"Make fun of me. Blog blog blog Blog"

Seriously, I don't get it. Can someone help out? Is this parody? In the Intertubes no one can hear you scream? The Major?

No kings,

Robert

Paul sez "Or is it the other way around? Because we've always been preoccupied with the enemy within, and locking up folks who are close at hand, we naturally focus on our own internal Muslim population?"

I tend to think not, and repeat that european terror appears to be home-grown. I'm speculating that our counter-terrorists are looking at Madrid and London and have the same mindset/strategy that European counter-terrorists do--the greatest threat is from within. This is why they inserted two guys into a terrorist "cell" of 6 totally-clueless (and hapless) "terrorists" working out of a pizza shop in New Jersey, surveiled them for 1.5 years. This certainly gives one the impression that resources for internal counter-terrorism are more than abundant.

Interesting...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050801276.html?hpid=sec-world

Iran yesterday detained prominent American academic Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Smithsonian Institution's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, according to center president and director Lee H. Hamilton and Esfandiari's husband.

***

"The government's justification for these actions is usually couched as a response to the State Department's announcement to provide financial support to Iranian civil society and nongovernment organizations," said Hadi Ghaemi of Human Rights Watch. "This has fueled a perception among the Iranian politicians that the U.S. is committed to instigating a 'velvet revolution' in Iran.

***

During her interrogations, Esfandiari was pressured to make false confessions or to falsely implicate the Wilson Center in activities in which it had no role, Hamilton said. Esfandiari was contacted again a few days ago and asked to "cooperate" with intelligence ministry officials, which she refused. On Monday she was told to report to the Ministry of Intelligence again. When she arrived yesterday, she was taken to Evin Prison. It is unclear whether she has been formally charged with any offense.

Such a thing would never happen here. We've got a much better spider-sense that the people we detain are in fact what we say they are. Go back to sleep. Everything is under control.

casual_observer:

I'm speculating that our counter-terrorists are looking at Madrid and London and have the same mindset/strategy that European counter-terrorists do--the greatest threat is from within.

If that were so, then what the fuck are we doing invading Iraq??? Your speculation violates two cardinal rules: (1) Our top-level people do not learn. (2) Our top-level people do not learn from dirty fucking hippie governments of Old Europe.

He sure acts like he believes it, doesn't he?

It vests in the President the power to detain people indefinitely with no meaningful opportunity to contest the government's accusations. That is the very power the Founders sought first and foremost to prohibit.

Waxing Scalia, are we Glenn? (see: Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.)

Kitt: Really? Well, fiddle-dee-dee

He sure acts like he believes it, doesn't he?

Yes, he does. In fact, I don't doubt that he thinks that way. And, I think, that might partly be because he finds that actually seriously reading The Constitution is too difficult - too much for him to comprehend. That's how lazy and incurious I believe him to be.

Glenn... OK. So words are insufficient. The crisis is too grave for mere words to suffice. You said that three times (at least).

More is required. What beyond "words" needs to be done? Be specific.

Many people get frustrated with the slow pace. They think action of some sort will quicken the pace. There are many things a person can do that don't require unified public participation in demonstrations or marches. I stopped subscribing to newspapers and most magazines. If the cable companies would give us ala carte I wouldn't have Fox. I doubt that James is suggesting we all buy a rifle and join the left wing militia. Most of the framers of the Constitution effected a successful revolution without ever picking up a weapon and died peacefully in their beds of old age. Maybe we should all chip in and get Glenn a flintlock musket.

Waxing Scalia, are we Glenn? (see: Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.)

I love Scalia's dissent in Hamdi (joined by Justice Stevens) and quoted it at length in my book. He dissented because he thought the majority did not go far enough in placing limits on the President's power to detain Americans as "enemy combatants" and without due process (he thinks it's never constitutional, which is true). It's clear he would only apply that reasoning to citizens, but since that was the only issue in that case, it is a very potent bit of judicial reasoning.

if anyone calling for action instead of words has ever actually pounded a precinct, worked a phone bank, sponsored issues forums in his home, or lobbied a legislator.

The pen is a tool; so is the sword. There's a whole shed full of tools in between, though, one for everyone who has the inclination to wield it, and is willing to develop the skill.

You're talking to the wrong crowd here. They're world beaters at snark, insult, namecalling, bitchery and smugness. Blogito Ergo Sum.

You're mistaken about this, as about a great many other things. You're also intentionally obnoxious. How does that qualify as a contribution to any useful political outcome?

That's almost the same thing as doing something.

Kitt:

I believe the statement about "it's just a piece of paper" really happened, but it wasn't about the Constitution. Bush was talking about treasury bonds. I was shocked when I heard him on television, informing all our creditors like China/Europe, that our treasury bonds were "just a piece of paper".

RealName:

Haven't I seen that exact same comment from you before? I mean the blog, blog thing? Did you just cut and paste from a previous posting? Please strive in the future to be original and cogent. You will be tolerated much more if you add to the conversation, even if your views are not our views (with apologies to all those who think I'm lumping us all into the same mindset and viewpoint).

Glenn:

Thanks again for hitting the refresh button on this subject. As far as I am concerned, this is the seminal issue in regards to our Constitutional rights. We should be demanding that our Senators and Congresspersons restore habeus.

Finally, to the commenter who suggested that words only go so far. What you left hanging in the air seems to say that the next step beyond words might be violence. Is that what you meant to say? My dad used to say that brawn may win the battle, but brains win the war. A lot of the problem is a mindset that says that there is nothing between words and violence. I don't believe those are our only choices.