2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Conservative Paranoid Mind
by Michael Tomasky Apr 22, 2013 4:45 AM EDT
Theres a common thread linking conservatives positions on gun control, immigration, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: the constant need to stoke fear. By Michael Tomasky.
Liberals and civil libertarians shouldnt yet be saying that theres utterly no way that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be declared an enemy combatant. The post-9/11 law, whatever ones opinion of it, does say that an American citizen affiliated with al Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces engaged in hostility with the United States can be declared an enemy combatant. It doesnt seem like hes that, but who knows, he may shock everyone when he comes to by saying that he and his brother were precisely that.
But it isnt liberals who are jumping the gun here. As usual, conservatives are rushing to judgment, shredding the Constitution, using the bombing as an pretext for derailing immigration reform, and generally seeking any excuse to reimpose their paranoid and authoritarian worldview, which needs fear like a vampire needs blood, on the rest of us.
The cry, which Im sure will pick up steam this week, was led over the weekend by the usual suspectsJohn McCain, Lindsey Graham, Kelly Ayotte, and Peter King. On the basis of what evidence? On the basis of no evidence at all. They know nothing! Were starting to piece together a portrait of these guys, although its more of Tamerlan than of his younger brother. Its a grim portrait. He evidently did become a radicalized Islamist. But if he and his brother were acting alone, even if the bombing was 100 percent politically motivated, they cant be called enemy combatants. Period.
At most, they should say: If the facts connect him to al Qaeda or any other designated groups, then he should be declared an enemy combatant. Some would disagree with that, but no one could really criticize that as a legitimate posture within the parameters of U.S. law. But to call Dzhokhar a good candidate for enemy-combatant status now, as they did, is appalling. Moreover, the Supreme Court said in the Hamdi decision that U.S. citizens who are named enemy combatants still have their due-process rights, so its not clear exactly what these four want to happen unless they want the Justice Department to contravene the court.
full column
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/22/the-conservative-paranoid-mind.html
Avalux
(35,015 posts)So, expect the usual suspects to completely lose their minds over the decision.
pansypoo53219
(20,995 posts)they milked the communists, USSR, 9/11, islamists, war for decades.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,036 posts)Excerpt:
polynomial
(750 posts)From my view, thinking out of the box is special when it relates to an issue like this terror stuff. Seems the frequency is picking up in an unusual way. Begging the question why now?
The media mask is working full blast, or maybe many can call this filibuster breaking news specials to media swamping out any thoughts of Senate scandal goodies. Especially Republican Mitch Mc Connell where a recording done secretly about his strategy to smear opponents, poses serious problems for his re-election.
Then poof two possible terrorist mules appear that could be mirrored by the real thing. Many can isolate the reasoning these two young men where terrorist mules, straw men, running parallel to sophisticated activities linked to radical revolutionaries from another country.
The really stinky stuff is the same as before mail in poison to Congress and the President at the same time. This whole scenario displays that possibility the government data base on strategic terror is compromised. Heck if a young man like Specialist Manning could offer up secret files to wiki leaks perhaps other have that we dont know about because it would be an embarrassment.
These kinds of things sometimes run parallel to national or international issues or catastrophes like wide open murder in crowds. It seems to be a Republican mantra to call this Dzhokhar Tsarnaev an automatic push to secret military hanging. That is not paranoid; it is intended crowd creep control that has the capability to throw anyone into jail. Worse, if Wahhabi related Allah twisted minds really do have an American data base of legions of persons that can be triggered into mule action running parallel to the real professions that place anyone in that data base as a victim, we America are in big trouble.