Category Archives: War On Terror

Politics, War On Terror

Bhutto, Another Casualty In War On Terror

Our best hope to succeed Musharraf in Pakistan just got assassinated, meeting the same fate as her father and brothers. The same way that the pro-democracy anti-Syrian political leaders in Lebanon were assassinated over the last few years. Most recently about a month ago.

For the head-in-the-sanders out there, those who don’t believe there is a war on terror, this is what the war on terror is. It is between Islamofascists, the radical terrorists that use Islam as their pass to murder, and suicide bombers and assassins as their ballot for oppression and Taliban-style governance, and, people who prefer democratic style governance. This is what we are fighting and what we have been fighting from the time we first went into Afghanistan. This is your wake-up call.

related links: Reuters | Washington Post | CNN, In Bhutto’s own words | CNN, Lebanon president steps down | AP: Countries condemn Bhutto killing

Update 12/31/07: video of the attack

Judiciary, War On Terror

Legal Process Begins At Guantanamo Bay

The wheels of justice start turning at Club Gitmo, otherwise known as Guantanamo Bay, for the first  detainee.

The Office of Military Commissions announced today that charges have been sworn against Guantanamo detainee Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi of Saudi Arabia. The accused, al Darbi, is the brother-in-law of the Flight 77 hijacker al Mihdhar. Flight 77 is the plane that hit the Pentagon on 9/11.

The sworn charges are: Conspiring with others , to attack civilians, to murder in violation of the law of war, to destroy property in violation of the law of war, to hazard a vessel and to commit terrorism, and Providing Material Support to Terrorism. Mr. al Darbi was allegedly involved in planning attacks on a vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and off the coast of Yemen.

I’m sure he’s a really nice guy who was abused as a child by his father.  Ah, but I could be wrong.  At any rate, the enemy combatants down there are about to have their day in court in the form of a military commission.  The last time this was done was in World War II.

related link: Guantanamo detainee charged  |  Please, Don’t Pet The Terrorist

Media, Politics, War On Terror

War Funding Approved

What is characterized in the media as Democrats on capitol hill caving, Democrats in the Senate approved a half trillion dollar spending bill that included $70 billion to prosecute the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It still has to be passed by the House of Representatives, which is expected as well.

But why call it caving? Why not call it deciding to fight, win, and complete the war in Iraq and Afghanistan instead? Or something as inane as, could this be a sign that the country is once again united in the war? Approving the war budget amounts to good news for our troops, good news for the security of our country, the people in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the world, and bad news for the enemy. The only ones Democrats are caving to, apparently, is the George Soros wing of their party who only want to leave our enemies alone. It just goes to show you the perspective of the mainstream media.

link: Washington Post

Media, Politics, War On Terror

Hung Up On Timetables

It’s much easier to move on when you set a timetable.  The NYT reports that the global warming disciples want to set a timetable to revive the dead.  Rather, to revive the ‘climate treaty.’  I doubt the earth will mind or even care if and when that ever happens.  But for now, the sky-is-falling al-Gores of the world will have to wait for the next bash America party.

Reminds me of other things that don’t respond well to timetables.  Like the desire Democrat leaders in congress have to play Commander in Chief and fight the war on terror via a timetable.  I guess for them it is a face saving way to say we quit.  Who wins?

Here’s a headline you won’t see anywhere else.  ‘Blogger Sets Timetable For New York Times’ to remove their news filter, pull their head out of the sand (or other orifice), and report on news that does not fit their agenda.   Like the Pope’s comments on global warming for example.

2008 Election, Media, Politics, War On Terror

Dems Briefed On Waterboarding in 2002

More specifically, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was briefed on the extreme interrogation technique. Back then, it was fine. In fact, they wanted to know if there was anything more they could do to break the terrorists to give up information. Today it’s a different story. Today it is torture. Today the disposing of two tapes that supposedly show the technique in practice is called obstruction. Something we need to investigate, according to Joe Biden.

Which is exactly what they are doing today. Both Nancy Pelosi and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va) had been fully briefed on what the CIA was doing in Guantanamo Bay and neither of them objected, much to the dismay of the far left. Then, doing what they felt was the proper thing to do, the CIA notified Jay Rockefeller a few years ago that there were tapes of interrogations and that they intended to destroy them. The CIA was doing a CYA in letting those in oversight responsibilities, like Jay Rockefeller, know of the steps they were taking. After all, keeping secrets secret is what they do. What did Rockefeller do with that news? Nothing. He let it happen, as would anyone else on the side of America.

Enter politics and an election, and now it’s a whole different story. In the absence of core beliefs, it makes politicizing the war and the war effort easy.

Thank goodness that videotapes of interrogations that happened to a couple key al Qaeda bad guys were destroyed. You know that the identities of the real covert operatives would have been splashed all over the New York Times if they still existed and if Jay Rockefeller’s staff ever got their hands on them. For purely political purposes, there seems to be no current of opinion in the media and key democrats to keep the actions secret, including the identities of the covert agents involved. Contrast that to all the fake outrage of exposing the identity of Valerie Plame, a desk clerk analyst, who, at the time, was not a covert CIA agent. Protecting the identities of CIA operatives seem to be a selective, political concept.

Judiciary, Media, MRIOTD, Politics, United Nations, War On Terror

Please, Don’t Pet The Terrorist

Meet Army Col. Wendy A. Kelly, director of operations of the Office of Military CommissionsCol. Wendy Kelly, and a Philadelphia lawyer who is in charge of setting up America’s forthcoming terrorism trials in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Don’t pet the terrorist. In other words: Treat detainees humanely but don’t be so eager to make up for past abuses that you put yourself or your country at risk.

Perhaps Col. Kelly’s biggest challenge will be to figure out how trying 80 detainees will not be turned into the greatest show on earth by the mainstream media. Albeit not her only challenge.

She has spent 26 years as a government lawyer – half in the military, half as a civilian federal prosecutor in Philadelphia. Her DNA is half soldier, half lawyer.

From challenges about ‘torture’ that is not torture, to who trashed the videotapes, to these human debris are protected by the Geneva Convention, to these human debris have U.S. Constitutional protection, and the list goes on and on from the anti-Bush, anti-war, anti-American pro-terrorist groups in this country. And that’s just for starters.

Back in Washington, in an unmarked, secure corner office near the Pentagon, Kelly helps draft terrorism-trial rules and reviews proposed formal charges against detainees, including top-secret evidence.

If the first terrorism trial does begin early next year – roughly six years after detainees began arriving from Afghanistan – it will mark the first full-fledged U.S. “military commission” since World War II.

Will the military commissions, as Kelly predicts, show that the United States can convene fair trials for accused terrorists? “I think people will be surprised,” she says.

“I’m sure most Americans think, ‘To hell with them. Why should we give them a fair trial? They’re terrorists.’ It’s true that we don’t have to provide a trial for any of these people. We have the legal right to keep them until the conflict is over, which may be five years or may be 100 years.

That would be my choice for them.

But if you’re going to provide trials – for the sake of the United States and the JAG [military legal] corps, because we are the ones who are going to be judged – they have to be fair.”

I think we’ve reached the point of no return on the issue of whether or not there will be trials, thanks to bleeding hearts in Washington who bow to the U.N. And that’s a shame, but from what it looks like, Col. Kelly will do the job that needs to be done in a fair way.

More than half of the 800 detainees brought to Club Gitmo have been ordered released. Ironically, they have it better in Cuba now than if they were returned to their country of origin, which is why they’re still in Cuba. Sounds good to me, send them back to face the music. Make them wish they were in the custody of the United States.

“No one writes about what the detainees do,” Kelly says. “There’s just the conclusion by the media that detainees are constantly mistreated and the guard force are a bunch of sadistic monsters – that particularly bothers me.”

According to military reports and interviews with guards, the detainees scream, they attack, they carve shanks, they spit, they hurl cocktails of semen and feces. “It takes a lot of patience,” a guard said.

And for the absurdly ridiculous of rules, created by backlash from the fake Koran down the toilet episode, Kelly says . . .

“The guards are not allowed to search detainees’ ‘sacred places’ ” – between their waist and knees – “because it might offend their religious sensibilities.”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. Their sacred places? Can you believe that?”

No, I can’t believe that. That area is sacred? Does the Koran cover proper use and handling of genitalia and body orifices? Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day! That must be the Penthouse version of the Koran in use down there. Apparently the Koran is also OK with “hurling cocktails of semen and feces” too! Will have to consult the local Imam about that.

Philadelphia Inquirer link: Mission:Fairness

Media, Politics, War On Terror

Today’s Special

Some significant progress in Afghanistan is taking place against the Taliban. A stronghold town is surrounded by the Afghan and coalition armies. How peaceful or bloody it gets resolved is up to the Taliban. But the end is near for the bad guys there.

Democrats in Washington seem to be caving in to support the troops, much to the dismay of the anti-war wing of their party. The George Soros wing.

“Do Republicans have a tough stance on funding the troops in the field? Yes,” said McConnell’s spokesman, Don Stewart. “Because we made a commitment to the troops overseas to give them the training and equipment and support that they need.”

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi will just have to wait until the American people elect one of theirs President and Commander in Chief before they can play President and Commander in Chief.

Thank goodness that videotapes of interrogations that happened to a couple key al Qaeda bad guys were destroyed. You know that the identities of the real covert operatives would have been splashed all over the New York Times if they still existed and if Jay Rockefeller’s staff ever got their hands on them. For purely political purposes, there seems to be no current of opinion in the media and key democrats to keep the actions secret, including the identities of the covert agents involved. Contrast that to all the fake outrage of exposing the identity of Valerie Plame, a desk clerk analyst, who, at the time, was not a covert CIA agent. Protecting the identities of CIA operatives seem to be a selective, political concept.

MRIOTD, Pensacola, Politics, War On Terror

Last Man Standing Against The Surge

Host of Air America Radio show ‘Ring of Fire,’ Mike Papantonio, is still in denial over the effects of what is known as ‘the surge’ in the Iraqi front of what is known as the war on terror. He, who has never been to Iraq, says that all the journalists who have been there, all the generals who are prosecuting it, and all those Iraqi citizens who are returning home from Syria, knows that the whole thing is a sham, AND that all the media the world over are somehow controlled by ‘the shrub’ (the nickname he ascribes to President Bush) in as much as they are complicit in spreading the myth that the surge is working.

Makes one wonder how someone who he repeatedly calls an idiot could be able to control all journalists and all media worldwide and all our military leaders to say that the surge is working when it isn’t, doesn’t it? Certainly qualifies for the Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day, MRIOTD.

Hear it in his own words in an excerpt from last Saturday’s Ring of Fire show that he calls ‘The Pap Attack.’

related links: Ring of Fire show | The Pap Attack | Papantonio