Death of a Terrorist

I write today with great joy and pride in America. As the whole world now knows, the mastermind behind September 11. 2001 has been killed by American Navy SEALs operating in Pakistan. Osama bin Laden was brought to justice on Sunday night by members of the US military and the CIA while hiding out in a mansion thirty miles outside of Islamabad. The death of the founder of al Qaeda and the "genius" behind the attacks of September 11th had been living in the lap of luxury for several years less than a mile away from Pakistan's "West Point" military training academy. It was quite a shock to learn that he had been living in Pakistan for years and that he was in a million dollar mansion, not in a cave in Afghanistan. All the credit for this successful operation goes to the CIA and the US military for uncovering the trail and following it to the house in Abbottabad. Many of these intelligence officials have spent every day of the last nine years hunting for bin Laden and finally, their hunt led to the kill.

As more details of this covert operation surface we learn that the planning of this op began in 2005 with the interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and evolved from there over the next five years. The first tip was obtained while water boarding KSM at the instruction of President Bush and at the hands of the CIA. I find it ironic that Obama denounced the practice of water boarding while campaigning in 2008, but that he is now getting the credit for the killing of OBL; which would not have been possible without the intense interrogation that he so vehemently opposed.

While following the constant coverage of the death of bin Laden these past two days, many families of the 9-11 victims have been interviewed and their reactions are pretty much the same. Most of them say that they are thrilled that justice has finally been meted out, but are saddened that it cannot bring back their lost loved ones. While he was responsible for the attacks here in our homeland on 9-11, he was also responsible for a reign of terror across the planet. He was behind the subway bombings in London and Madrid, the bombings in Bali, the attacks on the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and countless others on civilians and military worldwide. He unleashed a reign of terror the likes of which had never been seen before. His death brings much needed closure to many people across the world but it can never fully assuage the pain that he caused.

After confirming the identity of Osama bin Laden, his body was prepared for burial at sea according to the Muslim religious tradition and was buried at sea in an undisclosed location by the sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea. While I understand the reasons behind this type of burial, I wish that he had been disposed of a different way that did not honor his religious rites. I know that the reasons behind this type of burial were to prevent inciting more violence from Muslims here and abroad in response to his death and to prevent a shrine from being created had he been buried on land. However, this beast murdered Muslims, Christians and Jews alike with no concern for their innocence or religion and did not deserve a religious burial of any sort. Also, the quick disposal of his body lends more credence to conspiracy theorists and disbelief that it was actually him that was killed. To counter this effect, the Obama administration needs to release the photos of his dead body and the video of his burial at sea. Hopefully, they will do so sooner rather than later.

The other question that this operation presents is the cooperation of Pakistan in the concealment of bin Laden. It is simply very hard to believe that no one in the upper echelons of the Pakistani government and intelligence agencies did not know that he was there in Abbottabad. He was living in a million dollar compound with an eighteen foot high fence with barbed wire in a town of retired military. The residents of his compound burned their trash instead of setting it out on the curb for pickup, there were no phone lines or television going into the house, everyone in the house was required to work except for one older man who was showed deference and not required to do anything. These are just a few of the details that should have raised red flags in Pakistan. Had this compound existed within the United States, many of the neighbors would have questioned it and alerted local authorities about its existence. Surely, someone in the intelligence community of Pakistan knew about this compound and the presence of Osama bin Laden within the house. Our government needs to ask the tough questions of Pakistan - did they know he was there? Did they protect him, or even worse, aid him in any way? Our foreign aid to Pakistan needs to be suspended until these and other questions are answered appropriately. Hopefully, members of Congress will discuss this soon and take action to investigate the connections.

The death of Osama bin Laden is a moral victory for America and our military and intelligence communities and a feather in the cap of President Obama and is a great ending to one chapter of the War on Terror. However, we must remain even more vigilant and alert to terrorism as al Qaeda will want to avenge his death. I pray that our country remains safe and secure and that we continue to wage a heavy war on terror worldwide. I know that OBL is burning in the fires of Hell as he should be and I commend President Obama for green lighting this successful operation. I also commend President Bush for putting in place the policies that led to the intelligence gathering and ultimate demise of bin Laden. His death has been desired by so many people for so long and it is wonderful that it came at the hands of the US military and specifically, the Navy SEALs. Thank you to all who serve this great country in the military, intelligence community and as first responders. It truly is a great day to be so proud to be an American and I am!!!!

A Fairy Tale Beginning...

Usually, I use this blog to rant and rave about Obama's bad decisions, but today is a happy day. I know we are no longer under British rule and that we fought a war to gain our independence, but sometimes I am spellbound by the British monarchy. Today is one of those days. Today, I woke up extremely early, 4:30 am, to watch all the coverage live from London of the Royal Wedding - the matrimonial pomp and circumstance surrounding the nuptials of Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis and Catherine Elizabeth Middleton.

Sometimes, I think it is healthy to stop and focus on the beautiful moments in life like a wedding. Although as Americans we will not be directly affected by the British monarchy, the United Kingdom is our closest ally in the world. The constitutional monarchy of Britain demonstrates that it is possible to have a democracy and a monarch on the throne and still govern well. Queen Elizabeth II has been a superb ruler and is very popular amongst her subjects. The approval rating of the monarchy is over 80% in England which speaks volumes about the position of the people towards the Royal family. It is very positive. As Americans, we have a hard time understanding the role of royalty and may even be averse to its existence, but we can still be awestruck by the trappings of royalty.

The wedding of Prince William and Kate gives us a glimpse into the life and times of a British royal and the ceremony that surrounds the affair. The only event that comes close to having the pomp and circumstance here in America is the inauguration of a President. This event is always surrounded by great ceremony and flair. However, it pales in comparison. I greatly enjoyed watching the wedding and anxiously waiting for the first kiss. It was exciting and cheerful as it should be. I have tried to explain to my skeptical husband the reason for all the excitement amongst us "commoners". Every little girl dreams of becoming a Princess and we got to watch that dream come true for Kate. Now we get to look on as she becomes a princess and the future Queen of England. She will grow into her role as the Duchess of Cambridge and also produce heirs for the throne. I am anxious to see what charities she will become interested in and support. Will she go to Africa and hold children stricken with AIDS in her arms like Diana did? Perhaps.

It will be exciting to watch a young woman develop into a young princess under the tutelage of her loving husband and a magnificent Queen. Kate is a beautiful woman and by all accounts a sweet person ready to assume the role that has been bestowed upon her. There is great pride and joy in England today and I dare say, around the world. It was wonderful to watch this episode of royal life on display and I am hopeful for the future of the British monarchy. Every once in a while you get the opportunity to witness a fairy tale and that happened today. Congratulations Prince William & Duchess Catherine!!!!

Welfare to Work???

I read an article today about proposed legislation in the House for welfare reform by Jim Jordan (R)-Ohio. He proposes that the welfare system needs some major revision and that it is time for some "tough-love" for the recipients. I agree. The system as it currently stands, is designed to keep people dependent on the government and never let them stand on their own two feet. This is simply not the proper design. Welfare should be an assistance program, not a dependency program.

I believe that welfare should be temporary and that the recipients should be encouraged and required to work. True, I have never been on welfare, but I have friends and family with experience in the system. If a person finds himself unemployed and in need of government assistance, the system should be there to help. After all, we pay taxes for this kind of thing. When the person begins receiving assistance, he should be required to reciprocate by performing community service or job training, if full-time work in their field is unavailable. The way the system currently works is to provide assistance while it is needed and it will even supply money for job training and childcare while the training is going on. However, as soon as the needy person achieves the level of training needed to secure gainful employment, it ceases all assistance, including food stamps and Medicaid for the children.

On the surface this appears to work as it should as it moved the person from welfare to work. The problem arises when the now employed person does not earn enough to support the family. If all assistance comes to an end before the person earns enough to maintain a household, the person usually has to resort to quitting the job and decides it is better to stay home and collect a check. This happens all too often and should not be the case. Welfare should be incremental in its amount of assistance. If the needy person has young children requiring childcare, it should be provided or supplemented until the assistance is no longer needed. The same is true of the Medicaid assistance. This type of system would encourage people to continue to work and provide for their family.

If a person is employed and is no longer fully dependent on the government to make ends meet, a sense of accomplishment is achieved and they receive a boost in their self esteem. This serves as continued encouragement to strive for more and become a productive member of society. It also helps to keep families from inheriting the welfare state. There are thousands of examples of former welfare recipients becoming extremely successful people and more than providing for their families. This should be the goal of welfare - to move recipients off the welfare rolls onto the private sector employment rolls. This is what Jordan's bill proposes.

Of course, the House will probably pass it, among party lines, but it will never see the light of day in the Democrat-controlled Senate. This begs the question why wouldn't legislators of any party want to provide people with a path to success? The answer - if welfare recipients realize that they CAN provide for themselves and their families without being dependent on the government, then they also might wake up to the reality that the Democrats have never done anything for them except keep them chained to a broken system. Of course, this would send shockwaves through the party as they are dependent on this economic class in elections.

Jordan says that it is time for some "tough-love" and incentives to succeed and he is right. This legislation needs all the support it can get from the public so that the Democrats will be forced to bring it up for a vote in the Senate. America can no longer afford to support able-bodied people who refuse to work. Also, he says that there are 77 programs at the federal and state level responsible for welfare and there must be some redundancy. If we remove the redundant programs it will save money and streamline the welfare system.

At this time of economic uncertainty and wasteful spending we need to do all we can to eliminate unnecessary government spending. Jordan summarized his bill very well by saying, "This bill begins to treat all American families with the respect they deserve. We're giving the taxpayers, who are supporting the system, the facts of where your dollars are actually going, and showing this is why it needs change. And, for the families stuck in the system, we're going to give them tough love incentives they need for a better life." All I can say is, it's about time.