Then there's Colorado's wholesale capitulation on the issue of immigration. Colorado's laws will be the "stiffest in the nation," meaning the slap on the wrist employers get for hiring illegal immigrants might sting for a whole two seconds rather than one, and the fines might be something other than a campaign contribution of any amount to the Democratic Party. (Then again Colorado Governor Bill Owens long ago joined John McCain in the "Of course I'm a Republican, see the (R) behind my name on the last ballot?" derby.)
Let's not forget Wisconsin Republicans' failure to even field a candidate to run against Herb Kohl. Haven't they ever heard of voters who just want to vote for someone, anyone other than the incumbent? If Wisconsin Republicans really are that weak and/or incompetent, they deserve to have the moonbats they do representing them in the Senate as well as the Governor's office. Mark Green may as well just give up now, or join Tommy Thompson in "I got mine, now go away" retirement. (Hey, I realize Thompson has a right not to run for anything, but it's his fault Wisconsin is as messed up as it is anyway given the way he abandoned the state to be HHS Secretary.) At least those Republicans they proudly state they got laws passed so take away cruisers' cars now. The liberal agenda moves forward, but they'll impound a bunch of Chevy Impalas and Mitsubishi Evos. Great.
No, instead a much more fitting topic is President Bush's effective surrender to Al Qaeda in the War on Terror by decreeing that from now on, terrorists too will be treated by the guidelines set forth in the Geneva Convention.
Really, who cares about whatever the latest New York Times leak of national security documents may be when if terrorists are captured, we give them free room, board, meals and Qurans for the rest of their lives in exchange for their name, "rank" and "serial number?" I'm sure people who have decided to martyr themselves will really be swayed by the fact that if they don't answer our interrogation questions, we may be forced to (oooh!) ask them a second time (though the interrogating officer will still need to be careful not to raise his or her voice when asking.)
This despite the fact that the Geneva Convention also explicitly states that to be treated as POWs, those held must satisfy four criteria:
- They must be part of a military hierarchy
- They must wear uniforms or other distinctive signs identifiable at a distance
- They must openly carry arms
- They must conduct their military operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war
Sorry, at most two of four just doesn't cut it, and that's the best case scenario.
How about the sections that state that soldiers who fight out of uniform or who commit atrocities or target and kill noncombatants may be executed by firing squad?
Oh, I forgot, according to Ward Churchill, all US residents are combatants ("Little Eichmanns"), and I guess the "uniforms" of those in the WTC were a suit and tie for men and dress shoes for women. I guess Al Qaeda would have called off the whole thing had September 11 fallen on Casual Friday.
Instead now all terrorists in US Military custody anywhere in the world will be treated according to the "humane treatment" (need a definition? I'm sure the ACLU is working on one as we speak) provisions of Article 3 of the Conventions, meaning that the US Government now officially views the prisoners as POWs despite five years of (correct) insistence that they are not.
None of this should surprise anyone of course; the Bush administration has been known to give in to the left with startling regularity, and just because one section of the Conventions will be followed doesn't mean any of the other sections must be acknowledged. This of course is familiar ground for the left, who treat the First Amendment as if it were the (pardon the simile) word of God himself while pretending that next Amendment just isn't there. (Apparently they must think the Founding Fathers just misnumbered or just went from 1 to 3 in some Olde English tradition like writing "F"s for "S"s.)
The sad thing is, Bush knows better and has all along. But rather than read the recent Supreme Court decision narrowly and realize that all he needed to do was get Congress to spell out the fact that terrorists aren't POWs, the administration went for the widest reading possible. It's a little like reading Roe vs. Wade to mean all fetuses must be aborted. Yes, I realize that's what hardcore feminists believe (there are exceptions, of course, like you're a beautiful star and can afford to give birth in Namibia after first effectively bribing the government to forcibly keep the paparazzi away - maybe it's not such a bad idea after all, Britney), but we're talking about a more or less (previously) rational group of folks here.
So why now? I don't know. Perhaps Bush believes this will somehow gain votes for Republicans in this fall's elections (Hint: stupid move - the left will never vote Republican and you've just alienated your base). Perhaps he's just sick of fighting the left. Perhaps he needs to get a lawyer on his staff with a flipping clue. Perhaps he needs staffers with a brain (then he won't do things like visit Wisconsin's Allen-Edmonds shoes to praise its President, John Stollenwerk, despite the fact that Stollenwerk has already donated about $7000 to the campaign of Wisconsin Governor (D)oyle) Bush couldn't be more wrong on this issue and he needs to fix things, fast.
Congress needs to realize that people who, if released, would like nothing better than to kill as many Americans as they possibly can are not POWs in any sense of the word. (Funny how those who most strongly believe the War on Terror is not a war at all want to apply that "W" in "POW.") Call your Congressman and Senator now and let them know that in no uncertain terms they must vote to uphold that fact, or at least put into place legislation that says that the prisoners at Gitmo and elsewhere must be treated according to all provisions of the Geneva Convention, not just Article 3.
But I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen. We'll see a permanent repeal of the estate tax and a realization that the minimum wage actually hurts the poor first.
