Iran Builds Nuclear Capability and the US Disarms?

I am confused. We have Iran actively seeking nuclear weapons, North Korea saying not only that they possess these horrible devices but are willing to use them against South Korea and the US troops stationed there and the Obama administration not only says we will cut our stocks in half, but actually seeks to eliminate our nuclear weapons all together. He has already made a statement modifying the circumstances under which nuclear retaliation is possible, but apparently even that isn’t enough for our radical President.

He claims this will make the world safe but one would have to assume that the United States is nothing more than a renegade aggressor in need of restraint for that to be true. Mr. Obama may be swept up in the Progressive drivel he learned at Harvard, the anti-American sentiments he used as a community organizer or perhaps he actually bought into the lies spoken by Reverend Jeremiah “God Damn America” Wright, but America is not the problem. We are not an aggressor nation and we do not engage in wars of militaristic expansion. While we reserve the right to defend ourselves, we do not hold the threat of nuclear arms out as just another weapon in that struggle. After World War II, we have maintained the posture that our nuclear forces were strictly a deterrent against nuclear attack and have never seriously considered their use for any other purpose.

I do agree that we live in a different world where massive stock piles of nuclear weapons are not actually needed but to come to the conclusion that America can totally dismantle her nuclear capabilities as rogue nations hostile to the United States are actively seeking to obtain nuclear capabilities is not only foolish, but dangerously short sighted. Mr. Obama obviously hasn’t learned the lessons of the Cold War; lessons that clearly show if it were not for our preparedness, we most certainly would have had to counter a Soviet invasion of Western Europe in another long and bloody conventional war. It was the threat posed by our massive stocks of high grade nuclear weapons that kept the Soviet Union at bay.

Today, our potential enemies have no fear of America because we are currently bridled with a Commander in Chief that has no stomach for war and refuses to take decisive action to prevent these nations from obtaining a nuclear capability. Benjamin Franklin once said that “if we act like sheep, we will be eaten by wolves” displaying a keen understanding that we can only preserve peace by making it abundantly clear to threatening nations that we are prepared, capable and willing to defend ourselves against attack. The United States will invite aggressive challenges to our interests if we assume a posture that shows any weakness at all.

World opinion sees United States foreign policy as unclear at best and even friendly nations have begun to question our abilities. Yes, we are committed to winning the war against terrorist factions in Afghanistan but the actions we have recently taken treat foreign combatants and terrorists as third rate burglars for the court system to deal with and has undermined the efforts our brave soldiers have made in the field. The idea that we actually have three Navy SEALs on trial for giving a terrorist a bloody nose after he was captured for kidnapped several Americans, hanging them from a bridge and setting them on fire is not just a travesty but an embarrassment in the court of world opinion.

Our allies and enemies look at these actions and realize that President Obama is transforming our military by turning soldiers in battle into policemen on the beat. This is a war and our men and women under arms have gotten more than a bloody nose because we have rules of engagement and the enemy doesn’t. The idea that we could even consider trying our elite soldiers for the performance of their job is ludicrous. What is the message we are sending? Will our soldiers simply refuse to search for these terrorists out of fear that they too will be prosecuted or has the President just set the stage for military assassinations? After all, the message they hear is that a bullet eradicates the problem but an arrest will bring more false charges of abuse and result in more court martial’s of U.S. military personnel. Either way it serves the terrorists and will steel their efforts against us.

Now the President has made their mission even more hazardous by announcing to our enemies that they needn’t worry about nuclear retaliation if they employ the use of chemical or biological weapon of mass destruction, setting the stage for precisely that kind of assault against our soldiers. While the President piddles around with healthcare, cap and trade, card check, bank bailouts and corporate take-over’s, he has abdicated the only clear cut mission of the Federal government; the defense and security of the United States.

No, I don’t believe that he is intentionally weakening our military and nuclear capability in order to make America vulnerable to attack. I do believe that the man is a hopeless and confused ideologue that actually thinks that if we disarm, that other nations will cheer and follow suit.

Paul

Obama Bin Laden?

Isn’t ironic that the Congress is focused on passing a healthcare bill which violates the Constitutional restraints on government authority, while at the same time, Congress has abdicated an area of responsibility that the Constitution clearly lists as a primary function of the Federal Government. To provide for the security and defense of the United States is one of the enumerated powers that is granted to the Federal Government and while our DC demagogues chase legislation to bring about a socialist utopia, the threat of Islamic terror has grown exponentially in the face of the perceived feebleness of the Obama administration.

On December 24th, Nigerian born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was aboard Northwest Airlines flight 253 as the aircraft prepared to land in Detroit Michigan. Abdulmutallab returned to his seat from a lengthy visit to the rest room where he covered himself with a blanket to hide his attempt to detonate the plastic explosive, PETN, hidden in pockets sewn into his underwear. Passengers reported hearing “popping” noises and began to smell what they described as a foul odor. Once passengers and members of the flight crew saw the leg of Abdulmutallab’s trousers and the wall adjacent to his seat were on fire, they pounced on the would-be suicide bomber and restrained him until the aircraft landed safely in Detroit.

Janet Napolitano, Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security, assured the nation that this was an isolated incident and did not appear to have any connection to organized terror. Well Abdulmutallab had another view. In police interviews, Abdulmutallab admitted that he was in Yemen from August until early December where he received training and material support from Al Qaida in order to carry out this attack. The Al Qaida faction in Yemen has since issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attempt. In an even more bizarre statement released to the press, Napolitano praised the capture of Abdulmutallab and claimed the system “worked”.

Really Janet? What system would that be? The system that allowed a man that was on at least one government “no-fly” list to board a plane bound for the United States? The system that ignored reports from Abdulmutallab’s father to the American Embassy that his son (Abdulmutallab) had become far more radical in recent months and posed a material threat to American interests? Or maybe it is the system that forces passengers aboard commercial aircraft to provide the first line of defense for America while Federal authorities are comfortably asleep at the wheel?

Apparently the only system that worked was Napolitano’s own insistence that there are no acts of terrorism, there are only man-caused disasters. The interests of the United States have been lost under this administration and that places our nation in danger. Homeland Security is more interested in the actions and whereabouts of United States citizens that are upset by this administration’s agenda, especially if those citizens are former military. The ATF is more interested in shooting down State ballot initiatives that preserve the second amendment rights of its citizens than they are about hunting down gangs and terror groups that have been obtaining fully automatic weapons that have been banned for decades. The Justice Department has ignored the military intent of terror groups and is preparing to turn the captured militants over to the civilian courts for trial. A move that again, places our nation in jeopardy as their Al Qaida brothers plot to disrupt the proceedings.

Abdulmutallab has already declared that he is not alone; that there is an army of other Al Qaida soldiers preparing their own attacks on America interests and embassies abroad and upon the American homeland itself. The purported leader of Yemen’s Al Qaida group is Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri. Al Shihri was a Guantanamo detainee that was released and repatriated to Saudi Arabia in 2007. There was a board hearing that determined the status of Al Shihri’s detention in Guantanamo Bay. By unanimous vote, the board ruled that Al Shihri would be repatriated even though the review listed eleven primary factors favoring continued detention and only five that favored release or transfer. The board issued a report and corresponding memos on Al Shihri’s transfer but the documents were so heavily redacted that very little usable information remained that would point to a reason for their decision.

Whatever prompted the decision, the transfer placed Al Shahri in the hands of Saudi officials where he was enrolled in a rehabilitation program for former terrorists. Yep, they have reform schools for terrorists now which apparently have the same record of success that American rehabilitation programs have. Immediately upon his release from the Saudi rehabilitation program in January 2009, Al Shahri appeared in several jihadist videos, including one where he was identified as second in command of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. He also appeared in a “You-Tube” video with three other men, identified as Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, Abu Baseer al-Wahayshi and Abu Hureira Qasm al-Rimi threatening America and American allies.

The New York Times reported that an earlier car bomb detonated outside the American Embassy in Sana was the work of the reformed and freed, Al Shihri. Now that the Yemen Al Qaida group has claimed responsibility for the attack attempted by Abdulmutallab, it is clear that Al Shihri is behind that as well.

How fortunate we are. If it were not for Janet Napolitano’s soothing assurances we might be fooled into believing that America is under as great a threat by Islamic extremists than we were prior to September 11, 2001. Even the idea that these are no longer acts of terrorism but mere man-caused disasters makes it so much better now. Yes the system indeed worked and one must wonder if it will work even better in the future as we close Guantanamo and repatriate even more of these unfortunate and misunderstood detainees.

As the new “system” under Obama’s administration continues its efforts to soft-pedal the threat of Islamic terror, it is simply charming that Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security and Eric Holder’s Justice Department are more concerned with a possible American backlash against Muslims and now Nigerians, in response to new threats of terrorism. Sorry Janet…I meant man-caused disasters. Actually, the way things have been going these days, I’m surprised the passengers that tackled and restrained Abdulmutallab were not themselves arrested for assault or even possibly, for perpetrating a hate crime against this poor man. After all, anything could have caused his pants to burst into flames so it must have been prejudice that prompted them to tackle Abdulmutallab instead of rendering assistance to him.

Hmm? Could it be that it is the attack on Abdulmutallab by fellow passengers itself that Napolitano is concerned with? Could this be part of the backlash she warned us about? It is clear to me that America under Barack Obama has become a far weaker presence in the world and it is the appearance of that frailty that has invited the renewed interest of Al Qaida. While Obama makes his world apology tour, bowing to foreign leaders and begging forgiveness for the Bush years, our security machine has been stripped of its most potent components and our enemies know it.

It would be wonderful if the world was that simple. The idea that showing fairness and kindness to Islamic terrorists would somehow change the paradigm and create an era of peace is indicative of the naivety of this President and of the left in general. The fact is that the fundamentalist roots of mid-east terror have existed for centuries and the terrorists hate for hate’s sake, not because of a detention camp in Cuba. Al Qaida does not seek dialogue with the West; they are only interested in the total destruction of America and the murder of all “infidels”. This is the first time in history that we are facing an enemy that wants nothing from us but our deaths and will stop at nothing, including the sacrifice of their own lives to accomplish that.

During the Revolutionary War, American colonists used Indian tactics and fought a guerilla war against Britain. The British Army, until then, had only fought in conventional wars against organized armies. The rigid discipline of the British Army could not adapt to this new kind of warfare and that is the real reason that the Colonies prevailed. Without the willingness of the Obama administration to admit that this is a non-traditional war and that we will have to consider brutal and unconventional means to combat the threat, we will lose just as surely as the British did.

Abdulmutallab’s attempt was close to having been a reality and if successful, would have rained flaming wreckage down upon the city of Detroit as well as killing everyone aboard that plane. We must engage these factions as relentlessly as they seek to engage us and we must fight them wherever they appear with a ferocity that will leave no doubt as to our resolve. When it comes to the defense of the United States, nothing should be "off the table".

Paul

An open letter to President Obama

I found this letter posted to the website of Senator Bill Nelson and I couldn’t think of any better way to say what this man has said. He has a unique perspective on current events because he lived and served our nation at a time in history when America faced her greatest challenge and faced an enemy that threatened our very existence.

It is sad to think a World War II veteran would suggest that a sitting President could represent a threat to America equal to that of Nazi Germany but he makes his case quite succinctly. Bravo Mr. Estes!


Do Your Job

To:President Barack Obama

Rep. F. Allen Boyd

Sen. Bill Nelson

Sen. George LeMieux

November 20, 2009

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish. I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:"We're no longer a Christian nation", "America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world,” America is mean-spirited." Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you but I don't think you like America nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals." Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War ? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man. Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue .You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing; I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president. You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes
McAlpin , FL

The Trial of Khalid Sheikh Momhammed

On November 13, 2009, the U.S. Justice Department announced that it will be transferring five of the Guantanamo Bay detainees to New York to face trial for their involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks involving the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Despite a public outcry against this strategy, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi are to be tried in Federal Court literally blocks from the scarred hole in the ground where the Twin Towers once stood. Recent polls show that Americans oppose trying terror suspects in the Federal court system by a margin of two to one but that has not deterred Obama administration Attorney General, Eric Holder, who claims that the day has finally arrived for these men to face justice.

After a brief statement, Eric Holder faced harsh questioning in the Senate yesterday and was visibly unprepared for the direction the questioning had taken. Senator Lindsay Graham asked Holder “Can you give me a case in United States history when an enemy combatant caught on a battlefield was tried in civilian court?” As Mr. Holder struggled to find an appropriate answer he finally uttered that he would have to research the issue at which time, Senator Graham interrupted and answered the question for him. “The answer is never” Graham said, adding “We are making bad history”’.

Senator Graham was not being deliberately argumentative; he was stating a point of law that could spell doom for the prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four coconspirators. If you try these individuals in Federal Court you must bestow the full protection of the American legal system on the defendants; protections that would thwart the ability of the United States to gather intelligence from captured terrorists crucial to the efforts of this nation protect itself against future attacks. Mr. Holder could not answer the question of whether or not these defendants were advised of their Miranda rights or if they had ever been offered legal council, both of which are fundamental to any civil prosecution.

If Mohammed had not been advised of his rights or given the opportunity to seek counsel, the statements he made regarding his involvement in the attacks would be inadmissible in civilian court. The detainees were captured by the military in a foreign country during the prosecution of a war so reasonably, they had not been “Mirandized” when taken into custody nor had they been offered an attorney prior to questioning, both of which are required by our system of justice. We already know that the CIA engaged in water-boarding the detainees to obtain additional intelligence and whether you agree with that practice or not, the information it yielded has kept us from feeling the sting of additional civilian attacks on American soil since 9/11. As beneficial as that information was, the methods simply will not fly in a civilian court.

The primary question that any first year law student would present in the defense of these individuals would revolve around the Constitutional protections against torture, self incrimination, the right to legal counsel and since he was captured in 2003, the right to a speedy trial. They would not be wrong, that is how our system of justice protects American’s from potential abuses of the authorities. Unfortunately, we do not have a separate set of rules for the prosecution of foreign combatants or extremist terrorists. If we intend to prosecute them in the United States criminal justice system then those same protections would have to be afforded to the terrorists. There are already recorded statutory cases where the Supreme Court have overturned convictions and freed known criminals because their civil rights had been violated. The Supreme Court did not free these individuals because the violation of their rights brought the evidence against them into question, they were guilty men freed in essence, only because their constitutional rights had been violated.

Knowing what we know, can anyone argue that even if the courts were to ignore these facts and allow the trial to proceed at all, that the Supreme Court would have to review the conviction on appeal and would most likely free these men because their civil rights had been violated during their apprehension and incarceration? That is the law and that is why we do not try these cases in civil court. These are foreign combatants that launched an attack against the United States in effect, declaring war on America. Their trial is a military matter and does not belong in the civilian courts nor do they deserve to be afforded the same constitutional rights guaranteed by an America they are pledged to destroy.

One of the most disturbing things about this is the number of stories I have seen coming from the press calling the transfer of these prisoners to New York “foolish” or indicative of the administration’s inexperience. As usual, I have a very different take on this. Eric Holder is an exceptionally bright individual. He had begun working for the Justice Department upon completion of law school before serving as a judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 1993, Holder was appointed to the post of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and eventually became the Deputy Attorney General under Bill Clinton. This man knows the law and I am sure he knows the precedents of Supreme Court decisions regarding prisoners whose civil rights had been violated. If he doesn’t, you can be certain his staff does. In light of his experience and knowledge of the law, why would Eric Holder attempt to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian courts if he knows that a conviction cannot stand a Supreme Court challenge?

This administration has been locked in battle to advance their radical agenda ever since Barack Obama has taken the oath of office. They had counted on the complacency if the American people but the recession had turned the spotlight on and the people have been waiting for some sign from this President that he is going to take meaningful steps to restore the vitality of the economy. The President pressed for immediate passage of a $787 billion dollar stimulus bill claiming that passage of this bill would stem the recession and reduce unemployment. We watched as the administration spoke glowingly of how well the stimulus plan was working while each month an additional 200,000 plus people lost their jobs.

Instead of focusing on the economy, we watched the administration campaign for an energy bill (cap and trade) that promises to further cripple business in this country and to hobble the economy. After Cap and Trade was passed through the House of Representatives, Healthcare reform became the priority for Obama and we watched the House churn out a massive one-thousand page bill and press for a vote before the members of Congress had even had an opportunity to read it. As the details of healthcare bill were revealed, people took to the streets and attended town hall meetings to protest against this crazy jumble of taxes and mandates in an attempt to bring attention to what American’s really want…jobs and a stable economy. People recognize that America can not survive if we continue the growth of the Federal Debt but the government keeps writing massive spending bills.

Now we are faced with the sad fact that the Government has absolutely no idea where hundreds of billions in stimulus money has been spent. The eighteen-million dollar website dedicated to tracking the stimulus money and the jobs it has created has been an unqualified disaster. The site shows jobs created through millions spent in Congressional districts that do not exist. The media’s examination of the figures shows not just a trend, but a systematic exaggeration of the jobs that have been attributed to stimulus money. Despite this expose’, the administration is still applauding the success of the stimulus bill even as unemployment topped 10.2%.

The President is also struggling with an image he has created of an inexperienced Commander in Chief that is unable to take decisive action even when his hand-picked theater commander in Afghanistan tells him he needs to reinforce the troop levels in the Afghan war or face the failure of the mission. The request made by General McChrystal in mid-September is still under consideration and that does not bode well with the people that heard Candidate Obama say that he would heed the advice of his generals and give them the materials and support they need to succeed in their mission.

Anyone that has ever been on stage know that spotlights can get awfully hot; heat this President didn’t expect. When faced with the possible loss of both healthcare and cap and trade they had only one course left….blame Bush. The public trials of Mohammed and his friends are meant to shift the spotlight from this administration and on to the so-called “atrocities” committed against the people detained in Guantanamo Bay. After all, what would bring Bush’s name back into focus better than months of testimony about the poor treatment these people received at the hands of the Army and the CIA? Well, that was another miscalculation on the part of Obama and his crew.

Americans have not forgotten the burning buildings or the innocent Americans leaping to their deaths to escape the flames. They have not forgotten that the “accused” was not only responsible for the 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon but also the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, the attempted airliner “shoe bombing” by Richard Reid, the bombing of nightclubs in Bali where Americans frequently relaxed and Mohammed has even admitted that he was in fact, the individual that beheaded American Journalist, Daniel Pearl.

We are a compassionate nation but we have no stomach for barbarians that practice the slaughter of innocent people. This is not an enemy that is really seeking retribution for perceived ills. This is an enemy that hates us for who we are. His actions are not meant to convert people to his religion but rather to eliminate them entirely. Even the Spanish Inquisition’s ultimate goal was to secure the salvation of man and to spread the word of God, not to indiscriminately kill anyone that did not already possess a bible.

If the Justice Department insists that these men are tried in civilian courts and they are freed on a technicality, the spirits of the people murdered by this fanatic will scream aloud and their voices will be heard every remaining day of Obama’s single and inglorious term as President.

Paul

In Memory of September 11, 2001

We Will Never Forget

Do you remember those words? Do you remember the flags and the ceremonies? Do you remember a nation joined in tragedy?

Living in Arizona, it was still early when the radio announced that a commuter plane had struck one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Since I had originally come from New York, I immediately turned the television on just in time to see the second plane hit. It may have taken the news commentators by surprise, and they did need a few minutes to recover, but in that instant I knew there was only one possible answer. We were under attack by terrorists. Shortly after that, the Pentagon was hit and another plane had crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania as a group of heroic passengers sacrificed themselves in an effort to save the next intended target.

Over the next few days we watched the efforts to find anyone alive in that tangled smoking mess. We saw the tears of family members desperately searching for their loved ones. We saw the City of New York mourn for the firefighters and police that perished in their attempt to rescue those that were trapped in the still burning towers. Within hours, we knew there would be no more survivors beyond the few that were miraculously protected in the cocoon of a reinforced stairwell. A nation wept as the memorial services were held across the United States and we watched that too.

I saw the signs that said “We will never forget” and made a prediction that sadly came true before a year had even passed. I had hoped against hope that this time, the people really wouldn't forget and while some still remember, there are even more that have chosen to let other priorities overshadow the memory of that day. I knew they eventually would because patriotism is an inconvenience that modern man has little time for.

Hundreds of thousands of our finest soldiers bravely left the shores of this nation to bring retribution to the people that attacked the United States on September 11th. As usual, we brought the fight to them so that our people could be spared the hardships and horrors of war. Our families were safe and the stories of the lighting speed at which our military exacted the revenge of an angry America was unheard of in the annals of history. We cheered and waved our flags and then left for work. While our soldiers slept in ditches and fought in the foul stench of war we sipped our coffee and watched it all on television like some surreal reality show.

Day after day we went to work, walked our dogs, and played with our kids; slowly the country slipped back into the daily routines and that made us believe we were comfortable and safe again. I’m not sure when it began, but slowly the extra security at the airports became a cause to grumble. We didn’t like the inconvenience of new restrictions on mailing packages or for carry on luggage. The news agencies dropped their flags once more and began to run their usual liberal speak about the unfair profiling used during security checks and the mounting death toll incurred in the two wars we were then engaged in. Not one thought was given to the families that lost loved ones on September 11, 2001 as their stories in as much as said those losses were not worth the “atrocities” being committed by this nation for our revenge.

I suppose the most disconcerting thing is that I am talking about the main stream media and their following of "socially conscious" celebrities. I would expect this from the cadre of conspiracy clowns that believed that 9/11 was perpetrated by the Bush administration to give him the moral authority to start a war in the Middle East; ok, I actually expected it from Hollywood too. Then again, nothing that comes from tinsel town surprises me, but CNN? CBS? NBC? ABC?

I do want to set the record straight. I do not believe that we should have allowed President Bush to tear loopholes in the Constitution in the form of the Patriot Act. We already had the legal processes in place to put people under surveillance if there was sufficient proof to bring before a judge. In fact, if the CIA had only shared what they already knew with the FBI instead of engaging in a petty fight over jurisdiction, 9/11 may well have been prevented.

While I believe that Bush had the best interest of the country at heart, I think the Patriot act set a dangerous precedent that will allow future Presidents (or our current President) the ability to spy on the citizens of this country at will and that is probably why Janet Napolitano has come up with a very interesting profile of what domestic terrorists look like. Hmmm….I guess it’s ok to profile at least some Americans now.

I do not think the United States has any business engaging in “Nation Building”. If we are threatened with attack then we should by all means neutralize that threat and then leave. If the United States had the reputation of dealing swift and brutal reprisals that were not accompanied by billions of dollars to rebuild what we just spent billions of dollars to destroy, who would dare test us? How often would they try? But no, we place our military in danger by taking away their most effective weapons and turn them into policemen; a job they were never trained to perform while palates of cash are flown in to restore foreign infrastructure while ours at home is sadly crumbling.

Our nation was attacked in 2001 by foreign terrorists residing in the United States. Why then, are we still discussing illegal immigration in 2009? While the Patriot Act allowed the Federal government unprecedented freedom to gather intelligence on the citizens of this country, our borders remained curiously open and the rudimentary steps to identify potential terrorists were never taken.

Step one? Anyone here on a Visa should have been required to report to the State Department immediately for verification of their identity and whereabouts. Those that failed to report should have automatically been considered suspect and sought out.

Step two? Our borders and other points of international entry should have been closely guarded. Here in Arizona, we are constantly finding the remnants of tunnels excavated by mere drug traffickers, the complexity of which defy logic. How can this happen in a post-9/11 America? Where is the vigilance? Where are the Federal authorities that are pledged to defend this nation?

Step three? When you are dealing with foreign extremists that are pledged to kill as many Americans as humanly possible, there is no such thing as profiling. The idea that an eighty-year old woman had to be frightened out of her wits as she was hand searched before boarding an airplane is ludicrous. To my knowledge, there were no eighty year old women that participated in the hijackings of September 11th. Yet, I saw this lunacy myself as I was passing through security at Sky Harbor Airport in November of 2001. The only reason airport security had even questioned this woman was to prevent ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and the like, from airing more stories that airport authorities were racially profiling passengers if and when they searched someone of middle-eastern heritage.

Today is September 11, 2009, the eighth anniversary of the attacks and across the nation, people will take their flags out of mothballs and the news networks will surrender three minutes of air time to cover the memorial services so we can all say “I remember”. Then the sun will set and the sun will rise and people will wake up, sip their coffee and walk their dogs again while our soldiers are still sleeping in ditches in a hostile land. The real difference is that today we have a President that would dare to politicize this solemn day by once again, infusing his agenda into the memorial ceremonies by calling for a "National Day of Service and Remembrance." Only a narcissist would place their own message of service before the remembrance of the more than three-thousand Americans that died this day or the countless soldiers that have died since to avenge them.

It is a damned shame but the sad fact is that most Americans do forgot for 364 days a year. Oh New Yorker's remember. Everytime a plane flies too low or a truck backfires they remember all too well. Maybe if we fought the war here on our own soil some other people would remember too. Many then we would begin to appreciate the freedom we enjoy now if our comfortable little lives were threatened now and then. If we weren't so foolishly sure that the sun will rise for us tomorrow like it always does.

You know, that is what made the people of the World War Two generation so extraordinary. Victory in that war was never certain and all Americans had a real fear that we might actually lose that war. As a result, the people here did their best to support our soldiers by personal sacrifices and in their daily actions so that liberty could eventually prevail. No one dared to breathe a sigh of relieve until the very day of surrender, no one questioned our commitment to win, and certainly, not one person of that generation ever, ever forgot the sacrifices that were made for them.

In spite of all our faults and mistakes, may God Bless America

Paul