Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Torture and the 'Truth Commission'
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) wants a commission that will get to the "truth" about torture. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) says she wants a truth commission too. And so does Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.).
On CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Mr. Leahy said a truth commission would help get to the heart of how the recently released memos on CIA interrogation techniques were drafted. "I want to know why they did that," he said. "What kind of pressures brought them to write things that are so off the wall and to make sure it never happens again. That's why I want [a Truth Commission]."
Mr. Leahy overlooks a small point here: Under our Constitution, the truth commission is supposed to be Congress.
Our Founders didn't look to outsource our most controversial public issues to appointees. They established institutions and arrangements that would hold those who have power accountable to the American people. And when the people's lawmakers believed the people's president was misinterpreting the law, the Founders expected the former to stand up and do something about it.
Today the Democrats have an even larger majority -- plus a president who would sign such legislation. So why the call for a truth commission instead? The answer is a nasty one: If Congress made waterboarding illegal now, they would be making clear that it was not illegal before.
Andrew McCarthy is the former assistant U.S. attorney who put Omar Abdel-Rahman (the blind sheik) behind bars for the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Mr. McCarthy explained it this way to me: "When Senate Democrats didn't have the votes, they voted to make waterboarding illegal. Now they have the votes, but there's no effort to ban waterboarding. And the reason is that they are more interested in setting off a partisan witch hunt than passing a principled ban on something they say is torture."
(read entire article at link)
On CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Mr. Leahy said a truth commission would help get to the heart of how the recently released memos on CIA interrogation techniques were drafted. "I want to know why they did that," he said. "What kind of pressures brought them to write things that are so off the wall and to make sure it never happens again. That's why I want [a Truth Commission]."
Mr. Leahy overlooks a small point here: Under our Constitution, the truth commission is supposed to be Congress.
Our Founders didn't look to outsource our most controversial public issues to appointees. They established institutions and arrangements that would hold those who have power accountable to the American people. And when the people's lawmakers believed the people's president was misinterpreting the law, the Founders expected the former to stand up and do something about it.
Today the Democrats have an even larger majority -- plus a president who would sign such legislation. So why the call for a truth commission instead? The answer is a nasty one: If Congress made waterboarding illegal now, they would be making clear that it was not illegal before.
Andrew McCarthy is the former assistant U.S. attorney who put Omar Abdel-Rahman (the blind sheik) behind bars for the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Mr. McCarthy explained it this way to me: "When Senate Democrats didn't have the votes, they voted to make waterboarding illegal. Now they have the votes, but there's no effort to ban waterboarding. And the reason is that they are more interested in setting off a partisan witch hunt than passing a principled ban on something they say is torture."
(read entire article at link)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Aiken's Tea Party
The Aiken Standard on Sunday carried an objective report of the Tea Party held in the Alley on Saturday. I was not able to attend but I understand it was a successful event. I am sorry I missed it. The event was organized by Colin Lindell who is a student at USCA. I was curious to know how the blogger class responded to the article so I went on the Aiken Standard website to read any comments There were quite a few but many were the usual silly comments that lend nothing to responsible political discourse. Go here to read them.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Obama cooking up something, can you feel the heat?
The latest email delivered this:
Quote
This writer says it so well.
The Morning Journal Serving Northern Ohio
Opinion
THE EDITOR'S COLUMN: Obama cooking up something, can you feel the heat?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Think about the cautionary tale of the frog that is enjoying a warm soak in a pan of water while it slowly heats over a fire. Before the unwary frog realizes it is in danger, it is cooked.
More and more, I'm thinking we ordinary Americans are the frog.
While going blissfully about in our daily lives, we're in danger of being slow-cooked, along with the free life and prosperity that we enjoy and want for our children and grandchildren.
The chef who is cooking America is our smiling, charismatic President Barack Obama.
I'm not sure yet whether Obama is just an ego-driven fool or a calculated participant following a sinister recipe. Obama can be spellbinding as he reads lofty speeches off of a TelePrompTer. But without a script, he can't find his tongue to swiftly condemn piracy against Americans.
He can't stand up for Americans in danger, and he bows to the king of Saudi Arabia where women are oppressed. Then his flunkies deny that he bowed.
At the Summit of the Americas, Obama allowed himself and our country to be savaged in an hour-long socialist tirade by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Obama strolled through a happy handshake session with evil clown Hugo Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela, accepting Chavez's gift of a book condemning our treatment of South America. By taking abuse and failing to defend the United States, Obama weakens himself and does our nation a grave disservice.
Notice that when Ortega bashed the United States for the anti-Castro 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Obama merely joked that he's glad he wasn't blamed for an event that happened when he was 3 months old. Sadly, and dangerously, Obama fails to distinguish himself personally from his elected job as the one entrusted with the Office of the President of the United States, under oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" history's greatest blueprint for liberty.
Closer to home, Obama's debt-laden, business-stifling, tax-happy policies threaten to suck the life out of the nation's economy. Obama's disastrous vision of the presidency and America is so apparent it can be seen clear across the Atlantic. On Friday, British author and commentator Gerald Warner noted on Telegraph.co.uk, "Never in the history of the United States has a president worked so actively against the interests of his own people - not even Jimmy Carter." Warner concluded, "President Pantywaist's recent world tour, cozying up to all the bad guys, excited the ambitions of America's enemies. Here, they realized is a sucker they can really take to the cleaners. His only enemies are fellow Americans. Which prompts the question: Why does President Pantywaist hate Americans so badly?"
Why, indeed. And what are Americans going to do about it?
Tom Skoch is editor of The Morning Journal.
Quote
This writer says it so well.
The Morning Journal Serving Northern Ohio
Opinion
THE EDITOR'S COLUMN: Obama cooking up something, can you feel the heat?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Think about the cautionary tale of the frog that is enjoying a warm soak in a pan of water while it slowly heats over a fire. Before the unwary frog realizes it is in danger, it is cooked.
More and more, I'm thinking we ordinary Americans are the frog.
While going blissfully about in our daily lives, we're in danger of being slow-cooked, along with the free life and prosperity that we enjoy and want for our children and grandchildren.
The chef who is cooking America is our smiling, charismatic President Barack Obama.
I'm not sure yet whether Obama is just an ego-driven fool or a calculated participant following a sinister recipe. Obama can be spellbinding as he reads lofty speeches off of a TelePrompTer. But without a script, he can't find his tongue to swiftly condemn piracy against Americans.
He can't stand up for Americans in danger, and he bows to the king of Saudi Arabia where women are oppressed. Then his flunkies deny that he bowed.
At the Summit of the Americas, Obama allowed himself and our country to be savaged in an hour-long socialist tirade by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Obama strolled through a happy handshake session with evil clown Hugo Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela, accepting Chavez's gift of a book condemning our treatment of South America. By taking abuse and failing to defend the United States, Obama weakens himself and does our nation a grave disservice.
Notice that when Ortega bashed the United States for the anti-Castro 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Obama merely joked that he's glad he wasn't blamed for an event that happened when he was 3 months old. Sadly, and dangerously, Obama fails to distinguish himself personally from his elected job as the one entrusted with the Office of the President of the United States, under oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" history's greatest blueprint for liberty.
Closer to home, Obama's debt-laden, business-stifling, tax-happy policies threaten to suck the life out of the nation's economy. Obama's disastrous vision of the presidency and America is so apparent it can be seen clear across the Atlantic. On Friday, British author and commentator Gerald Warner noted on Telegraph.co.uk, "Never in the history of the United States has a president worked so actively against the interests of his own people - not even Jimmy Carter." Warner concluded, "President Pantywaist's recent world tour, cozying up to all the bad guys, excited the ambitions of America's enemies. Here, they realized is a sucker they can really take to the cleaners. His only enemies are fellow Americans. Which prompts the question: Why does President Pantywaist hate Americans so badly?"
Why, indeed. And what are Americans going to do about it?
Tom Skoch is editor of The Morning Journal.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Pia Varma Speaks and we should Listen
This is a fascinating video by Pia Varma and the Tea Party anthem by Lloyd Marcus must also be heard.We must band together!
Liz Cheney on MSNBC regarding "torture"
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