Garden State Patriot

The decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to try Gitmo terrorists in U.S. civilian courts is bad enough. But now we are learning that the AG has a clear conflict of interest regarding this issue and clearly should have recused himself from any involvement in the decision.

What is the issue? Holder’s former law firm, Covington & Burling, represents sixteen Gitmo terrorists. From the firm’s web site:

Guantanamo Bay Detainees

• We represent sixteen men detained at the United States Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.  Most of the men have been detained for approximately seven years.  None have been charged with any crimes, and none have been accorded the protections of the Geneva Convention.  In Boumediene v. Bush, 128 S. Ct. 2229 (2008), where we were co-counsel for eleven of the detainees, the Supreme Court held that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus extends to detainees held at Guantánamo Bay.  Following that decision, we have been preparing for habeas corpus hearings to be held in federal district court Washington, DC, for eleven of our clients.
• The firm has been involved in the Guantánamo related litigation for the last five years.  In addition to the on-going habeas corpus proceedings, our efforts have included: bringing cases for review of enemy combatant classification decisions in the D.C. Circuit under the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005; challenging the destruction of CIA torture tapes in federal court; filing amicus briefs and coordinating the amicus effort in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. 557 (2006); filing amicus briefs in support of Supreme Court review in Moussaoui v. United States, 382 F.3d 483 (4th Cir.), cert denied, 544 U.S. 931 (2005); challenging the government’s practice of redacting information from documents given to security-cleared habeas counsel; and challenging the abusive medical and living conditions that the detainees experience at Guantánamo.

It should also be noted that Holder has a history of going to bat for terrorists. When he was Deputy AG in the Clinton Administration he was directly involved in the pardons of FALN terrorists which caused an uproar in the waning days of Clinton’s term in office.

And just to provide some further context, when the Enron scandal broke during the Bush years, for AG John Ashcroft recused himself because when he ran for senate he had received campaign contributions from Enron execs. Ashcroft also recused himself over the Valerie Plame matter because he had allegedly been briefed about the FBI’s questioning of Karl Rove about the incident.

Yet in this case Holder’s former law firm stands to directly gain from these proceedings and Holder neither discloses such facts nor recuses himself? Senate Republicans now need to step up, voice their objection and threaten to investigate this matter. Holder’s actions are completely unethical and he needs to be held accountable.

Cross-posted at CMNJ.

In 2006, Obama says Khalid Sheikh Mohammad will get a military trial. Hmmm, just what has changed?

(h/t Gateway Pundit)

Cross-posted at CMNJ!

Today marks perhaps the most disgraceful and wrong-headed decision made by this administration to date. The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Eric Holder, has decided to try 4 Gitmo terrorists – including the evil thug shown above, 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad – in civilian court! Thanks to the Obama Administration, illegal enemy combatants now have access to lawyers and the same legal rights as American citizens. And to add insult to injury, the trial will take place right in the shadow of the World trade Center attacks in downtown Manhattan.

WASHINGTON — Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday.

The official said Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning.

The official is not authorized to discuss the decision before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bringing such notorious suspects to U.S. soil to face trial is a key step in President Barack Obama’s plan to close the terror suspect detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama initially planned to close the detention center by Jan. 22, but the administration is no longer expected to meet that deadline.

The New York case may also force the court system to confront a host of difficult legal issues surrounding counter-terrorism programs begun after the 2001 attacks, including the harsh interrogation techniques once used on some of the suspects while in CIA custody. The most severe method — waterboarding, or simulated drowning — was used on Mohammed 183 times in 2003, before the practice was banned.

In an op-ed that ran in the Wall Street Journal (which I highly recommend reading), former AG Michael Mukasey explains the problems and dangers of trying terrorists in our civilian courts.  

It makes the location of the trial a target. The defendants might not be charged with the death penalty. Soldiers might be forced to leave the battlefield and come to court to testify. Sensitive information used by intelligence agencies will be disclosed – including names of suspected terrorists as well as our methods of acquiring intelligence – compromising our ability to prevent terrorist acts in the future.

The bottom line is this administration is putting ideology ahead of common sense and the security of the American people. It is an absolute outrage.

By the way, 54 Democrats in the Senate also condoned this. You can see their votes on the relevant amendment here.

And here’s what Obama himself said back in March.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Now, Do These Folks Deserve Miranda Rights? Do They Deserve To Be Treated Like A Shoplifter Down The Block? Of Course Not.” (CBS’ “60 Minutes,” 3/22/09)

[UPDATE] You can also find a petition to the President here. You will also see a letter to the President from the 9/11 Families for America. (h/t Michelle Malkin)

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

After some 9 months worth of campaigning, starting with the Republican primary season, Judgment Day is at hand in the New Jersey governor’s race.
In fact, like many New Jersey political bloggers, this campaign really started the moment The Anointed One, Barack Obama, was declared the winner of last year’s presidential election. And like many fellow Republicans and conservatives, my goal at that time was to do everything possible to oust Governor Corzine from office.

As this crucial election now falls upon us, I have come to the conclusion that this still remains my goal – and ought to be the goal of anyone who cares about the future of this state.

Like so many of my fellow conservatives, this race has left me troubled and conflicted. Little did I know a year ago just how much this race would divide us. The split between the Establishment of the party and grassroots conservatives is one that has reared its head – and likely will continue in the days and months ahead regardless of who wins on Tuesday. This battle, of course, is by no means limited to New Jersey. It stretches up to New York’s 23rd district, to a coming Senate primary battle in Florida, and likely into 2012’s presidential primary. I still firmly believe that the only way forward for the Republican Party, if it wishes to re-establish trust and a majority status, is by adopting conservative values and principles. And, ultimately, that means putting forth conservative candidates.

In this respect, this voter has been skeptical, perplexed, and, admittedly at times, downright disappointed with Mr. Christie. His campaign has left much to be desired in strategy, execution and philosophy. On various issues of great importance to New Jerseyans, such as COAH, property taxes and state aid to schools, I remain unconvinced that he will address them to my satisfaction and to the satisfaction of my fellow conservatives. On the other hand, I do believe he will improve our business climate, perhaps even enact some meaningful educational reforms via initiatives like vouchers and promoting more charter schools and, hopefully, live up to his promise to nominate conservative judges to the bench. Above all, though, I believe he will at least stop the bleeding caused by the destructive fiscal policies of Corzine, McGreevey and the Democrat-controlled legislature.

The alternative – a second term for Jon Corzine – is one I believe this state cannot bear. Jon Corzine has had four years to prove himself and he has failed miserably. By every measure, his term has been a disaster for New Jersey. Under his watch, the state has firmly established itself as the worst in the nation for taxes. He has shown himself to be disdainful of the plight of taxpayers while he protects government workers and curries favor with public sector unions like the NJEA. He will continue to appoint far left judges to the NJ Supreme Court – a court that, in the past, has handed down the terrible Mt. Laurel and Abbott decisions. A court that will have much to say on these matters, as well issues like gay marriage, in the future (if not near future).

The view of many conservatives – that four more years of destruction under Corzine would increase the chances of a conservative being a viable candidate in 2013 – I do believe has merit. Some lessons may well need to be learned the hard way. But that is an awfully tough path to choose when the stakes right now are so high. Four more years of Jon Corzine’s policies likely will lead New Jersey to financial ruin. If New Jersey fails, all of her citizens will likewise suffer. This is a choice I cannot make in good conscience.

Other factors, also, are difficult to ignore. At the national level, we are witnessing the most radical left-wing agenda in our history. We are painfully close to witnessing a government takeover of our healthcare system by a bunch of ruthless, power-hungry, liberal statists who have no regard for our constitution and the nation’s founding.

While I do believe that when next year’s mid-term elections finally arrive, voters will base their decision on issues other than this New Jersey gubernatorial election, a Chris Christie victory (along with victories in Virginia and NY-23) very well could contribute to building momentum for a Republican resurgence.

In the near-term, it could well damage Obama and help defeat the healthcare legislation before Congress. Democrat ‘blue dogs’ and other fence sitters may well ‘read the tea leaves’ and not want to risk their seats by voting for this agenda.

If circumstances were different, and the polls suggested Mr. Christie were on his way to a runaway victory or, conversely, a sound defeat, lodging a ‘protest vote’ would be a far easier choice. But this is not the case. If the polls are to be believed, this election will be a nail biter and Mr. Christie needs every vote possible.

Just yesterday President Obama said this of Governor Corzine:

He’s one of the best partners I have in the White House. We work together…We know our work is far from over.

Is this the kind of person we really want to remain in office? Knowing what we know now, are there any among us who would not prefer John McCain to be our President despite the fact that a McCain presidency might have been bad for the conservative movement?

Chris Christie is by no means my ideal candidate. I would much prefer to pull the lever for on Tuesday for Steve Lonegan (or even Jason Cullen for that matter). But given our current circumstances, and after much soul searching, such a vote in my mind cannot be justified.

On this Judgment Day, there is only one choice. We must terminate Jon Corzine.

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!

Talk about your hypocrisy! Here we are just days into the White House’s infantile war against Fox News. Rahm ‘Dead Fish’ Emanuel claims Fox isn’t a news organization because it has a “perspective.”

Their press secretary idiotically points to news opinion guys, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck, to *prove* their point. Then, in the next breath the White House invites two of MSNBC’s biggest Obama/Democrat lackeys to Pennsylvania Avenue for a secret, off-the-record meeting? (1:45)

Yes, Maddow and Olbermann – nah, no *perspective* there! MSNBC an arm of the DNC? Nah, couldn’t be!

Well, all I can say is I’m relieved. I now have a full and complete understanding of what it means to be a ‘news organization.’ Apparently, all it takes is agreeing with the President and doing his bidding.

(h/t Newsbusters)

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

The Obama Administration apparently is hell bent on controlling the media and stifling dissent at every turn. If it isn’t fighting a war with Fox News – the only war the administration is willing to fight I might add – it is threatening to bring back the ‘Fairness Doctrine’ to, ultimately, kill talk radio. Now, the next target in their crosshairs is the Internet.

On Thursday, the FCC will be voting on so-called ‘Net Neutrality’ rules. As is typical of the left, they couch their anti-freedom, un-American agenda in innocent sounding phrases. But ‘Net Neutrality’ is anything but. It is just another effort by this administration to erode our first amendment rights and attempt to silence opposing voices; in this case, by taking steps that would set the stage for government takeover of the Internet.

Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity explains how this will work – and what you and I can do to try and stop it:

As important as all the fights are that we’re in right now, perhaps the biggest of all is the fight over whether the government will take over the Internet.  That’s because as long as the Internet is free, we can use it to communicate, educate, and organize.  Tea parties, townhalls, and AFP events would be very difficult to organize if government owned and controlled the Internet and chose to interfere with it.  That’s what’s at stake this week as the Federal Communications Commission decides on Thursday whether to move forward with so-called “net neutrality” regulations.

The net neutrality movement is an outgrowth of the larger so-called media reform project of radical left-wing activists like Robert McChesney who seek to destroy private control of the country’s communications systems.

I discussed McChesney and the so-called media reform movement last night on the Glenn Beck show, and you can watch that clip here.  I’ll be on with Glenn again tonight to discuss net neutrality specifically.

As the Internet Freedom Coalition shows on our Net Neutrality Scare Ticket it has now been nearly 7 years since the November 19, 2002 letter that started the net neutrality scare, without a single significant incident of the kind of egregious behavior by evil phone and cable companies we’re told require government intervention.  It’s a solution in search of a problem.

Net neutrality sounds simple–force phone and cable companies to treat every bit of information the same way–until you realize that modern networks are incredibly complex, with millions of lines of code in every router.  Making sure services like VoIP, video conferencing, and telemedicine (not to mention the next great thing that hasn’t been invented yet) get priority may be necessary to make the Internet work. But the government is working to do just the opposite.

These networks cost billions of dollars to build and maintain, and if there is uncertainty whether there will be a good return on that investment, private investment will dry up.  And then government will step in, spending billions of our tax dollars on a government-owned and controlled Internet.

That’s their plan.

The push for a Washington takeover of the Internet is coming from the White House.  It includes Susan Crawford, the so-called Internet Czar, who told The Wall Street Journal in April that the $7.2 billion of stimulus money for broadband she is helping spend is a “down payment on future government investments in the Internet.”  She went on to say: “We should do a better job as a nation of making sure fast, affordable broadband is as ubiquitous as electricity, water, snail mail or any other public utility.”

It comes right from the top.  President Obama himself said on the campaign trail: “I will take a backseat to no one in my commitment to Net Neutrality.”

The FCC will vote Thursday on what it calls a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Net Neutrality.  If it passes, it will start a public comment period and I’ll be emailing you again with instructions on how to file comments.  But for the next couple days, we need to make our case against the FCC even taking that first step down the road to a Washington takeover of the Internet. 

Here’s what you can do to help: The FCC created a website at www.OpenInternet.gov where you can comment on government regulating the Internet under so-called net neutrality rules.  The left has been flooding it with comments.  Please take a moment to head over to www.OpenInternet.gov and click on “Join the Discussion” to make your voice heard for keeping the Internet in private hands.  

Honestly, I don’t know what else is left for this administration to attack. They don’t like the free market. They don’t like the free press. And they don’t like free speech. To wit, it’s hard to conclude anything other than, this administration doesn’t like freedom much at all.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

On yesterday’s Glenn Beck show, Beck hosted a forum with some 40 doctors to discuss healthcare. After all, what better place to look for solutions than to actually ask the people in the industry what the problems are and how they feel they can be fixed? As you’ll see, many of the doctors indicated that the problems in healthcare stem from too much interference from the government and involvement of third party payors. Funny enough, those in the forum who were more inclined to favor Obamacare were med students who have yet to get a taste of the real world.

Here is the first of four installments of the show. You can watch the rest here, here and here.

Meanwhile, our President continues to demonize insurance companies and flat out lie to the American people. The man is a true fraud and a demagogue of epic proportions.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

***Warning: Extremely Violent Content***

Why do I show you this? Watch here.

And we thought liberals didn’t like torture. Yet the White House’s current Communications Director says Mao Tse Tung - the killer of upwards of 70 MILLION people – is one of her favorite philosophers?!?! Absolutely sick.

Oh, and what else is Dunn known for lately? That’s right, she’s the point woman in the White House for attacking Fox News…

God help us.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Senator Olympia Snowe has once again sold Republicans down the river. Snowe already betrayed us by going along with the Porkulous Bill, now she has voted in committee for the destructive Baucus bill.

For all the dissent, for all the protesting, and despite public opinion firmly against the Democrat’s socialist healthcare proposals – I hate to say it – but right now we are losing this fight.

WASHINGTON – Historic legislation to expand U.S. health care and control costs won its first Republican supporter Tuesday and cleared a key Senate hurdle, a double-barreled triumph that propelled President Barack Obama’s signature issue toward votes this fall in both houses of Congress.

“When history calls, history calls,” said Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, whose declaration of support ended weeks of suspense and provided the only drama of a 14-9 vote in the Senate Finance Committee. With her decision, the 62-year-old lawmaker bucked her own leadership on the most high-profile issue of the year in Congress, and gave the drive to remake health care at least a hint of the bipartisanship that Obama seeks.

Obama, speaking to reporters at the White House, said, “I never count chickens before they hatch, but this is obviously another step forward in bringing about a better deal for the American people.”

Snowe, too, said there were problems with the bill, but on balance, the risks of doing nothing were too great.

“We should also contemplate the decades of inaction that have brought us to this crossroads,” she said. “The status quo approach has produced one glaring common denominator, that is that we have a problem that is growing worse, not better.”

This is the last of 5 bills to pass Senate committees. Now, Harry Reid will have a free hand to cherry pick whatever he wants from each and bring it to the floor for a vote.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Last week I reported on Harry Reid’s scheme to pass Obamacare by tying the Senate measure to a House bill with nothing to do with healthcare. Further, during my trip to D.C. for the AFP Summit, our group met with a Lautenberg spokesperson who did not deny this was this case.

Well, to no surprise, this story has been confirmed by CNS News. Here is the update from The Foundry @ Heritage:

Leaders in the House and Senate have a plan to pass President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care plan by Thanksgiving without any significant participation by the American public. CNS News has confirmed the details in our September 22nd titled “Passing a Shell of A Bill: Congress’ Secret Plan to Ram Through Health Care Reform.” Nicholas Ballasy reports “a senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told CNSNews.com that it is ‘likely’ that Reid will use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by the House in March to impose a 90-percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of certain bailed-out financial institutions—as a ‘shell’ for enacting the final version of the Senate’s health care bill, which Reid is responsible for crafting.”

This story confirms the four part scenario that would railroad the bill through the Senate using a very unusual closed door procedure to craft the bill with no input from the American people.

The four stage plan to pass Obamacare has been publicly confirmed and is ready to be implemented. The following is a comprehensive update:

Step One: “The Senate Finance Committee will finish work on the marking up of Senator Max Baucus’ (D-MT) conceptual framework for legislation by this Friday.” Progress on this had been stalled and the bill was not passed by the end of last week. Foxnews.com is reporting that the Congressional Budget Office score of the bill will be released later today and a high score may further stall progress on the Committee’s Vapor Bill.  Senate Finance Committee’s progress on passing something out of committee – INCOMPLETE.

Step Two: Next, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will take the final product of the Senate Finance Committee and merge it with the product of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee. CNSnews.com has confirmed that “the actual final text of the legislation will be determined by Reid himself, who will consolidate the legislation approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the still-unapproved legislation from the Senate Finance Committee. Reid will be able to draft and insert textual language that was not expressly approved by either committee.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will write the final version of Obamacare to be considered in the Senate with no input from the American people. This is an extremely complex procedure that will not be done in public, or in the form of a hearing, or a public conference committee, and only Senator Harry Reid, some other Senators chosen by Reid and Obama Administration officials will be allowed to read the bill before the Senate debate starts. Merger of the bills – IN PROGRESS.

Step Three: Senator Reid will then move to proceed to H.R. 1586, a bill to impose a tax on bonuses received by certain TARP recipients. A senior aid to Senate Majority Leader Ried has confirmed that he will move to proceed to Senate Calendar Number 36, H.R. 1586, or another House passed tax measure, so the Senate can avoid the Constitutional mandate that tax bills originate in the House. Proceed to tax shell of a bill – CONFIRMED.

Step Four: This scenario would most likely be implemented after the Massachusetts state legislature gives Governor Deval Patrick the power to appoint a new Senator and that Senator is seated by the Senate. The Senate swore in new Massachusetts Senator Paul Kirk on September 25th. Change Law of Massachusetts to allow for interim Senator – COMPLETE.

The final step in this plan is for the House to take up Obama care, without amending the legislation, and then sending that bill directly to the President for his signature. Matt Cover at CNSnews.com reports “House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) won’t rule out having the House vote on the Senate health-care bill without making any changes in it, which would allow the bill to go directly to President Barack Obama without having to pass through a House-Senate conference committee and another round of votes in the House and Senate–and a longer period of public scrutiny of what the text of the proposed law actually says.” This scenario is in the process of being implemented and, if successful, it will result in Obamacare being on the President’s desk in time for Thansgiving with minimal participation of the American public.

The San Francisco Examiner published an editorial today that exposed the fact that the American people can’t see the bill. “When then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama promised not to sign major legislation until it had been posted on the Internet for public reading at least five days, trusting voters took him at his word. Now they know better. Not only is the actual language of what is likely to become the main legislative vehicle for Obama’s signature health care reform not available on the Internet, it hasn’t been given to members of the key Senate committees or the Congressional Budget Office.” The procedure being used, in addition to the exclusion of the American people from the process, should be of grave concern to all who want to participate in democracy and have a say in Congress’ health care reforms that will touch 1/6th of the American economy.

Importantly, Reid’s scheme still requires breaking a filibuster. This is where healthcare opponents need to focus their attention and pressure. Per Dick Morris, the key Senators we need to persuade are Olympia Snowe and Blanche Lincoln.

Watch how Maine Republican Olympia Snowe and Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln vote in the Senate Finance Committee on the Baucus version of the Obama healthcare plan. As Snowe and Lincoln go, so will the Congress.

The Democrats need Snowe’s vote desperately, to convince wavering moderate Democrats that they can offer a veneer, however thin, of bipartisanship to the health proposal. If Snowe, their last chance at a Republican vote, opposes the Obama/Baucus proposal, there is no hope of a bipartisan fig leaf for the package.

On the other hand, if Snowe backs the bill, it will send a signal to moderate Democrats that it’s OK to join in and the bill will probably attract the 60 votes it needs for Senate passage.

Lincoln’s vote becomes critical if Snowe votes no. Lincoln is probably the single most vulnerable Democrat running for reelection in 2010. She is the proverbial canary in the coalmine. If she makes it, so will all the Democrats. Hailing from a conservative Southern state, her poll numbers suggest that she would be in a heap of trouble with a stiff challenger.

If Lincoln defects and joins the Republicans in voting no (as she has done on a number of amendments), she will do a lot to cement her chances to remain a senator, but will open a wound in the Democratic Party. A domino effect will likely set in.

Here are the phone numbers of Snowe and Lincoln’s Senate offices. It’s time to start burning up the phone lines.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (AR) 202-224-4843
Sen. Olympia Snowe (ME) 202-224-5344