Archive for the ‘Military’ Category
Military Tribunal For KSM? Hmmmm….. –UPDATED
Thursday, March 4th, 2010The Washington Post reports (via HotAir) that Kahlid Sheik Mohammed will now be getting a military tribunal:
President Obama’s advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, be prosecuted in a military tribunal, administration officials said, a step that would reverse Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.’s plan to try him in civilian court in New York City.
The president’s advisers feel increasingly hemmed in by bipartisan opposition to a federal trial in New York and demands, mainly from Republicans, that Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators remain under military jurisdiction, officials said. While Obama has favored trying some alleged terrorists in civilian courts as a symbol of U.S. commitment to the rule of law, critics have said military tribunals are the appropriate venue for those accused of attacking the United States.
If Obama accepts the likely recommendation of his advisers, the White House may be able to secure from Congress the funding and legal authority it needs to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and replace it with a facility within the United States. The administration has failed to meet a self-imposed one-year deadline to close Guantanamo.
Hmmmm….
A couple thoughts: First, there is the assumption flying around Twitter that Attorney General Holder made this decision on his own and that Obama will roll the bus over him for this ill-advised decision. Personally, I think President Obama knew and agreed. That doesn’t mean that Holder won’t be the sacrificial lamb. It does mean that Obama’s initial decision to try KSM in New York was political and now, the one to give him a military trial is also political.
Second, I’m not sure that this military trial gets him the prison in Illinois so he can close Guantanemo. The issues still remain: scary terrorists on American soil. Americans don’t want them here. Giving KSM a military trial will only seem like a common-sense solution to a dumb decision in the first place.
Closing Guantanemo is also perceived as a dumb decision. It’s not like a military tribunal changes that for the American people.
Really, what the President needs to do is take big, fat bite of humble pie and just admit he was wrong about this whole situation. Since he likes to blame so much, he can throw allies under the bus and say that no one is willing to bear the burden of housing these miscreants and since America must bear the burden, an island away from American citizens is the place for them.
The American people better understand now the rationale for Guantanemo. The press actively tried to harm President Bush by making the prison look evil, when in fact it was a sensible solution to the problem facing stateless terrorists presents.
With the press on his side, Obama can shift the narrative about Guantanemo Bay. He can say he’s made reforms, yadda, yadda and let it go.
Will the leftist loons be happy? Hell no. But guess what? Obama could use the political win of distancing himself from the nutters. Putting the whole Guantanemo issue to rest would do that.
For what it’s worth, I don’t see Holder leaving. I see him saying that he’s seen the light, i.e. seen it President Obama’s way. And that will be enough for everyone, since no one seems to inclined to question these jokers.
Dan Riehl wonders how this will all happen.
UPDATED:
Michelle Malkin reminds everyone of KSM’s confession and much more. She says:
Along with KSM, the Gitmo detainees whom Holder had planned to dump in Big Apple courtrooms were Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni; Walid bin Attash, also a Yemeni; Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, a Pakistani who is Mohammed’s nephew; and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, a Saudi. They were first arraigned in June 2008.
Michelle notes the pressure that the families put on the administration…and even the people of liberal New York City. This was a disastrous decision when it was made.
Like I said, I keep thinking this administration is smarter…but no.
New Logo For Missile Defense Agency Looks Like A Combo Of Obama’s Logo & Islam Logo
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010UPDATED: Cdr Salamander broke this story and said:
Can we agree that there is at least 1 thing that is 100% right and 100% wrong for the armed forces of a Representative Republic; the armed forces should never adopt in whole or in an obviously derivative manner any symbol of a domestic political party, organization, or movement?
Can we at least find common ground there?
Sigh. Always angling, these people. Jammie Wearing Fool has pictures of the old and new Missile Defense logos. Go take a look.
Then, come back and look at this:
Put it all together and you have the new Missile Defense Agency logo:
What a strange logo. Morph Obama’s logo with the Islam crescent, shake it in a can….
President Obama Calls Out The Supreme Court And The Military #SOTU
Thursday, January 28th, 2010President Obama indulged himself multiple times throughout his speech. Two indulgences actually elicited outraged and/or stony reaction from those he targeted.
First, the Supreme Court. President Obama opined about the separation of powers and then he launched. Here’s how Allah characterizes it [video at the link]:
When you hear the president of the United States demagoging the First Amendment, you sit there and you take it, son.
I was U-streaming during the speech at that time and was stunned. I asked the listeners the question that Randy Barnett asked (via Instapundit):
In the history of the State of the Union has any President ever called out the Supreme Court by name, and egged on the Congress to jeer a Supreme Court decision, while the Justices were seated politely before him surrounded by hundreds Congressmen? To call upon the Congress to countermand (somehow) by statute a constitutional decision, indeed a decision applying the First Amendment? What can this possibly accomplish besides alienating Justice Kennedy who wrote the opinion being attacked.
Barrett calls Obama’s outburst a “shocking lack of decorum”. That’s an understatement. Dan Riehl rightly notes that if this segment becomes the focus of the speech, it’s bad for Obama.
My second question after this nonsense was, “Who the hell does this guy think he is?” To my mind, he is just a President. He is a man like any other. He will come and go and grow and fade like any other President. We have Carter, Clinton, Bush I and GW Bush walking the planet like men. Former presidents, certainly. Worthy of respect for holding the office, definitely. Still, they are men.
Barack Obama is just a man. He diminishes himself and the office of the Presidency by being so disrespectful to another branch of the government.
Obama’s disrespect of the Supreme Court is, shall we say, unprecedented.
And then, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell pander.
President Obama has taken heat from gays because he’s basically told them to wait their turn–mostly because any gay special rights issues tick off Americans. That President Obama spoke of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell last night tells me two things:
One, he knows that it will irritate Americans generally and military-types specifically, but figures he has nothing to lose.
Two, he thinks gay people are stupid. He knows that what he blabs about may or may not change anything, but saying something is symbolic. Liberals love symbolic. He cares. Or at least he’s hoping that works. It worked for Clinton.
President Obama ain’t President Clinton.
Lying came to Bill Clinton like bacon to, well, any food, but Obama’s prevarications, cast in the hauteur of John Kerry does not work. It just pisses people off.
Or so one might think, but what do I know? As to the possibility that we are embarking on this social experiment in war time because Obama dropped the ball on health care and needs to play to his base, well, I’m sure the politics had nothing to do with this and Obama is motivated exclusively by his belief that this is the Right Thing To Do. In any case, talk is cheap – let’s see whether Obama pushes to get this done, or blames mysterious forces and Evil Republicans (who control the Senate by 41-59) when nothing happens.
The Generals on the front row (not unlike the Supreme Court) sat, stony-faced while President Obama garnered a standing “O” from the Dem side. They know what the policy will mean for the military.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama asked Congress to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. I am immensely proud of, and thankful for, every American who wears the uniform of our country, especially at a time of war, and I believe it would be a mistake to repeal the policy.
This successful policy has been in effect for over 15 years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels. We have the best trained, best equipped, and most professional force in the history of our country, and the men and women in uniform are performing heroically in two wars. At a time when our armed forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy.
Code: I’m proud of the gay people serving, too. We are at war. This is a bad idea.
I had no opinion about gays in the military, really, and wondered why it was a big deal. Steve Schippert, a former marine, explained it to me and what it would do for recruiting and cohesion. So, okay.
Here’s the thing: The military is not civilian life. The point is to win wars not change society.
In both the case of the SCOTUS call out and the gays in the military pander, the President made a big mistake. There is only downside for these actions. He has provoked a power equal to his. He has made a promise that it’s doubtful he can keep.
Why do this? Desperation or dummy, either answer is not a good one.
Christiane Amanpour Gets Tortured With Enhanced Truth From Marc Theissen
Thursday, January 21st, 2010One of the more interesting parts of the Scott Brown campaign was his defense of enhanced interrogation techniques. The Massachusetts voters approve of them, and him. Says Andy McCarthy:
It was health care that nationalized the special election for what we now know is the people’s Senate seat. But it was national security that put real distance between Scott Brown and Martha Coakley. “People talk about the potency of the health-care issue,” Brown’s top strategist, Eric Fehrnstrom, told National Review’s Robert Costa, “but from our own internal polling, the more potent issue here in Massachusetts was terrorism and the treatment of enemy combatants.” There is a powerful lesson here for Republicans, and here’s hoping they learn it.
One of the great frustrations of the Bush years was the fact that the administration had strong national-defense and counterterrorism policies that it shied away from defending. On enhanced-interrogation tactics, for example, President Bush’s position resonates with most Americans: When the nation is under siege, nothing is more important than getting life-saving intelligence. And, particularly when we are dealing with terrorists who are trained to resist interrogation and exploit our legal system, we must aggressively interrogate them and keep them out of our legal system. The opposing position, espoused most prominently by Sen. John McCain, was counterfactual and incoherent. Senator McCain pronounced both that enhanced interrogation (which he called “torture”) never works (which is patently untrue) and that an interrogator might at most use it in a ticking-bomb situation (the last situation in which you’d want to use it if, in fact, it never works).
It seems that the American people are getting an opportunity to compare and contrast the “keep America safe” techniques of President Bush and President Obama. President Obama is found wanting. And hypocritical. And ineffectual.
The press, though, continue to pound this “torture” meme. For once, Christiane Amanpour is stopped by Marc Theissen, author of the book Courting Disaster: How The CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting The Next Attack. Here’s the clip:
The American people are very sensible. They don’t want people randomly waterboarded. They also know that the government has water boarded precisely three (3) terrorists and none have been water boarded at Guantanemo Bay.
It is atrocious that the Crotchbomber in Michigan never got questioned. I watched the testimony on the hill from America’s leading defenders–Janet Napolitano, and the DHS and the rest of the defense guys and was appalled. I thought Jeff Sessions was going to have a heart attack, he was so angry. And rightly so.
The American people don’t need a news anchor telling them that the Khemer Rouge is the same as the CIA with three confirmed terrorists. The moral equivalence is appalling.
Department Of Homeland Security Commenting About Michael Yon’s Treatment
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010I haven’t written about Michael Yon’s mistreatment by the “border bullies“. So many people have written about the topic, it seemed unnecessary. I have followed Michael’s work all over the world. He’s solid. I have no reason to believe that he’s not putting forth the truth about the border folks. Besides, who hasn’t dealt with an over-zealous jerk in a position of authority? Hell, it seems to be a job requirement to be a flight attendant these days.
Anyway, over at Blackfive, some commenters have been defending the actions of DHS with Michael Yon. Laughing Wolf, who you’ll recall from my podcast about the treatment of PTSD by the V.A., did some digging and found that two sock-puppet commenters are coming from the same I.P. address within the Department of Homeland Security.
Interesting. Is this official tax-payer funded propaganda from within the DHS or is the commenter a rogue agent within the fold defending his co-worker’s honor?
Podcast: The Take That! Wrap-Up Of Chrysler, The Crotchbomber And Poor Ben Nelson
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
The “crotchbomber”, Chrysler, Blackwater, Healthcare, and the fact that Ben Nelson is in serious trouble are the topics of this week’s show.
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TSA: It’s Called Profiling, Do It–UPDATED
Saturday, December 26th, 2009
So, the TSA’s brilliant plan is to torture (in the liberal use of the word) all passengers to give us more of an illusion of safety. We weren’t safe before. Any moron would know that. And most people flying get that which is why they think about their own safety when boarding a plane. People take mental note now, of passengers, and go on with life–ready to act if necessary.
The solution to the terrorist problem is profiling. And then, actually use the profile.*
That’s right. Profiling. If a psychotic band of Christian, blond, blue-eyed teenage girls joined a death cult intent on killing people with laser beams blasting from their bras, guess what? I’d say search every blond teenage girl and leave the rest of the passengers stuck with airline travel alone.
As it is, this terror candidate was fairly obvious profile-wise. The UK Telegraph notes:
How can a Muslim student, whose name appears on a US law enforcement database, be granted a visa to travel to America, allegedly acquire an explosive device from Yemen, a country awash with al-Qaeda terrorists, and avoid detection from the world’s most sophisticated spy agencies?
Gee, why didn’t he make it easier and plaster a sign on his chest? But the thing is, TSA agents can’t be politically incorrect. Oh no! That might offend the sensibilities of middle eastern, Muslim garbed students everywhere. So granny gets X-rayed and searched and Abdullah, wearing Yemeni suicide bomber underwear makes it through he screening process unscathed.
After the Ft. Hood Muslim terrorist shooter basically trumpeted his intentions and was ignored by the military, I’d say it’s time to reevaluate our assessment of threat assessments.
It’s not enough to be on a watch list if no one is watching. It’s not enough to understand the terrorist profile if no one uses the profiling for fear of being called a bigot.
The enemy will get more subtle. Michael Haltman says:
Abdul Mutallab was charged today with trying to blow up an aircraft, and with willfully putting a destructive device onboard. The chemical that he had taped to his lower exteemities is PETN, also know as pentaerythritol. This chemical is reported to be one of the most powerful explosives, typically used in such devices as land mines.
In a test for future airport screening, the chemical was not picked up by magnetometers, and he was not forced to undergo a full body scan. The liquid that was used to attempt and ignite the chemical was below the ounce limit that would have prohibited it from be carried onboard.
I wonder how many old ladies or mothers were forced to do a full body scan. Why? Why the charade? We all know who is perpetrating these attacks. We cannot be blind to other possibilities. Still, for now, young Muslim, educated men seem to be the weapon of choice.
It’s called profiling. Do it.
*Please note that I get that this is an international flight. Still, shouldn’t America bear some responsibility for who we let fly into our country. We cannot rely on foreigners to value our lives like we value our lives. Also, this guy was a posterboy for terrorism. Obvious.
UPDATED:
And Donald Douglas skewers the left for their predictable, mindless response to this attack:
But even in the absence of evidence of al Qaeda’s ties to the Abdul Mutallab, we know the nature of al Qaeda’s threat has been transformed significantly since September 11, 2001. Audrey Kurth Cronin, an expert on international terrorism, and the author of “How al-Qaida Ends: The Decline and Demise of Terrorist Groups,” has noted recently that al Qaeda today is a fractured organization with a decentralized leadership. The group is more of an idea than an actual entity. As such, there’s little doubt of the seriousness of the threat, since follow-on organizations will likely take up the initative where Osama bin Laden left off. Indeed, Kurth Cronin suggests that while al Qaeda’s capabilities have been significantly weakened, and Western leaders have indeed suffered from an over-emphasis on leadership decapitation, “Even in its diminished state, al Qaeda and its franchises remain armed and dangerous.”
Read the whole thing.
UPDATED AGAIN:
Kathleen has a new site KathleenMcKinley.com and also a link to the CNN interview with one of the people who subdued the terrorist. But really, I can’t help but noticing Fredrika Whitfield’s belt. Really, Fredrika? I mean if the First Lady jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you jump, too?
Podcast: Griffith & Blue Dogs, Liberals, And President Obama Selling Out American Security–UPDATED
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009Ray McKinney of the PAC That Dog Won’t Hunt talked about Rep. Parker Griffith who switched from Democrat to Republican yesterday. What about the rest of the other Blue Dogs?
Then, my childhood friend Glynn Washington joins me from Oakland, California to discuss liberal politics from a liberal perspective and also his new project with public radio: Snap Judgment.
Finally, constitutional scholar Clyde Middleton of the Patriot Room talks about President Obama’s executive order reversing a policy in place since Ronald Reagan and what it means. For more, read the joint piece he and Steve Schippert wrote at Threatswatch.org. More here and here. UPDATED: Andy McCarthy asks:
Why would we elevate an international police force above American law? Why would we immunize an international police force from the limitations that constrain the FBI and other American law-enforcement agencies? Why is it suddenly necessary to have, within the Justice Department, a repository for stashing government files which, therefore, will be beyond the ability of Congress, American law-enforcement, the media, and the American people to scrutinize?
Jay McKinney of ThatDogWontHunt.org talks Blue Dogs, Glynn Washington of Snap Judgment! on Public Radio explains liberalism and Clyde Middleton of the Patriot Room talks about President Obama’s Executive Order and the implications for Americans being accused of international crimes.
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When Melissa isn’t on the radio, you can find her at melissaclouthier.com and on Twitter. Her username is MelissaTweets.
Don’t Get Pregnant While In Iraq
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009You know what? I have no patience for a female soldier who gets pregnant while on active-duty. You are a soldier. It is your job. You chose this job. It’s called birth control. It’s called make him glove up even if you’re on birth control.
More here.
Podcast: Why Are Milblogs Going Silent? What Is Going On With Healthcare? Hope For Dateless Men
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009John Hawkins of Right Wing News and Blake Powers, aka Laughing Wolf of Black Five and Laughing Wolf join me to discuss the plight of bloggers in the military, PTSD, the health care debacle and why Democrats are in big trouble with it and ….hope for men who want a woman.
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When Melissa isn’t on the radio, you can find her at melissaclouthier.com and on Twitter. Her username is MelissaTweets.
