February 17, 2005

How About Separation of Church and Foreign States—on U.S. Soil?

In response to a post on Saudi Mosques on U.S. soil that preach hate, this great comment just came in from Jim O.Sullivan:

Finally. Someone is paying attention to this malfeasance. The American Government cant promote religion in this county – But Anti-American governments can?

That rocks.

Conservatism is the Voice of Youth. I keep thinking of this comment posted here recently by Michael:

The left wants the world to stay the same as it was in the late 60s and early 70s, plain & simple. They were young and had some influence then.

But they have become so old, grumpy & out of touch that they turn all normal people off. Q: if you were young and rising, with energy and hope and excitement at your life ahead, which would you go with: A) those who are dour & hate everything and see evil in you, your family, your beliefs and your nation, & have no joy in life OR B)those who are generally positive and optimistic & see opportunities for improvement and growth, and generally enjoy the wonderful gift called life?

I choose B.

It rings true.

Evidence that the Screwball Dean of the Presidential Campaign Was Not an Anomaly

I was wondering if the wildman Dean of the presidential campaign was just a creation intended to appeal to the most radical voters on the Left. Could it be that, as Chairman of the DNC, Dean would now behave in a more calm, reasonable, professional, effective manner? Surely if Dean was really such a nut, the Dems would never have put him in charge.

But this anecdote appears to indicate that Dean really is a loose cannon.

Dean Seeks Media Blackout, Changes Mind

I saw that headline, but assumed there must be some exaggeration in it. No so:

PORTLAND, Ore.— Howard Dean, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, requested a media blackout of a debate with top Pentagon adviser Richard Perle, then quickly changed his mind Wednesday after news agencies complained.

“DNC Chair Howard Dean has declared a news blackout of his appearance and requested the media not quote, record, and/or paraphrase his remarks,” event coordinator Gabrielle Williams wrote in an e-mail sent to news agencies Wednesday morning. “We apologize for the late notice, but we were just informed of this request.”

Less than two hours later, Williams called to say: “We were told just a few minutes ago that it is now open” for media coverage. The decision to open Thursday’s debate came roughly 30 minutes after an inquiry by The Associated Press.

Dean’s spokeswoman came up with some spin:

Dean spokeswoman Laura Gross said Dean had decided the event would be closed before he was elected DNC chairman Saturday, but changed his mind because of his new job.

“Some speeches are open, some speeches are closed. He decided months ago that this speech would be closed. We’re in transition. Now he’s the DNC chair—and so we needed to have this changed,” Gross said.

But that spin was evidently off-the-cuff, because the other major player in the event, Perle, had heard nothing of the kind:

Perle, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s top policy adviser, is a key architect of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and Dean is among the war’s most prominent opponents.

Perle said that he was surprised to learn that the press had been barred from covering the debate.

Not only that, Perle says it doesn’t seem to make much sense:

“It seems quite extraordinary that the chairman of the Democratic National Committee would not want the public coverage of this debate,” said Perle, a resident fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

What is the Left doing to itself?

WELCOME, ED DRISCOLL/SALON/DAOU REPORT READERS. Yesterday’s post, What Does the Left Care About—Part Two, has been linked by Ed Driscoll, who was then quoted on Salon.com by The Daou Report.

The Patriot Act Has Already Saved Thousands of Lives in New York

GWB is seeking renewal of the Patriot Act:

WASHINGTON – President Bush on Monday urged Congress to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department’s widely criticized anti-terrorism law.

"We must not allow the passage of time or the illusion of safety to weaken our resolve in this new war" on terrorism, Bush said at a swearing-in ceremony for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the Justice Department.

...The Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, bolstered FBI surveillance and law-enforcement powers in terror cases, increased use of material witness warrants to hold suspects incommunicado for months, and allowed secret proceedings in immigration cases.

Civil liberties groups and privacy advocates lambasted the law because they said it undermines freedom.

But Bush said the act "has been vital to our success in tracking terrorists and disrupting their plans."

Finally I can post something I’ve been wanting to put up since last September. It’s from an article by Dick Morris:

Bush’s partner has been, of course, the New York City Police Department. Commissioner Ray Kelly has responded to the threats with unbelievable energy and promptness. We owe so very much to the men and women in blue for our safety. Many of the following facts come from interviews with department officials.

In March of last year, federal intelligence officials reported to the NYPD that they had noticed significant "chatter" by al Qaeda terrorists about the Brooklyn Bridge. (Apparently, the name doesn’t easily translate into Arabic.) Under the terms of the Patriot Act, which the left criticizes, federal intelligence operatives were obliged to share their findings with the NYPD – precisely the kind of information sharing so little in evidence before 9/11. As a result, the department, under Ray Kelly’s able leadership, flooded the bridge with police.

Federal intelligence officials then intercepted a communication to al Qaeda from an operative in New York that the operation against the landmark bridge was impossible because "the weather is too hot."

Bush’s military and intelligence officials got a captive, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a top bin Laden deputy, to identify the terrorist assigned to blow up the bridge. Acting on the evidence they elicited from interrogations specifically allowed by the policies of the Bush administration, the NYPD closed in and arrested the terrorist, Iyman Faris, before he could act.

Faris’ plans for the destruction of the bridge were chillingly detailed and coincided precisely with the findings of engineers employed by the NYPD to determine how one might go about destroying the 120- year-old landmark.

If the left had its way, we never would have arrested Mohammed or questioned him without his attorney or held him for any length of time. The information-sharing required by the Patriot Act would not have happened, and the bridge might today be a haunting memory along with the estimated 10,000 people who would have perished in the attack.

The Patriot Act has been a powerful means of defending America from terrorists and should be renewed.