Obama’s Public Option for Gitmo

November 13th, 2009 Jena McNeill

The Obama Administration announced this morning that it intends to ship five Guantanamo Bay detainees to New York to be tried in civilian federal court. One of those men is the September 11th mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammad.

This decision will be seen by many liberals as paving the way for closing the Guantanamo Bay facility. It is also an olive branch by an Administration facing growing criticism from its own party for its failure to move forward on closing the facility by its January 22nd deadline. In fact, the President has been battered lately by the left for staying too close to Bush Administration terrorism policies. So close in fact, that the Obama Administration had announced its intent to continue to use military tribunals despite Obama’s feverish opposition to such an idea during the Presidential campaigns.

Obama tried to make his case today for this decision by stating that Khalid Sheik Mohammad, one of the four set to be tried, would be subject to “the most exacting demands of justice.” But this move would be anything but justice.

Civilian courts are horribly situated to handle the prosecution of these types of detainees. Not only there potential security concerns associated with transporting such high-value detainees thousands of miles away, but these five men, charged with crimes related to the attacks of 9/11 would be tried in New York City, the very same location of the attacks. Defense lawyers are sure to argue that the venue is prejudicial paving the way for multiple due process challenges.

While this decision will certainly appease those seeking to erode America’s ability to prosecute war criminals under a military tribunal, there is no reason to believe a military tribunal isn’t capable of exacting justice on these four suspects. Placing these detainees in a domestic criminal proceeding creates evidentiary, security, and procedural issues. These detainees are not common criminals—but individuals that committed an act of war against the United States. Not only does the law sufficiently provide for use of military tribunals, common sense demands it.

The Obama Administration’s scattered counterterrorism policies, littered with efforts to placate the left while recognizing the legitimacy of some Bush era policies, are an invitation for terrorists to take advantage of America’s divisions. Obama needs to be clear, forceful, and direct, sending the message that America won’t stand for terrorism.

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Urban Conservative Officially Relaunches

October 29th, 2009 Billy Hallowell

Hello, America!  I am extremely excited to be writing to you this evening, as I officially begin my journey as editor-in-chief of UrbanConservative.com.  My name is Billy Hallowell and I am honored to introduce myself to you all.  

I have been a contributor to this site for the past two years.  I am a journalist and commentator who has been working in media for nearly 11 years (Im 26, so I started fairly young).  In 2003, I founded Pathufind Media and I am currently the host of RENEWtv, a web show devoted to renewing American conservatism.  And now, Im officially a member of the Urban Conservative family!

But enough about me.  You can surely read more on my Web site, but Im guessing youre most interested in what will be happening here on UrbanConservative.com!  Tomorrow, we will become a daily publication.  Many of you have been actively reading UC for years.  This new change will afford you even more access to valuable news and information!

Youll notice weve launched a plethora of new topics.  While these subjects are of great importance to American politics, please be patient as we build our content around them (i.e. there may be a lag before all topics have streaming content).  But, we will be branching into new and uncharted news categories, as you can see.

Also, in November, my show RENEWtv will officially join forces with Urban Conservative.  

These are just some of the changes in store as we move forward!  Please be patient as we transition, add new blogs to the CONLIST and forge our path moving forward.  I thank you for your support and readership and I look forward to serving you!

Billy Hallowell, Editor-in-Chief


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Novel Idea: Let’s let the homeless in America decide who will be the next President

October 7th, 2008 Urban Conservative

In Cleveland, Ohio a volunteer group supporting Obama picked up hundreds of homeless people at shelters, soup kitchens and drug-rehab centers and drove them to a polling house yesterday on the last day that folks in Ohio could register and vote on the same day, with almost no questions asked.

One convicted felon noted, I never voted before, without this service, I would have had no way to get here.”

Every decent law abiding citizen in this country democrat or republican should be angry and ashamed of this vile attempt to gain votes, however insignificant the number really is. The law against registering and voting the same day was on the books in Ohio, yet the democratic controlled court made this determination because they are of course in bed with their political party. Yet another example of how democrats put their party before their country.

Sure, these people can vote for their candidate when they are in the booth, but theres nothing preventing the fraud of voting in multiple locations. Is one homeless guy whos bought off for a box of smokes or a six pack of beer worth 3 or 4 of your informed votes?

Lets not only exploit the children in this country but also the homeless. Whos next, the mentally disabled?

Tags: convicted felons voting for Obama, homeless people voting for Obama, Obama supporters in Ohio

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General Wesley Clark’s absurd comments about McCain’s heroism and military record

June 30th, 2008 Urban Conservative

So Obama is finally planning to make a visit the Middle East in an apparent effort to brush up on his foreign policy credentials, or lack thereof. Now, perhaps he can begin to speak intelligently about the improvements in Iraq.  But this post is not about Obama and his minimal political experience. It’s about retired General Wesley Clark, who many believe to be Obama’s running mate in the 2008 Presidential Election. 

No disrespect to the Army of course.  I got much love for you and respect you all tremendously.  In fact, while on active duty I spent considerable time in Fort Carson, Colorado and Fort Lewis, Washington training with several Infantry units. 

But this punk, General Clark has the nerve to attack McCain’s military record.  Here are some of his comments he made yesterday while interviewed by Bob Schieffer from CBS Face the Nation (video):

McCain had not held executive responsibility and had not commanded troops in wartime.…I dont think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president … He hasnt been there and ordered the bombs to fall as a wartime commander.

It was a weak interview indeed but what would you expect from the soft Bob Schieffer.  Nonetheless, this is a clear example of another Democrat putting their party before their country.  Don’t get me wrong, both parties do it; hence, one reason I am no longer a Republican.  But Clark’s comments are way off base; and if I were in uniform walking by the decorated General, I would look the other way before I raised my hand to salute. Of course, Obama rejected Clark’s comments; and also praised McCain’s military service:

For those like John McCain who have endured physical torment in service to our country—no further proof of such sacrifice is necessary …And let me also add that no one should ever devalue that service, especially for the sake of a political campaign, and that goes for supporters on both sides.

Wesley Clark spent a gruelling six months in Vietnam and has the nerve to attack McCain? Now, I am no McCain apologist, nor do I think he is the perfect republican candidate, but this man has done what very few have ever done or will ever do. This man served his country in a time of war.  He was almost killed on July 29, 2023 after an assault on the USS Forrestal. He tried to help another pilot when a bomb exploded and he was struck in the legs and chest by fragments.

He then volunteered for assignment with the USS Oriskany where he continued to fly combat missions until being shot down over Hanoi on Oct. 26, 1967.  His crash injuries included both legs and one arm broken, and when he regained consciousness a crowd attacked him, crushing his shoulder with a rifle butt and stabbing him with bayonets. He was then taken to Hanois main Hoa La prison also known as the Hanoi Hilton.

His captors refused to treat his wounds, and instead beat him and interrogated him for days and weeks. When they found out his father was an Admiral, they announced his capture and attempted to use him for propaganda. McCain never broke; no information and no recorded statements.

He was then transferred to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi where he spent six weeks in the hospital. He had lost 50 pounds and was in a body cast and his hair had turned white during this time.  In March 1968, McCain was placed in solitary confinement, where he remained for two years. Two years all by himself somewhere in the middle of the jungle. Still, McCain never broke.

Then, in mid-1968, McCains father was named commander of all U.S. forces, and McCain was offered early release. The North Vietnamese wanted to appear merciful for propaganda reasons, and also wanted to show other POWs that what they called elites like McCain were willing to be treated preferentially. McCain turned down the offer; he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well. He wouldnt play their mind games, wouldnt harm his country even if it meant more torture and possibly death for himself. Still, McCain never broke.

In August of 1968, it got worse for McCain. He was subjected to repeated beatings, rope bindings and various other torture techniques; and at the same time as he was suffering from dysentery (an infection of the digestive system that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and blood in the feces and is typically the result of unsanitary water containing micro-organisms which damage the intestinal lining).

After several days of torture and the denial of food and water, McCain made an anti-American propaganda confession. To date, he feels that his statement was dishonorable, but as he would later write, I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine. His injuries left him permanently incapable of raising his arms above his head. He subsequently received two to three beatings per week because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.

Altogether, McCain was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. He was released on March 14, 1973; six months before I was born. (read the full account here).

I dont agree with all of McCains policies. I dont take the same position as he has in the past based on his voting record. Yes, he is boring to watch, hes old and he really doesnt inspire me. But Ill tell you what.  Ill take his experience, dedication, conviction, patriotism, decades of honorable service, courage, stamina and optimistic vision for the future of this country any time, any day over the alternative.


Tags: General Clarks comments about McCain, Wesley Clark, John McCain, military record, military service, Bob Schieffer, Face the Nation, CBS, gen wesley clark military service record, recent article about general wesley clark, what were wesley clarks military injuries


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Breaking News: Israeli Military exercise seems directed at Iran

June 19th, 2008 Urban Conservative

Watch out Ahmadinejad. The heat is coming; but the Iran Military is waiting. It’s been reported that Israel has facilitated a major military exercise earlier this month as a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Irans nuclear facilities.

According to the International Herald Tribune (the global edition of the NY Times), several American officials said the Israeli exercise appeared to be an effort to develop the militarys capacity to carry out long-range strikes and to demonstrate the seriousness with which Israel views Irans nuclear program.

According to these officials, more than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighter jets participated in air maneuvers, which were carried out over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece during the first week of June; which also included helicopter exercises.

In the past, Israel has carried out two preemptive strikes against nuclear sites in the Middle East. In 1981, Israeli jets leveled Iraqs nuclear plant at Osirak after it was confirmed that it was part of Saddam Husseins nuclear weapons program.   And more recently, Israel aft bombed a structure in Syria that housed a nuclear reactor built with the aid of North Korea.

Can you really blame Israel for taking a proactive approach in dealing with this issue? Or, maybe they should take a more diplomatic approach. Yeah, that should work. Long live Israel!


Tags: Israel, Iran, Nuclear site, weapons programs, syria, Osirak, military, air strikes, israeli military exercise, israel military exercise, iran comments on israeli air maneuvers, iran military, israel greece military exercise, israel june 19th and military exercise, israel military exercises iran,


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US Marine in Haditha might sue John Murtha over smear campaign

June 19th, 2008 Urban Conservative

John Murtha will soon be eating his own words and forking out some cash, hopefully.

If you remember, back in 2005, there was an investigation into the tragic death of civilians in the Iraqi city of Haditha.  Apparently, there was supposed to be compelling evidence that proved that U.S. Marines killed innocent civilians in cold blood, according to former Marine and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa. He even claimed that there was a Military cover up; and was extremely vocal with his blasphemous statements.

He was wrong according to the video presented as evidence at a hearing for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani who was charged; and on Tuesday, a U.S. Military Judge tossed out the charges against him. 

In an interview with nationally syndicated conservative radio talk host Michael Savage, the attorney for Lt. Col. Chessani said he and his client are looking into suing Murtha and the Time magazine reporter, Tim McGuirk, who first published the accusations by Iraqi insurgents.

We will see what happens.

Tags: haditha, iraq, marines, killed innocent civilians in cold blood, Rep. John Murtha, charges dismissed, US Marines, Time magazine, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessan, Tim McGuirk
 


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Video: Obama on National Security and Defense Spending, or lack thereof

June 9th, 2008 Urban Conservative

Mark my words, friends. If Obama gets elected as President, we are pretty much screwed on all ends. It’s no wonder why terrorist organizations across the Middle East are pulling for him. I am surprised that this video hasn’t received any media coverage at all; and I am wondering why my conservative brethren in the blogosphere haven’t picked up on this. In a nutshell, Obama says and I quote:

  • I will not develop new nuclear weapons
  • I will cut investments in missile defense systems
  • I will slow our development of future combat systems

I understand he is a pacifist and all, but does he really think we can negotiate with terrorists. Consider this quote from the CNBC Democratic Debates last year:

And what we should be doing is reaching out aggressively to our allies, but also talking to our enemies and focusing on those areas where we do not accept their actions, whether it be terrorism or developing nuclear weapons, but also talking to Iran directly about the potential carrots that we can provide in terms of them being involved in the World Trade Organization, or beginning to look at the possibilities of diplomatic relations being normalized.

My jaw hit the ground when he made his comment about cutting investments in missile defense systems. These are DEFENSE systems we are talking about. In the video, he talks about protecting the American people; yet he wants to cut missile defense systems. I dont get it.

Now it all sounds good the ban on nuclear weapons vision and all; but its highly unlikely that Russia, China, India and Pakistan, and whoever else is seeking nuclear superiority will agree to this. And even if they did, I would be highly skeptical of them to actually follow through with it. I dont think he even believes he can accomplish this. He is doing what all politicians do best tell constituents exactly what they want to hear.

Many of you truly believe that I am a warmonger because I supported the Iraq War; and still do. I am not. I hate war and the devastation it brings to innocent men, woman and children. But I believe that in order for there to be peace, there HAS to be war. It is a necessary evil that has proven itself throughout history time and time again. And the last I checked, we cant fight nuclear weapons with muskets and gunpowder; and we cant protect ourselves with out state of the art missile defense systems.

Watch the video and then ask yourself, Will my family and I be safe from terrorism and war if Obama is our next President?

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Backwards Berkeley tells US. Marines to Leave!

January 31st, 2008 Urban Conservative

See, this is the kind of insane bulls#*! that I have to deal with every day living in the Bay Area.  I am a Marine, so I take this s#*@ personal!

The Berkeley City Council, which voted 6-3 Tuesday night to tell the U.S. Marines that its local recruiting station is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders.

What makes it even more vile and disgusting is that they are officially encouraging left-wing lunatic group, Code Pink to impede the work of the Marines in the city by protesting in front of the recruiting station. The council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4 p.m.

Read the rest of this entry »


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Extreme Liberals Hate the Military

September 3rd, 2007 Urban Conservative

It’s a fact and if you try and dispute it, you are an idiot and just lying to yourself. And, the funny thing about it is that they wouldn’t last one minute in any Military boot camp.  The truth is that extreme liberals have never embraced sacrifice, tasted honor, felt courage, experienced conviction or touched a fragment of commitment.  All they really know and want to know is Oprah and their little anti-war rallies where they curse Israel, the U.S and our beloved Military; yah know, the same Military that gave their lives so that we can live in freedom. Yeah, I am sure you hear this all the time from right-wing-conservative-types like me but it’s something that should never be forgotten, never!

These extreme liberals rant, rave and protest Military recruiters on college campuses; they call us terrorists and uneducated; and only join the Military because there are no other opportunities in our evil capitalistic society.  They sit in their cozy little apartments reading “10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military� foreword by yes-you-got-it, Cindy Sheehan; while sipping on their $20 bottles of wine thinking about a new social program that would save us poor souls who enlist in the Military.

The fact is that our brave men and women in uniform are not only kicking ass and taking names; but also dying on foreign land, thousands of miles away from their homes, so that these misguided liberals can exercise their constitutionally protected right to bitch, moan and protest; all for the sake of protesting because we all know that liberals don’t really stand for a damn thing.

It reminds me of the radical anti-war protests of the 1960s and 70s (not that I was even alive back then but hey, I did my homework).  These radical-cindy-sheehan-following-liberals might not be wearing their old-fashioned Birkenstocks and tie-dyed t-shirts (well, actually some still do); but their cowardly attitude is the same as it always has been. This is why liberals will stop at nothing to prevent us from winning the war on terrorism.  A win in Iraq means that their “war-solves-nothing� ideology becomes virtually worthless, a remnant of a bygone era; and the thought terrifies them.

Iraq must be a loss at all costs.  The future of left-wing political activism is at stake!

So, let’s test the hypothesis that extreme liberals hate the Military. I often get the third degree from other conservative bloggers because I read liberal blogs but as the old saying goes, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer�. So, I did some research and went to this website and read an article titled Why are people sill joining the military? Well you can only imagine what some of the comments were like. To be fair, not all of the comments were rude and offensive. Here are a few comments that were (word for word):

obama_girl: 2 things. Blood money and blood lust.

catmandu57: Offhand Id say poverty and lack of hope. there are many areas of this country where there isnt any hope of employment, or meaningful employment from the rural areas to the inner cities. I can speak more to the rural situation, in the town where I lived when I was a young adult there should have been a sign at the limits saying abandon hope all ye who live here. It hasnt changed, for some there may be some misguided sense of patriotism, but mostly I think its the avenue of last chance for many.

lonestarnot: Sanctimonious sacrificers. Pat themselves on the back for doing their duty.

Solon: As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. n/t

Karenina: (57) Why? A lifetime of miseducation. How? It cant be by anyone who has the critical thinking tools to view it.

scarletwoman (Reply 57): Thank you! I havent read through all the comments yet, but I just wanted to chime in here and express my complete agreement with what you wrote. So far, it appears that the responses youve gotten have been all negative. I want to balance that out by saying that I think what you wrote is absolutely right on. Few people want to examine their unquestioned assumptions much less confront the fact that theyve been brainwashed since birth by the militant narratives of an inherently genocidal culture.

stirlingsliver: Ignorance. People who ignore reality are ignorant. Anyone joining the military is just not paying attention to what the military is being used to do.

Bornaginhooligan: I dont want to say its old fashioned stupidity. But I cant think of a different reason that holds any water.

Madspirit: Fear, xenophobia, ignorance, racism, hostility, violencemacho American/t

So, there you have it. I only spent 10 minutes searching around the Internet and found this.  Extreme liberals do hate the Military. No, I didn’t say all liberals or democrats hate the military so please dont misunderstand me and start sending me hate mail or calling me offensive names in the comments. 

Technorati Tags: liberal, liberalism, conservative, military, extreme liberals, hate


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