NIMBY: Terrorist Edition

Here in Colorado, the Republicans -- who were virtually in lockstep with President Bush regarding the potentially unlawful detention of suspected terrorists at Camps Delta, Iquana and X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay -- are now screaming "not in my backyard" over the possibility of these detainees being transferred to ADX Florence, informally known as Colorado's "Supermax" facility.
For all their noise, I have yet to hear a rational reason to not do this.
They could argue that the prisoners should all be housed in one facility; currently, ADX Florence has a capacity of 490 and a prisoner population of about 463. A few dozen of the 200 to 300 Gitmo prisoners could be sent to Florence. But is that a good enough reason for Florence to not do its part in making sure these suspected terrorists aren't returned to the Middle East during a time of war?
Instead, the reasons mentioned are neglectful of the facts and usually populist jokes:

• "Let's stick them in Alcatraz so it can be Nancy Pelosi's problem." <-- Spending more than $1 million to return Alcatraz to an operational state just for this one-time purpose doesn't make sense to me when we have current infrastructure and resources in our federal peniteniaries nationwide. But I'm taking this too seriously; it's just a quick jab for people to post on message boards and blast on talk radio, part of the labeling of Obama, Reid and Pelosi as some "unholy trinity."
• "Why are we bringing terrorists to our state?" <-- No one seemed to raise a fit when al-Qaida bomber Abdul Hakim Ali Hashim Murad came to Florence. The same goes for World Trade Center bomber Ahmed Mohammad Ajaj. Or Ahmed Omar Abu Ali. Or Clement Rodney Hampton-El (a.k.a. Dr. Rashid). Or El Sayyid Nosair. Or Eric Rudolph. Or Eyad Ismail. Or James Ujaama. Or John Walker Lindh. Or Jose Padilla. Or Mohammed A. Salameh. Or Mohammed Ali Hassan Al-Moayad. Or Mohammed Odeh. Or Omar Abdel-Rahman. Or Ramzi Yousef. Or would-be "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. Or "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski. Or the late Timothy McVeigh. Or Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.
• "Putting them all together would taint the other prisoners, turning them against America." <-- The 23-hour confinement policy, along with the solitary workout program at ADX Florence, has been well documented. These prisoners do not have contact with each other. Their only human contact whatsoever is with prison employees (guards, etc.). Even if they were exposed to the other prisoners, is there any guarantee that the likes of Terry Nichols, Matthew Hale and Robert Hanssen would become pals with former al-Qaida members? And supposing that, how do they lead a coordinated attack on the guards when the security measured used at Supermax have been demonstrated to work as well as or better than any other federal prison facility in the country?
• "Colorado will become a target for terrorists." <-- I would like to introduce as evidence the list of terrorist attacks on Guantanamo Bay's detention center due to its housing of al-Qaida and other terror suspects. Wait.... what? You mean there isn't a list because there's never been a terrorist attack on Guantanamo Bay since terror suspects have been detained there? Well, guess we can close the case on this one.
• "US prisons = US trials. The standards for conviction are too high under our current laws; a lot of these prisoners could go free." <-- If we don't have a case against them under our laws, we have done what our society has deemed is right and just. If we do have a case against them, the long list of current Florence inmates proves that convictions are not only possible outside of military tribunal, but the public scrutiny of the cases forces prosecution to present the fullest, clearest case against these people.

Throw in a couple of reference to "President-Mullah Hussein B. Obama" and you'll have the basic GOP talking points on this matter.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not convinced Guantanamo Bay's detention facilities required closing in the first place. Certainly a number of misdeeds were perpetrated there by officials acting on behalf of the Bush administration, but is that not also true of most branches of the federal government? Should we close the Department of Education because of No Child Left Behind? No, but the new administration can reform it so it can perform its proper duties.
But President Obama has made up his mind, fulfilling his campaign promise to close Gitmo's detention camps. It may not have been the best decision, but it's not a terrible decision. It may cost the government money to plan for and conduct the relocation of these detainees, but it starts us on the road toward increasing our reputation as a nation of rights, the rule of law and morally just leadership.

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Why?

(Thanks to Al Crancer of BureauCats for sending in another of his poignant, mind-opening cartoons. I know art when I see it, and this is the equivalent of thinking about going to the art museum on a Saturday but instead staying in to watch lumberjack compeitions on ESPN2.)

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History has been made; here's to the future

For all the untold miles traveled, hours spent and lives touched en route to this moment, 35 words stood between Barack Obama and history.
After a few seconds of wrangling with Chief Justice John Roberts over whose turn it was to speak and what should be said, the moment so many never imagined possible became reality.
“So help me God.”
And so it was, that Barack Obama became the 44th president of these United States, the first black man to lead this nation.
With the stakes of the nation as high as its expectations, the new president delivered an inaugural address that cautioned us not only of the obstacles ahead of us, but also recalled the hope and enthusiasm that prompted so many Americans to buy into his pitch for change.
The speech made it clear that the newest resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. understands that our trials and obligations are no less great because the reins of the nation have changed hands. There’s no inheritance from America’s rich uncle awaiting us now that George W. Bush is out of office.
But for each reminder of America’s struggles, there was a beacon of hope.
In my mind, it was groundbreaking for the leader of the free world to denounce the idea that our civil liberties should be the first sacrifice made when securing our homeland. For all the talk of smaller government by conservatives over the years, there never was a healthy dose of bigger liberties — unless you worked on Wall Street or bid on reconstruction contracts in Iraq.
Time has indeed come for us to rethink how our government works and how we should be active players in that process.
No one sentence or phrase in Obama’s address stressed this point as much as the idea that we must hand down our achievements for the next generation of America to build upon, a tradition that has continued since this nation’s inception.
Someone much smarter than me once said, “When history has been made, all that’s left is the future... and if you live in the present, you’ll be left with nothing.”
Insomuch as the historic unveiling of the Obama presidency is for all that has come before us, the weeks, months and years to come are for us now. The new president made it clear that there is precious time to savor his victory, and that responsibility to the ages is one that need be shared.
And with any luck, each day of the presidency of Barack Obama will provide chances anew to realize the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. While black Americans should take pride in this moment and the achievements of this administration, the greatest good awaiting people of all races and ethnicities lies not in Obama’s skin color, but in the content of his character.
We are at a point in our course of human events where great action is necessary from our government. If Obama can deliver on that promise beyond his promises laid out in speeches, he will be remembered for those deeds better than the fact he is America’s first black president. That historic achievement in overcoming our nation’s racial problems will be no less important for what it is, but America will be much better off for the many other things that are possible with a change in the White House.
History has been made; here’s to the future.

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Read All About It: National Buy A Newspaper Day

From BuyANewspaperDay.Com:

"The newspaper is heavily focused on local news. It keeps you informed

about events in your town and keeps local government in-line.

So for one day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, please make it a point to pick

up your local newspaper (reading it online doesn't count).

It doesn't matter if it's a daily or weekly, right-leaning or

left-leaning. If you're a college student and you get the school paper

for free, buy the town paper. If you subscribe, why not pick up a

second copy?

Who knows? You might like what you see and come back another day, and

another, and another…"

The Monday, Feb. 2, edition of The Aurora Sentinel will be on racks across Aurora for free, but don't let that stop you from taking part... Grab a copy and share it with your friends and family.
And those of you with millions in your bank account, I do know of a local newspaper you can buy right out and truly make it your own.

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Shaq plays ball for Barack

A little bird told The Sentinel that former NBA MVP Shaquille O'Neal was at Buckley Air Force Base today to shoot a video for President-Elect Barack Obama and the next First Family, all this a day before his Phoenix Suns take on the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.

Attempts to secure a game of H.O.R.S.E. with the 7-foot-plus O'Neal were unsuccessful as of late Wednesday afternoon.

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Aditude: AT&T's 'Howard'

'Howard' is really stupid to think he should deep-fry anything that's frozen... he's also channeling the acting skills of one Nicholas Cage, methinks.

(Yes, it seems like I'm on some sort of ad critic rampage as of late. Enjoy and/or deal with it.)

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Aditude: How To Fix The Economy

Take the money being spent on cell phones for snowmen and pay down the national debt. You can thank me in gold.

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A funny thing happened on the way to the Senate

So here it comes... Tuesday is the first day of political grandstanding in the US Senate in the Year of our Lord, Two Thousand Aught Nine.

Roland Burris will be denied a seat in the United States Senate, despite he and everyone else on God's green earth knowing that no appointee of scandal-tainted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will get within throwing distance of proposing a bill or being designated legislative office space.

Burris' travel to Washington, D.C., and the circus surrounding it will be greater theater (This time of the political variety) than any former "Saturday Night Live" player could ever hope to be involved in — with the exception of Al Franken.

Yes, Stuart Smiley himself is poised to ascend to the Senate after a lengthy recount effort in his home state of Minnesota versus Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. The man who couldn't keep Air America out of bankruptcy is now set to help tackle the nation's massive economic crisis. Thankfully, he has a full slate of senators, the House of Representatives, all the president's men (mainly in Treasury and Commerce) and a slew of private businesses looking for bailout to help advise him on what's best for the taxpayers' money.

(I mean no disrespect to Mr. Franken. He seems like a decent fella, and I tend to think he'd be more honest in his dealings than Sen. Coleman... but the extent to which he has demonized Coleman in the past has bordered on obsession. We will soon find out if Mr. Franken is an able statesman or just a very good campaigner. Either way, it's no laughing matter.)

In the meantime, watch how Joe Biden, Ken Salazar and Hillary Clinton respectively spend their waning days in the Senate. Biden's headed for the Vice President's office, Salazar for the Interior Department, and Clinton to some faraway land to handle whatever global crisis crops up for the Secretary of State to deal with (it also wouldn't hurt if they could arrange a private fundraiser while she's there to help her continue to pay down her presidential campaign debt).

But never fear, Americans. All this hubbub will be extinguished in mere days when the inauguration occurs and the post-election hangover for Democrats wears off. This is the worst of times for the Democrats to be in the majority, with little money for the government to spend on respective members' pet projects. This is also the worst of times for the Republicans to be on the outside, looking in on power-broking, as they are generally the most-ardent supporters of cutting "waste" out of the budget (that is, to clear room for tax breaks for the rich and no-bid contracts to Halliburton, et al.).

But I count my blessings — today we are up in arms over Rick Warren performing the invocation at the inauguration. It wasn't all that long ago some crazy folks disrupted a Senate invokation by a Hindu guest chaplain.

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Happy New Year!

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