The Political Fish

GRAPHIC – WARNING

Religion of peace we are told. Apparently not on Sunday.

That was when gangs of Muslim herders stormed a village in central Nigeria, opened fire into the air. When the villagers came out into the streets to see the commotion, the herders hacked to death this village of Christians with machetes, slaughtering at least 300 innocent men women and children with estimates up to 500.

WARNING: Graphic Video

Video from ITN, via Gateway Pundit

(Reuters) – Villagers in central Nigeria buried dozens of bodies, including those of women and children, in a mass grave on Monday after attacks in which several hundred people were feared to have been killed.

From AFP - Apparently the Religion of Peace had their warriors screaming “Allahu Ahkbar” as they slaughtered, hacked and burned the villagers for no other reason than for being Christian..aka not Muslims.

JOS, Nigeria (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Washington led calls for restraint on Monday after the slaughter of more than 500 Christians in Nigeria, as survivors told how the killers chopped down their victims.

Funerals took place for victims of the three-hour orgy of violence on Sunday in three Christian villages close to the northern city of Jos, blamed on members of the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group.

While troops were deployed to the villages to prevent new attacks, security forces detained 95 suspects but faced bitter criticism over how the killers were able to go on the rampage at a time when a curfew was meant to be in force.

Media reported that Muslim residents of the villages in Plateau state had been warned by phone text message, two days prior to the attack, so they could make good their escape before the exit points were sealed off.

Survivors said the attackers were able to separate the Fulanis from members of the rival Berom group by chanting ‘nagge’, the Fulani word for cattle. Those who failed to respond in the same language were hacked to death.

One local paper said the gangs shouted Allah Akhbar (God is Great) before breaking into homes and setting them alight in the early hours of Sunday. Churches were among the buildings that were burned down.

The Vatican led a wave of outrage with spokesman Federico Lombardi expressing the Roman Catholic Church’s “sadness” at the “horrible acts of violence“.

Let us pray now for these innocent people and their loved ones who suffered this atrocity for their faith at the hands of barbaric murderers.

Has it really been one year?

Sure, we all remember President Obama’s inauguration. Two million people crowded the National Mall, he placed his hand on the Bible, Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath of office, Dick Cheney looked like Mr. Potter from It’s A Wonderful Life, Obama gave a speech, and pundits across the radio and television dial hailed the coming of the Golden Age of liberalism.

Let me check my calendar… Yep, that was January 20th, 2009.  One year ago.

So what happened?  Well, let’s recap:

• ECONOMICS – In the middle of the Great Recession, Obama unleashed the $787 Billion stimulus plan.  Obama’s people said without the plan, unemployment would go up to nine percent.  We should consider ourselves to be so lucky.  Conservatives said that the bill would increase unemployment, and sure enough, they were right.  But hey, we did save / create a few jobs in some Congressional districts.  It’s a shame those districts don’t exist.
• FOREIGN POLICY – I suppose Obama’s big Foreign Policy moment came during his speech in Cairo, where he tried to seek common ground with Muslims.  The speech was well-received by both sides of the aisle.  A short time later, Obama showed his support for freedom-seeking Muslims by delivering a rousing speech where he proclaimed that America stood together with the young men and women of Iran who were protesting the sham elections and… oh wait, that last part didn’t happen.  Instead, while Iran was burning, Obama was silent, but at least he did get the chance  to get ice cream.  It wasn’t the first time that ice cream played a part in Obama’s foreign policy, four Gitmo detainees were sent to Bermuda.  And yes, they were allowed to get ice cream.  But no sprinkles!  By the way, the “ice cream diplomacy” should not be confused with the “hot dog diplomacy”, or the infamous beer summit.  Other highlights from Obama’s first year: saying that we would not abandon our missile shield in Poland if Iran continues to pose a threat.  That worked for awhile, until the Russians asked us to change our plans.  We caved to the Russians.  Right after we found out that Iran could build a nuke.
• WAR – I haven’t heard much about it, but I’m pretty sure we’re still in Iraq.  After spending the campaign telling America how George Bush screwed up that war, Obama carried over Bush’s policy.  He also spent the campaign talking about how Afghanistan was the “good” war, then once elected President, he proceeded to dither.  Months after Gen. McChrystal asked for more troops, Obama complied.  Somewhat.  He pledged 30,000 more soldiers, but added a withdrawal date.  In a related note, if the leader of the Taliban said that he was going to train / send more terrorists to reek havoc on the world, but only for 18 months (and then they’d have to stop), wouldn’t it sound like that, I dunno, like he was dealing from a position of weakness?
• TERRORISM – Unfortunately, the terrorists (as a whole), aren’t dealing from a position of weakness.  One-third of the terrorist attacks against Americans occurred in 2009. We saw two attacks on our soil, at Fort Hood and in on a plane above Detroit.  Thankfully, the Detroit bomber was incompetent (much like another would-be terrorist bomber from 40 years ago.  Yes, I went there).  Both incidents happened because America missed the warning signs.  Let us pray Obama can rectify these mistakes in 2010.  As for the “victory over terrorists front”, kudos to Obama for giving the thumbs-up to an operation that rescued kidnapped sea captains from the hands of the Somali pirates.  We sent the right message, and that was the last we had to deal with them.  Oh wait. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t joke about this.  Piracy is no laughing matter.
• HEALTH CARE – And yes, we’ve reached the elephant-in-the-room.  While Americans lacking health insurance is a serious problem, Americans rejected Obama’s solution (e.g., usurping the entire health care system, creating massive new entitlement programs, and basically saddling our great-great-great grandchildren with a debt they could never hope to repay.  And for a more on this disaster of a bill, I refer you to my older brother’s column on the subject.).  Where would Obama be if he didn’t try to usurp one-seventh of our national economy?  Well, for starters, he probably wouldn’t be sitting under 50% in the approval polls.  Second, he probably wouldn’t have lost his filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  Third, Democrats wouldn’t be quaking in their boots.

So, I suppose that takes us back to today.  January 20th, 2010.  One year ago, Barack Obama entered the presidency with dreams and visions of a New America.  And one day ago, voters from the bluest of blue states got their chance to say they don’t want to be a part of that vision.  Meanwhile, the rest of the country salivates.  On November 2nd, 2010, they’ll get their chance, too.

A Saudi preacher is offended by the “enhanced screening measures” in the U.S. that target people from 14 countries.  His idea?  Have Arabs stop flying to / in the U.S.

A noted Saudi preacher has called on Arabs to stop flying to the United States, in protest of “enhanced screening” procedures aimed at catching terrorists, the Dubai business website Zawya.com reported.

Muslim preacher Sheikh Sulaiman al Dowaish has urged Saudi authorities to consider the travel ban following an announcement by the United States that “enhanced screening” measures will be put into place for passengers from 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

The extra steps were taken after last month’s attempt by a Nigerian Muslim to detonate a bomb on board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has asked the Obama administration for clarifications regarding the new security measures. Officials said the oil-rich kingdom would not tolerate security procedures that tarnish the honor and dignity of Saudis.

The website noted that 22,000 students from Saudi Arabia are learning at American universities

Saudi security researcher Sultan Al Anqari blasted the new U.S. regulation, telling GulfNews.com that the Obama government is resorting to a form of political blackmail against Saudi Arabia because of the country’s anti-Israeli policies.

“It is part of a collective punishment against the Saudis, who are also victims of the wrong doing of some deviant people,” he said.

Oh no!!! It happened again…the unthinkable! Every liberals favorite target has spoken up again, and once again Sarah Palin speaks the truth from her facebook page.

Its always enlightening to see the reaction she gets when she types what are quickly becoming the most powerful facebook “notes” in the country. She again has managed to use a common sense approach, littered with truthful nuggets and speaking from outside of the dangerously insulated Washington establishment to speak for the American people. Normal folks.

But enough of what I have to say…lets see what the woman had to say!!

Her piece was entitled “It’s a War, not a Crime spree”. That alone would be enough in my book. She is right on the money calling out the Obama approach to terrorism.

President Obama’s meeting with his top national security advisers does nothing to change the fact that his fundamental approach to terrorism is fatally flawed. We are at war with radical Islamic extremists and treating this threat as a law enforcement issue is dangerous for our nation’s security. That’s what happened in the 1990s and we saw the result on September 11, 2001. This is a war on terror not an “overseas contingency operation.” Acts of terrorism are just that, not “man caused disasters.” The system did not work. Abdulmutallab was a child of privilege radicalized and trained by organized jihadists, not an “isolated extremist” who traveled to a land of “crushing poverty.” He is an enemy of the United States, not just another criminal defendant.

It simply makes no sense to treat an al Qaeda-trained operative willing to die in the course of massacring hundreds of people as a common criminal. Reports indicate that Abdulmutallab stated there were many more like him in Yemen but that he stopped talking once he was read his Miranda rights. President Obama’s advisers lamely claim Abdulmutallab might be willing to agree to a plea bargain – pretty doubtful you can cut a deal with a suicide bomber. John Brennan, the President’s top counterterrorism adviser, bizarrely claimed “there are no downsides or upsides” to treating terrorists as enemy combatants. That is absurd. There is a very serious downside to treating them as criminals: terrorists invoke their “right” to remain silent and stop talking. Terrorists don’t tell us where they were trained, what they were trained in, who they were trained by, and who they were trained with. Giving foreign-born, foreign-trained terrorists the right to remain silent does nothing to keep Americans safe from terrorist threats. It only gives our enemies access to courtrooms where they can publicly grandstand, and to defense attorneys who can manipulate the legal process to gain access to classified information.

President Obama was right to change his policy and decide to send no more detainees to Yemen where they can be free to rejoin their war on America. Now he must back off his reckless plan to close Guantanamo, begin treating terrorists as wartime enemies not suspects alleged to have committed crimes, and recognize that the real nature of the terrorist threat requires a commander-in-chief, not a constitutional law professor.

- Sarah Palin

Giving credit where credit is due — Props to President Obama for accurately calling the Detroit Briefs Bomber Incident exactly what it was: an unmitigated “screw-up“.  America got lucky on December 25th, and that’s all there is to it.

Here’s the issue:  We will not be so lucky next time around.  We’ve just concluded the most active year for jihadists since 2001.  As a matter of fact, a whopping one-third of the terrorist plots against Americans since 2001, occurred in 2009.  The terrorists, evidently, have not been swayed by the new American climate under our new American President.

One of those terrorist plots, the Fort Hood Massacre, succeeded.  The Briefs Bomber (yes, I just thought of that), almost did.  The reason?  Our government missed the warning signs.  We had files on these jihadists, yet, we did not act.  Maybe that’s because our government was waiting for the “smoking gun“.  But therein lies the problem: the Feds can wait for the “smoking gun” when you’re dealing with the criminals like Bernie Madoff, of some drug runner.  With terrorists, all-too-often, the “smoking gun” comes in the form of a smoldering city.

But by then, it’d be too late.

Let us pray it doesn’t come to that.

• Danish cartoonist hid in ‘panic room’ during attack

Westergaard, who has been threatened for drawing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, is ordinarily accompanied by bodyguards when he leaves his home, but nobody was on guard at the house Friday, the Security and Intelligence Service told CNN.

Scott Fenstermaker.

This guy showed himself to be a real treat in his interview with Bill O’reilly. Now, I am by no means O’Reilly’s biggest fan, but I appreciate this interview because as Mr. Fenstermaker continuously refused to give actual answers to any questions, O’Reilly challenged him on every one of them, and called it what it was.

I realize someone has to represent the 9/11 terrorists, since our less than brilliant AG Eric Holder has decided to try them in civilian court with full Constitutional rights, that he will undoubtedly violate, but this guy is a special type of trial lawyer.  It almost appears that he has no soul whatsoever…but I cannot make that statement definitively.

As a little bit of a sidebar note…this man is a trial lawyer. Our government is made up by a vast majority of trial lawyers. Sadly, it seems that these days they are both cut from the same mold.

He wants a show trial. The terrorists want a show trial. It’s pretty clear that the administration and Department of Justice want a show trial. They are going to get just that, and America will be worse because of it.

Senator Lindsey Graham injected *gasp* common sense into the political debate today. I have been pretty rough on Senator Graham on this blog, but will defintetely throw him a bone today after his questioning of Attorney General Eric Holder today in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Check out this video, its classic stuff. AG Holder one might think would have been prepared with an answer for this sort of question, but as you can see this administration is not operating under any sort of logic. Strictly ideology.

Enjoy.

Partial transcript via Newsbusters.

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R-S.C): Can you give me a case in United States history where a enemy combatant caught on a battlefield was tried in civilian court?

ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I don’t know. I’d have to look at that. I think that, you know, the determination I’ve made –

GRAHAM: We’re making history here, Mr. Attorney General. I’ll answer it for you. The answer is no.

HOLDER: Well, I think –

GRAHAM: The Ghailani case — he was indicted for the Cole bombing before 9/11. And I didn’t object to it going into federal court. But I’m telling you right now. We’re making history and we’re making bad history. And let me tell you why.

Now, the real focus of this NPR piece was Graham’s subsequent question concerning whether or not U.S. officials would have to Mirandize Osama bin Laden if he was captured:

GRAHAM: If bin Laden were caught tomorrow, would it be the position of this administration that he would be brought to justice?

HOLDER: He would certainly be brought to justice, absolutely.

GRAHAM: Where would you try him?

HOLDER: Well, we’d go through our protocol. And we’d make the determination about where he should appropriately be tried. [...]

GRAHAM: If we captured bin Laden tomorrow, would he be entitled to Miranda warnings at the moment of capture?

HOLDER: Again I’m not — that all depends. I mean, the notion that we –

GRAHAM: Well, it does not depend. If you’re going to prosecute anybody in civilian court, our law is clear that the moment custodial interrogation occurs the defendant, the criminal defendant, is entitled to a lawyer and to be informed of their right to remain silent.

The big problem I have is that you’re criminalizing the war, that if we caught bin Laden tomorrow, we’d have mixed theories and we couldn’t turn him over — to the CIA, the FBI or military intelligence — for an interrogation on the battlefield, because now we’re saying that he is subject to criminal court in the United States. And you’re confusing the people fighting this war.

 

I guess according to Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) this would make Mr. Obama Un-American.

This video is from 2006, long before President Obama was able to play politics with our national security from the big chair in the Oval office. I guess now that he is in charge, we can go ahead and put politics and political theatre ahead of the security of our nation.

Anyone ever consider KSM walking free on a technicality? Washington Times editorialized this scenario here…but if you prefer my own words, here is my rant on my facebook page earlier today.

Obama has chosen the Southern District of NY to put the Bush admin, the CIA, the use of waterboarding, and the entire idea of terrorism on trial. At the same time, he will bestow upon terrorists the rights of American citizens, and just for good measure, a forum for Muslim terrorists to explain to the world why America must be destroyed. After they are convicted, the Obama trial should begin in the same courtroom.

Our national security will be compromised, as undoubtedly the methods of capture and intelligence will also be put on trial. Lower Manhatten will be given a huge flashing neon target for any and every terrorist around the world to take aim at. This is quite possibly one of the worst decisions I have ever seen made by a President, who by showing a lack of judgement, discernment and wisdom should be promptly removed from office. He has shown himself unfit for leadership, and cannot seem to grasp the idea that we are a nation at war.

Case in point…Afghanistan. Nuff said.

 

This at least according to Congressional dirtbag Jim Moran, the esteemed Representative from Virginia.

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has strong words for the Republicans opposing Attorney General Eric Holder’s plan to bring five 9/11 suspects to New York City to face trial.

“They see this as an opportunity to demagogue,” he said. “They will seize on any opportunity to do that, and that means they’ll even take a stand that’s un-American.”

Shortly after the Department of Justice decided to bestow Constitutional rights of American citizens on terrorists, CNN took a poll that asked the question of whether everyday Americans agreed with the decision to hold the trial of Khalid Sheik Muhammed in NYC. Not surprisingly, 64% of Americans believed that this trial should never take place in civilian court, in fact it belonged in a military court.

Two-thirds of Americans disagree with the Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a civilian court rather than a military court, according to a new national poll. …

The poll indicates that 64 percent believe Mohammed should be tried in military court, with 34 percent suggesting that he face trial in civilian court. Six in 10 people questioned say Mohammed should be tried stateside, with 37 percent calling for the trial to take place at a U.S. facility in another country.

“The decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in front of a civilian court is universally unpopular – even a majority of Democrats and liberals say that he should be tried by military authorities,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Despite that, most Americans say that he will get a fair trial in the U.S.”

Congratulations Jim Moran. Apparently 2/3 of your country are un-American by your borderline retarded logic.

The truth finally is coming out about the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi, who was set free on August 20th on compassionate grounds. It was stated that Al-Megrahi was dying of cancer, and was allowed to return to his homeland to pass away near his family.

Well, as it turns out there was much more to it. From the British publication Times Online.

Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.

The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely criticised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.

The correspondence makes it plain that the key decision to include Megrahi in a deal with Libya to allow prisoners to return home was, in fact, taken in London for British national interests.

Edward Davey, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said: “This is the strongest evidence yet that the British government has been involved for a long time in talks over al-Megrahi in which commercial considerations have been central to their thinking.”

Apparently, the Libyan government used Al-Megrahi as a bargaining chip in the deal for oil.

On December 19, 2007, Straw wrote to MacAskill announcing that the UK government was abandoning its attempt to exclude Megrahi from the prisoner transfer agreement, citing the national interest.

In a letter leaked by a Whitehall source, he wrote: “I had previously accepted the importance of the al-Megrahi issue to Scotland and said I would try to get an exclusion for him on the face of the agreement. I have not been able to secure an explicit exclusion.

“The wider negotiations with the Libyans are reaching a critical stage and, in view of the overwhelming interests for the United Kingdom, I have agreed that in this instance the [prisoner transfer agreement] should be in the standard form and not mention any individual.”

Within six weeks of the government climbdown, Libya had ratified the BP deal. The prisoner transfer agreement was finalised in May this year, leading to Libya formally applying for Megrahi to be transferred to its custody.

Saif Gadaffi, the colonel’s son, has insisted that negotiation over the release of Megrahi was linked with the BP oil deal: “The fight to get the [transfer] agreement lasted a long time and was very political, but I want to make clear that we didn’t mention Mr Megrahi.

“At all times we talked about the [prisoner transfer agreement]. It was obvious we were talking about him. We all knew that was what we were talking about.

“People should not get angry because we were talking about commerce or oil. We signed an oil deal at the same time. The commerce and oil deals were all with the [prisoner transfer agreement].”

A shameful display of politics as usual by our friends across the pond.  While the majority of the passengers on board that Pan Am flight were Americans, there were also a large number of Brits and Scots. I wonder how this is playing in the minds and hearts of everyday Brits who have watched their government sell their souls for the almighty dollar, a dollar that is coming from no-less that Libyan strongman Muamar Ghadafi.

Now I have heard of the UN Oil for Food Programme…not quite sure I have heard of the Terrorist for Oil Programme. Shame to the British government for putting business interests ahead of your citizens and the lives taken from us all.

The headline is pure insanity…I am well aware of this.

But welcome to the bleeding-heart reality of the world we live in. Today, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was set free to return to his homeland of Libya to live out his days. Amazing.

Megrahi was convicted of the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie Scotland which killed 270 innocent people. He was the only person convicted of  the atrocity and was sentenced to a sentence of 27 years to life in prison for his actions. 8 years later, he was free to leave. Megrahi had developed terminal prostate cancer and was told by prison doctors that he had only 3 months to live, so the Scottish government, namely Justice Minister Kenny McCaskill, set him free on a compassionate release this morning. In an absolutely bizarre statement, he noted the reasoning behind his decision was to “show the world Scotlands humanity”. If by humanity he meant weakness and pandering to Islamic extremists, he was absolutely correct.

The common myth that nobody around the world seems to understand is that Muslim extremists (note the term extremists, not all Muslims) do not care how humane that you are. His right for humane treatment was thrown out the window when he decided to slaughter 270 innocents (which I might add the majority were Americans) for no other reason than a political ideology. Its insanity to believe that you will cool the tempers of extremism by releasing an extremist to show your humanity. In fact, this cold blooded murderer was …imagine this…welcomed back to Libya and given was basically amounts to a heroes welcome, invalidating humanity from this discussion entirely.

The world (outside of Libya at least) reacted with a stunned condemnation at the bizarre decision. President Obama and multiple members of his administration issued strong statements against todays moronic behavior by the Scottish government.

One US Senator said that by releasing Megrahi, Scottish ministers had increased the threat of international terrorism, and internet campaigners threatened a US boycott of Scottish products.

Mr Obama said: “We have been in contact with the Scottish government, indicating that we objected to this, and we thought it was a mistake.”

He added that he is now pressuring the Libyan government to keep Megrahi under house arrest until his death.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the families who live each day with the loss of their loved ones due to this heinous crime,” she said.

Eric Holder, the Attorney General, repudiated the legal grounding of Mr MacAskill’s decision. “There is simply no justification for releasing this convicted terrorist whose actions took the lives of 270 individuals, including 189 Americans,” he said.

Senator Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, said: He said: “Releasing Mr. al-Megrahi sends the wrong message about the consequences of international terrorism and increases the threat of terror in the United States, the United Kingdom and around the world.”

Scotland has now with one amazingly idiotic move, basically let terrorist extremists around the world know that it is open season. The consequences are minimal at best. If you wanted to show humanity to this man, give him medical attention in his dying days. Fine, let him go out with some level of comfort. But starting in 1988, from that time forward he should have never been allowed to be free again. 270 lives…8 years. Roughly 11 days in prison served for each victim.

Shame on you Kenny McAskill.

Here is the video clip from a CNN report followed by raw video at the 4:15 mark

The soldier is Pfc Bowe Bergdahl, from Ketchum Idaho.

The Defense Department said in a statement Sunday that the soldier is Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho. The statement also says his status is now classified as missing-captured, rather than whereabouts unknown.

In a video posted online by the Taliban on Saturday, he’s heard saying he’s “scared I won’t be able to go home.”

Before the Pentagon released Bergdahl’s identity, two U.S. defense officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the man in the 28-minute video was the captured soldier.

The military said on July 2 that a U.S. soldier had disappeared after walking off his base in eastern Afghanistan with three Afghan counterparts and was believed to have been taken prisoner

While the video itself is disgusting use of propaganda by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, it is good to see that Pfc Bergdahl is doing well. Continue to pray for our troops overseas, they need it. We can all join together in prayer for the safe return of this young American hero.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Greg Julian said: ‘We condemn the use of this video and the public humiliation of prisoners. It is against international law. We are doing everything we can to return this soldier to safety

Colonel Julian said Washington would not give in to the captors’ demands. ‘Basically they would like us to go home,’ he said. ‘That is just simply not going to happen.

What will we see from the administration, so far it appears not much has been said, and giving the sensitivity of the situation, that may in fact be the proper move. The Pentagon has received word from the WhiteHouse that they are to win his safe return, no matter what. Lets pray that is the case.

The pre-9/11 mindset was one that denied the evil of terrorism. They were not acts of terrorism, they were criminal acts. Normal law enforcement would be tasked to deal with these type of things. The wall of separation between these law enforcement agencies as well as the national security agencies in part led to the massive intelligence failure, resulting in September 11, 2001.

As I have written in this blog before, we have returned to that mindset, to the detriment of our national security interests abroad, and the safety of our citizens at home.

Without much fanfare or any MSM coverage, President Obama has ordered the FBI to issue Miranda warnings to captured fighters on the battlefields of Aghanistan. The Weekly Standard is reporting that this edict has taken place, according to a senior Republican on the House Intelligence commitee. What’s that phrase again, if you don’t learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it? For those who are not familiar with Miranda, my first question is where have you been? Have you never seen Law and Order? Secondly, Miranda Rights are the offshoot of a SCOTUS decision in 1966 which required law enforcement to remind American citizens suspected of a crime of their rights within the law. It is as follows: ” You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you at government expense” Yes, the FBI will be telling these prisoners that their first right is to remain silent. Are we no longer interested in gathering intelligence that could prevent another attack, be it on the battlefield or terrorist attack at home? And then, yes we will be informing them of their right (and need) to have an attorney present. Not only that, when Mr. Extremist reaches into his pockets and finds out he is broke, we will retain that attorney for him, at the expense of the men and women he was just trying to kill. This is easily one of the most flawed policies I have ever come across in my lifetime.

Play out that scenario if/when Osama Bin Laden gets captured. Take the time in your own mind to let that one simmer. That is the order given to the FBI from our President. When will this man start to show a concern for the safety and security of this nation, and not the safety and security of those men who try to kill our soldiers? I don’t care if they are Muslim extremists, the German SS, or the British redcoats, this is an insane policy. Miranda is a right granted to U.S. citizens. These Muslim extremists are NOT common criminals and are not US citizens. Do we as a country need to sell out our security in an attempt to reach out to moderate Muslims?? The bottom line is that radical extremism will not go away if you reach out to moderates. Granting Muslim extremists the rights and priveledges of the U.S. judicial system to appease the moderate Muslim majority is flawed to say the least.

Other than the obvious issues stated above, where was Congress when all of this was going on? Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a check on power in Washington, and the Department of Justice and the FBI fall under the supervision of the Congress, and not ONLY the President.  The ranking member of the House Intelligence Commitee, Peter Hoekstra (R)-MI said today “When they mirandize a suspect, the first thing they do is warn them that they have the ‘right to remain silent, It would seem the last thing we want is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other al-Qaeda terrorist to remain silent. Our focus should be on preventing the next attack, not giving radical jihadists a new tactic to resist interrogation–lawyering up.”

Mr. Hoekstra, I am ashamed to inform you that common sense and good logic are apparently no longer used on the Hill and in the White House. It’s appeasement at all cost. It seems the American citizens are the only ones eating these costs here recently.

2012 is coming soon. 2010…even sooner.

Medius Oriens targetted a specific attack at The Political Fish today. For your viewing pleasure…

The Political Fish berates me over the Obama speech in Cairo:

Comment posted on Medius Oriens:

His use of the word colonialism simply doesn’t fit his purpose for being there. He went as the the President of the United States, allegedly speaking for the American people. The inference that the United States engaged in colonialism in the Middle East is patently untrue. France, Britain, sure…they did..please give me the instance where the US colonized a Muslim country or territory? You pin-pointed the first example for me, but this was a speech delivered with naivity [sic] of the fact that evil exists in the world, it was based on platitudes and a false hope with no real solutions to anything. The most disturbing part is that he continues to rail against his own country in order to appease Islam. Its not about “power at any price” as you say, its about loyalty to your country and remembering who put you in office, and who can put you back in the unemployment line.

I cannot even be bothered to respond to the claim about the US not being involved in attempted colonialisation in the Middle East. Does The Political Fish read recent history? Beyond that, the President was representing the West. As the leader of the Western world, the President of the United States sought to establish better ties with the Muslim world in the pursuit of battling extremism. Conservatives still don’t get it: you can’t change their mind without gaining their hearts. Brash arrogance is not going to stop extremism, and depending solely upon military power has already shown its weaknesses.

So let me return some questions to The Political Fish. What is the evil you are speaking of? What did the President say or not say that fails to recognize that evil exists in the world? Did he not mention extremism and did he not argue against those nations which fail to recognize women’s rights, democracy, etc.? What exactly did the President say that could be considered evidence that he ‘rail(s) against his own country’? Is making an apology the same as railing against one’s country? Is apologizing tantamount to disloyalty?

What I find ultimately disturbing about The Political Fish and his ilk—who represent the right-wing in America, which is also usually synonymous with the right-wing of Christianity—is the way they somehow forget the teachings of Jesus when approaching foreign relations. If these are followers of Jesus, why would they not applaud a leader who seeks to make atonement for past sins? Why would they insist on hard, stubborn power rather than to ‘turn the other cheek’ or to forgive ’seventy times seven’? These are also the same who have utilised every manner of twisted logic to justify the use of torture and the breaking of international law to obtain information from suspects who are denied the right to a fair trial.

The real shame in all of this is not an American president who apologizes to the Middle Eastern world, but an American Christianity that loses its soul in a pursuit to gain that world.

Let me first respond by introducing the Political Fish to my fellow blogger. The Political Fish is strictly and strongly independent from partisanship, Democrats and Republicans alike have drawn the ire of this blog. This blog represents the Judeo-Christian principles that this nation was founded upon, but have been forgotten. We stand up for the Constitution of the United States and all it represents, since it has recently been trampled. We represent Christian principles for America and for the world, which are constantly under attack. These facts about the Political Fish can be considered “right-wing” if you need a label, Conservative if you need an ideal, and Pro-American if you want the truth. For all of these, we are unashamed and unapologetic.

The original point being made was the President making reference to American colonialism  in the Middle East. The writer at Medius Oriens is clearly misguided when it comes to American history. As a self-proclaimed historian, he should be well aware of the fact that America has never gone into any country in the Middle East with the purpose of colonization. One example cannot be given. If the reference is being made to Iraq, I would consider the liberation of 10 million people from a brutal and genocidal dictator to not be considered colonization, but in fact a blessing from the West. It came at a steep price, but when has freedom not come at a steep price? Instead of mentioning this fact to the crowd in Cairo, Obama chose to to label this a “war of choice” and downplay and demonize the United States for making that choice. The lives of the Sunnis and Shia in Iraq are forever changed for the good by this “war of choice”. He accused the previous administration of foregoing diplomacy with Iraq, conveniently omitting  the years of diplomacy through the UN that were shunned by the Iraqi government. Another calculated omission, and falsehood.

While he did in fact mention extremism in his remarks, again he showed a lack of backbone to tell the real and whole truth about the problem. He is really preaching to the choir on this one. The vast majority of Muslims are good people, who denounce terrorism and all that goes with it. But lets not forget that the religion itself carries with it specific instructions on how to deal with those who do not carry the same belief system. Its called jihad. 

The constant barrage of veiled shots against the Bush administration show a lack of class, a lack of respect for his nation, and a desperate attempt to gain favor by way of slandering his predecessor. Its unnecesary, and extremely un-presidential. Bush, to his credit will go down in history as having liberated two nations from brutal regimes, with tens of millions of Muslims free to send their daughters to school, own businesses, and to live their lives under the umbrella of freedom. Mr. Obama cannot bring himself to realize,or maybe just to articulate the good that America has done in the Muslim world. Perfect? Absolutely not. But much good has been accomplished, and it has not been by him. He is looking for that worldwide appeal, by tearing down his country and their previous leaders to make himself look good. Its pure narcissism through and through. On the surface, it was a fine speech…but it follows the pattern set on the previous trip to Turkey of bashing American policy and playing up this “sunshine and kittens” mentality that he is going to make the world a better place, all the while forgetting about the .01% of Muslim extremists who could care less about what he has to say, and will only accept violence as their politics.

Finally, the most disturbing part of this targetted attack on the Political Fish goes to the inferrence that we have lost our souls to press a political agenda. It really deserves no actual response, as the pure lunacy of attempting to demonize, and critique one’s spiritual condition based on an opinion piece on the internet stands alone. However, that being said the teachings of Jesus were mentioned along with the ideals of forgiveness and turning the other cheek. Lets explore that on a national scale. Really, the teachings of the Lord in these passages speak to the individual, and not to the foreign policy of a sovereign nation. Numerous times the Lord instructed the children of Israel to go to war to defeat an evil in the world. And he certainly didn’t instruct them to follow any type of “rules of engagement” or adhere to any “Geneva Convention” limitations. Often times, the instruction to the children of Israel was to wipe the entire civilization off the map. Based on the comments of the blogger here, it would indicate that after Pearl Harbor took place, the best course of action would have been to sit down and chat with the emperor of Japan. Normandy was an enormous mistake if you follow the inane logic of the writer. Soft diplomacy would have been the only way to deal with the Hitlers and Stalins of the world. While American foreign policy has never been perfect and certainly has always contained an agenda that will benefit ourselves, can this writer not even reach back into that historian mind of his and find the good that we have done? The most good that we have done as nation have come through our power. Peace through strength is the ultimate goal.