Have they lost their minds?

Earlier today I listened to Attorney General Holder's opening remarks during his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr Holder was absolutely eloquent in his explanation of how he came to the decision to bring the 9/11 conspirators to trial in New York City. "These are cases that have to be won," Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I'm not scared of what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would say at trial, and no one else needs to be afraid, either. I know we are at war. We need not cower in the face of the enemy. No more delay. It is past time to finally act."

The problem comes in comparing bringing these conspirators to trial in a civilian court with bringing the Blind Sheik to trial after the 1993 WTC bombings. In 1993 the case was handled, soup to nuts, as a criminal matter. That includes rules of evidence and the proper handling of the purported criminals.

From the start of the search for the 9/11 conspirators it was handled as a military effort with different rules of evidence and no requirement to mirandize any suspects. Since things were handled so differently how can we not be concerned that vital evidence, collected in appropriate method by the military, will not be tossed out on a technicality? The proper way to handle these individuals at this point is using a military tribunal, who's rules of evidence have been followed as well as their rules for handling these war criminals. To do any less is to chance their release on a technicality that no one wants to see, or do they? There is a difference, Mr. Holder, between cowering and being concerned by someone acting irresponsibly. Especially when they hold your family's safety in their hands.

Pre 9/11 mindset?

I continue to hear that certain people in this country have reverted to a pre-9/11 mindset. That is to say that they no longer see the need to retain enhanced security procedures at airports, seaports and other ports of entry. They see no reason to secure our borders to the best of our abilities and they think that to do so is more about racism than security.

I hate to say this but they do not have a pre-9/11 mindset. In actuality they have a pre-11/4/79 mindset. These people have forgotten that there are people out there, who have proven themselves for decades, that hate anything and anyone American simply because they are American.

The worst part, to me, is that our current administration seems to be full to over-flowing with these people. They have reverted to the Carter-era political tactic of attempting to molly coddle people who are our enemies by constantly attempting to find common ground with people who are more interested in gaining precious time to buy/build more weapons than they are in finding agreement with ANY western nation. These people, though they wear the costume of the 21st century, still live with a 17th century mindset. They honestly believe that they are going to bring about the world's salvation through the slaughter of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people of all races. Yet there are numerous people in the Obama administration that believe that if they can only talk to these people one on one they can come to agreements that will satisfy everyone, much like the Carter administration believed in the late 70's.

Albert Einstein is purported to have said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Perhaps those in Washington need to be reminded of Einstein's genius.

The problem with treating terrorists as criminals

I am saddened to report that a United States federal judge has sentenced an admitted member of Al-Qaida to a mere eight years in prison because of treatment that he received while in a Navy brig.  According to the AP U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm stated, "I believe based on everything that I have heard that you truly do not regret what you did and that you would do it again after you go home," But in a stinging critique of government interrogation techniques that included threats to have al-Marri's family rounded up in Saudi Arabia, the judge also said he would reduce al-Marri's sentence "My personal belief as a judge is that that was totally unacceptable, That's not who we are."

While some of the tactics used against this man are absurd in the extreme it is no less absurd than treating someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to kill as many Americans as possible as a simple criminal.  These people don't give a tinker's damn whether or not we want to be friends with them or that we are going to take a live and let live attitude.  They want to kill us simply because we do not share the same religious beliefs.  They want to kill us because women can wear whatever attire they want to, because women are allowed not only to get education but because they are allowed to get higher education, because people have free speech and the freedom of religion and the freedom to associate with whomever they wish.  

Until and unless Americans come to the realization that these people are not simply criminals, that they are enemy combatants, that since they are not wearing a uniform it would be entirely legal, by international treaty, for our military to execute them on the battlefield, we will continue to have to worry about further attacks on our nation.  Unfortunately it seems like the majority of the American public has no grasp of the situation that we have found ourselves in so the attacks will continue.  Our federal agents will have to continue their 100% interception rate because even a 1% error rate will put all of us in an astounding amount of danger.  As long as the powers that be continue to treat this as a criminal issue rather than the act(s) of war that it is the American public will not wake up.  Unfortunately that means that we will probably have to endure another attack before the giant reawakens.