Deja vu?

The U.N. has passed a resolution for no-fly zone for Libya.   Notice who has veto power and which countries obviously did not join the party.  Is this a positive step to end the current conflict or is it just one more step closer to all out war in another Arab country?   What are your thoughts?

Indypendent

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42124388/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

Bomb Targets MLK Parade in Spokane

Now for more news you won’t hear on FOX. A backpack bomb was discovered along the parade route of residents celebrating Martin Luther King Day.

AP reports
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110118/AP09/301189781

“The bomb had a remote detonator and the ability to cause mass casualties, according to an official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information about the investigation.

“The bomb was defused without incident Monday but unnerved residents of Spokane, especially those who took part in a parade whose theme was steeped in peace and nonviolence.

“The attempt on the day set aside to honor the slain civil rights leader raised the possibility of a racial motive in a region that has been home to the white supremacist group Aryan Nations.

“‘The confluence of the holiday, the march and the device is inescapable, but we are not at the point where we can draw any particular motive,’ Harrill said.”

*****

Another bomb was found a few weeks earlier near a court-house.

Remember when Janet Napolitano announced the finding that right-wing extremists posed the greatest threat of domestic terrorism, and the right-wing erupted in OUTRAGE!

Well . . . she was right.

And on the media front, this event got about as much coverage as the mosque bombings, e.g., hardly any.

Islam is Immune from Parody?

This New York Times editorial raises questions as to why South Park has be censored when they depicted images of the prophet Muhammad?  The writer contends the fear and censorship stems from the threat of violent retribution.

Please recall that no subject has ever been safe from the parody of South Park.  Why a difference in this case?  It is hard to imagine a different explanation from what our editorial writer offers…

iggydonnelly

Obama’s Dilemma: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Should Obama stick to his campaign promises and try 9/11 detainees as criminal defendents or should he use military tribunals?  Is the abandonment of the constitution a necessity in fighting the “war” on terror?  These two questions have serious consequences for the Obama administration – and the subject, unlike health care reform, may not have an obvious political upside.

“’It would be the biggest mistake we could possibly make, in my view, since 9/11,’ Graham has said about a civilian trial. ‘We would be giving constitutional rights to the mastermind of 9/11, as if he were any average, everyday criminal American citizen. We would be basically saying to the mastermind of 9/11, and to the world at large, that 9/11 was a criminal act, not an act of war.’ “(see politico.com source below)

An act of war?  How about, instead, we think of it as an act of terrorism, which hopes that we abandon our principles of constitutional government in our response?  Who wins then?  Eric Holder has said “that trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a courtroom as ‘the defining event of my time as attorney general,’ and [failinng to do that] would open the president to claims that he’s forsaking his principles for the sake of political convenience.”   See more here.

This won’t be a pretty fight.  What should the president do?

iggydonnelly

The Threat of Bioterrorism

Bioterrorism – the next phase of the War on Terror?  Where will the billions for this war come from?    We’ve been at risk for a long time but we are still too busy debating the merits of the wars we have already spent billions on (and currently spending) trying to kill all radical Muslims – and that has not done much good, has it?

Will Bioterrorism be the next political football that gets kicked down the road for someone else to promise to fix?

Lilac

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/26/us-unprepared-for-bioterr_n_436785.html

Michael Chertoff: The Obama administration must stand firm against privacy ideologues.

Yes, of course,  Michael.  And, by “privacy ideologues” you were including the “founding fathers” – correct?

Read this opinion, here.

Oh, but check out this disclaimer first:  The writer was secretary of homeland security from 2005 to 2009 and is co-founder of the Chertoff Group, a security and risk-management firm whose clients include a manufacturer of body-imaging screening machines.

iggydonnelly

The latest political posturing

When Richard Reid attempted to blow up an airplane using explosives in his shoe in 2001, President Bush was on vacation and did not comment for six days. The Democrats and the press hardly complained. In contrast, President Obama almost immediately took flack for the failed Christmas Day underwear bombing, particularly from Congressmen Peter King and Pete Hoekstra. Hitting back, the Democrats noted that Hoekstra invoked the attack to raise campaign money. They also blamed Republicans for holding up the nomination of the man Obama has appointed to head the TSA—and Harry Reid has now moved to break the hold on the nomination. “This hypocrisy demonstrates Republicans are playing politics with issues of national security and terrorism,” DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said. “That they would use this incident as an opportunity to fan partisan flames.”

What we all know is that travelers will pay with ever-increasing dog and pony show hoops to jump through.  Could this also mean good things for our Wichita aircraft industry?  Will commercial airline travel become such a burden we’ll see an increase in the demand for private planes?