On Homeland Security, Or, We Visit A Terrorist Gathering Place

by: fake consultant

Sun Aug 22, 2010 at 23:39:53 PM EDT

I mean, where did the money come from?

Who does this Imam hang out with, anyway?

And, at a time when our Nation faces more threats than ever, why would we let these Muslim madmen situate their "terror command posts" anywhere?

Well, I don't know about all of that...but I do know a place where lots of these Islamic terrorists go to obtain the equipment and supplies they need to support their particular craft, and I decided to make a bit of an undercover visit to the spot, so that I might "observe and report" on what goes on at this specific location.

So put on your dark glasses...and let's go see what we can find out.

Insanity

by: bloomingpol

Wed May 05, 2010 at 19:50:55 PM EDT

I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that tea partiers are having fits over a health care plan which they claim is a usurpation of our constitutional rights, but stripping Americans of their citizenship when someone suspects them of a crime is worth considering. Torture and indefinite imprisonment are perfectly in keeping with our founding principles but asking people to fill out a census form is Big Brother in action. Profiling anyone who some beat cop thinks might not be a citizen is a-ok, but making it difficult for terrorist suspects to buy a gun is an assault on the constitution. What the hell?

Domestic terrorism is a real knee-slapper at the Mad Tea Party

by: Peter Sullivan

Fri Feb 19, 2010 at 14:24:39 PM EST

On Pots And Kettles, Or, Peter King: Tool Of Terrorism, Victim Of Irony

by: fake consultant

Fri Jan 08, 2010 at 23:40:22 PM EST

King, a Congressman who represents a district that straddles New York's Long Island (NY-3), previously served as the Comptroller of Nassau County and a member of Hempstead, New York's Town Council, which wouldn't seem to be the kind of résumé that would give you much credibility in this arena-but Mr. King is a special case.

You see, Mr. King knows a great deal about terrorism...from the inside...because for many years the personal cause that drove his life was to be an active and public supporter of a terrorist group.

And that's why, today, we'll be connecting the dots between Congressman King and the Irish Republican Army.

POTUS Remarks on Security and Intlligence Review

by: Dean Barker

Thu Jan 07, 2010 at 18:34:26 PM EST

Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses, but we will not succumb to a siege mentality that sacrifices the open society and liberties and values that we cherish as Americans, because great and proud nations don't hunker down and hide behind walls of suspicion and mistrust.  That is exactly what our adversaries want, and so long as I am President, we will never hand them that victory.  We will define the character of our country, not some band of small men intent on killing innocent men, women and children.

Republican candidate Bob Bestani interferes with military justice system

by: TimothyHorrigan

Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 21:43:41 PM EST

It is not easy to sort out the facts of the case.  The gist of it is that three Navy SEALs are being court martialed for allegedly brutalizing an insurgent named  Ahmed Hashim Abed on September 1, 2009.  Abed is (interestingly) believed to be the mastermind behind the gruesome execution of 4 Blackwater contractors in September 2004, back when Bush & Cheney were in charge of the war.  (If we were fighting an opponent our own size, those 4 non-uniformed combatants would have been sent to our enemy's Gitmo instead.)

BassMaster Gets His Wingnut On

by: Dean Barker

Mon Dec 07, 2009 at 05:59:07 AM EST

This is about giving a brutal terrorist an international stage to communicate with and energize al-Qaeda sects all over the world. It's about focusing the attention of suicidal killers on a city that can ill afford to go through another 9-11.

(And as to the argument behind it, here's Glenzilla's mother of all takedowns.)

Also funny to see how Bass can toggle NYC as a place that merits his most fervent protection on the one hand, and on the other a locale from which the wrong kind of people come.

Bestani Warns of Dangerous President's Rule of Law

by: Dean Barker

Fri Nov 13, 2009 at 18:31:38 PM EST

The decision today of the Obama Administration and Attorney General Holder to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and four other men accused in the September 11 attacks in New York is a serious mistake and establishes a very dangerous president [sic]. These trials should have been tried in a military court as was originally planned.

...We will undoubtedly come to regret this decision.  At the end of the process, when multi-millions of dollars are spent on scores of taxpayer funded trial lawyers who will tie this case up in knots and make a mockery of our judicial system, we will wish that these cases had been tried in military courts where they belong. How fitting it is that this announcement was made on Friday the 13th.

And those thoughts are: I can't believe how weak today's Republican party is. How little faith they have in bedrock American values like the rule of law and our judicial system.

One of the biggest lies, perhaps the biggest, that King George peddled in order to get his way on, well, everything, was to constantly refrain "9/11 changed everything."

Um, no, it didn't.

The only thing that changed was one political party using 9/11 to undercut basic American principles.

The news today that some of the people behind 9/11 will be facing justice in a court of law in New York City was met with joy be me.

The legal limbo that BushCo engaged in led to nothing except confusion and perversion.

Eight long years later, we are left without Osama bin Laden captured or killed. Instead we are left with a war that never had to be, and built on lies. An invasion not having to do with 9/11 that prematurely ended hundreds of thousands of lives.

Eight long years later, the words "America" and "torture" have become one.

Today's news from the Obama Administration felt, for the first time in a long time, as if we are slowly climbing out of the moral abyss that the Republican party threw our country into.  A glimpse into the "great restoration of American values" which Howard Dean campaigned for back in the darkest days of the Bush years.

UPDATE: Bob Bestani responds - good for him for reaching out to us.  Email reply in full below the fold...

Which Future will we choose?

by: jamess

Sun Dec 09, 2007 at 22:44:18 PM EST

Here's the one question that few Leaders ever dare to ask:

When is Enough ... Enough?


Imagine, all the destructive power of 15 Hiroshima Bomb, rolled up into a single BB ...

Just how many BBs does the USA have anyways?

Thanks to Ben, of "Ben and Jerry" fame, you can see the Answer for yourself, Click here:

http://www.truemajority.org/be...
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Fairness, Accountability, Justice

by: Amy Rubin

Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 14:50:28 PM EDT

The recent incidents of violence involving Blackwater contractors in Iraq, including the shooting of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad last month, have caused tremendous damage to America's battle for the hearts and minds of Iraqis. These incidents hurt America's moral standing, both in Iraq and around the world. And they serve as a tragic reminder of how the Bush Administration has outsourced our military responsibilities to corporate contractors and political cronies who operate outside of the rules of engagement and without any meaningful oversight.

• transfer most security missions currently performed by contractors back to military command
  
• narrowly limit the circumstances under which security contractors can be engaged
  
• bring all security contractors within the Pentagon's chain of command.

Expand Legal Oversight and Prosecutions

• amend the Military Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) to cover contractors employed by any U.S. agency
  
• ensure criminal allegations involving contractors are always investigated and, when appropriate, prosecuted
  
• establish clear rules of engagement for contractors

Get Cronyism out of Security Contracts

• ask Congress to pass legislation prohibiting campaign contributions by applicants for and recent recipients of security contracts, extending the ban on current contractors
  
• ask Congress to pass legislation to close the revolving door for government contractors by prohibiting former officials from working as contractors with business before their former offices for five years

Establish Strong Quality Control and Accountability Measures

• establish a regular system of Quality Assurance Evaluations of contractors and will make sure that agencies exercise oversight

Implement a Formal Evaluation of the Role of Contractors

• deliver a comprehensive accounting of all contractors performing security operations within the first six months of his administration
  
• creation of a new National Security Budget that will include all security activities by the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies

What I Want to Know from Candidate Edwards

by: hannah

Sun Aug 26, 2007 at 11:44:14 AM EDT

Don't Go There

by: Dean Barker

Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 15:54:24 PM EDT

"It's a horrible prospect to ask yourself 'What if? What if?' But if certain things happen between now and the election, particularly with respect to terrorism, that will automatically give the Republicans an advantage again, no matter how badly they have mishandled it, no matter how much more dangerous they have made the world. So I think I'm the best of the Democrats to deal with that as well."

Believe it or not, Senator Clinton, some of us up heaah in the sticks have actually heard of Manhattan.  In fact, long before you moved to New York to run for Senator, I grew up just outside of the city, with the view of the twin towers often in my skyline.  My brother worked in one of them right after the 1993 bombing, and I lived in NYC during the mid to late 90's.  Several communities that I called home were devastated by the terrorist attacks, and I knew people who were killed.

When Republicans use 9/11 for political gain, I feel like I am being kicked in the stomach.

I've got three words for Democrats who would emulate that despicable tactic: don't go there.

I find it especially galling to hear it coming from a Democratic Senator who voted for war in Iraq, a war having nothing to do with 9/11, but who, unlike just about all the other Democrats who voted thus, refuses to say that it was a mistake.

Chris Dodd isn't amused either: "Frankly, I find it tasteless to discuss political implications when talking about a potential terrorist attack on the United States."

[Evening Update:] A reader alerted me to this response to Dodd from Team Hillary:

Asked for a response to Dodd's charge, Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker tells First Read, "Sen Clinton was making clear that she has the strength and experience to keep the country safe."

[Evening Update #2] More reaction from the candidates:

Edwards Camp: Hillary's Terror Remarks "Deeply Troubling"

John Edwards spokesman Chris Kofinis also blasted Hillary: "Senator Clinton?s remarks are deeply troubling. After nearly seven years of George Bush and the politics of fear, the American people deserve a President who will focus first on keeping America safe, rather than calculating the political consequences. Unfortunately, Senator Clinton is seemingly taking a page straight from the GOP playbook that got us into this mess ? using fear of another terror attack as a political tactic to bolster her candidacy, and that is just wrong."

Richardson: Hillary "Seems To Think" Bush Has Made Us Safer

Bill Richardson had a statement, as well. "We shouldn't be thinking about terrorism in terms of its domestic political consequences, we should be protecting the country from terrorists," said Richardson. "Senator Clinton seems to think that President Bush has made this country safer. I disagree with her. Our failed policy in Iraq is making us less safe."

Obama Camp: Hillary Obsessed With Republican Attack Machine

Barack Obama advisor David Axelrod said that Hillary Clinton has been obsessed "with what she calls the Republican attack machine." Instead, Axelrod said, "I think we need a candidate who is obsessed with unifying this country again."

Oh, and then there's the fact that Clinton's statement completely reinforces a bogus right wing frame that America is just now climbing out of.  By stating it as a Democrat she reinforces the validity of the lie that Republicans own the security issue.

Absolutely unacceptable.  If we want people to fall out of politics or look toward a third party, going down this road is how to do it. I do hope there is a clarification forthcoming.

On Hate Crimes

by: elwood

Sat May 05, 2007 at 14:11:16 PM EDT

Hate crimes punish people for what they think, not for what they do, and the concept of criminalizing certain ugly thoughts runs counter to the principles of a society that reveres freedom of thought, speech and conscience.

This is a common view, and it is the result of unusually bad framing.