The first story is a bit of a surprise. The second, another in a series of stories on Dick Cheney is not. And the third, on Gitmo and the detainees continues. President Obama also suggests ‘loose nuclear materials’ will be secured in four years. Funny how US Presidents always seem to provide time lines that coincide with the election cycle for the term of the office they hold. Doesn’t do much for the public confidence factor. Is Obama’s stance on Gitmo based on a reasonable approach, his own personal opinion or the concern that not closing the facility will break one more campaign promise to his followers?
The bomb plot story has a time line indicating it is a legacy operation from the Bush Administration. You remember him. The President many love to bash yet are willing to forget he kept the US safe since 9/11 along with the man in the second story listed here by the name of Dick Cheney. BTW, another story indicates Cheney’s popularity in the polls has risen since his return to public discourse on the topic of terrorism. And another story suggests ‘the muscle’ for the GOP resides in Cheney, Limbaugh and Gingrich. Another ‘funny’ item in the sense of interesting or unusual is that President Obama mentions in the third story presented here that his number one job is to keep America safe.
A familiar pattern seems to be emerging here. Other reports suggest Obama cannot distance himself from items associated with the previous administration no matter how hard he may try. He has at least altered action of promises made to his legions of followers and been criticized by them for not being to the left enough. His actions would indicate he agrees there is some wisdom in what Bush and Cheney accomplished yet he cannot bring himself to say it. But his actions reflect that at times. And yet the left side of politics continues to bash the past and criticize the present. While the rest of us realize things weren’t so bad during the Bush years. Sure, there were reasons to be concerned. One example would be Bush pushing the shamnesty immigration policy that was soundly defeated by public outrage. The fall from grace on fiscal discipline is another. But the number one job as described by Obama in the third story here was a complete success.
Those who support keeping Gitmo open and handling the detainee question as in the Bush years express the notion that it has worked. Those who oppose it suggest their is something wrong, immoral or impractical about it. Try this parallel. The use of self-defense in protecting one’s life and the lives of others. No reasonable person wishes to kill another. But sometimes it is necessary. Consider you have a weapon in your possession. An armed intruder violates the sanctity of your home and the scenario places you face to face with the threat. As the intruder raises his weapon toward you there are two choices. It might be nice to talk it over and find a mutually agreeable resolution to this conflict. But most reasonable people would understand the intruder already made his decision which leaves you with one choice. It is unfortunate. But not unlike the Gitmo and other terrorism questions choosing the ‘nice’ choice may end your life or the lives of others.
Try stirring that ingredient into your humble pie.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
New York Bomb Plot Suspects to Appear in Court
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By VOA News
21 May 2009 |
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Four men arrested in an alleged plot to blow up a synagogue, a Jewish community center, and U.S. warplanes are expected to appear in federal court Thursday in White Plains, New York.
Federal prosecutors say New York City authorities arrested the men Wednesday, following a year-long undercover operation. In a statement Wednesday, prosecutors say the suspects tried to buy plastic explosives from an undercover FBI informant to use in an attack on a New York synagogue.
They are also accused of trying to obtain surface-to-air missiles to attack military planes at an Air National Guard Base near New York City.
Federal prosecutors say the four men have been charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. They have also been charged with conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles.
Officials say three of the defendants are U.S. citizens and one is of Haitian descent.
Authorities say one suspect, James Cromitie, told an informant that his parents once lived in Afghanistan and that he was angry about the killings of Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. military forces.
The other three suspects are David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen.
A local newspaper, the Times Herald-Record, says an area mosque leader has described one of the men, 21-year-old Payen, as a “strange kid” with “a lot of psychological problems.” The newspaper quotes mosque leader Hamin Rashada as saying Payen would occasionally attend services and that his statements on Islam often had to be corrected.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
Cheney Says Harsh Interrogation Was ‘The Right Thing to Do’
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By VOA News
21 May 2009 |
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Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has defended the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation methods, saying they were necessary to get information from terrorists and save American lives.
In a speech Thursday at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, Cheney said President Barack Obama and other officials have largely “mischaracterized” the previous administration’s approval of such techniques.
He said they were “essential,” “justified,” “successful,” and the “right thing to do” and that they prevented the violent deaths of thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands of people.
The former vice president, who played a major role in crafting U.S. anti-terrorist policies under George W. Bush, said the methods were always given legal review before approved and that torture was never permitted.
President Obama says the Bush-approved simulated drowning technique known as water-boarding was torture and vows to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Cheney has sharply criticized Mr. Obama’s national security policies, saying he is making the United States more vulnerable to terror attacks.
Former Vice President Cheney has said he has made a request to declassify two CIA memos that he says outlines, in detail, the successes that came from using harsh techniques during interrogation of terror suspects.
Obama Defends Decision to Close Guantanamo Prison
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By VOA News
21 May 2009 |
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Al-Qaida actively planning to attack US
U.S. President Barack Obama says al-Qaida is actively planning to attack the United States again.
In a speech in Washington Thursday, Mr Obama said these are “extraordinary times” for the country, fighting two wars and facing a range of challenges. He said his single most important responsibility as president is to keep the American people safe.
The president said the U.S. must use all its elements of power to defeat the threat posed by al-Qaida terrorists, and he added that steps have already been taken to ensure the country is secure.
Addressing an audience of senior Cabinet officials and members of Congress, Mr. Obama said these steps include providing the necessary resources to fight the extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001, and investing in military and intelligence capabilities. He also said his administration has “re-energized” a global effort to curb proliferation of nuclear weapons - in the president’s words, “to deny the world’s most dangerous people access to the world’s deadliest weapons.”
Mr. Obama said all “loose” nuclear materials in the world should be secure within four years.
He said the United States is better protecting its borders and increasing its preparedness for any future attacks or natural disasters. The United States is building new partnerships around the world, the president said, “to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida and its affiliates.”
Mr. Obama said the United States has renewed American diplomacy, so that the U.S. once again has the “strength and standing to truly lead the world.”
Obama defends decision to close Guantanamo prison
President Obama has defended his decision to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying the facility set back the moral authority of the United States.
Although hundreds of people have been detained at Guantanamo during the past seven years, Mr. Obama said, the military commissions set up to try those detainees have handled only three cases.
Continued operation of the prison at Guantanamo has “weakened” U.S. national security, according to Mr. Obama, who announced his intention to transfer some of those held in Cuba to so-called “supermax” prisons - ultra-secure detention facilities - in the United States.
The president’s plan to close Guantanamo by January of next year has attracted widespread criticism in the United States from those who oppose the transfer of dangerous suspects to U.S. states.
Mr. Obama pledged that his administration will not release anyone who would endanger U.S. national security or the American people.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has sharply criticized Mr. Obama’s policies on Guantanamo and other issues, also is speaking out on national-security issues Thursday.
Mr. Obama says the Guantanamo detention camp has been an obstacle to getting allies to cooperate with the United States in fighting worldwide extremism.
He described the prison as a “mess” and said it was a “misguided experiment” begun by the administration of former President George W. Bush.
Mr. Obama said all pending cases at Guantanamo will be reviewed.
US Must Not Abandon Principles
President Obama has said that after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States entered a new era, in which enemies did not abide by any laws of war and presented new challenges to the application of U.S. law.
Mr. Obama said the government needs new tools to protect the American people, prevent terrorist attacks and prosecute those who carry them out.
He said that faced with an uncertain threat to the United States after the September 11 attacks, the government made a series of hasty decisions in an effort to protect Americans, and did so based on fear rather than foresight.
He said the U.S. cannot afford to set aside its principles, something he accused both Democrats and Republicans of doing.
President Obama called on both parties to take a new approach, rejecting torture and recognizing the imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The president said the United States needs to update its institutions to deal with the threat of extremism, but must do so within the the rule of law and with due process, checks and balances and accountability.
President Obama said the legal approach for fighting terrorism over the last eight years was neither effective nor sustainable, and failed to adhere to America’s values.
Mr. Obama said that is why he chose to ban so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, such as water-boarding. He said he rejects the assertion that such methods are the most effective means of interrogation.
He said they undermine the law, alienate the U.S. internationally, and increase the enemies’ will to fight.
Some detainees to be tried in US federal courts
President Obama says whenever feasible, detainees at Guantanamo who have violated American criminal laws will be tried in American federal courts.
Mr. Obama noted that terrorists including Zaccarias Moussaoui, identified as the 20th hijacker in the September 11 attacks, was convicted in a U.S. court and is serving a life prison sentence.
He said detainees who violate the laws of war will be tried through military commissions, saying such panels have a history in the United States dating back to the first U.S. president and the Revolutionary War.
The president said his administration is bring the commissions in line with the rule of law, instead of using what he called the same “flawed” commissions of the last seven years.
Many challenges remain before closure of prison
President Obama says there are detainees at Guantanamo who in effect “remain at war” with the United States.
He acknowledged challenges in closing the facility, and said his goal is to construct a legitimate legal framework for Guantanamo detainees.
He said the toughest decision on the closure is what to do with detainees who cannot be prosecuted but yet pose what he called a “clear danger” to the American people.
The president said if the U.S. determines it must hold someone indefinitely to prevent a terror attack, then it must be done with a system that involves judicial and congressional oversight.
Review of state secret doctrine nears completion
President Obama says his administration is nearing completion of a thorough review of the state secret doctrine.
Mr. Obama noted the doctrine has been used for many decades by presidents to challenge legal cases involving secret programs. He said the practice is “absolutely necessary” to protect national security, but he is concerned that it has been overused.
He said governments must not protect information merely because it reveals violations of the law or embarrasses the government.
The Dream Act has been around for a while and like the shamnesty defeat in the summer of 2007 it has been shot down once. Together with yes votes on bailouts any member of Congress voting for shamnesty risks defeat in 2010 unless they are secure in a liberal saturated district willing to open all borders and ignore the rule of law.
Although the report below can be characterized as disappointing is it really a surprise or shock? You don’t really believe most campaign promises do you? And when is the last time a politician told you there would be transparency, open government, oversight, accountability, disclosure or ethics in government that actually came to pass? (the next story while expected is of more consequence)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Tuesday regarding the President’s announcement of his intent to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court:
Speaker Pelosi has made claims the CIA lied to her or mislead her in briefings she attended as far back as 2002. A common opinion on the entire matter suggests Pelosi had a bit of a meltdown on realizing that her party’s intent to prosecute individuals who used EIT may cause her problems if it were learned that she did not oppose the use of EIT based on prior knowledge from briefings and the like or worse that she approved of them in the past.
Below the news stories presented here are press releases from Nancy Pelosi touting her manufactured concern about ethics. She pounded the idea of a New Direction for America she claimed was the mandate from the public after Dems defeated the GOP in midterm elections in 2006. Among the never ending diatribe from this Speaker of the House was a constant reminder that Washington would be transparent, there was an end to a culture of corruption and that liberals had passed the strongest ethics legislation in a generation. Why Rep Rob Bishop needed to introduce a measure to investigate Pelosi when there is a mechanism for this within Congress seems to indicate what one might expect. Pelosi was talkin’ stupid since the beginning and only now do her words place her in serious jeopardy. But the outcome in Congress reported here only demonstrates that Dems will talk ethics but not conduct themselves in an ethical manner.
Although the report below is brief the less than subtle omission by one of Ahmadinejad’s challengers to reject the holocaust denial renders him just another thug cut from the same cloth. How difficult is it to draw the conclusion that this is simply more Iranian dinner theatre attempting to portray their country as something other than what it is. Just one more haven for the ‘religion of peace’ focused on Middle East power, nuclear extortion or worse as well as the destruction of Israel and infidels in general.