gingrich: 'Time to Know, to Profile, and to Discriminate'. i think newt lives in the wrong country.

[spanone]

..there are probably a few third world countries that see the world like mr gingrich does.



Washington (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich went after the Obama administration for its strategy to fight terrorism, accusing them of believing that "protecting the rights of terrorists has been more important than protecting the lives of Americans."

In a letter published in the conservative Human Events magazine on Wednesday, the former Republican leader criticized the Obama administration's response to the failed Christmas Day terror plot, saying that the administration is "imposing hopelessly meaningless rules" for travelers instead of "targeting the source of the threats."

"Today, because our elites fear politically incorrect honesty, they believe that it is better to harass the innocent, delay the harmless, and risk the lives of every American than to do the obvious, the effective, and the necessary," Gingrich wrote.

"In the Obama Administration, protecting the rights of terrorists has been more important than protecting the lives of Americans. That must now change decisively," Gingrich wrote. "It is time to know more about would-be terrorists, to profile for terrorists and to actively discriminate based on suspicious terrorist information".

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/30/gingrich-time-to-know-to-profile-and-to-discriminate/

[varelse]

1. Hey Newt

how's about you start with this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/homeland-security-report_n_186834.html

[Cerridwen]

2. "'Liberals' are soft on crime" the 21st Century version.

Gee, I'm so surprised.

[vixengrl]

3. I always feel weird when Newt uses the word "elites"--

who the hell does he mean? Because, he's the former House Speaker cum professor who is on talk shows all the time. Always seems to me like he's the dude with the elitist cred.

But "obviously" if we want to go through his trigger words, it would be politically incorrect to do something for the same reason it would be socially incorrect to do it--sheer gall. We don't rub the faces of a certain group in the messes of their cohort for the same reason, I dunno, I don't think all Republicans are philandering grifters just because Newt Gingrich was. Or that they are all loser has-beens just because he was kicked out of the ledership of his party by his own party. Because then, there would be sore feelings.

As far as honesty goes, one day, we might have our "blue-eyed Muslim" moment; the funny old thing about Islamic extremism is, as the current case shows, is that it isn't about Arabs, or being totally eastern in socialization or upbringing, or about being of a given social class. It woyuld "make sense" to someone like Gingrich if all extremists were males, Arab, devout Muslims, and easily picked out of a line-up. But recent reports suggest that Abdulmutallab was radicalized in London, and that Yemen harbors a number of disaffected British muslims. Any of them possibly have British mothers?

Racial profiling would be very convenient in a very short run, but it would give away the game, and just let a lighter, better (more western) named takfiri blow bunches of folks to smithereens.

As to the rights of terrorists, the best thing we can do as Americans is uphold our Constitution in principal as being the guiding light we live and judge by--because of the example it sets. How else to promote our brand of democracy, but by living it?

The rights were read to Richard Reid, he was tried in federal courts, and he was sentenced to life in prison. And he was one of these Brit Takfirs. We do things very effectively in this country, when we do them lawfully. Look at the people we have held in Gitmo, but had to release--no reason to hold them, no evidence collected, no ability to try--which does not mean they were not dangerous--only that the government did not do its job. So these may be among the people involved with this bombing attempt. (All the fault of the Bush Administration--who never sought to try these people lawfully and expeditiously, as they would have been tried under *our Constitution*. What dumbfucks they were!)

Gingrich is an Ivory Tower elitist who knows more about green rooms than counter-terrorism. Any of his bullshit should be disregarded out of hand (could somebody please tell talk show bookers this?)

[spanone]

4. yea, i'm certain that newt lives just like the common working man...

:sarcasm: