Las Vegas Sun

February 9, 2010

Currently: 47° | Complete forecast | Log in

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

On health care, terror suspects, GOP did nothing

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 | 2:02 a.m.

Republicans in Congress have taken a break from expressing outrage about Democratic efforts to reform health care to blast the Obama administration’s decision to try some Guantanamo detainees in New York.

Didn’t the Republicans control the White House for eight years and Congress for 12? They now claim to know exactly how to fix health care and exactly what’s wrong with the Democratic plan — and yet they did nothing about it during their extended tenure.

The same goes for putting Guantanamo detainees — most of whom were captured seven to eight years ago — on trial. The George W. Bush administration’s solution was to detain most of them indefinitely, compromising our nation’s principles that one is innocent until proven guilty; that the accused are entitled to speedy trials; and that prisoners shouldn’t be tortured to elicit confessions.

Indefinitely holding hundreds of citizens of about a dozen nations without trial, Guantanamo became a symbol of legal abuse — and the United States’ reputation suffered worldwide. That’s why both President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain vowed to close Guantanamo during last year’s election campaign. But now that these detainees are finally being brought to justice, Republicans — including McCain — feign outrage.

Health care and Guantanamo are two issues on which Republicans in power spent years doing nothing but passing the buck to their successors. Now they’re proving that those who can, do — and those who can’t, criticize.

Discussion: 37 comments so far…

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

  1. Last I hear Obama wanted to run and won so it about time he mans up.

    Obama and Eric H. Holder Jr. plan to send the plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks to trial in Manhattan. The criminal proceedings against Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his four alleged confederates will change drastically the potential to convicted them; as well as create a circus terrorist propaganda platform; and all but challenging the terrorists to hatch an attack during the trial.

    Holder will lose the ability to use most of the battlefield evidence gained legal case and classified information in court.

    KSM will be provided the same rights (like Miranda rights) as a common US citizen New York street thug not those of a battlefield combatant.

    The attorney general, who personally opposes the death penalty, all but vowed to seek capital punishment against each of the five defendants.

    Maybe -- we know what the Military would do.

    The Federal Marshals concluded that only the Southern District of New York -- with its hardened courthouse, secure Metropolitan Correctional Center and underground transportation tunnels through which to bring defendants to and from court each day -- was safe enough to process the case.

    But that does nothing for the exposed Judge and jury when they go home every night.

    We already had a Supreme Court blessed Military Tribunal and guilty pleas in court.

    What are we gaining from moving the military cases to civilian court?

    One can only conclude that Obama and Holder subterfuge is still want to "out" the "bug-in-the-Box" Enhanced Interrogation Techniques of the CIA and further disassembly of the CIA; and are willing to take the risk of freeing these terrorist into our society and inciting an attack on New York.

  2. the stupid pathetic lying republicans are children...
    itty bitty children...
    when they don't get their way they cry...
    and when they still don't get their way they just cry louder...
    it is not about alternative solutions...
    it is not about reasoned discourse...
    it is all about crying...
    loudly...
    the question is...
    who the hell would join the stupid pathetic lying republican party these days...
    only l-o-s-e-r-s!!!

  3. How can a court try suspects for conspiracy of planning a crime where noone has been tried and convicted of perpetrating said crime?

  4. "was to detain most of them indefinitely"

    Hey gooberheads and koolaid drinkers....just a FYI...Obama is planning to do the same thing. It has been in the news for over a year that Obama is planning to hold some bad guys for a very long time without giving them a trial.

    On a news show this past Sunday, a Democrat was asked what would happend if the terrorists get acquitted in court. The Democrat said that Obama would still hold the terrorists because international law allows that.

    So are you guys going to cry and whine about that too? Are you going to call for Obama's impeachment?

    Nope.....did not think so........HYPOCRITES!!!!!!!!

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/...

    http://www.aclu.org/national-security/ob...

    Another FYI to the hypocrite goober koolaid drinkers.....Obama tried to deny habeas corpus to detainees, too. The court had to order him to do give habeas corpus just like they did to Bush.

    Hypocrites, hypocrites, hypocrites.....

    Obama is doing a rope-a-dope on you and you are eating it up like candy.

    He is making you guys look foolish.

    You should be consistent but you are not.

    You are just playing politics and have absolutely NO PRINCIPLES.

  5. Mr Feldman,
    I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you really did not know that it was actually Eric Holder's law firm that spearheaded the liberal opposition to military tribunals for the GITMO detainees. Read this article and then return and apologize for your ignorant letter...

    http://article.nationalreview.com/print/...

  6. Trying terrorists in civillian court is all about "saving" public sector jobs. Its a good thing we have the money.

  7. Today's wailer Paul Feldman is a frequent letter writer to the LV Sun and is another Bush haters and lives out there on the left of society.

    Paul says that Obama can have another three years in deciding what to do in Afghanistan...

  8. Argumentum ad hominen is a legal term "attack the man." When a lawyer cannot defend his plaintiff or a prosecutor cannot prosecute his case, they resort to "attacking the man" because they have no facts to rely on. The judge knows what is going on and so do some of the jurors. The right wing "Brownshirt" sycophant bloggers never use any facts and always attack the writer or fellow blogger. They cannot stop worshiping their despicable party leadership that has proven to be a "miserable failure." Why do they grovel on their knees trying to be a mini Beck, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Savage, Hannity, Bachmann, Coulter, and others? Are they mature men/women or do they want a strong father figure? Grow up!

  9. Angry: Do you know who sold the Black Africans to the British slavers? We all know the Brits couldn't run fast enough to catch them.

    Question of the Day: Who was the weakest President of the U.S., James Buchanan or Barry Obama?

  10. "Question of the Day: Who was the weakest President of the U.S., James Buchanan or Barry Obama?"

    Hmmmm... How long do I have to make a decision on this very complicated question? I think I will ask my advisers and call a summit or two. Then I will contact SEIU and go with whatever they think...

  11. lcdrmandingonamvet:
    Afghans, Slavic Muslims, Lebanese, Iraqis Kurds are not COLOREDS. They are CAUCASIANS. Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans are not COLOREDS. They are Orientals. COLOREDS are Negroes. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Even though 12 per cent of Viet-Nam war dead were Negroes, 88 per cent were Caucasian. During WW2 99.9 per cent of war dead in Europe were Caucasian.
    Regarding Sharon and any other Jewish commander, killing their enemies is just a way to remain alive in Israel. If the Jews lose just one war they are annihilated, unlike the United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, Turkey, France etc etc etc. These countries all lost wars and yet they thrive today. Enemies of the State , no matter internel or externel have to be eliminated whether they are black, white, oriental, or any mix thereof.
    I served in the military, I was lucky, but I would die for my country if I had to. I admire all that made the ultimate sacrifice. In my world (which is 88 per cent of the country) we all put country first, everything else in any order that you choose but country is always first. If you cannot do that, if you are not proud of your country, if you will not extol the virtue of your country, then I feel sorry for you.

  12. Boy, AngryReader... If Bush was an inactive observer of events, then what in the cat hair is Obama? Not only can Obama not make a decision, he is out touring the world most of the time as if that 747 was his personal plane.

    What you say? Obama does not need to stay in his office, because SEIU is making all the decisions for Obama...

  13. Angry:
    Why did you not accuse mandingo of being racist? He is very very proud of being black and not very proud of being American.
    You aren't any better than him.
    If the black folks want to run things you better elect a hell of a lot more of your kind. Please don't include William Jefferson of Louisiana either.
    I figure you are either Stokely Carmichael or Malcolm X.
    So far the weakest president we have ever had Is Obama, and until he does something besides being the first black elected he will remain the weakest I am very close to 95 and I doubt that you will ever be that age.

  14. Angry: NAACP, Afl-Cio, and LaRaza have all taken Obama to task and they are the ones that elected him.
    He has not created a thing except contempt for his Health Care Busshwah.
    I am not kk but I think you are Black Power.
    Get a grip. You will never win with your attitude and take mandingo with you.

  15. Angry:
    how am I splitting hairs. Please be more specific. Don't just throw something out and hope someone sees things your way. I don't split hairs. Dingo does.

  16. Since when was it the GOP's job alone to make a decision on the detainees at Gitmo? Last I knew, there is a body in our government called the congress, which failed to do anything as well. By the way.. lcdrmandingonamvet: your an idiot!!

  17. Hey Rhooster: I will say that i do agree with you 100% on this issue there are about 10 regular bloggers on this sight that are so unoriginal that you can predicted what there going to say even before they say it (And icdrmandingonamvet as well as the Bird are at the top of that list) At least with guys like Sgt Rock what they say can be back-up with facts as weather true or not.

  18. Angry: what do you think of those costumed Black Power guys in Philly who intimidated elderly voters during the last presidential erection? I know dingo would blame that episode on Neal Bush.

  19. GUEOTINE

  20. You poor, poor haters. Poor, poor, pitiful "me".
    Wah, Wah, Wah.
    The letter writer is right, of course.
    The neo-con haters have absolute total amnesia prior to January 20, 2009. How awful convenient
    for them. I personally would like to forget too, but some of us are trying to face the grim reality of what "the prior administration" and it's minions did to nearly topple America. The fall is easier than the rise, kids.

  21. gmag39/birdie: the bottom line is that you end up in a very sad state of affairs if you spend more than you take in. Why haven't you Democrats ever learned this critical but very simple lesson?

  22. they don't want to learn it.

    like a kid with daddy's credit card, as long as they are spending OTHER people's money they just want to let the good times roll.

    this is the fundamental problem with big government. simply put, government NEVER has been, nor NEVER will be a wise steward of taxpayers money.

  23. "one is innocent until proven guilty; that the accused are entitled to speedy trials"

    It sounds like you believe that foreigners have rights under the U.S. Constitution.

    They were never Mirandized so I imagine their case(s) will be thrown out of court. Hopefully they'll be released in your neighborhood.

    Please Mr. Feldman, for the sake of the country, tear up your voter registration card.

  24. michael...
    Do you "forget" that we had a balanced budget under the last democratic administration?

  25. Who was the dumbest President in the U.S.,
    Ronald Reagan or George Bush?

  26. Dumbest? Jimmy Carter, second dumbest was Lyndon Johnson. Johnson passed Medicare and Carter passed gas. Carter recently claimed that Americans resent having a black president, a mere 9 months after electing him. Of course Bill Cosby agreed with Carter. He's another dummy.

  27. I am going out on a limb here. But I would say that the U.S. has never had a "dumb" president.

    Why is it that those on the far left think that they always have to label and demean someone just because they different political beliefs???

    Never ends with these compassionate guys from the left fringe of society...

  28. gregory: we have had a truly balanced budget in more than a century.

  29. meant: haven't

  30. Of of course the GOP did 'something' about health care.

    It's just that 'something' was a national embarrassment.

    They set up a "prescription drug benefit" which screwed seniors with 'donut hole' coverage, screwed the American people by locking us in to whatever price the drug companies wanted to charge us and screwed the deficit by underestimating the cost of the program by some 500 BILLION dollars.

    And you have the regular right-winger cheerleaders like mikegino and LarryVegas with their pom-poms screeching, "Go team!"

  31. You sound like you are running out of steam there ksand99.

    Talk about "screwing" seniors, what do you think $500 billion in cuts to Medicare is going to do to seniors?

    Oh, and about those pom-poms and the rest of your rant. I think you have been riding that short bus with Dingo and a few others here way too long...

  32. the title of this editorial cracks me up:

    "On heath care, terror suspects, GOP did nothing"

    Lets contrast to what Obama is doing on "terror suspects".

    first, he cautions us not to "jump to conclusions" that Army Major Hassan (sp?) is a terrorist. the guy is a devout muslim who committed multiple murders in the name of his twisted religious beliefs in "Jihad".

    yet 'ol barry hussein wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. lets tell that to the widows and orphans this terrorist murdered in cold blood.

    and how bout his lap dog Eric Holders decision to try the 9/11 masterminds in US court in New York? giving them exactly what they want. a chance to denounce the "great Satan United States" in open court while the entire world watches. a chance to make a mockery of the US Justice system. man I bet they can't wait, this is better than 72 virgins in paradise!

    Yep the Democratic party is certainly "doing something" about terrorism!

  33. I meant widows and orphans he created when he murdered their fathers in cold blood.

Post a comment

Commenting requires registration.

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.

Username:
Password: (Forgotten your password?)

OR Create an account (It's free)

Spotlight

Signing Day

Signing Day

Eight locals highlight first recruiting class at UNLV for new coach

Miss America

Miss America

Stories, photos and videos from this year's pageant

CES 2010

CES 2010

Full coverage of the International Consumer Electronics Show

CityCenter

CityCenter

The definitive guide to MGM Mirage's newest property

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

Full coverage of New Year's Eve 2009

Sights Unseen

Sights Unseen

A collection of our favorite images that didn't run in 2009

2020 Vision

2020 Vision

As a new decade begins, the Sun looks 10 years ahead

Bottoming Out

Bottoming Out

Gambling addiction in Las Vegas

Funny Face

Funny Face

Carrot Top's stage act a mask of contradictions

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

A detailed look at where renewable-energy sources are located in the state

A gamble in the sand

A gamble in the sand

The history of Las Vegas

Guest Gauge

Guest Gauge

The weekend crowd forecast for Las Vegas

  • Most Read
  • Discussed
  • Most E-mailed

Calendar »

  • 9 Tue
  • 10 Wed
  • 11 Thu
  • 12 Fri
  • 13 Sat