Senator Sessions Flips. Again. Enemy Combatants Become Prisoners of War

If you are a regular reader, you know how much I love to write about Senator Sessions and the serial stupidity of the GOP. I believe that Mr. Sessions exemplifies that quality.

As the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, today Sessions inserted both feet into his mouth when he responded to a discussion about Fort Hood, terrorism, and the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammad by saying:

"The enemy, who could of been obliterated on the battlefield on one day, but was captured instead does not then become a common American criminal. They are first a prisoner of war, once they're captured. The laws of war say, as did Lincoln and Grant, that the prisoners will not be released when the war - until the war ends. How absurb is it to say that we will release people who plan to attack us again?"

This is a really interesting comment. The "war on terror," according to the terms set forth by just about everyone, has no real ending. When do we say it is over? If prisoners then are prisoners of this war on terror, when can they expect to be released? They can't. That is exactly why Bush and company created the military tribunal system, Guantanamo Bay, and the designation "enemy combatant." The use of the term "prisoner of war" has very specific legal obligations to the country holding that individual.  Why do you think that Bush and company were very, very careful to never, ever refer to any of the "enemy combatants" or other residents at Guantanamo Bay as "prisoners of war?" They and the mainstream media refer endlessly to the "war on terror." But they had to create a new lexicon to wage it. Enhanced interogation. Enemy combatant.

Senator Sessions just as the rest of the Republicans do, chooses which terminology fits the argument, or which argument fits the results he wants to reach.

h/t Crooks and Liars

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.
k

Image from irvinehousingblog dot com

Continuing Serial Stupidity of the GOP and Jon-Benet as Halloween Costume. Sick.

Another example of not only the Serial Stupidity of the GOP, but I think, some sort of inability to comprehend appropriate social behavior. This tweet from Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Mark Fahleson on Halloween. @fahleson.

# Done trick or treating with Cleopatra and Jon Benet-now at Dino's for family dinner and to watch 5 different games at once.5:49 PM Oct 31st from TwitterBerry

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.
k

Stupidity & Hypocrisy Bedevil our Politics

Buzz Flash's Ann Davidow had, last week, an excellent post discussing the breathtaking level of delusion that passes for politics on the right in this country. Called Finding a Voice, she talks about how easily our GOP leaders stand before us making outrageous claims, vicious attacks, and presenting themselves as holier than thou and thus much abler leaders. Her point, however, is that,

"At some point during the trickle-down years portions of the electorate, preoccupied with abortion and gay marriage, seemingly failed to grasp the fact of stagnant wages and the huge transfer of wealth and control of capital that had become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. People who often benefit least under a corporate umbrella that provides enormous advantages to some at their expense are the loudest proponents of a system that often shuts them out. Duped into believing that "Socialism" is the devil’s work, they are oblivious to the devil on their doorstep."

She goes on to discuss the fact that not only are the electorate deluded by the politicians,

"There is a level of delusion that is hard to fathom and a shamelessness on the part of the politicians who represent the deluded that is even harder to understand. Who can forget George Bush declaring, at the beginning of his second term, that he had garnered political capital and intended to spend it. Perhaps just not losing the popular vote was, for him, a sign of electoral significance, his political capital a myth in the making."

But even when caught out, again, and again, and again,

They continue to stand before us and preach the most rank hypocrisy. David Vitter apologizes for his involvement with prostitutes - after voting to impeach President Clinton for sexual misconduct (that, by the way, was not illegal). Senator Ensign behaves as if it's business as usual and campaigns for re-election dollars despite the fact that his family paid off his mistress's family to the tune of almost $100,000 and he got her husband (both of whom, by the way, were both his staffers) a job as a lobbyist.

The Senate Finance Committee and others think we don't understand their connections to big pharma and other health care lobbys, or Senator Kyl's demands to continue being heard in committee despite he fact that he is repeating, again, what he said the day before, and the day before that, and so on... a minority party delaying tactic.

The difference, she says, between those leaders and progressives? It's not that progressives are without fault, or that they never cheat on their wives or husbands, or don't accept contributions from the health care lobby. It's just that they don't make their morality the centerpiece of their campaigns. They don't pretend to be more pure or more Christian than the other guy. They actually campaign on policy, not on having a prettier family.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.
k

Why Sarah Palin Matters & How the MSM Fell Down on the Job

I've written more about Sarah Palin in the past couple of days than in the past year, leaving it for the most part to the truly excellent Alaska bloggers who have it covered. I've written recently, because of a couple of areas that I haven't seen covered in the way that I would like to see written about and because there's just so much to say.

Like many writers, I've had many people wonder over the months since the election why I cared about her at all. I have been asked, repeatedly, why she mattered. The election was over, the GOP lost, she's an idiot, no one would ever elect her to dog-catcher, so why pay attention to her ever again? People asked me why, not living in Alaska, I cared what she did?

She does matter. Perhaps now more than ever. Her poll numbers are rising. Donations to SarahPac are rising. Ethics charges continue and despite what she says, her resignation changes nothing as far as staff hours or state dollars spent on dealing with them. What does change, is that she can travel, gather in speaking fees, write her book (or rather, have it written for her) and pose for as many pretty pictures as she wants and not have to disclose a dime. She retains an enormous popularity despite (or because of) the recent attacks on her.

It's interesting that one of the reasons that she resigned is because of the mainstream media, yet, she has made herself available to them to an incredible extent since her Friday resignation. She has invited the networks to Dillingham for interviews, taking reporters out fishing and giving one on one's to TV and print reporters - some of whom she had threatened to sue the day before if they dared to report that there were rumors about her. When asked about her comments calling Hillary a whiner last summer in reference to media attacks, she immediately became defensive, stating that her case was completely different since the attacks on her were accusations that had been proven wrong whereas Hillary was just whining about normal, reasonable criticism that she should expect as a part of the process. hmmm.

So, why does it matter? Andrew Sullivan has written an excellent post today exploring this issue far better than I could ever do, stating something I have tried to say for a long time. The supposed 'liberal media elite,' or mainstream media, doesn't do its job. They don't ask the questions they should be asking. They simply report what they are told. They serve as stenographers to power, repeat what they are told, and when given an opportunity to interview someone, are careful to ask softball questions (to use a sports metaphor so beloved of Ms. Palin) in order to not offend and perhaps lose future access.

In his post, Sullivan says that:

"McCain knew full well that Palin was unqualified to be commander-in-chief at this period of time; and he knew there was no way she could ever learn enough to do the job. So his decision to pick her was pure cynicism and irresponsibility. The MSM knew full well that there were very serious questions about this unknown person's background, lies, mental stability, and secrecy - but they were so terrified of being called biased they refused to do the proper vetting. "

He also says that not only McCain and the press are to blame, but the entire GOP for selecting someone everyone knew was not only unqualified for the job, but dangerous to this country. He quotes Richard Cohen who says:

"Naming Palin to the GOP ticket -- a top-down choice by McCain -- was the most reckless decision any national politician has made in the longest time, and while it certainly says something about McCain, it says even more about his party. It has lost its mind."

This post explains why Sarah Palin matters and why it is important to stay on top of the media and demand that they begin to ask the right questions and that we as consumers expect that journalists begin to demand it of them.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.
k

Another GOP Serial Idiocy

This is obscene. Every time I think the GOP can't sink any lower, they sink lower.

There are conflicting opinions about whether or not viewing violent images can cause trauma, but there is some evidence that the repeated viewing of the attacks on the towers on 9/11 resulted in traumatic stress reactions in some people. Persons personally affected by the attacks may be offended by the following video. Persons with post traumatic stress disorder - whether from 9/11 or not - may react negatively to images of violence depicted. As a counselor then, I ask you to watch with caution.




The use of dramatic music coupled with violent memories (the attacks of 9/11) interspersed with battle images are designed to manipulate the emotions of the viewer. We have barely passed 100 days of the Obama administration. The GOP cannot accept the fact that they lost the election. They cannot accept the fact that the people of this country no longer want to follow the policies of the Republican party - in fact, they want to follow the promises President Obama made while campaigning, one of which was to close Guantanamo. The GOP, in desperation, are using terrorist tactics because President Obama wants to close Guantanamo.

Their newest scare tactic is to say that the men imprisoned at Guantanamo are so bad, that if we close Guantanamo and bring them to the U.S., we will be at risk of, what? They don't really say. They just play scary music and show us images of the attacks of 9/11 and soldiers in combat.

Using fear tactics with this video, they are saying that the country that has Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Dahmer in custody, and jailed Ted Bundy and numerous other serial killers, somehow can't contain the members of Al Queda responsible for 9/11. Even more ludicrous, is the fact several of the people held in Guantanamo are probably not guilty of anything, and that many of the ones released have become terrorists because of what happened to them at Guantanamo.

Terrorism is fear. Fear comes in many forms, and terrorism is usually thought of as creating prolonged fear. It is usually defined as violent and often political, although local statutes often use terror to define criminal acts that might not be considered terrorism elsewhere. What the GOP is doing with this ad and their campaign is to frighten Americans to pressure President Obama to keep Guantanamo open. The are trying to associate the perpetrators of Al Queda with Guantanamo, and the necessity of keeping the prison open with our national safety. That if he closed the prison, that these terrorists will attack us, which is a disingenuous and pathetic argument made by little men who cannot accept the fact that they lost an election and that their part has shrunk to 21% of the American people.

They are hoping that if they frighten us enough, that we will turn to the GOP to save us. Why they think this might work when after 7 years since 9/11 we are less safe then before, Osama Bin Laden is still at large, Al Queda has virtually taken over Pakistan (and its nuclear weapons), and Bush's torture program actually served as an excellent recruitment tool for Al Queda, I can't fathom. I understand planning a comeback for the next election, but this is way, way over the top.

If you have any thoughts, let me know.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.
k