his city.

And where is our congressional team, especially Senators Chuck Schumer and his amanuensis, Kirsten Gillibrand? Oh, I forgot, out fighting for banking rules that will hamstring Wall Street and for a health-care plan that will wreck city and state budgets, hospitals and insurance companies.
Whose team are they on, Obama's or New York's?

We already know about Holder's fishy sense of justice. He OK'd the pardon of fugitive Marc Rich, is now investigating CIA agents who played hardball with terrorists, and wants to give those bloodthirsty maniacs rights they don't deserve.

The worst-case outcome is frightening. The beasts who helped kill nearly 3,000 Americans could walk free, while the brave agents who protected the country get locked up.

And contrary to press reports, Holder didn't commit to seeking the death penalty, saying only he expects to. He also didn't say what the charges would be.
Do you trust him? Neither do I.
There are two better alternatives. Either try the detainees in military courts on secure bases or, best of all, give them death now. Mohammed and some others already acknowledged guilt and said they were ready to die.

I say we take yes for an answer.

Michael Goodwin is a New York Post columnist and Fox News contributor. To continue reading his column, click here.