Curious...

Why is that there isn't nothing on the page concerning Star Wars anymore, and yet the Amazon ads are still full of Star Wars ads? I thought 'Contextual' signifies that the ads pertain to what's being written about on the page. Hmm...either Amazon has a predilection for George Lucas or he has his boot on someone's neck. Shit. Now they will never change.

MILITARY TRIBUNAL OF TERRORISTS

This is my first my contribution to The Political Pub Crawl. The topic is based on the recent decision of the Obama administration to conduct military tribunals for the prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay. I hope the topic proves to be both interesting and thought provoking. I hope to participate more within The Political Pub Crawl with insights mostly of foreign conduct and policy.

This past week came the announcement of what some consider a controversial move. The decision of the Obama administration to subject Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and other 9/11 plotters to military tribunals rather than try their cases in a civilian courts. This is in stark contrast to early rhetoric by the Obama administration to close down Guantanamo Bay and hold the trial of these terrorists in a civilian court in New York City.

While this changes the original course of the Obama administration, it is a move that should be applauded. This is especially true when you consider the difficulties and problems that would result from subjecting these terrorists to civilian courts. Most were apprehended by US military forces or CIA agents in foreign lands. When engaged in war and combat both the US military and the CIA are not expected to protect the legal rights of their captives, nor are they trained in maintaining the integrity of a chain of custody when it comes to any evidence involved. Many CIA and military assets involved in these operations are classified. It can be assured that both the CIA and the military would not want to risk exposing these classified assets in an open civilian court. These are just a few factors that had to be considered when deciding where to try these individuals.

The decision to hold military tribunals also speaks volumes about the conduct in which the administration will take in the war on terrorism. In fact the move to hold military tribunals validates terrorists and their actions as acts of war, whereas a civilian trial would diminish these terrorists to mere criminals. And let us remember that war is not a criminal prosecution or inquiry. We capture, kill, and harm the other side not for what they have done, but for who they are. War is pre-emptive. And this facilitates the need to carry out actions against the enemy regardless if they have actually carried out hostile acts.

The Shutdown

I find it interesting in a time of severe economic turmoil, the only people trying to work to remedy the problems are the same ones who will probably get blamed for the shutdown. Democrats continue to spout rhetoric, while the GOP still puts forth offers. They have already balked at the promise of $100B, which I think is pretty measly. If I'm not mistaken, the Republicans were even going to let the Democrats choose what to cut. They want the shutdown it seems. If this happens, the GOP needs to move fast to capitalize on this. They need to point out just how many "non-essential" Federal workers there really are. Highlighting redundancy and waste needs to be a major talking point for the Republicans. A shutdown may give them the opportunity to illustrate just how much of the Federal government is not really needed. If they can convey this point and really take control of the narrative, which they don't seem to be able to right now, they can show Americans that a big, bloated Federal government is not what we need. It's high time that people realize that they do not NEED the government in their lives as much as it is now. We used to be a self-sufficient people. We can be again. It will be a long row to hoe, but we can get there.

Finally.

It's about time someone at the GOP took their two brain cells and rubbed them together. It's only 4 years too late, but hey, better late than never, right? Check this video out. If they don't want to seriously discuss what needs to be done, parody what they have said. It was a pretty smart way to pair their rhetoric with their actual actions. With what the Democrats have given the GOP, their platform against Obama has been written for them already.

The Budget and the Demogogue

Aristotle had three forms of government and their corrupt counterparts, so six in total: three good and three bad. If you listen to the types of things that are coming out of Washington, especially from the Left side of the aisle, is it no wonder that he described the corruption of a democracy as the rise of demagoguery?