Afghanistan

By Jennifer J. Foster

In case you missed it in Saturday’s edition of the Opelika-Auburn News, my most recent column is now online. Check it out:

What constitutes success in Afghan war?

Here is the link to the New York Times article I quoted in my column.

I’m looking ahead to President Obama’s address to the nation, to be made Tuesday night, regarding his intentions for the future of American military action in Afghanistan. I think there are some questions that our president needs to answer—and they aren’t about troop levels.

On related notes, you may be interested in this item from CNN’s Political Ticker:

(House) Speaker Nancy Pelosi kept the door open Tuesday to a proposal by several senior House Democrats to impose a graduated surtax on American taxpayers to finance the war in Afghanistan.

While Pelosi wasn’t pressed about the details of the new war tax, she pointed to strong reservations among Congressional Democrats about the costs of the war during a conference call Tuesday with several economic writers and bloggers.

The CNN post goes on to note that when House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wisconsin, floated a similar war tax to pay for the war in Iraq two years ago, Pelosi quickly rejected it. But, CNN reports, on Tuesday Pelosi said the costs of the war and the impact they will have on other domestic priorities should be part of the discussion over U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

Really!

Well, let’s think about this for a minute: According to CNN, Obey estimates that the cost of expanding American military efforts in Afghanistan will be about $1 trillion over 10 years.

Remind me what the cost was of the House version of the health care bill recently passed in that chamber?

Ah, yes. Here it is: “$1.2 trillion or more”—or more!—“over a decade.“

Hmmm.

Interesting, don’t you think, that Pelosi is sensitive to congressional Democrats’ concerns about the cost of the Afghan war, but strikingly similar concerns raised by conservative and moderate Democrats about a massive new domestic entitlement program that costs the same amount—“or more”!—seem to fall on deaf ears?

One more thing: The bill that would create the new tax for the Afghan war is called the “Share the Sacrifice Act.“

Discuss.

See also:

The Afghanistan entry from The World Factbook, a publication of the CIA (yes, that CIA). There is all kinds of betcha-didn’t-know stuff there. Incidentally, that’s true of the entire book. I have been known to browse the Factbook for hours on end without looking up.

Yes, I am a geek. And it’s OK ... I know where Burkina Faso is.

Willie Horton all over again?

By Jennifer J. Foster

You might have missed the horrific, chilling news yesterday that four police officers were killed while they sat drinking coffee and preparing for their shifts in Washington state early Sunday morning.

As horrifying as that news is—and it is truly horrifying, considering that these officers were clearly targeted and, in the words of one police spokesman, “executed”—it gets worse.

CNN reports:

The man wanted for questioning in the fatal shooting of four police officers at a coffee shop had his 95-year prison sentence commuted by then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, authorities said late Sunday.

The sheriff’s office in Pierce County, where the ambush occurred Sunday morning, have not identified Maurice Clemmons as a suspect, but said it is looking for him as part of its investigation.

Arkansas officials told the sheriff’s office that Clemmons is the same person who received clemency from Huckabee in 2001, said sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer.

Repeat after me: Willie Horton. Click here if you need an explanation because you A) weren’t old enough to see the commercials that cost a candidate the presidency of the United States and/or B) didn’t pay attention in your civics or American History classes.

Predictably—and understandably, given the Willie Horton story—Huckabee’s camp is trying to at least spread the blame around, if it is unsuccessful in deflecting it:

“Should (Clemons) be found responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state,“ Huckabee’s office said in a statement Sunday night.

What are we dealing with here?

Clemmons, 37, of Pierce County has an “extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft,“ the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

He also was recently charged in Pierce County in the assault of a police officer and rape of a child, according to the statement ...

Huckabee cited Clemmons’ young age—17 at the time of his sentencing—when he announced his decision to commute the sentence, according to newspaper articles ...

Huckabee’s office said Clemmons’ commutation was based on the recommendation of the parole board that determined that he met the conditions for early release.

“He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him,“ the statement said.

CNN could not immediately confirm the account. But the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper reported that soon after his release in 2001, Clemmons was arrested for aggravated robbery and theft.

He was taken back to prison for parole violation. But, said the paper, he was not served with the arrest warrants for the robbery and theft charges until he left prison three years later.

His attorney argued the charges should be dismissed because too much time had passed by then. And prosecutors dropped the charges.

LEGAL SIDEBAR: There is a chance, of course, that this Maurice Clemmons had nothing to do with the murders of these police officers. If that’s the case, then I’ll look forward to the news that he’s turned himself in for questioning ... sooner than quick. END LEGAL SIDEBAR

But even if he didn’t do this ... WHY WAS THIS GUY EVEN OUT???

After serving several months in jail on a pending charge of second-degree rape of a child, Clemmons was released on bond six days ago, according to the Seattle Times.

There just aren’t enough adjectives for the senselessness of this story and the fury I feel about it. That’s right—fury. Outrage. A lot of it.

Four police officers were murdered in a calculated manuever perpetrated in cold blood. Two were shot as they sat at their table, one as he stood up to confront the shooter. The fourth wrestled the killer out the door before suffering the fatal shot.

But as horrible as that is, it gets worse.

These four officers had nine children among them.

Seven little ones have lost their daddies. Two will never see their mom again.

Three spouses, and one ex-spouse, are left to pick up the pieces.

Mike Huckabee, that pansy statement isn’t going to do. Right now, the only word that I remember from your statement is FAILURE.

A police spokesman says there is evidence that one of the officers “fired some shots and we hope he hit (the suspect).“

Part of me hopes so, too.

The other part thinks that would be letting him off too easy.

‘Rainbow shiny’

By Jennifer J. Foster

Thanksgiving.

It’s the time we set aside to reflect on all the things we are so fortunate to have—as Americans and as members of the human race.

No matter how difficult the economic times, there are always things for which we can be thankful. Indeed, difficult economic times often highlight those things in our lives that can go underappreciated or unappreciated altogether when times are good and the living is easy.

Here’s a link to my column from last Thanksgiving, which discusses some of the things for which we can give thanks, including a lot of things we Americans routinely take for granted.

And here is a link to one of my favorite columns by pundit Rich Galen, a piece in which he details an exchange he happened to have with a little girl during the course of a mundane task in an ordinary day. But the exchange was anything but ordinary. It is fantastic. I hope you’ll take the time to read it.

We all have things that are “rainbow shiny” in our lives. Let us reflect on, and give thanks for, those things more often—not just on Thanksgiving, but throughout our everydays.

Give me a freakin’ break

By Jennifer J. Foster

OK, don’t read this unless you want to get mad.

Really mad.

From CNN:

Three U.S. Navy SEALs face criminal charges after the alleged mastermind of one of the most notorious crimes against Americans in Iraq accused them of punching him after his capture, the military said Wednesday.

Ahmed Hashim Abed—thought to be behind the slayings and mutilation of four U.S. contractors in Falluja in 2004 and captured in summer—made the accusations against the three servicemen, said Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command.

A civilian lawyer for one of three SEALs said his client and the other SEALs declined a nonjudicial resolution to the case, a step sometimes called a “captain’s mast.“ The servicemen say they did not harm the detainee in any way and they want their names cleared in a court-martial so they can continue their careers in the Navy, said the attorney, Neil Puckett.

The three SEALs could spend up to a year in prison if convicted on the charges.

In case you need a reminder of the crime of which Abed is accused, click here. But know that it is disturbing.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this story. This is yet another example—thank you, President Obama, for providing us with the most notorious one—of terrorists being treated as American citizens and being given rights that should be reserved for Americans.

The SEALs deny punching Abed. But let’s say that in the course of arresting him, they did.

SO WHAT???

If Abed is going to have all these rights, then the SEALs should sue him for impugning their reputations. They should seek compensatory damages and an apology.

Abed apparently digs lawyers. Let’s make sure he has the opportunity to deal with plenty of them.

Byrne visits with the OA News

By Jennifer J. Foster

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne spent some time visiting with Opelika-Auburn News editorial page editor Joe McAdory ahead of his appearance before the Lee County Republican Executive Committee Tuesday.

Byrne touched on ethics reform, education and economic development, as well as his plans for his first few days in office.

Read the story and see the video of Byrne’s interview here.