News opinion 2008-06-18 Andanh.com

Verdict should be a deterrent to terrorists Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:54:05 -0500
Those who consider using our country as a training ground for plotting to recruit terrorists to kill American soldiers in Iraq need only look to a recent verdict in Cleveland to see what will happen to them if they consider these actions. On Friday, three Ohio men, Mohammad Amawi, Marwan El-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum, were convicted and face the maximum sentences of life in prison for their plans for jihad. Prosecutors said the men were learning to shoot guns and make explosives while raising money to fund their plans to attack U.S. troops. The prosecution’s case was built with help from an undercover FBI informant and a former Army Special Forces soldier, Darren Griffin, who recorded the men for about two years beginning in 2004, while they talked about training in explosives, guns and sniper tactics. Griffin won the trust of the men by posing as a former soldier who grew disenchanted with U.S. foreign policy who was now intent on violence against America. All we can say is thank God for people like Griffin, who no doubt put his own life at risk to help the government build its case. His efforts may have saved American soldiers’ lives. The minds and mentality of these terrorists was exhibited from a recording of one of the terrorists, Amawi. He was allegedly troubled by the loss of life in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but said, “Killing Americans in Iraq is OK.” This is twisted ideology that has no place in this country, which is all the more reason that we are glad that these dangerous men will hopefully spend the rest of their lives in prison, where they belong. Patrick Rowan, acting assistant attorney general for national security, said, “This case also underscores the need for continued vigilance identifying and dismantling extremist plots that develop in America’s heartland.” We couldn’t have said it any better.

Aiding the enemy Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:53:51 -0500
When the terrorists attack again - as Homeland Security has repeatedly warned us they will - how many survivors will be consoled because the Supreme Court and the State Department looked out for the “rights” of terrorists before the rights of their dead loved ones? Will the dead be wrapped in a copy of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling granting foreign detainees, whose mission is to destroy our Constitution, our country and way of life, the right to appeal to U.S. civilian courts to challenge their detention, a right that should be reserved only for American citizens? Perhaps inside the caskets can go a statement by the State Department refusing to close Islamic schools underwritten by the government of Saudi Arabia, which teach visceral hatred of Jews, Christians and all things Western. To the second issue first. Despite the recommendation from a federal panel that the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Va., be closed for promoting hate, the State Department won’t go along. State has jurisdiction because as part of the Saudi government, the school is subject to the Foreign Missions Act. A local Democratic politician running for Congress won’t support the closing of the school, either. He is Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly, who has reportedly called critics of the academy “bigots.” Perhaps his position is related to a $2.2 million check he accepted from the Saudi Embassy to extend its lease. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom looked into reports that the school was teaching hate. The school promised to clean up the textbooks. The commission looked again to see if the school had done so and concluded it had not. In addition to vilifying Jews, children are taught it is permissible for a Muslim to kill a non-Muslim and those who convert from Islam. We are allowing a training ground for future terrorists on American soil. In addition to whatever harm is caused by terrorists who manage to win their freedom, the Supreme Court decision will cause collateral damage. Granting terrorists seized on the battlefield access to civilian courts also sends another message; America is not serious about winning the war. It tells them they can “game” the system, demanding rights and protections unknown in their countries of origin. According to Justice Antonin Scalia, 30 former detainees have “allegedly” returned to the battlefield to kill American troops and others. On whose hands should be their blood? Who should be held accountable for the blood of Americans killed by terrorists who have gained their freedom courtesy of a federal judge, a judge who has usurped the authority and judgment of the executive branch and the military? This is bound to demoralize our soldiers who will wonder why they should bother to seize terrorists at all if they are just going to be released. They might kill them all in the field, but then they would probably be court-martialed. The U.S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 9) says, “The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.” Justice Anthony Kennedy, one of Ronald Reagan’s biggest mistakes (Justice David Souter being George H.W. Bush’s even bigger mistake) wrote that the same rights granted to American citizens also cover non-citizens by virtue of their presence on land controlled by the U.S. military, even though that land is Cuba. Have we not been invaded? Didn’t the 9/11 terrorists “invade” America for the specific purpose of harming us? What is the purpose of the Saudi Islamic Academy and similar religious sites around the country if not to serve as cover for terrorists intent on endangering the public safety? The next attack probably won’t come by airplane. It will come in a shopping mall, or a school, or on Wall Street, or possibly all three. It will occur simultaneously in many places and probably kill more than the nearly 3,000 who died in 2001. Perhaps someone who manages to extricate himself from Guantanamo, thanks to a liberal judge, will lead the attack. What will the Supreme Court and State Department say to cleanse the blood from their hands?

Old blue skies ain’t what they used to be Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:53:52 -0500
NEWS ITEM: American Airlines now will charge $15 to check your first bag. Last week other airlines announced they would do the same. My sweet, old grandfather came down from heaven recently, just in time to join me at the airport. He’d been gone for years, so a plane trip had him excited. “Why aren’t you wearing a suit and tie?” he asked. “This is an airplane, not a bus.” Planes aren’t a big deal anymore, Gramps. “Pooh. You fly in the sky, it’s a big deal.” We pulled up to the curb. “What, no one to take our luggage?” No, Gramps. You kind of do it yourself. We found a check-in machine. “Oh, God, you forgot the tickets?” No, Gramps. You kind of do it yourself. We printed our boarding passes. Grandpa did not believe these flimsy things could get you on a plane. We lugged our bags to a scale, and I reached in my pockets. “What are you doing?” Gramps asked. We have to pay to check bags. “Ha! Don’t be silly. That’s why the plane is so big. It has a huge area called ‘cargo.” I know, Gramps. But they’re charging now. “Charging? Pooh. I won’t pay.” He puffed his chest out. I sighed and paid $15 for his bag, $15 for mine and an additional $25 for a second bag. We hadn’t gotten on the plane yet, and we were down $55. We approached security. “Driver’s license?” Gramps complained to the TSA agent. “Why do you need my driver’s license? I’m flying, not driving.” “How do we know it’s you?” he was asked. “Because that’s my name, dummy.” They took Grandpa to extra security. He had to take off his shoes, belt, jacket, sweater, tie and hat. His small carry-on went through the X-ray machine and was immediately seized by two TSA guards. “What’s this?” they demanded. “My flask,” Grandpa said. “I like a little schnapps now and then.” “It has to go,” they said. “Unhand that, or I’ll break your arm.” They took Grandpa to extra-extra security. A half-hour later, after he’d been probed, X-rayed and wanded, we walked to the gate. His favorite flask was gone, as was his tube of toothpaste. We better grab a sandwich, I said. It’s a long flight. “Don’t be silly,” he said. “They’ll have a wonderful meal for us. Airplanes serve nice food.” You kind of do it yourself now, Gramps. “You’re joking. No food?” We boarded the plane. “Who’s that guy?” Grandpa asked. He’s the flight attendant. “Come on, he’s a man!” Grandpa said, laughing. “And don’t you mean ‘stewardess’?” You call them flight attendants now. “No more pretty young ladies?” Sorry, I said. “Why is he just sulking there?” He’s probably had his pay cut four times in the last five years. He’s tired of working for nothing and being told he’s lucky he has a job. “So he won’t be bringing us champagne?” We’re in coach. “They serve drinks in coach.” Only if you pay for them. “Pooh. You don’t need money on a plane.” Actually, Gramps, you do. You need it to buy a snack. You need it to buy headphones for a movie. You need it for booze. “That’s why I brought a flask!” Sorry, I said. We found our seats. Grandpa took out his transistor radio. “The baseball game,” he said. “Sir, shut that off,” a flight attendant told him. “You’re endangering the plane.” “Pooh. It’s a radio, not a bomb.” Grandpa went to extra-extra-extra security. By the time he returned, he looked beat and exhausted. What was once a thrill was now a chore. As the plane lifted off, he looked at people in sweat suits and tank tops, people putting their bare feet up, people paying $5 for carrot sticks and pretzels, and resentful flight attendants going through the motions. “That’s it,” he said. “I’m getting out.” And as we reached the clouds, he did. If only we all had that option.

Whither Stumbo? Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:20:00 EST
It's unclear what Rep. Greg Stumbo is up to, but he clearly wants a place on the state House of Representatives leadership team. If he does as he hints -- replaces Rep. Larry Clark, D-Louisville, as speaker pro tem -- then the state's largest metropolitan area, which contributes disproportionately to the treasury, will be without any legislative leadership position in Frankfort.

Whither asphalt? Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:20:00 EST
It's no surprise that Kentucky taxpayers end up paying millions extra for road work because there's so little competition among state contractors. This is a problem Gov. Steve Beshear and Transportation Secretary Joe Prather inherited. Our newspaper has written about it for many years.

Bring back recess Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:20:00 EST
During this year's meeting of the Kentucky General Assembly, two lawmakers -- Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Burlington, and Sen. Katie Stine, R-Southgate -- pressed for more physical education in the schools. The idea went nowhere, which was no surprise: It's hard to ask schools to do more of anything in a year when the state is giving them less.

'Abuse' of history Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:21:00 EST
By attempting to link the Confederate flag with slavery, Betty Winston Bayé is merely provoking those who would abuse its history. Trying to disconnect one of the images of Southern tradition is a futile gesture, as it is a valid part of our nation's history and can never be forgotten.

Council chief defends actions on library Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:21:00 EST
In your editorial titled "Jive from the Naysay Quartet," you referred to the alternative construction financing plan that I helped author. Our efforts on this plan were aimed at giving the Library Commission an "order of magnitude" for what might be possible in the way of bond issues beginning several years out.

Readers mourn NBC's Tim Russert Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:33:00 EST
My father died in 1978 -- 30 years ago. Like most, I did not need a Tim Russert to remind me of my love and respect for my father. But I am glad Russert did when he wrote the book about his own father, Big Russ and Me.

The smile that lit up journalism Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:28:00 EST
But he couldn't have died. It seems impossible. Tim Russert can't be gone because he was having too good a time. He was an expert at journalism, politics and the ways of the world, yes, but he also seemed to have mastered happiness.

Oil reserves in Alaska, elsewhere could ease crisis Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:29:00 EST
Two years ago, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the Democrat Congress promised to devise a national energy policy and lower the cost of gas, which was about half the price it is now. When asked what he and the other Democrats have done to fulfill that pledge, Congressman John Yarmuth of Louisville points to the legislation they passed to suspend shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Trying to keep the Museum Plaza afloat... Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:35:00 EST

READERS' VIEWS Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
SUNBURN ARREST A VIOLATION OF PERSONAL PRIVACY

The U.S. police state has reached new levels of madness. When someone can be arrested and dragged through a costly legal quagmire for what seems a simple case of forgetfulness, we have a major problem. When the people of this nation fail to voice their opposition to a legal system run amok, we have a major crisis of freedom and common sense.

The law-and-order culture that so many acquiesced to after 9/11 is doing what those types of cultures always do: creeping into other areas without much thought. Then one day you find yourself in jail with a big legal bill, likely troubles with your employer and a very confused child who probably didn't know Daddy was a bad man. For what? Lack of sunscreen.

The police are now involved in evaluating sun exposure to our children. To citizens of "the land of the free," this should really matter, and it ought to scare the hell out of us.

We are, it seems, docile supplicants at the hands of our fatherly protectors, passively waiting for the next invasion on personal sovereignty and common sense. Children matter, to be sure -- but so does rearing those beacons of hope in an America still worthy of the name.

Colombia trade pact good for U.S. economy Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:06 EDT
Colombian roses enter the United States duty free; Lexmark printers pay 12 percent tax when they enter Colombia.

Colombian coffee pays no duty; Kentucky-grown animal feed pays 20 percent tax when it is sold to Colombia.

Not fair, is it?

Kentucky-made electronic and agricultural products would clearly have a bigger market in Colombia if they did not have to pay Colombian taxes beyond the normal sales tax.

I have the solution. It is the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. What it really ought to be called is the "U.S.-Colombia Equal-Benefits-for-U.S.-Workers-and-Farmers Agreement," because that is exactly what it does.

Centrepointe Counterpoint Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:40 EDT
Why should anyone care about those old, poorly maintained, worn-looking buildings that are in the way of the new, modern and up-to-date CentrePointe project? What makes them historic? Why are some of them referred to as Morton's Row? Who was this Morton guy?

William Morton was the fellow who built the 1826 building (longtime home of Joe Rosenberg Jewelers) that, along with 13 other old buildings, is in the way of CentrePointe. The row of buildings along the east side of Upper Street between Main and Vine is called Morton's Row.

Those buildings were considered a unique and different style of commercial architecture when Morton built them 180 years ago. Some of their features reflect the Greek Revival influence that took over Lexington in the 1830s.

Like Dudley Webb, Morton was a downtown developer. Because of Morton's aristocratic manner, he was known as "Lord" Morton, and his house at Fifth Street and North Limestone was known as the most luxurious in town.

Almost two centuries later, it is still known as the Morton House but is owned by the city and is part of Duncan Park.

Smoking bans and the Bible Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
Pulaski County is the latest Kentucky place to consider going smoke-free.

Last week, the fiscal court in Somerset received a petition from 36 local physicians supporting a smoke-free law, reports The Commonwealth Journal.

The county commissioners also heard from an opponent who said smoking bans are un-American and that the Bible is mum on the subject of tobacco use, which he takes as approval.

Any number of judicial bodies, including the Kentucky Supreme Court, have declared that protecting the public from secondhand smoke is a constitutional and proper use of government power.

And the Bible teaches that we reap what we sow. Right now, Kentucky's tolerance for tobacco is reaping a bumper crop of disease, death and disability, along with billions of dollars in avoidable health care costs and lost productivity.

Draud, board failed early tests Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:06 EDT
In his six months as commissioner of education, Kentuckians have learned more than they ever wanted to know about Jon Draud's automotive needs.

We don't begrudge Draud his 300C Hemi, global positioning system or hands-free phone. He plans to do a lot of driving in places he's probably never been.

Nor do we condemn him for seeking the 50 days in paid leave and sick days that he lost when he accepted his $220,000-a-year job.

What is worrisome is that Draud and the board that hired him were unable to handle these mundane matters without inviting criticism and controversy.

Their performance does not inspire confidence that Draud was prepared for the job.

Detainees rights Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:20 EDT

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