U.N. Needs Top Role in Asian Disaster Relief

The Bush Administration has started to do things that are hampering worldwide relief efforts to Asian nations that were devastated last week.

It has been five days since a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale struck off Indonesia's coast and created monster tidal waves that killed hundreds of thousands of people in a dozen Asian and African nations. In response to the disaster the United States formed a coalition of nations that included the U.S., India, Japan and Australia. The U.S. has insisted that those nations will lead the world response to the disaster.

Time out, time out, time out!

These nations need to take a back-seat to the United Nations in this instance. India's west coast lies in ruins and they're saying 'no thank you' to international aid. And why the U.S. insisting on supplanting the United Nations relief efforts? Since so many nations were devastated, only the U.N. has the mandate to act on behalf of its member states.

It should be noted that Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Bangladesh, Maldives, Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia all have two things in common: they are not U.S. territories; they ARE members of the United Nations. So who should have more say-so? Figure it out. If this tidal wave had hit the United States, then the U.S. would have the ultimate say-so. But it didn't.

For the U.S. government to take hasty action now (and trumpet about it loudly) to deflect criticism that they were slow in responding to the international disaster is in very poor taste.

Now, on a related topic, the French are in a contest with the U.S. over who is giving more aid. Both governments need to grow up and donate because it's going to help people, not to one-up the other. Here's that story. Absolutely childish! I've never heard of such rubbish in the face of such widespread destruction. Get on with it, already!

Wal-Mart Takes Up Target’s Slack With Salvation Army

Wal-Mart has responded to Target’s throwing the Salvation Army bell ringers out of its stores by starting a $1 million matching-funds program.

Target only supports certain types of (gay) groups and not the Salvation Army, nor military veterans’ organizations. Wal-Mart supports whomever it can, and is more inclusive in its donation program.

Wal-Mart made the decision after the Salvation Army announced that donations were down nationwide.

According to a recent news article,”the Salvation Army provides services to the community, including food, companionship to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, opportunities for underprivileged children, relief for disaster victims and assistance for the disabled, among others.”

9.0 Earthquake Moves Islands and Causes Earth to Wobble on Its Axis

Our planet has demonstrated its awesome power in a way that most had not though possible. The 9.0 earthquake that rocked South Asia and created powerful tidal waves released the same amount of energy that would have been released if a million nuclear bombs had gone off at the same moment.

Geologists and scientists say that when the two plates snapped, it caused some of the islands that were closest to the earthquake to move anywhere from 66 to 120 feet away from their former positions. This earthquake has permanently altered the geography of Southern Asia. Even more amazing, it affected the entire planet’s rotation as it orbits the sun. This is unbelievable.

The brains are waiting to find out if the change in rotation will have an effect on weather patterns around the world or if the shockwaves from this shattering earthquake will cause other fault lines around the world (and the Rim of Fire especially) to weaken and loose Earth’s fury upon our civilizations once again.

At this hour the authorities are reporting 24,000 dead in ten countries..

Seat Belts Being Ignored at Great Cost

The author usually writes in third-person to avoid writing personal stuff that gives away too much personal information, but this post requires that he does so.

For the second time this year, I find myself grieving for young teens who have died in a car accident. This time it was two fourteen year-old kids who were ejected from the car after the young driver they were with accelerated to unsafe speeds, lost control and went into a ditch. The kids sitting in the back were not wearing seat belts and died at the scene. The two people sitting in the front seats were wearing seat belts and survived. To die like this on Christmas Day...I feel terrible for all the families involved and their friends.

It's an old story...young drivers getting behind the wheel without an adult present; showing off what their car can do, and getting into a disaster like this one.

Seat belts are installed in motor vehicles for a very specific purpose; to make sure that people's asses stay in the seats in the event of an impact.

This latest disaster follows another accident three weeks ago which was eerily similar; two dead fourteen year olds without seat belts in the back seat; two banged up teenagers in the front seat after their car accelerated to over 100 mph and went into a ditch. That accident really hit me hard; one of the kids killed was the son of a good friend of mine.

Kids need to be taught to fasten the damned seat belts and to treat a car like a loaded gun. Seat belts and cars are not to be trifled with or taken lightly either.

The cost from these two disasters is astronomical...four dead fourteen-year olds, two sixteen-year old drivers with two deaths each on their conciences for the rest of their lives, four families utterly devastated in the weeks before Christmas and on Christmas Day...

Words fail me. I am tired of bidding farewell to young people who don't wear seat belts and die after being ejected from the car following a crash.

Red vs. Blue: A Little More Depth

I had to alter this post because of technical issues with some of the graphics that I wanted to employ.

It showed a map of the "red and blue" states as they were won by Bush or Kerry.

If you go to http://www.uselectionatlas.org/, it shows a vivid county map. It is under the Election 2004 Results section under the link with the same name. Scroll between the default map and the county map and take a look at the states that Kerry won. You'll see that he carried majorities in most of the counties in a few of the New England States. Bush carried everything else. Note: on that map, the colors are reversed: Bush territory is in blue, Kerry territory is in red.

That map also blows the "Jesus territory" mantra/theory right out of the water. Some upset people on the left are describing the states Bush won as the so-called Bible belt, but that's clearly not the case. It's not "red states vs. blue states" that the press keeps harping on, it's Bush states vs. Kerry counties in every place except New England.

It's facinating to analyze. Sorry my graphics didn't work.

Halliburton in Iraq: Employees Under Enemy Fire

For all the trouble that Halliburton has gotten into over the last few years for violating laws related to trade with America’s adversaries, and all the mud-slinging that went on during the Presidential campaign in this country, and Dick Cheney’s connection to them, many people seem to overlooking something.

Since the Iraq War began, sixty-two Halliburton employees have lost their lives working with the U.S. military in Iraq. That’s a lot of families who are missing their fathers, sons, mothers, sisters, and so forth.

They are over there risking all for the promise of high pay and for other reasons that are beyond comprehension. Who would want to be over there as an unarmed oil tanker driver with explosions happening right next to their fully-loaded rig?

Halliburton deserves to be scrutinized for its conduct. But that should be tempered with the knowledge that sixty-two people who were under contract to Halliburton have given their lives to help Iraq get back on its feet. Halliburton is also providing for those families who are missing people around their dinner tables this holiday season. It’s a sobering realization.

No Medals of Honor for the Troops in Iraq or Afghanistan?

What a shame.

President Bush is handing out Medals of Freedom to people who were central to the U.S. invasion of Iraq as well as the defeat of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. These are the highest civilian awards that the President can bestow. Congress is also handing out Congressional Gold Medals of Honor, which is the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow.

Fine, then. Now what about the troops who are fighting the battles and the wars?

To date, two Air Force Crosses, one Distinguished Service Cross, seven Navy Crosses, and an unknown number of Purple Hearts have been awarded. Lots of Silver and Bronze Stars have been awarded. Those men and women deserve our thanks and our gratitude for their courage and valor in the face of the enemy.

I find it very odd that no Medals of Honor have been conferred by Congress during the war on terror; in fact, the last two awarded were to two Army Ranger snipers who volunteered to attempt to rescue their brothers-in-arms from hordes of al-Qaeda combatants and Somali gunmen who had shot down two Army choppers over Mogadishu (October 1993), and were slaughtering the trapped Rangers.

The two Army snipers went in, rescued a number of wounded Rangers and defended them until they ran out of ammunition and were killed in combat. Their actions delayed the enemy advance until international and U.S. troops arrived to rescue the survivors.

I find it hard to believe that in the time our military has been engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, that no feats of bravery have risen to the level of consideration for the Medal of Honor.

Hopefully the U.S. military brass is getting referrals from the squad level up, and is taking the necessary steps to research the circumstances for the recommendations. Hopefully it won’t take thirty years or more to award a Medal of Honor if it is found to be warranted. Those brave soldiers deserve nothing less.

Atheist Goes After Christmas Tree

I was a little surprised when an atheist objected to the display of a Christmas tree at the city hall in Bellevue, Washington, even though it was doing a world of good to needy families in the area.

The tree, labeled by City Hall as the Giving Tree, has requests for help from families that desperately need financial assistance or other items in the place of tree ornaments. An average of $25,000 is raised by the Giving Tree.

This year, an atheist asked the city council to remove the tree because the tree represents Christianity.

With all due respect, no it doesn’t.

The Christmas tree represents the pagan side of the holiday, not the Christian side. The courts have already ruled on this after someone successfully argued that while many Christians use the tree to celebrate Jesus’ birth, it is not a symbol of Christianity like the cross is.

The city council refused the request, citing the court decisions.

Here’s the story.

Yushchenko Accuses Ukrainian Government of Trying to Kill Him

Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko is accusing the Ukrainian Secret Service of poisoning him with dioxin during a dinner meeting with the head of the Ukrainian spy service.

The opposition leader made the accusation after it was revealed that the dioxin levels in his blood are not 1,000 times higher than normal as was earlier reported, but 6,000 times higher. Yushchenko went to Austria and got specialized testing done, which revealed how close he came to dying.

The poison disfigured his face and skin and may never completely heal. Once dioxin is concentrated and weaponized, it can be administered in any form; in this case, it was poured into a bowl of soup that Yushchenko had as he was dining with the head of the Ukrainian Secret Service (KGB).

This story is getting worse as the days go by. Here's the story.

British High Court Decision Advances the Cause of Human Rights in War on Terror

Judges from the British House of Lords ruled that the British government cannot hold terror suspects indefinitely without trial.

The decision came on behalf of a group of foreign nationals who have been held by the British government for over three years and will force Tony Blair’s government to put the foreigners on trial.

This is a major setback for the British government, who argued that their national security would be put at risk if the men were to go on trial. One of the judges even said that the law that put the men in prison without trial is a bigger threat to the British public than the terrorism that the British government is trying to prevent.

Human rights advocates welcomed the news, but the hawks were unhappy that their house of cards came crashing down.

Hopefully the U.S. Supreme Court will have the same opportunity to order the American government to put terror detainees on trial as well and force the Bush Administration to adhere to the Constitution when it comes to detaining people that they suspect of being terrorists, instead of locking them away without telling them what they are accused of.

Castro Goes Looney: Massive Cuban Military Drill Underway

In a strange attempt to distract the Cuban people from their growing domestic problems, Fidel Castro increased his saber-rattling against the U.S. and sent a large part of his military into the streets of Cuba to practice repelling a mock amphibious and air assault from the U.S.

The Cuban Air Force was scrambled to put an air umbrella over Cuba as 400,000 troops and reservists and “millions” of citizens participated in mock battles that U.S. military officials were probably watching on spy satellite. There’s nothing like giving away your battle plan to the very “enemy” that you’re preparing to fight, is there?

How much money did Castro spend on this meaningless display of military power? What won’t be bought for ordinary Cuban citizens now that the money isn't there? How much fuel did they siphon off from the public sector? And will Cubans put up with it?

If there is a war in Cuba, it will be because of Castro’s reckless disregard for his own people, and it will come in the form of an internal rebellion, not U.S. military action. I think it’s safe to say that the only way Cuba would get U.S. military attention would be to attack the U.S. first. The U.S. military has bigger fish to fry. Castro’s a little man who’s getting in the way of his own people. He should really think about his people first instead of himself.

WWE Heads for Iraq

World Wrestling Entertainment has gone wrong in a lot of ways over the last three years, introducing gay, lesbian and sexual themes into their product, so I’ve stopped watching them.

However, one thing that they did right last year (and again this year) is that they went over to Iraq and put on a show for the troops who were/are engaged in heavy fighting to boost their spirits for the holidays.

WWE is to be commended for their support of the troops by visiting wounded soldiers who are coming out of the combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan while they lay recovering in the hospitals, by putting on shows at military bases across the country, and for showing up and doing a show in Iraq at Christmas time last year while mortars could be heard in the distance. Troops stood on tanks to watch the action going on in the ring. Last year WWE teamed with the United Service Organizations' Operation Care Package program to deliver care packages to the troops. They will do it again this year. They will also air the troops sending messages home to their families and friends.

Armed Forces Entertainment was delighted when McMahon called last year and asked if they could entertain the troops in Baghdad. Arrangements were quickly made and the show was on.

It gave a tremendous boost to the troops last year, as the WWE is very popular with members of the Armed Forces. WWE is scheduled to be in Iraq this week and the show will air on December 23rd’s episode of WWE Smackdown! I wanted to thank Vince McMahon for putting his money where his mouth is in order to help a good cause.

Ukrainian Presidential Candidate WAS Poisoned

As the election crisis in the Ukraine continues to rage, it was announced by Ukrainian authorities that opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko WAS indeed poisoned.

He was poisoned with dioxin, which causes the person’s skin to turn splotchy and can cause death. The picture on the left was from March 28, 2002, and the picture on the right clearly shows the effects that the poison had on Mr. Yushchenko. Apologies if the photos offend anyone.

The level of dioxins found in Mr. Yushchenko’s blood were 1,000 times higher than the dioxin levels found in most humans. The Soviet Union and other nations weaponized dioxins into chemical weapons, and a chemist who knows what he is doing could also weaponize it. The day Yushchenko fell ill was the day he was poisoned. Dioxins are absorbed quickly into the body. Had the exposure been worse, he would have died.

Dioxins were also used by the United States as a component of Agent Orange, which was used to defoliate the forests of Vietnam and has had terrible effects on the Vietnamese people, U.S. Vietnam vets, and their offspring who were born after the soldiers were exposed to it. Once a person has dangerous amounts of dioxins in their blood, it can take years (perhaps decades) to recover fully, if they ever do.

Some are saying that the Ukrainian Secret Service is involved since Yushchenko became seriously ill after meeting with the head of the secret agency. There’s no way to tell if they were involved yet, but this could have been an assassination attempt that failed.

In any case, there is something rotten going on over there, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Giuliani is Best Choice for Homeland Security Director

Bernard Kerik withdrew his name for consideration from the Homeland Security directorship after he disclosed that a nanny he once employed was in the country illegally and that he didn’t pay taxes on her wages.

I still think Rudy Giuliani would do a fine job there as he has experience in organizing a huge bureaucracy in a major metropolitan city. His book on leadership explains the problems that he faced in New York City and his approach to solving them. I think you need an organizer with proven skills to get the Department of Homeland Security reorganized and running efficiently; after he’s done, you can get the law enforcement experts in there to run the organization.

The problem facing the Homeland Security department is twofold: one part deals with restructuring twenty-plus agencies that used to operate independently and to detail 180,000 people in what they’re supposed to be doing in the new department. The other side is the law-enforcement/counterterrorism execution side. The latter cannot operate nearly as efficiently without the structure there to support it.

Here’s a biography from the New York City government web site as to his qualifications for the directorship:

1961—Graduated from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School
1965—Graduated from Manhattan College (Class of '65) in the Bronx
1968—Graduated from New York University Law School in Manhattan, (magna cum laude).
1968—1970--Clerked for Judge Lloyd MacMahon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
1970—Joined the office of the U.S. Attorney. At age 29, he was named Chief of the Narcotics Unit and rose to serve as executive US Attorney.
1975—Giuliani was recruited to Washington, D.C., where he was named Associate Deputy Attorney General and chief of staff to the Deputy Attorney General.
1977—1981 Practiced law at Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler.
1981—Named Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in the Department of Justice. As AAG, Giuliani supervised all of the US Attorney Offices' Federal law enforcement agencies, the Bureau of Corrections, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the US Marshals.
1983—Giuliani was appointed US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he spearheaded the effort to jail drug dealers, fight organized crime, break the web of corruption in government, and prosecute white-collar criminals. Few US Attorneys in history can match his record of 4,152 convictions with only 25 reversals.
1989—Giuliani entered the race for mayor of New York City as a candidate of the Republican and Liberal parties, losing by the closest margin in City history.
1993—107th Mayor of the City of New York.
1997—Re-elected by a wide margin, carrying four out of New York City's five boroughs. Credited with turning the city around.
2001—Parts of the city are devastated by the 9/11 terror attacks. Giuliani becomes “America’s Mayor” in the hearts of many Americans who are impressed with his handling of the disaster. Named Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year.”

So, barring major problems with the confirmation process (that eliminated his former police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, from consideration for Homeland Security director), I think Giuliani would be the best choice that Bush could make. I haven’t given up hope. He would face tough questions from Congress on 9/11 and reports that the police and fire departments didn’t have the equipment they needed, and he may be too political, but I think he could get in there and do some good.

Moyers Comment Shows Mainstream Media Hypocrisy

Bill Moyers is retiring from the PBS newsmagazine that he founded two years ago and he had some interesting quips in a recent interview.

He said that the biggest story of our time is that the right-wing media has become an extension of the Republican National Committee, while saying that the mainstream media is more interested in the bottom line.

That is a very interesting assertion.

He’s chosen to ignore the efforts of the mainstream news media in the last two years to get John Kerry into the White House. Let’s face it: Kerry never stood a chance. He had lukewarm support from his own party; he had no solid base; and “anyone but Bush” only carried the campaign so far and then stopped.

The mainstream media has become the news. This was recently illustrated by the actions of a Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter who exercised undue influence and trickery over a question and answer question with the Defense Secretary. Dan Rather introduced false National Guard documents to influence the voters to vote against Bush. The mainstream press tried to discredit the Swift Boat Veterans as soon as they realized how detrimental they were to Kerry’s campaign; Kerry still has not signed a Form 180 authorizing the complete release of all of his records.

It should also be noted that when CBS’s liberal competitors jumped on the fake CBS/National Guard story, they were quick to point out that while the documents were false and CBS should be ashamed and yaadaa yadaa, they said that the sentiment behind the documents was valid. In other words, they didn’t want rocks to be thrown inside their shared glass house but they didn’t mind throwing rotten eggs and rocks at the Republican candidate.

Journalism has been replaced by partisan reporting, leaving the right-wing media with no other choice but to present the other point of view and leaving them open to charges that they’re an arm of the Republican Party. Neutrality in reporting was once something that the mainstream press took pride in.

The mainstream press is totally responsible for creating the environment that the right-wing press is flourishing in, so they ought to quit complaining about Fox News telling the rest of the story.

Here’s the Moyers interview.

Charges Filed in Pistons-Pacers Brawl

The prosecuting attorney for Oakland County who is handling the case surrounding the Pistons-Pacers game announced that charges are being filed against a dozen people. Attorneys are hollering that their clients are being singled out for punishment.

BS!

They were caught on video participating in the worst brawl in NBA history, with punches, drinks, popcorn and chairs being thrown during the melee.

Would these people do this in their own house? Some might, but the vast majority wouldn’t. Why in the world would they do it in a public venue then?

Most will get slaps on the wrist. Some will get short jail sentences with probation. The idiot who threw the chair is also being sued because the chair injured an elderly fan who was minding his own business during this nonsense. This genius is facing felony assault charges.

Some fans will face trespassing charges; fans are not allowed onto the court during the game. There were some with criminal records who will receive stiffer sentences as well.

For those fans who were banned from the Palace and are crying about it, that’s too bad. Go to another venue and BEHAVE YOURSELF!! Better yet, stay home and watch the game on TV because you obviously can’t behave in public.

I don’t blame people for saying they’re sick and tired of seeing the videos. I am too, but it was an ugly incident that didn’t need to happen. And for those attorneys who are saying that the Pacers players will be in court during playoffs, get over it. They’re merely reaping what they sowed.

Most of the players who will be in court are suspended anyways, so they aren't going to help the Pacers during playoffs, except to save money on payroll!

Rumsfeld Challenged By Soldiers: A Set-Up?

I was pleased to hear that soldiers had questioned Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the unarmored Humvees that are deployed to Iraq but was angered when it was announced that a reporter may have coached the soldiers on what questions to ask and how to ask them.

The story started yesterday when a couple of soldiers asked why it was necessary for them to scrounge metal to armor the Humvees themselves and to look for hardened glass to make the windows bullet-resistant. Rumsfeld, of course, was gruff when he made his replies and the story received widespread media attention around the world. Here’s that part of the story.

Then it came out today that a reporter from the Chattanooga Times Free Press had coached the soldiers and then approached the Sgt. in charge of the question and answer session with the Defense Secretary to “make sure his guys got out of the crowd.”

This is coming across as a reporter engaged in dishonest reporting. He’s making the news rather than simply reporting on it. If the story of the plant is correct, this guy needs to be reigned in a bit by his bosses.

Activism vs. reporting seems to be a recurring problem these days and some of these people ought to get off it. “It” being their political activism supplanting their duties as journalists.

Spain Attacked by Basque Separatists: They WERE Taking Notes From 3/11

Spain is learning a painful lesson on why nations do not give in to terrorist demands. Ever.

On March 11th, 2004, a few days before the Spanish elections were to take place, al-Qaeda attacked the central Madrid train terminal and killed hundreds of people. Four trains were destroyed by the blasts. The al-Qaeda goal was to force the pro-Iraq War government out of power; the Spanish people knuckled under and voted a Socialist into office.

The turnover was huge; before the bombs started going off, the former government was ahead in pre-election polling. The Spanish electorate surrendered to the terrorists first, and then the government knuckled under too. The Spaniards went SCREAMING out of Iraq as fast as they could because they didn’t want al-Qaeda killing any more Spaniards. Bad move.

I wrote an article saying that the Basque separatists were probably taking notes and that it would be open season on the Spanish government, which had proven that it could be intimidated by terrorists. I’m sorry to say that I was right. At least ten bombs have gone off in the last two days; the first attack involved the near-simultaneous destruction of five gas stations in and around Madrid. The terror group Eta, which supports independence for the Basques, called in warnings before the bombs started going off.

The Spanish government could have prevented this from happening, but they were too weak and stupid to realize that their actions would have consequences in their own country. Instead of honoring their dead and working with the international community at the source, the Spanish government has made a concerted effort to forget that 3/11 ever happened. Many families who lost loved ones continue to be aghast that their own government has ignored their pleas for justice. And their government gave in to the terrorists. This was a HUGE green light for Eta to break the truce and begin attacking inside Spain, in the hopes that the government would knuckle under again.

Two lessons come to mind: indecision and disengagement encourages terrorists to be more aggressive, not less. The other lesson is that just because an idea is popular (like pulling troops out of Iraq) doesn’t make it right. Spain made a series of bad choices after suffering a very bad day, and now they’re paying the price for their lack of vision.

Thompson Blunders in Press Conference

Retiring Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson did something that was simply astounding: he said “For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do," at a press conference.

Well, Mr. Thompson, thank you very much for the unneeded insight. Idiot!!

He’s probably created a security problem now that the entire world has been alerted to the fact that the food supply is vulnerable to terrorist attack. He shouldn’t have said that. If something happens to the food supply now, there will be plenty of blame for him to share in.

This is like the Pentagon announcing an offensive against Fallujah to see what the terrorists would do to stop them, and then launching the actual offensive three weeks later after they analyzed the movements of the enemy forces in and around Fallujah. The difference is that the military acted on what it found, formulated a plan, went in and kicked some tail. Thompson's comments came across as spur-of-the-moment. He sounded frustrated that he couldn't get money to protect the food supply so he may have been trying to force the issue.

In any case, it was not a smart play, and waving a banner around that says "TERRORISTS: ATTACK HERE!!" to draw attention to a government shortfall is not the way to effect change. Thompson should have known better.

Target Stores: The Grinch is Running the Place!

Given Target’s reputation, is it any wonder that they’ve thrown Salvation Army bell-ringers out into the cold?

Which reputation do I speak of, you ask?

A friend of mine living in Marquette, MI, who is active in Vietnam War veteran fundraisers approached Target for a solicitation to help local veterans with a project that would benefit the entire community.

He got a letter about a week later saying that his request for help was being denied and that the only group that Target officially supported was a gay-rights group that no one had ever heard of up there. They weren't even locals!

So my friend organized a boycott of the Target store in Marquette. Letters were written to the local newspapers with copies of the letter enclosed, and the veterans raised a major commotion. I don’t think it had a major impact on the Target store, but the point was made.

So when I read that Target has banned the Salvation Army from ringing their little bells, it doesn’t surprise me in the least. It falls right into line with their treatment of the Vietnam veterans. There's a Grinch at Target HQ, so look for more petty antics from your friendly neighborhood Target.

Rumsfeld Accused of War Crimes in German Court: ICC Trouble?

There was a news blurb over the weekend that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other Administration officials are being charged with war crimes that stem from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The case is being brought in a German court and is not getting much attention yet.

This is the result of certain nations who have taken it upon themselves to act as the world’s criminal court system.

It’s kind of funny that those who scoff at American suggestions that the International Criminal Court system will be misused to settle scores against prominent American politicians and troops are the very ones who are taking this course of action.

While I am not opposed to international tribunals building strong cases against former leaders, I am dead-set against any international court attempting to go after sitting Presidents and their cabinets. Once they leave office, that’s another issue, but for an international court to be able to serve warrants on and take custody of the sitting President of the United States or Secretary of State is abhorrent.

As far as I am concerned, if the President is impeached first by the House, tried by the Senate and found guilty, then the international courts can have the person after American justice is carried out. If the cabinet member resigns or is removed from his/her post, then I have no problem with Interpol coming in and taking the accused away.

The ICC treaty (Article 27) does not recognize immunity for sitting leaders. Article 27 also does not provide for removal of leaders according to the laws of the country where the accused leader resides. So the Constitution would be subordinated to the ICC treaty. This is also abhorrent.

To surrender national sovereignty to a system that could be abused is dangerous, and is a very good reason for the U.S. to refrain from endorsing the treaty. This reason is different from the military point of view, but in my view, supercedes the military reasons for opposing the treaty.

While Rumsfeld should answer very serious questions about the prison scandal, it should not be while he is still in a cabinet position.