Well stated and Thank You for expressing the values of America. Why did we stop living liberty and start marketing the foolishness of selfishness?

Although I admire your pursuit of character, I vehemently disagree with your characterization of the actions we’re taking in the war on terror. The people being held in GITMO are some of the most dangerous men in the world. Given the opportunity, they would kill anyone and any number of people to further their radical views. With the exception of their freedom, their conditions at GITMO are probably the best they’ve ever experienced. They have never lived in facilities as nice, where meals are guaranteed. But make no mistake: They are prisoners. And their legal status is questionable. Only members of an organized armed force, who wear distinctive uniforms, are afforded the “protections” of the Geneva Convention. Terrorists do not fall into that category. The extremists have changed the manner of war and we must adapt to this new environment. I would venture to say that even the President who had the most character, Ronald Reagan, would agree with most of the measures we have taken to date. To assume that our terrorist enemy would afford us any measure of treatment ripe with character is naïve.

I cannot help but notice the screen name of the person who posted the comments about GITMO, prisoners, and terrorists: it is signed "RoadKill." I find it difficult to imagine that choice of personal identification comes from someone with a clear, balanced view.

I find it lamentable and more mountingly horriffic by the day how confused America is about itself.

America is currently the worlds largest polluter.

America has the largest number of contraventions of UN resolutions under its belt.

America is currently invading Iraq illegally.

America's president is a criminal and has acquired his post illegally.

While the USA was established on perhaps the most perfect political idea ever created,..."by your actions shall ye be known"

America claims lofty ideals for itself and then acts in a callow and self-serving manner.

I applaud Mr Josephson and his work towards a more ethical America, Lord knows you need it.

The trouble with this so-called war on terror is that it violates the very core of our justice system, which is innocence until proof of guilt. Our so-called war does not differentiate between real and suspected terrorists. How do we define a "suspected" terrorist? His clothes, facial hair, head gear? Hundreds of innocent people have been detained by us overseas under the false premise of this war, not to mention the tens of thousands that have died. I am a strong proponent of the war against terror, but not an open season hunt against those who speak against us. When we argue that those who attacked us did not care about killing civilians, and we retaliate with the same thinking, then we have become just like them. And that is not American.

I get very angry when I read people's views that are based on American values and laws. The people in GITMO are not Americans and do not follow our laws. They dress as civilians and murder women and children. We treat them with dignity and respect, and yet you act as if we deprive them of "rights". These people are evil and to let them commit that evil on other people is as unethical an act as ever has been committed - remember Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, & Stalin. Please don't advocate that we let unethical acts occur because we believe that all people are good - that is naive at best.

"mass imprisonment of suspected terrorists in Guantanamo under conditions that violate American ideals of justice". When I read that, my admiration for you just vanished into thin air.

The problem I have with your analysis is that you point out problems, but you offer no solutions, simply rhetoric. This is what we hear from the candidates for the Presidency. They either conveniently leave out facts that reveal the complexity of the problems that do not offer the opportunity for the simplistic actions that you and some of the nation's critics propose. Firstly, the problem lies with the congress and not with the President, whoever it will be. These men control the money and they in turn are controlled by big unions, corporations and other powerful entities. The founders never intended or envisioned people making a career of serving in the congress. They expected men of honor and ability to serve and apply their learned knowledge to guide their judgments. We don't have that kind of greatness today. The educational system is failing us and the result is a dumbing down of our people.
Look at how the outrageous promises of Hillary and Obama are being ingested by the masses of their followers. They forget the people who founded the nation dealt with problems themselves instead of surrendering their responsibilities to the government. The loss of our rights and freedom didn't start with this administration. It started with buying into policies like making our local responsibilities like education, charity, health and welfare the responsibility of the government.

It amazes me that so many people speak as if they really know the people in GITMO or the basis in law used to contain them. The Law is becoming anything but the grounds for rational justice. Indeed, as most divorcees and children of divorce can tell you, the LAW can be ruthless, extremely biased. Lawyers lie without any consequence and this can be witnessed by simply visiting a court room. Worst of all, the only corrective measures to fix the process are monitored by lawyers, really passive codes are written by lawyers even against the will of the people, repeatedly. For example, look at the LAW as exercised by the legislature of California. There you find popular votes overturned. Where are the laws of parental consent for abortion on minors? Marriage between man and woman have been violated. What did the popular media cover regarding these things or the laws the legislators (lawyers) wrote to substantiate their own beliefs about homosexuality? The preposterous beliefs about separation of church and state are another example of fruitcake thinking by both sides, but especially the atheists given their fundamentally flawed demands currently forced upon the majority, violating both the constitution and the clear records by founding fathers of this nation. The GITMO opinions are largely based on fervent political beliefs grounded in media, TV broadcasts, newspapers, etc. that are themselves deeply biased. PBS, CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc. have agendas and only a nitwit would assume he/she is getting the full story without listening to the other side. Often that can only happen by listening to both sides of media and followup with people actually there. The anti-Bush fanatics are a good example of biased beliefs to unreasonable extremes. As a registered democrat I am ashamed of the stupid statements made by the uninformed and pumped up by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Dan Rather. Al Gore's take on global warming and taxes is a great example of exploiting the stupid nature of so many people. He campaigned hard against tax reductions (despite the positive effects rendered under John Kennedy, Reagan tax reductions). Anybody can send the government money if they really believe the tax argument. But they don't. I did when I lived in Minnesota because PBS was one of three stations we could receive. Has anyone noticed that Al made several millions of dollars since 2000, never sent in money to knock off the debt and never sent in his own tax refund? Al Gore flew his private jet to get his Peace Prize and afterwards claimed privileged exemption that only the village idiot can appreciate. I know democrats in Florida where the ballots were contested. Those responsible were democrats. They designed the ballots. Even one of the three democratic leaders for one of the contested areas who got BRIEF national coverage by ONE CHANNEL admitted they (not Bush or republicans) screwed things up. But the fanatics NEVER got the it - and apparently never will. GITMO is probably very different than believed by the wider public and Michael Josephson. What is certain, is that I do not share the grand ideal of LAW that Michael Josephson has because California and New York are both good examples of violations of his ideal of LAW and I have witnessed it far too often He needs to meet some of the victims. I have visited the USSR and seen first hand the LAW applied by a few to undermine the majority and worse yet, there, as practiced in California, it seldom has no basis in morality, so lying, deception and omissions are rewarded not corrected. In divorce courts, the children are frequently violated by removal from their parents, usually the dads who must pay fantastic monthly payments. Lawyers drag out proceedings for years, cashing in on every minute, often creating the very delays they charge clients for. There are a few good attorneys, but they are getting to be fewer in number each year. Michael - if they take out the terrorists, can we replace them four for one with American lawyers, those who place law above justice, lying over truth, misrepresentation over ethics? We'll need many more GITMOs. What is the percentage of Democrat to Republican in the USA lawyer population Michael? What is California's and New York's percentage ratio?

Too much self interest, too much money, too much radicalism, too much punditry, too much bent ideology and too many people. The proverbial melting pot of America is boiling over from the inclusion of too many conflicting ingredients. The Founding Fathers of our nation probably never imagined just how mixed up and bitter our world, let alone our country would become. Of course, there's always going to be disagreement, but our cup runneth over with poison, perversion and hatred. I've got a bad case of heartburn. Does anyone have some antacid?

In the end, you and I would agree about your basic message, but I am discouraged by your choice of words when describing September 11th and believe that these words inflamed an emotional response from me (and others) to the point that your meaning was initially lost. I had to reread the commentary, shifting through the rhetoric and keeping my emotions in check before I could decipher your point that we cannot compromise our values.

Failing to provide a well-researched and well-documented commentary, you must have wanted the readers to "inhale the toxic lava of fear” from the media "volcano" in order to provoke an emotional response from us. Sounds uncomfortably familiar…

I'm very disappointed by your vieled prejudice on the war on terror. You would rather have your ideals than the safety of the public, hiding your partisanship in the guise of morality.

Leadership in AMERICA is an Oxymoron

Politicians, bureaucrats, and “leaders” of business enterprises, in religious communities, and within ethics organizations are outright promoting, sanctioning, or ignoring the rule of law in America as it relates to illegal immigration and impacts on America. Whether a conspiracy or not, the complicity of these communities is responsible for costing untold numbers of Americans their lives, inflicting massive personal injury, robbing trillions of dollars from the economy and U.S. Treasury, burdening U.S. infrastructure, and weakening American social order to the point of collapse. The behavior of America’s leaders is not just unethical…it’s immoral.

Four Dead AMERICAN Children

On Thursday, February 21st, 2008, four American children, Hunter & Jesse Javens (brothers ages 9 & 13), Emilee Olson (age 9), and Reed Stevens (age 12)…of Minnesota, were killed by a person in the U.S. illegally.

Tens of Thousands of Dead AMERICANS

The rate that Americans are dying at the hands of those here illegally is staggering. While exact numbers are hard to determine, the GAO and others that have evaluated this issue have concluded that as many as 67,200 Americans will have lost their lives at the hands of illegal aliens (25/day) between September 11, 2001 and the end of George W. Bush’s term in office (2688 days). Of course this dwarfs the number of Americans killed on 9/11 and in the prosecution of “the war on terror”. The 25/day (half murdered and half killed on our highways) was a number presented to the U.S. House of Representatives in a 2007 speech by Congressman Steve King. For any who believe these numbers are too high…what if it were only half that…33, 600? Even if it was (just) 25% of that (16,800) it would be nearly 6 times the losses incurred on September 11th ! No matter the actual number, each of these American lives would have been otherwise spared…enjoying life with their loved ones if our borders where closed.

Robbing the AMERICAN TREASURY

The cost in dollars to the American taxpayer is estimated to be in the trillions of dollars each year. Consider the following costs for example: (1) Incarceration of a nearly 700,000 illegal aliens, filling nearly 30 percent of our prisons, is $14 billion dollars/year…and that doesn’t count the cost of arrest and prosecution; (2) monetary costs in quality of life to victims is estimated to exceed $8.4 billion dollars; (3) estimates of 200 million to one billion dollars in hospital cost for the birth of babies to mothers in the U.S. illegally, and this doesn’t include the costs for ongoing healthcare, usually at emergency rooms of overtaxed hospitals; (4) each anchor baby (a U.S. citizen) qualifies for social services benefits in excess of $400/month till age 18 and beyond…the cumulative outlay to illegal heads of households is estimated to be 20 billion of your tax dollars; (5) the estimated cost of educating over one million illegal alien children, not counting 3 to 4 million anchor babies, as well as providing forms, ballots, interpreters and brochures in languages other than English is reaching upwards of $30 billion dollars; (6) nearly 60 billion dollars in remittances by illegals to their country of origin ($20 billion to Mexico) is money that leaves the U.S. economy permanently each and every year; (7) the same is true for Mexican drug exports into the U.S. estimated to be $65 billion dollars each year (poisoning and killing our children), resulting in $120 billion dollars evaporating from our country each and every year…money that is gone forever.

While these examples by no stretch of the imagination include all the cost…by now you should get the point. Again, some will argue these numbers are exaggerated or even overlap. Okay…what if that were true…would half these costs be acceptable or even 25%? What dollar amount would convince you that illegal immigration is a victimless crime?

Death of AMERICA

The 1986 amnesty, and seven amnesties since, have been catastrophic in their consequences to America and Americans. Another amnesty will be the nail that seals the fate of future generations of Americans…forever. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the population of America will increase by another one hundred million people by 2040 (just over 30 years), with nearly all that growth coming from the poor and uneducated of third world nations. The U.S. now has the third largest population on the planet. By 2015 the number of poor people in America will exceed the number of people in the middle class. That is the definition of a third world country. Over the next 20 years 70 million baby boomers are eligible for retirement, but the country is bankrupt, having a current real debt of 53 trillion dollars according to U.S. GAO Comptroller David Walker. He also says the Treasury would have to stash away 58 trillion dollars today in order to pay for current obligations (over $400,000 per American household). The problems of Medicare are five times more than Social Security.

Workforce Suicide in AMERICA

The arguments some use justifying current immigration, citing immigration demographics of the past immigration waves, are spurious. In the past the jobs available required little if any education. The jobs that illegal immigrants now take are the jobs that could and would otherwise go to less educated Americans; millions of uneducated Americans including every racial demographic, including the 40 percent of all black males in the U.S. that are unemployed. Legal immigration, once limited to workforce replacement needs, about 170,000 per year, is now at a rate of one million per year. These increases and the practice of importing high numbers of technical and professionals with visas, and via off-shoring jobs has reduced wages of both skilled and educated workers; and many well educated Americans are suffering long, protracted periods of unemployment. According to one Regional Fed Chairman, America may soon be exporting as many as 40 million high skilled and professional jobs. We are educating our youth, but for what.

TRAITORS IN AMERICA

By definition, a turning point is a period of change that goes largely unrecognized by those living through it. Ethics in politics and business has become an oxymoron. “Leadership” has reached a critical turning point in both the public and private business sectors; where political correctness rather than the rule of law and of moral standards is the governing force.

Politicians are supposed to be servants of the American people…elected to protect, defend, and uphold the constitution of “The United States of America”; not global special interest business groups like the North American Competitive Council (NACC), and the Essential Workers Coalition (EWIC) that lobbies for cheap labor.

The POWER OF COMPOUNDING

As Albert Einstein said, the most powerful force in the universe is compounding; and this power of compounding in the tsunami of immigrants tapping the American purse is pulling America under.

AMERICA AND AMERICANS FIRST !

In summary, don’t blame desperate poor people for coming to America; rather hold yourselves and the traitors among us that have encouraged this to happen! Each of you who do nothing need only blame themselves. What can you do…call or visit your Congressman and Senators. Americans must insist on tight immigration controls, border enforcement, and no amnesty before it’s too late…sadly, some believe we have already turned that ‘coroner’.

After September 11, we panicked and we took extreme measures to guarantee safety: extreme measures are always temporary and it is very difficult to define a right or a wrong way when it comes to guaranteeing safety.
Apparently some commentators have all the answers, but the result of this debate on this particular issue is quickly degrading into silly and apparently approved personal attacks on our president.
As any other president before him, he made a few tactical mistakes, but stood fast against terrorism and thanks to his leadership, democracy and freedom are now in the hearts of people who never knew the meaning of the words.
Just like Gary Cooper in "High Noon" our president was abandoned by all when he needed our help the most; nevertheless he accomplished his mission and set the stage for peace for the next hundred years: thank you Mr. President for your leadership and Godspeed for the last incredibly important months of your job!

Like Richard, in the previous March 2nd post, I applauded Bush for his actions, even going into Iraq (if not now…when…I wondered). Interviews of Saddam by the FBI proved that Saddam did in deed have designs on reconstituting WMD’s.

But Bush, in his war on terrorism, didn’t make only tactical mistakes, he made strategic blunders and he’s still making them. For example, our own government intelligence agencies, DHS, and JTTF among others, have clearly stated that terrorists are crossing our borders. Yet the borders, particularly the southern one remain a wide open no mans land of lawlessness and violence. The financial impact to our border communities has just been estimated to be nearly 200 billion dollars in unreimbursed costs. Read my post (just previous to Richards for the costs in American lives (now estimated at nearly 60,000 since 9/11), treasure (trillions), infrastructure (collapsing under the weight) and devastating cultural/social implications that will be felt far into the future.

These are not answers, they are questions waiting for answers. There is nothing silly about these issues that have both legal and ethical implications.

I think Richard casting Bush as a character in “High Noon” isn’t too far from reality. Sadly, what is happening on our border isn’t a movie…the costs are real and they are high, and Americans aren’t likely to be treated to a Hollywood ending with Bush in the leading role.

Sadly, I voted for Bush twice; but, he's lost my early support, and any respect I ever had for him due to his cowardice on securing our borders against terrorists and in not stopping the tsunami of “illegal” immigration that is fundamentally changing America...and not for the better.

How many times have the American people heard Bush talk about America as a nation where the rule of law matters. Yet two U.S. Border agents rot in prison as political prisoners FOR DOING THEIR JOBS, while his buddy Scooter is free as a bird. And unfortunately Bush doesn’t believe the rule of law applies to global enterprises and cheap labor lobbies like NACC, and EWIC that he respectively panders to with absolutely no regard for American who are out of work...people from the construction trenches to highly educated engineers.

Unless Bush closes the border, and begins to enforce U.S. labor laws he will go down in history as one of, if not, the most incompetent president in American history…he has accomplished nothing...and that is what he will be remembered for !

What you'll be thinking when (not if) the next 9/11 happens...perpetrated by terrorist who have simply walked into the country across unsecured borders?

Americanization, Teddy Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

In voicing his approval of Gov. Harding’s proclamation of English only medium in Iowa schools… Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed: “This is a nation — not a polyglot boarding house. There is not room in this country for any 50-50 American, nor can there be but one loyalty — to the Stars and Stripes.”

At another time TR said:

“We can have no "50-50" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.”

Dr J. (and any others),
I wear my moniker with pride. I am celebrating life, for I almost died in a car vs. bicycle accident in 1994, the effects of which still linger. So, I apologize that my moniker offends thee.

However, isn't your judgment of the "screen name" or "post name" of a person unjust? Should those of us who don't meet your standard be put in GITMO? Are our views less relevant?

The moniker "Dr. J" can envoke respect or it can garner disdain. A "real" doctor? MD? PhD? Does it matter? Well, it shouldn't matter. And your lack of creativity ties in with your lack of knowledge of this subject.

Speak not of which those thing you do not know.

Speak freely, however, when you speak of issues vs. personalities. I usually do not stoop to this level of reparte, most who attack another's postings based on perceived baises of the originating writer usually have little substantive information to add to the debate.

RoadKill not by choice but by circumstance. I'd gladly change positions.