2009-01-22

McCain on GITMO

John McCain supports closing GITMO, even calls it a "wise move."  He does have some reservations about the process, but promises to help Obama.

I find this to be a very interesting development, and am starting to respect the man a bit.

Day 2: Obama walks the walk on human rights

Today President Obama signalled that our country will enforce the human rights standards on itself that it already expects the rest of the world to follow.  In keeping with international law, GITMO has been ordered closed.  Additionally, interrogation techniques outside of the Army Field Manual are prohibited, including water boarding.  This order means that the US military, CIA, etc must once again follow the law. 
 
So far, I think all Libertarians should be pleased with the Obama administration.  He has come on much more strongly for freedom and open-ness in his first two days than anyone could have expected.
 

2009-01-21

What happens to the detainees?

There's a lot of questions about how to handle the GITMO detainees once they are transferred out.

Put them into our criminal justice system.  If we can prosecute Timothy McVeigh, the Unabomber, and countless other criminals, why not these guys?

There are 245 of them.  We aren't talking about an army.  In the case where there is no evidence of wrongdoing, they will have to be released, but that's something we've already done, even under Bush.

Just in case...

President Obama has retaken the Oath of Office, just in case some loon on the right wing tries to say he is not the President.  You may remember that the Chief Justice mucked it up.

The Radical President

Thomas Friedman is hoping that President Obama will make radical changes.  

So am I.

The Open Government Begins

Today President Obama issued a memo to all Federal Agencies regarding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  In the memo (PDF), the President said that "in the face of doubt, openness prevails.  The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears."

I like the "speculative or abstract fears" part of his message.  He is directly speaking against the paranoia that has permeated Washington for the past 8 years under the Bush/Cheney team.

He also directed agencies to use "modern technology" to make information available to the public before they even receive a request.

2009-01-20

The International Response

The only foreign language I know to any degree is French, language of our eternal ally, whether you hicks like it or not.

Reading Le Monde, I feel a sense of optimism in our European cousins for our new President.  Quite a good day to be American, indeed.

Obama's Inaugural Speech

Hope over fear

America has a new president.  Our first black president.  The first president of Generation X.

A president who is not of the Vietnam War era, or any era before it.

My first president.  The first president that I have enthusiastically supported.

Barack Obama has the power to unify us into one nation.  Muslim or Jew, Gay or Straight, Liberal or Conservative: we all have a place under his presidency.  I feel that Obama will lead us to a renewal in American power and that in 8 years we will be a much greater country than we are now.  Time will tell, but right now I'm riding high.

Correction to Obama's Speech

Obama said: "Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath."

This is not true.  While Barack Obama is the Forty-Fourth president, there have only been Forty Three individuals, as Grover Cleveland (a very good president) had non-consecutive terms.

Highlights from Obama's Speech

The parts of his speech that I found most inspiring (all emphasis added is mine):

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth."

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history..."

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end."

"And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, 'Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.'"

"To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

"America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

The e-presidency begins

Whitehouse.gov has been updated and it now comes with a blog.

About that oath...

Roberts fudged it.

Quote of the day

"I Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God."

-Barack Obama, President of the United States of America

The last word on Bush

Prosecute him for torturing in our name, tarnishing both our image and our morals.

We cannot move forward until we deal with the past.


Today is the day

In less than 3 hours, that one voice that has done so much to change rooms, cities, and states will change the nation. And with it the world.

Today is the best day of the 21st century for both the United States of America and the World.

2009-01-19

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2009

I'm not going to discuss the obvious, but this Martin Luther King Jr. Day should hold special significance for all of us.  Today is a time to reflect on where our country has some, since the words were spoken below, and how the dream has become a reality:



Israel blinks

On the eve of a new US President, Israel has blinked, and is accelerating a pullout from Gaza, with the goal of completely withdrawing before Barack Obama is sworn in at noon tomorrow.

Unlike the past few weeks, where we had a "when the cat is away" scenario, with Bush as the lamest of ducks, we now have a President who is willing to re-engage in the Middle East.

The World's Inauguration and the work that remains

Despite living in close proximity to DC, I will not be attending the inauguration tomorrow in person.  I'd rather watch from a better vantage point, my TV, and be able to use the bathroom if need be.  However, I do know many people who are going and just had an interesting discussion with someone who is visiting from India.  He has lived in the states for about 6 months and will soon be travelling home.  He went to the Inauguration Concert yesterday, and is going to go to the inauguration tomorrow.
 
Reflecting on what Barack Obama's presidency means, he told me that the United States is often seen as a rich, caucasian, conservative country; one that talks the talk when it comes to diversity and opportunity but falls short when it comes down to living it.  This viewpoint is about to change.  He sees it.  I see it.  The world sees it.  Unlike Europe, which has its share of immigrants but will never elect one to the presidency, we are about to elect a true American as president.  Someone from a rich background that spans multiple continents, and who possesses a world-view that is likely superior to any that have held the office before him.
 
We all hope that this view will bring us more closely in line with other countries that hold our level of development. 
 
We are currently the only one without a national healthcare system.  This costs us dearly in treasure and human capital.  I expect this to change very quickly, as it would definitely jump start our economy.
 
We are one of the few countries that does not subscribe to various international agreements, be in the Kyoto Treaty or the International Court.  Hopefully this will change as well.
 
And lastly, we have a conservative undercurrent in this country that is both disturbing and dangerous.  Those that do not accept diversity.  Those that hold negative opinions of others due to factors such as ethnicity, race, or religion.  Those who wish it were 1958 and not 2008.  While these voices grow fewer and fewer every year (most of them are older), they still persist and our generation needs to minimize and purge these forces from our nation once and for all.
 
When all of this is accomplished, the world will not just look up to us for our individual leadership but for our world leadership as well.

Reflecting on Bush

George W Bush's biggest failure as a President was in allowing the outrage over 9/11 to shape his policies over the subsequent years of his presidency.  His obsession with the "war" on terror prevented him from fully engaging with domestic policies.  Other than No Child Left Behind, I cannot name a single, major domestic policy initiative of his.  

9/11 was a horrible even, and none say otherwise.  But the reaction to it, especially from the Executive Branch, was completely unbalanced.  Going to Afghanistan was a good thing, as that is where the attacks had been planned, and that is where the attackers had refuge.  

Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.  Yet the country, once a close ally, was turned upside down over the false information (lie?) that weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) were hiding in the desert sands.  They weren't.  Bush should have listened to the UN weapon inspectors from the beginning.  Sure, Saddam Hussein laughed at Bush and our country, but he was never a serious threat.  At least we knew who he was; unlike the faceless enemies that replaced him.  His threat to the US was akin to someone throwing an egg at your house.  And instead of yelling at them, or calling the police (the UN), you went outside with a shotgun and unloaded.  That's what the Iraq war is.

I had nothing to do with 9/11.  Yet I have to show ID and take off my shoes to get on and airplane, and so do many others who are either patriotic Americans or harmless visitors to this country.

The Department of Homeland Security was created, a bureaucracy to manage bureaucracies.  It introduced the color coded terror threat, which has not changed in quite some time.  So is the DHS even effective?  

Back to Bush.   He definitely got more than he signed up for.  And the team he had in place at the beginning only took him further down the road of paranoia.  

Thankfully our next president is much more of a cool customer who will think before pushing that big red button. 

2009-01-18

42 hours and counting

"But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfrot and ease but by the right we do when the moment is hard."

It's time to retake our country.

Domestic groups a cause for concern

Domestic hate groups, of all kinds, may be the biggest security threat to the new presidency.

It is amazing how many people still engage in hating.  There are still the usual suspects: KKK, Aryan Nations, etc.  But there are also a good number of Anti-Jewish groups, Anti-Arab groups (usual reciprocal in terms of membership), Anti-Latino groups, and general hate groups.

The best source for information on who these groups are and where they operate is the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Most, if not all, of these groups of have engaged in domestic terrorism at one time or another.

These are the types of people whose cycles of hate threaten our country and the world.  They are the people that must be isolated, embarrassed, and assimilated, if we are to achieve true security.

Prosecute Bush Administration?

The Congress is considering prosecuting some of the Bush administration officials.  This needs to be done; all the way to the top.

Through warrantless wiretaps, torture, and many other unknown actions, the administration has broken the law at home and abroad.  To use the term War Crimes, is not an overstatement.  These types of prosecutions are never convenient or easy, but we need to look back at our record of potential atrocities over the last 8 years and vow to show that no one is above the law.