I know we here at the SOL have been MIA for awhile.  I wanted to post something ASAP on KSM in NYC.  (Everyone with me so far?  Ok Good)

The last post was on the anniversary on 9/11 and I think it is clear from my post that there are still some emotions in this blogger about that day.  Last week it was suddenly announced that several terrorists (everyone cool if I jump to judgment?) will be tried in a civilian federal court.  Bully for the Obama Administration on this tactical maneuver to fix our image with the insane part of Arab world, the wimpy European award givers, and everyone else who main pretense for hating America has been our decision to put terrorist bent on killing Americans on an island surrounded by some of the best trained American Marines and generally away from, you know, Americans.  I am sure we are all confident that trying these men in downtown New York City, or “the scene of the crime”, will have last implications on our enemies. 

I expect that the Taliban will lay down its arms, unveil their women, and open up a movie theater in time for the new Twilight. 

I’m sure Iran will immediately halt its nuclear program, stop funding terrorist endeavors in Israel, and perhaps admit at one point 6 million Jews didn’t just take a vacation. 

If only Obama had acted earlier, the Fort Hood terrorist (I’ll call him what he is) wouldn’t have had any spite towards the American soldiers. 

Everything will be fine right?  Right? 

Ok, I’ll humor the “right wing extremist, town hall attending, tea party belonging, Pelosi-care hating” minority that might think this isn’t the best idea. 

So what if this is only being applied to some of the enemy combatants and not all, so the general premise of justice is still greyer than Joe Biden’s head? 

So what if this could expose our intelligence gathering abilities and make it harder to fight the next wave of plotters who figure out a new way to wreak havoc on American soil?  (There won’t be any reason to hate America remember)

So what if this drains resources from federal and state agencies?  It doesn’t make much sense to guard against unknown plots and dangers when you have 5 guys who are already caught in downtown Manhattan.

So what that one sympathetic juror could cause a hung jury or Allah forbid…acquittal? 

So what if you believe that non-citizens shouldn’t be awarded the same rights at American citizens?  There is no irony that the way of life our soldiers are fighting to protect is being given to men who wish to kill them. 

So what if these Islamo-maniacs could be given a pulpit to openly mock the victims in front of their families?  I doubt they would take the opportunity. 

You people are looking at the forest and not the cliff beyond it. 

I was in my 8:30AM college class when my teacher was called out of the room, he came back and we continued our incredibly dull class.  Afterwards as we were collecting our things our professor said we might want to go check a TV because a plane had hit the World Trade Center.  I guess I wasn’t panicked at that point for two reasons: 1) if it were a real event our professor would have told us and 2) not many people remember, but only a few weeks earlier some jerk got his parachute caught on the statue of liberty, so I figured it was a small plane that probably didn’t do much. 

My roommate and I went back to our room and turned on the TV.  Everything changed.  We watched the towers come down.  I can still recall my roommate’s stunned voice cracking “They’re gone.  They’re just gone.”  Shortly after I heard the Pentagon was hit.  The Pentagon, symbol of America’s military might was on fire.  I could see the smoke from the common room.  I remember a hall mate crying as he tried to count the floors of the towers to see if his uncles office was directly hit.  I remember not being able to call anyone because phone lines were jammed.  I remember the only time I was ever truly scared was when a CNN reporter said the simple, yet perilous words “Some planes are still unaccounted for.”  High profile American targets were ablaze, and most of the others were in DC. 

I don’t remember when I felt safe.  It happened eventually as friends from home got signed onto AOL and I was able to get messages to my parents I was ok.  When the military stood up and said we are responding I must have felt some sense of relief. 

I don’t remember when I felt angry, but I know if happened on one of the viewings of the towers coming down.   Something clicked, something primal, something I still feel when I watch the footage of the towers coming down.

I remember exactly when I was proud to be an American.  It was later that day, after another crash in PA, after the planes were accounted for, after everything changed.  It was at an impromptu vigil; the candles spaced out, but causing one low glow.  Each one joining with another to fight off the night as it settled in.  That is just how I felt. 

So hear we are 8 years later.  I still feel that sense of coming together to stand against the world’s evil.  I just worry not enough American’s feel the same way.

"Todd Beamer couldn’t get through to anyone except a telephone company operator, Lisa Jefferson. He explained three men were on board and one seemed to have a bomb tied around his waist. She told him about the planes that had smashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Mr Beamer said they had a plan to jump the guy with the bomb. He asked her if she would pray with him, so they recited the 23rd Psalm:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…

Then they rushed the hijackers"  Full article Click Here

A new Rasmussen Poll shows that only 42% of American support health care reform and those numbers all falling.  Perhaps Democrat leadership should take notice and start listening to the concerns of the people?

I was having a conversation with one of my favorite people yesterday about the health care situation. She asked me what I thought of Bill Maher and I answered truthfully that I didn’t care for him, but at least respected him for saying what he thinks. (To my knowledge Bill Maher does not have a site where you can tell him what I’ve said)

Look, both sides have ideas of how this country can be better, but I told her that the main difference between liberals and conservatives is liberals think they know how best to run your life, and ideally conservatives try to give you as much freedom as possible to run it yourself. Now I will concede that lately they lost focus of that ideal and that is probably one of the reasons they got booted the past few years.

The health care “debate” is being put down by the democrat leadership because in their minds anyone who disagrees with them simply can understand the facts. They went to Harvard/Yale/Columbia and you and I most likely didn’t so we should just sit down, shut up, and let the government do as it sees fit because they know better than you do.

Now I will concede that some of the youtube clips I have seen don’t seem very productive, but to dismiss or belittle people for voicing their opinions seems like a great injustice. Now I will admit no where in the history of the world has a group ever written down that people have a right to petition the government, but still Obama talked about bringing people together, so why not hear us out. It is also a little hypocritical for democrats to say they want and honest and truthful debate when a month ago they were trying to ram this 1,000 page (I know it is that big because lots of Members say they haven’t read it) bill down America’s throat before recess.

It is frustrating enough that President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Harry Reid think we should trust them blindly, but it is infinitely more frustrating when there is significant evidence that their plan doesn’t hold water. Medicare and Medicade reform- tackle that first. Show us you can really cut these bloated government programs and save the country money. Then maybe you would at least have some evidence that you can handle the whole kit and or caboodle.

They system of health care has serious flaws, but one could argue they are government’s fault. “Mainstream economists generally agree that current U.S. tax policy for health insurance is fundamentally irrational, regressive, and ultimately destructive. Fixing this system should be one of Congress’s top priorities when it comes to health reform. Sadly, the current Congressional health-reform proposals would leave the worst feature of the current system in place and make a bad situation worse.”

The rest of the article is here. Essentially is argues it would be much cheaper to achieve universal health care by going to an employee based system. I agree. Make health insurance like auto insurance. Let the top companies compete for customers if for no other reason than more “Cave Man” commercials.

On the one hand you have a plan that puts a massive amount of control into the government’s hands, and more importantly, opens up the door for even greater government control later when we have to “reform” again. On the other you have a plan that puts more money in your pocket and lets you go out and shop for the insurance you want.

I may not have gone to Harvard like Obama, but I am also not the Nazi Pelosi thinks I am. I am a rational human being who wishes to run my life the way I want. I hope and pray it stays that way.

(P.S. if you are planning to turn me into the White House, don’t bother. I did it myself when I asked the question “Where in the Constitution do you have the power to do this?” No answer on that yet.)