New York Attack

Last weekend a naturalized US citizen from Pakistan failed to create a bomb that worked in the middle of Times Square in New York City. We are very lucky that this guy was so incompetent or this could have been very bad, killing hundreds, if not thousands, who visit Times Square. With the great work of all law enforcement agencies, this guy was captured and jailed within 53 hours of the time he dropped off the Pathfinder SUV on the sidewalk. This is how the various agencies are suppose to work, hats off to them.

But now we have Joe Lieberman wanting to modify the law that strips a person of their US citizenship if they join the military of an enemy to include any citizen that is suspected of being associated with a terrorist organization. Though the idea might sound rational, just think about it.

The government says you talked to a person on the subway that they were casing as a potential terrorist, even if all you asked is he/she having a nice day, and you are now being stripped of your citizenship and then what? Where do they send you, Pakistan? You've never been there, don't speak the language or practice the religion, so you are country-less. How does that work?

But I think Joe was talking about is denying access to anyone the government has determined to be associated with terrorists to the US courts to defend themselves. If you are stripped of your citizenship then you could be held in Gitmo as an enemy combatant and stripped of your civil rights and protections under the constitution. Also tried in a military tribunal that has lessor evidence rules than our criminal courts have. Also they can be tried in secret.

When we start to strip citizens citizenship without proper process and check and balances to insure they are not being accused just because of their ideology or other non threatening association, then we have lost what America was founded for and what so many have given their lives to defend; freedom and liberty. We then become more of a police state and subject to political terror.

Senator John McCain stated that the inept terrorist not be given his Miranda Rights right away and be questioned (tortured) before giving him the right. This of course is problematic, as if you don't follow the procedure as set forth by the US Supreme Court, then he could walk free on a technicality. The procedure that was followed was correct and the guy has been talking like a song bird. There is no need to torture him. Law enforcement have been interrogating people successfully for decades, if not centuries, why to assume that only the military or CIA can effectively obtain information is ignorance. Why do so many Republicans want to torture a suspected terrorist? Do they have that much hate and fear that they no longer care about the rule of law, the very foundation of our country and every civilized nation? Just to think, this man came close to being the leader of the free world...  All I can say is that Osama Bin Laden has succeeded in terrorizing some of us to the point of tearing up our constitution and the rule of law out of pure fear. You can see the same fear in Dick Cheney. They have been so traumatized by 9/11 that they can't live in an open and free society by the rule of law. They want to close the borders, and if they could, expel every Muslim, Arab or person they suspect being of middle eastern heritage, and only like minded white people can continue to live in America.

What has happened to the country I use to know, the one of integrity and the beacon of liberty?