Memorial Day 2010

The photograph is supplied by the Brennan Linsley of the Associated Press.

The soldier facing is U.S. Marine Sgt. Shane Hanley. The soldier treating Sgt. Hanley is U.S. Army flight medic Sgt. Michael Patangan.

Sgt. Hanley was wounded in early February by an IED while on patrol in southern Afghanistan.

Later this year, the United States is planning to clear southern Afghanistan of the Taliban.

Present!

Image by the Associated Press.

The birds are covered in oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.

When asked about what the Federal government is doing about protecting the fragile environment of the Gulf, the fishing industry in the Gulf, the tourist industry in 5 states and possibly double that number if the oil makes the turn around the Florida Keys, among other concerns, President Obama reflexively replied, "Present!".

Bush's Third Term XXII
(I forget where I left-off so I continue at XXII.)

This is an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal:

An Obama-Bush Victory
Wall Street Journal
May 24, 2010

It isn't often we can say that the Bush and Obama Administrations have won a joint triumph in the war on terror, but they got one on Friday from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that detainees held by the U.S. military at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan do not have habeas corpus rights under the Constitution.

The anti-antiterror lobby filed the case on behalf of three unlawful enemy combatants to extend the reach of the Supreme Court's 2008 Boumediene v. Bush decision that gave habeas rights to Guantanamo detainees. The Bush Justice Department had opposed this intrusion on Presidential war powers, and to its credit the Obama Administration maintained the same position. A district court judge found for the detainees, but the D.C. Circuit reversed.

As the opinion by Judge David Sentelle points out, extending habeas to a facility in an active war zone such as Afghanistan would mean that any prisoner held anywhere by the U.S. military would have such rights. The opinion doesn't say so, but such a policy would put unelected lawyers in the middle of every wartime decision on military detention. Such meddling would put U.S. soldiers at greater risk, while giving them far less incentive to detain terrorists on the battlefield lest GIs have to play "CSI: Kandahar" to gather evidence so our enemies won't be released at the prodding of the ACLU.

The lawyers for the detainees vow to appeal to the Supreme Court, but it's notable that the D.C. Circuit panel included a Carter (Harry Edwards) and Clinton appointee (David Tatel) as well as Mr. Sentelle, who was appointed by Reagan. This is a bipartisan show of judicial deference that is worth applauding. (End of Wall Street Journal editorial.)

I can't find any condemnation anywhere of Obushma's victory. Not a smidge anywhere of Obushma's continued Constitution-shredding.

Briefly elsewhere, The Party-of-What-Else-Can-We-Do-For-You-Mr. President and Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA) are apparently content to let Obama dither on the ecological and environmental disaster continuing in the Gulf of Mexico. Whenever BP decides to confront the matter seems to be okay by the President and Jindal. Any day, Bobby. Any day now, no?

Universal Myopia

My letter to the Wall Street Journal from late last week; I do not expect it to get published. My objective was more to blind-copy the folks I chose to blind-copy.

Editor,

Afghanistan!

Good grief, you published a story on May 13, 2010, “Voters Shifting to GOP, Poll Finds (see link below)”, and you included this asinine quote from a prominent pollster, “A lot has happened but the basic dynamic of the 2010 elections seems almost set in concrete.”

You compounded your institutional ignorance by publishing, on the same day, Karl Rove’s myopic, “How Badly Will the Democrats Do? (see link below)”, an assessment of Congressional Democratic losses coming this November.

One thousand, eight hundred and forty (1,840) words between the two pieces and not one of the words is “Afghanistan”? Are you kidding us?

President Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are planning to clear Kandahar of Taliban this summer. Both are warning of significant US casualties. Sure, “a lot has happened” but something much more relevant is going to happen and what is going to happen can definitely be game-changing if there is objective military success.

Of course, because of Obama’s media ban on returning KIA, if there are significant US casualties, none of the KIA returning will be seen by the American public so maybe justification for the ignorance. But notably, unlike the Party over Country Democrats who demagogued US troop deaths in the run-up to the 2008 elections, I, like all Republicans, will be rooting for President Obama, SecDef Gates, and our troops in Kandahar.

Finally, I’m not going to mention Obama missing Bush's first withdrawal date for our troops in Iraq or Kagan’s confirmation hearings, also relevant, prospective topics ignored by the poll article and Rove, because that would feel like I’m piling-on. (End of letter to the WSJ.)

Poll:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704247904575240812672173820.html?mod=rss_com_mostcommentart

Rove:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240371622364714.html?mod=rss_Today

Also, for those following along, I know the NHL like I know the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

ZACKlyRight . . . AGAIN!

See my post of Friday, April 23.

I Got Nothin'

It's 6:25 am Friday, May 7 and I still have not read the "A" section of the Wall Street Journal from Wednesday and Thursday. I'll do so as soon as I hit "Publish Post" on this post. Jammed for time, I still found time to watch two Little League games this week. Both games had the team I was rooting for on the short end of lop-sided scores: 24 - 5 and 19 - 5. During a stretch in one of those games, the pitcher I needed to throw strikes threw 20 balls on 21 pitches. So you can see my time away from this blog has been abused.

So just a few comments and observations:

How long before we read stories in the liberal media that President Bush caused a 1,000 point drop in the Dow yesterday and that President Obama saved the day with a 700 point rally?

Are the liberal extremists going to attack President Obama for the environmental disaster in the Gulf that happened on his watch? I mean, he's been President for 16 months and there are hundreds and hundreds of pages of reports that cite the environmental risks of oil rigs. Did he ignore these warning signs?

I think NHL fans who show up to their team's home playoff games all wearing the same color look ridiculous. Make noise. Don't dress alike.

Bruins in 6 games over the Sharks to win the Stanley Cup.

I'm still hopeful that the 2003 video of then-state senator Barack Obama praising Rashid Khalidi at a Chicago party will surface.

Guantanamo is still open. President Obama is still indefinitely detaining terrorists without charge.

I cannot believe there are not more rumors circulating about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaving the Obama Administration. She's going to hang around for the summer offensive in Afghanistan? If she does, I'll consider she has more interest in the United States and less in herself than I ever thought possible.

Russell to win on Survivor.

Crystal and Casey to the final two on American Idol. Flipping a coin, Crystal to win.

Are there really NBA playoffs running concurrent to the NHL playoffs?