The Savage Republican

Coleen Rowley (presumed candidate for Congress CD2) had an op-ed piece in today's Star Tribune. In it she takes exception to an editorial that the Strib ran last week.

"Radsan's piece began with the bold assertion that "no matter the jury's final verdict in Virginia, Zacarias Moussaoui's should be the last case in which the criminal justice system handles an operative in a major terrorist plot."
I certainly hope not. Despite some egregious mistakes, official bungling, prosecutorial improprieties, and legal irregularities -- e.g., Moussaoui not being allowed to call all witnesses, namely certain Al-Qaida operatives held under U.S. control, to testify in his favor -- the case proved our regular adversarial-jury trial system works. "

She can't be saying what I think she is saying, is she???? That we should be fighting terrorism in the courts???

"The mistakes that occurred in the Moussaoui case, however, do not support the proposition that we cannot use our criminal courts and their procedural and constitutional rights to combat terrorism. Instead, the Moussaoui trial proves we can. "

She is saying it!!!! She IS saying that we should be fighting terrorism in the courts.

"This is a huge issue, because if you fall into thinking that we cannot combat terrorism using our criminal justice system and all the rights and protections it affords, you open the door to all the extraconstitutional -- or more bluntly, illegal -- methods currently in vogue: the use of renditions, black sites and torture; lack of due process; and warrantless NSA monitoring on American soil. Enormous problems loom once we decide it's OK as a blanket measure to go around the constitutional rules and down this slippery slope. "

Coleen, Coleen, Coleen....apparently someone who knows more about the law needs to educate you on the legality of the NSA monitoring. Maybe someone we can get someone with a little better sense of history to explain to you the precident that was set by FDR. Maybe she will believe the US Supreme Court!

"The Constitution gives the president the responsibility to act quickly and decisively to defend the national security. Congress, freed from such responsibility, could indulge other preoccupations. At one point, Jackson wrote Rep. John Coffee that "I am confident that if you and any of the other liberals in Congress sat in my seat and were held to some degree of responsibility for the perpetration of acts of sabotage and espionage in this country you would feel differently about the wire tapping bill."

Let me repeat that for you Coleen....the Consititution gives the President the responsibility to act quickly and decisively to defend national security!!!

I really hate to be a "scare monger", but we can not afford to sit at home in November. As I said here, staying home in November will hurt the country more than it will hurt the Republican Party leadership. Captain Ed nails it! Rather than stay home, we refuse to give the leadership a dime until they start acting more responsively to the base. Instead, direct your donations directly to individual candidates instead!