Lieberman's Remarks: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about Joe Lieberman's recent comments about stripping people of their U.S. citizenship and more. I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

Lieberman’s Remarks

As an American, I am furious and greatly upset by the remarks made Tuesday by Sen. Joseph Lieberman, that an American citizen should automatically lose their citizenship if accused of participating in a terrorist attack against our country on behalf of another country.

Sen. Lieberman, you seem to have forgotten that in the 1930s Jewish citizens of Germany were stripped of their citizenship because the Nazis considered them enemies of the state. Why is what you are proposing any different from what Hitler and the Nazis did?

Sen. Lieberman, when sworn in as Senator, you took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States; yet here you are willing to tear the basic fabric of the Constitution apart by your proposal. Our legal system was founded on the basis “innocent until proven guilty”, are you now proposing that it be like many other countries in the world “guilty until proven innocent”?

Sen. Lieberman by your actions, you are unknowingly giving aid and comfort to our enemies; they will see your proposal as our country is beginning to lose its moral values.

It is times like these, that our faith in the Constitution is tested, yet you and many conservatives in the country are willing to sacrifice the basic principles on which this country was founded, by trampling the Constitution.

Sen. Lieberman your remarks and recent remarks made by Senators McCain and Graham regarding the reading of Miranda Rights and Second Amendment Rights for those on the terrorists watch list boggles the mind.

What I see happening in this country, is a group of people wanting to take this country back to the 18th Century when the rights that many Americans currently enjoy didn’t exist.

I sincerely hope you have time to rethink your position and not try to present a bill to Congress based on your remarks.

Many thanks again for another thorough, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

CBS: Faisal Shahzad on Homeland Security List Since 1999

By GottaLaff

Looks like there may be plenty of blame to go around... unless, of course, you're a Republican:

Sources tell CBS News that would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad appeared on a Department of Homeland Security travel lookout list - Traveler Enforcement Compliance System (TECS) - between 1999 and 2008 because he brought approximately $80,000 cash or cash instruments into the United States.

Maybe he was a Goldman Sachs exec?

UPDATE: Was there a Department of Homeland Security before BushCo?

Quickie: Why Did CBS Scrub Story About Army Spy Planes Capturing the Times Square Bomber?

By GottaLaff

I've bumped this story up with an update. Title has been edited.

Original post:

How did they catch the New York bomb suspect? Today's Quickie:

Via Gawker:

They intercepted his call reserving a plane ticket to Dubai; authorities nabbed him. [WCBS]

We didn't hear a whole lot about that, did we? But we did get a critical earful about Miranda rights. But not a whole lot of kudos about how-- within what, 53.5 hours?-- they captured the bad guy.

That was today's Quickie. Was it good for you?

Gawker UPDATE:

Yesterday the above story was scrubbed. But why? Gawker had screen shots of related headlines. Today they report:

According to WCBS, they simply got caught up in the frenzy of breaking news and "inadvertently" put in an unconfirmed detail. There is a problem with this account: The detail about the Army Intelligence planes was featured prominently in the title of the originally article. Clearly, the line wasn't "inadvertently included"—it was put in and deliberately promoted. After all, it was the most eye-catching detail of the story.

More at the link.

U.S. Officials Say Pakistani Taliban Likely Had Role in Times Square Bombing Attempt

By GottaLaff

Via a New York Times e-mail alert:

American officials said Wednesday that it was very likely that a radical group once thought unable to attack the United States had played a role in Saturday's bombing attempt in Times Square, elevating concerns about whether other militant groups could deliver at least a glancing blow on American soil.

That is a tad disconcerting...

Video- Kristol accuses Obama administration of "reluctance ... to take seriously" the "terror conspiracy" against U.S.

Jeebus, other than the President ripping out the terrorists jugular with his hands, they're just not going to be happy enough. Via Media Matters.

Video- Liebermann to introduce citizenship-stripping bill tomorrow

I'm not even done shaking from the O'Donnell bullshit, now this? Greg updated this to say that Chuck Schumer has now come out against Lieberman's proposal. What about Rep Altmire?

Two things you should know about this: First, it isn't just some paranoid liberal nightmare. It's actually moving forward. Lieberman is going to hold a presser tomorrow to introduce the bill, I'm told, along with Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has already signaled he could support this.

Second, Lieberman's office has clarified to me how the law would work: It would empower the State Department to conclude -- on its own -- that Americans are conspiring with terror groups and should be stripped of their citizenship.

Lieberman's law would amend an earlier statute that details other things that can cost you citizenship: Serving in the army of a foreign state, pledging allegiance to a foreign state, and so on. In those cases the State Department decides whether your disloyalty merits loss of citizen status. Lieberman's law would add involvement with a foreign terror organization -- as opposed to a foreign state -- to this list.

(snip)

Who would determine whether you're involved with a foreign terror group? The State Department. It already decides what is and isn't designated as a terror organization. Lieberman's law would also empower State to determine whether you are in league with one of these groups.

Here's where it gets more complicated. You would still have the right to contest this in court. And if you did, the burden of proof would be on State -- not on you -- to persuade the court that your involvement with a terror organization is sufficient to justify taking away your citizen status.

Thank god for Greg setting it out so clearly.

Hoyer: Dems more successful at fighting terrorists than GOP

By GottaLaff

You tell 'em Steny:

“We're tough on terrorists. That’s our policy. That’s our performance. And, in fact, we've been more successful,” Hoyer said at his weekly press availability.

BushCo and their chest-thumping P.R. games weren't exactly effective in fighting terrorism. Under their watch, we lost over 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001. Magically, their collective memory started working on September 12. The GOP can't seem to grasp who was in charge 24 hours earlier.

In fact, they can't stand the idea that the Obama administration has been on the ball and made them look even more like the incompetent, arrogant peacocks that they were. They insist that the socialist Marxist from Kenya, the "outsider" is soft on terrorism. They should be supporting his efforts and unifying the country, not playing politics and trying to divide it... again.

In fact #2: "Justice" was a bad word from 2001-2008.

In fact #3: Hating Obama trumps national security.

In fact #4: Obama doesn't need to thump his chest and dress up in flight suits. He calmly, sensibly puts criminals and terrorists behind bars. He keeps us safe, BushCo posed.

In fact #5: And Obama does it without torturing a soul. Imagine.

So who exactly made us "less safe" again, Dickless McHeartStent? Liz? ::crickets::

Hoyer:

“We've been more successful in Pakistan [...] We're focused on where terrorism began — not began but was launched against us — in Afghanistan, which the Bush administration essentially ignored and, as a result, after seven years had a festering, worsening situation inherited by this administration.”

As for those pesky Miranda rights that have monopolized the right-wing-memes lately:

The suspect arrested in the Times Square incident, Faisal Shahzad, was read his rights by U.S. authorities early Tuesday.

“I think it doesn't have a great deal of credibility, carping about that. Because, of course, that's the way Bush handled [it],” Hoyer said. “[Saying], 'It wasn't wrong when Bush did it but now it's wrong'? I don't think that sells.”

Hyp. O. Crites.

Today's Right Wing Meme

John McCain:

It would have been a serious mistake to have read the suspect in the attempted Times Square car bombing his Miranda rights, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday.

McCain, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a longtime leading Republican on national security issues, said he expected the suspect in the case could face charges that might warrant a death sentence if convicted.

"Obviously that would be a serious mistake...at least until we find out as much information we have," McCain said during an appearance on "Imus in the Morning" when asked whether the suspect, 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized American citizen from Pakistan.

"Don't give this guy his miranda rights until we find out what it's all about," McCain added.

Pete King:

Rep. Peter King (N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, wants to know whether the Justice Department consulted with the intelligence community.

“I hope that [Attorney General Eric] Holder did discuss this with the intelligence community. If they believe they got enough from him, how much more should they get? Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still,” King told POLITICO.

The Fox and Friends are on the wagon too, but look who disagrees:

Scary day when Glenn Beck is the one making sense. h/t John.

Man held in NYC car bomb attack to appear in court

Another night I try and stay away from the news...

NEW YORK – A Pakistan-born U.S. citizen accused of driving a bomb-laden SUV into Times Square and parking it on a street lined with restaurants and Broadway theaters was to appear in court Tuesday to face charges that he tried to set off a massive fireball and kill Americans, federal authorities said.

The suspect, Faisal Shahzad, was taken into custody late Monday by FBI agents and New York Police Department detectives at Kennedy Airport while trying to board a flight to Dubai, according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials. He was identified by customs agents and stopped before boarding, Holder said early Tuesday in Washington.

U.S. authorities "will not rest until we have brought everyone responsible to justice," Holder said, suggesting additional suspects are being sought.

Shahzad, 30, is a naturalized U.S. citizen and had recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan, where he had a wife, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation into the failed car bombing.

Liveblog: NYPD holds Press Conference on Times Square car bomb

By GottaLaff


Liveblogging the press conference about the Times Square car bomb.

ViaMSNBC:

The bomb squad has "breached the gun locker found in the car."

There is no evidence that Pakistani Taliban is responsible, despite their claims.

The other source claiming responsibility came via a call, and a lot of calls do come in; the caller said he did it.

The relationship the NYPD has with the FBI is seamless.

Some munitions were detonated inside the car.

The most serious since 9/11.

NYPD will release surveillance video of the suspect. Asking public for information, too.

An explosion would "have caused a significant fireball" but they still need to examine what was in gun box. The case is all metal, weighs about 75 pounds, so would have had a lot of shrapnel. There would have been casualties, the car would have been cut in half.

More mid-town Manhattan police will be on patrol.

The license plate belonged to a vehicle that was being repaired in Connecticut.

Raymond Kelly, NY police commissioner, is the one who is answering questions.

It wasn't an accident, someone sent a message to terrorize people in the area. Terrorism can be caused by an individual, not limited to just an organization.

We have no intention of screening cars at this time. We examine licenses, etc., traffic checks, routinely.

The license plate was not stolen, but can't assume it was given to the individual.

Two clocks, wired together, were involved, but don't yet know the intended time of detonation. A 16 oz. can was positioned between 2 five gallon cans of gasoline. 3 propane tanks, 15-17 pounds. There was a gun box inside a cardboard box. Wires from explosives in can wired in to box.

Car bomb scares, empties Times Square

See what happens when I try to stay away from the news for a night?

NEW YORK - Police found an "amateurish" but potentially powerful bomb that apparently began to detonate but did not explode in a smoking sport utility vehicle in Times Square, authorities said Sunday. Thousands of tourists were cleared from the streets for 10 hours while the bomb was dismantled.

"We avoided what we could have been a very deadly event," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "It certainly could have exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact."

Investigators removed three propane tanks, fireworks, two filled 5-gallon gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components from the back of the Nissan Pathfinder, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. A black metal box resembling a gun locker was also recovered and will be detonated off site, he said.

Bloomberg called the explosive device "amateurish" and Kelly said the explosives were consumer-grade fireworks but could have caused huge damage on a block of Broadway theaters and restaurants teeming with tourists.
(snip)

Firefighters who arrived shortly after first call heard a popping sound, said Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano, who described the sound as not quite an explosion.

The bomb appeared to be starting to detonate but malfunctioned, top police spokesman Paul Browne told The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

VIDEO- Gov. Brewer: "Arizona has been under terrorist attacks" with "all of this illegal immigration"

By GottaLaff

So by equating immigrants with terrorists, Governor Brewer thinks she can justify racial profiling. Sadly, attitudes like this are not surprising, considering the profiling that has gone on since the 9/11 attacks.

I suppose she's also advising the authorities to keep a sharp eye out for white people, like, you know, Tim McVeigh:

Glenn Beck's New Novel Is Ripped from Glenn Beck's Headlines

By GottaLaff

Glenn Blech didn't have to come close to taxing his warped imagination when he wrote [sic] his new novel. No, he merely had to grab some crayons and construction paper, and the words just flowed.

Gawker has a plot summary that you can read here, but suffice it to say it's as predictable as you most likely predicted. It's all about the Big Bad Liberals, fear mongering, terrorist attacks, and, well, get a load of the heroes.

It's not often one can profit from jotting down his own recurring dreams:

Through the magic of imagination, he can cast himself as the dashing young playboy and put a younger Sarah Palin in an adventuring catsuit and the pair can run off into the night, solving crimes against American traditionalism and safely waiting to do it until they can get married in a consecrated chapel built out of Lincoln's old house.

And they're aided by a crusading band of "patriots"! This means Teabaggers.

Go take a look. And bring some Kleenex, because you'll laugh yourself to tears.

Quickie: Muslims now diss Al Qaeda edition

By GottaLaff

Today's Quickie:

When BushCo was in power, said former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke on Hardball just now, Muslims wouldn't stand up and criticize Al Qaeda. They do now.

Oh, and per Clarke, the world likes us again, and hence, is more cooperative. (Yes, I just wanted to say "hence".)

Apparently, having a Kenyan Muslim commie Marxist in the White House is paying off.

That was today's Quickie. Was it good for you?

Iraq reports death of another al-Qaida leader

Score- Bush= 1 Big Al Qaida Bad Guy vs Obama= 3 Big Al Qaida Bad Guys**

BAGHDAD, April 20 (UPI) -- The leader of an al-Qaida terrorist group operating north of Baghdad was killed by U.S. forces, an Iraqi military commander said Tuesday.

Ahmad al-Obaidi, also known as Abu Suhaib, was killed in an operation separate from the deaths of two other al-Qaida leaders -- Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi -- killed in an operation in northern Iraq, the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

The military official said Obaidi was responsible for al-Qaida operations in the Ninawa, Kirkuk and Salahiddeen regions.

**Just this week even.

VIDEO- Mid-level Fox executive: "Whatever will sell is what we have to say." CNN just as guilty.

By GottaLaff

Just. Watch:



Slightly paraphrased:

"A majority of people at the middle level at Fox News don't believe a word of what they are saying."

Why are you saying it? "Whatever will sell is what we have to say."

Many staffers are considered "left wing", but if they found a message that would sell, the opposite of what they believe, they would do so. That's the Rupert Murdoch way.

Glenn Beck is only as good as his sponsorship. His message doesn't play into Fox News, and he's losing national sponsors, leaving only local, low-paying sponsors. (Thank you, StopBeck).

So how useful is Beck to ClusterFox? He's not. They're selling propaganda to sell products.

From the middle level executive's point of view, there is no political objective at Fox News [sic]. People are stupid enough to believe what they say, and ClusterFox reaps the benefits.

"They'll tell you whatever they sell, and they're only as good as their sponsorship.... at the national expense."

"They're a little annoyed at Ann Coulter... and Glenn Beck."

"CNN is just as guilty as Fox News of being an engine of propaganda... generating fear..." (regarding terrorism)

"News agencies are dangerous to freedom and liberty."

From the horse's mouth.

H/t: t_spano

No Trial For KSM At All?

By GottaLaff

Sharp-eyed Lizz Winstead just alerted me to this piece by Adam Serwer, someone we both follow on Twitter. When she did, I was nearly speechless. For me, that's really something.

I went right over to read it, hoping I'd find something different than what she said to me. I'd hoped she misinterpreted it or read it wrong.

No such luck:

I've said before that if the administration chooses to retreat on trying Khalid Sheik Mohammed and the other September 11 conspirators in civilian court, he might not be brought to justice at all, given the constitutional vulnerability of the military commissions. Brookings' Ben Wittes and former Bush Office of Legal Counsel head Jack Goldsmith are recommending indefinite detention as a "solution" to the problem:

[...] [T]he politically draining fight about civilian vs. military trials is not worth the costs. It also distracts from more important questions in the legal war against terrorism.

"Not worth the costs"? We've already paid dearly for avoiding/ignoring our own system of justice. What could be more costly than trading our democracy for political expedience?

They write that "the political costs" of a trial "have become exorbitant" even "unaffordably high" and even a military commission "isn't worth the effort, cost and political fight it would take."

And who is driving up those political costs? Cowardly, self-serving fear mongers.

KSM and his cohorts are likely guilty of a terrible crime, and they should be brought to justice for it. Wittes and Goldsmith fail to properly consider the costs of holding KSM forever without trial -- the American people growing further acclimatized to a government whose definition of justice and commitment to the rule of law is increasingly capricious. That kind of long-term damage is immeasurable, and a far greater cost to the country than the short-term false outrage of McCarthyists and hypocrites.

Adam nailed it. This is unacceptable.

ACLU ad equates/morphs Obama with Bush

By GottaLaff

Ouch. The ACLU took out an ad in the New York Times that morphs President Obama into Bush. I can't think of a bigger insult or a worse juxtaposition:

The military commissions are seriously flawed and unprepared to handle these complex cases. If President Obama reverses his attorney general’s principled decision under political pressure, it will strike a devastating blow to American values and do serious damage to our nation’s credibility. We urge the president to do the right thing and keep these cases in federal court, where they belong.”

Personally, I don't like to equate President Obama with Bush, even in cases like this one. It's too harsh, even if there are similarities. IMHO, Bush is a war criminal, so I reserve comparisons to him for other thugs.

I do, however, agree with the points the ACLU is making.

They also wrote a letter to the president. You can read the whole thing here (click on images to enlarge):


The ad's full text:

What will it be Mr. President?
Change or more of the Same?

Candidate Barack Obama vowed to change the Bush-Cheney policies and restore America’s values of justice and due process. Many of us are shocked and concerned that right now, President Obama is considering reversing his attorney general’s decision to try the 9/11 defendants in criminal court. Our criminal justice system has successfully handled over 300 terrorism cases compared to only 3 in the military commissions. Our criminal justice system will resolve these cases more quickly and more credibly than the military commissions.

President Obama can vigorously prosecute terrorists and keep us safe without violating our Constitution.

As president, Barack Obama must decide whether he will keep his solemn promise to restore our Constitution and due process, or ignore his vow and continue the Bush-Cheney policies.

Tell President Obama not to back down on his commitment to our justice system, and to try the 9/11 defendants in criminal court.

Remind the world that America stands for due process, justice, and the rule of law.

I've written extensively about this subject; you can track all my posts here.

The ACLU took a tough, clear stand. Somebody had to.

Fear Factor: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the way the fear mongering and hypocrisy of the GOP. I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

Fear Factor

Liz Cheney, who branded lawyers who defended accused terrorists before the Supreme Court, as Al Qaeda sympathizers, seems to have forgotten the fundamental principle of our judicial system “innocent until proven guilty”. Attorneys are taught to defend their clients no matter what their own personal opinion may be.

The fact that the Justice Department hired some of the attorneys that represented terrorists during the Bush Administration didn’t seem to matter or occur to her.

Liz, like her father, loves to use fear words and tactics to rile their base and promote their right wing agenda. If one were to use Liz’s logic, Dick Cheney who believes in torturing terrorists, or as he calls it “enhanced interrogation“, is no different than Saddam Hussein.

Liz Cheney is receiving a lot of heat for her remarks, and rightfully so, even from conservatives within the Republican party; yet the use of fear seems to be in the Cheney’s genes and that of the Republican Party.

The “fear factor” has been part of the Republican strategy since 9/11, but now we have seen that this policy is officially part of their platform to get Republicans elected in 2010, from a Power Point presentation that was made by the Republican National Committee, in Boca Grande, Florida.

Bush and the GOP have used the “fear factor” to (a) get us into an un-necessary war in Iraq, (b) re-elect Bush in 2004, (c) fight Health Care reform, (d) fight the closing Guantanamo, and (d) fight the trying of terrorists in civilian courts.

This use of the “fear factor” since the election of Barack Obama, by the Republican Party and the right wing media, I believe, is one of the factors that has led to a significant increase in American hate groups.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published a report (Rage on the Right) this week that disclosed there was a 244% increase in the number of active Patriot Groups (militias and other extremist organizations) in 2009. Their numbers grew from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 in 2009. On March 5th we learned that the Obama Administration is considering trying the alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) in a military court instead of a civilian court in NYC.

For months the Republican Party and right wing media have been using the “fear factor” on the American public against having civilian trial for KHM. Like Liz Cheney’s undermining one of our basic legal principles, so is the Republican Party undermining the due process provision of our Constitution.

The fact that civilian trials were used to try terrorists during the Bush Administration doesn’t seem to matter to the GOP. The simple fact is, if Obama wants to do it, is enough reason for them to object. Hypocrisy at its highest level.

I beseech President Obama to support your Justice Department and bring KHM before an American civilian court to be tried for his accused crimes against humanity. To do otherwise is to play into the “fear factor” of the Republican Party and the right wing media, which will only embolden them and their supporters to continue their fear mongering methods.

Its time Mr. President to show Republicans and the right wing media that the “fear factor” doesn’t belong in American politics.

Many thanks again for another thorough, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

VIDEO: Wolf Blitzer's apology

By GottaLaff

I've been posting a lot about this lately:

And by "this" I mean not only CNN's ClusterFoxy chyron, but Liz "Dickette" Cheney's offensive campaign to paint federal lawyers as terrorist sympathizers, Countdown's analysis, as well as Rachel Maddow's superb mockery of Dickette's twisted efforts.

But the "this" of the moment is the issue of the tasteless CNN chyron you see in the screen grab above.

Wolf got the message:



Too little too late?