Terrorism

In my last blog, I made helpful suggestions concerning how the current Administration could reduce its operating costs by limiting the number of Czars to two: the Faith-Based Czar (I am not messing with that one) … and me, the Common Sense Czar! Now, its time to move on to helping our country address other critical issues that weigh on our collective conscience.

I’m going to move terrorism to the top of the heap … in front of healthcare. Admittedly, it sometimes seems difficult to distinguish the two. However, our healthcare system generally has to pick us off one-at-a-time while terrorists seem hell-bent on killing hundreds or thousands of us in a single attack.

For some reason, we seem challenged to figure out how to treat terrorists. Everybody is in agreement that terrorism is “bad,” but there seems to be a significant concern about how we might be viewed by the world if we are too harsh in the way in which we question and prosecute terrorists. There also is a school of thought that says that we need to “mellow out” because our actions may inflame terrorist activity. For example: Guantanamo needs to be shut down because al-Qaeda might view it as a symbolic representation of our country’s unsympathetic position when it comes to the mass-murdering of its citizens.

During a recent Homeland Security Committee hearing before the United States Senate, no one could identify who, within the Department of Justice, made the decision to place Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in our civilian criminal justice system and afford him full protection under the Constitution. Of equal concern: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, and FBI Director Robert Mueller each testified that they had not been consulted on the issue. So, the only thing we know is that someone within the Department of Justice “made the call.” This would be the same Department of Justice that has been threatening to investigate Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio and his department for enforcing immigration laws in Arizona. Perhaps Attorney General Eric Holder and his staff think that Abdulmutallab has been punished enough by being nicknamed the "Underwear Bomber." After all, we don’t want to “inflame” other terrorists … although, come to think of it, Umar essentially tried to “inflame” himself. But I guess it really doesn’t matter because Press Secretary “Glib” announced that we had already learned everything we could in the 50 minutes of questioning that occurred prior to Umar receiving his Miranda warning. Since then, he has chosen to “remain silent.” I guess we can all rest easier since Press Secretary “Glib” says it’s okay.

IT’S OBVIOUSLY TIME FOR THE COMMON SENSE CZAR TO INTERVENE. So, here it is … the Common Sense doctrine of how to deal with terrorism:

Terrorists will not be given the rights of our citizens … period! Try to blow up a plane … don’t expect to receive a Miranda warning. Your “right to remain silent” officially stopped when you decided to detonate an explosive device in an attempt to kill hundreds of innocent people. I’ll provide the water and the board … and we’ll find out more about those additional attacks you promised were coming before you have the opportunity to “lawyer up.”

Speaking of confessions: if you confess to planning the attack on 9/11 (as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed did) … don’t expect me to authorize spending $100 million to try you in a civilian court in New York so the world will think we’re a kinder, gentler nation. You’re a terrorist … not a civilian. In fact, I wouldn’t even waste time and money trying you before a military tribunal. During these tough economic times, I’d just authorize $100 for a few rounds of .50 caliber ammunition and make a Navy Seal count to 10 while you try to escape in an open field.

And speaking of Navy Seals, I’m also not going to subject them to court martial proceedings for allegedly punching you during (or after) your capture as was done based upon the complaint of Ahmed Hashim Abed. As I recall, he was the mastermind behind the ambush of four Blackwater agents who were transporting supplies for a catering company. The victims were killed by gunfire and grenades. Then, their bodies were burned and dragged through the city. Two of the victims’ bodies were then hung on a bridge over the Euphrates River to create a “photo op” for the world press. No, I’m not going to authorize expensive court martial proceedings for the Navy Seals. Instead, I’m going to authorize a few dollars for some really nice medals to pin on their chests and give them each a new Louisville Slugger, personally autographed by Hank Aaron, with instructions to “swing away” next time. Just as a level set: the number of US combat troops who have been captured in Iraq and Afghanistan and recovered alive is approximately zero. What goes around comes around.

Now, just so you don’t get the idea that I’m some kind of violent or vindictive Czar … I’m not. I just care more about protecting the lives of innocent individuals than I do about creating new rights for those who would intentionally and viciously attack them. In that regard, I guess I’m a “strict constructionist” with regard to the Eight Amendment’s protection against “cruel and unusual punishment” when it comes to terrorists. The conjunction is “and” rather than “or.” Therefore, I think the Framers meant that punishment can be “cruel” as long as it’s not “unusual” (think about the punishments that were exacted back in Revolutionary times). My personal recommendation for punishing terrorists is to parallel their treatment of prisoners when it comes time to sentence them. After all, there isn’t a more direct way of determining what they think is “kosher” in this regard (no pun intended). If they think that their actions might be applied directly to them, it may give them a new perspective when it comes to cutting off the heads of live prisoners, etc.

As a friend of mine once said, “You can’t attribute rationale thought to irrational behavior.” Rationale people do not ascribe to killing innocent people; be they in Iraq, Afghanistan or the United States. Terrorists do not differentiate between men, women and children. They do not differentiate between military personnel and civilians. They do not even differentiate between those who support them … and those who don’t. They just call the supporters they send to slaughter “martyrs” rather than what they really are, which is “dead.”

One final point: my Common Sense definition of a “terrorist” is one who, either individually or in concert with others, uses or threatens to use force or violence against innocent people to intimidate or coerce ideological change. As our President would say, “Let me be clear.” I don’t distinguish between a card-carrying member of al-Qaeda, a lunatic psychiatrist in the military, and a citizen who would blow up a building in Oklahoma City. In my book, they’re all terrorists … and now, you know how the Common Sense Czar would deal with them.

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2010 © Dr. T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author.