I just got my first set of hearing aids this week.\u00a0 It has been an ear opening experience.\u00a0 \u00a0My hearing has been terrible for years, but recently it deteriorated to a level I could not tolerate.\u00a0 So, I finally made the plunge.\u00a0 I quickly discovered a world of full of sounds to which I had been oblivious.\u00a0 \u00a0For example I now know that my computer keyboard makes a loud noise every time I hit a key.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know that.\u00a0 In many ways, this is a good thing.\u00a0 I can certainly understand people better when they talk.\u00a0 To be honest, there were a lot of times when I didn\u2019t understand and was too embarrassed to admit it so I just nodded my head and hoped that worked.\u00a0 If you combined a high female voice in a crowded room, I didn\u2019t have a prayer.\u00a0 But there are also sounds that are frankly annoying.\u00a0 I scraped my fork on the dinner plate last night and jumped about three feet.\u00a0 Now I know why my wife griped so loudly about a sound I could not hear.\u00a0 I am still adjusting to the new world of sound.\u00a0 Although sometimes I miss my world of silence, life is better when you can hear.<\/p>\n
This morning, while watching the news, I heard something even more startling.\u00a0 I heard a President of the United States admit to an unprecedented abuse of power.\u00a0 No one is unhappy that Anwar al Aulaqi is gone.\u00a0 The man was a terrorist and he was a threat to the U.S.\u00a0 But he was also a U.S. citizen and that really matters.\u00a0 If Obama had ordered a mission to try and arrest him and he was killed in the attempt, that would be perfectly acceptable.\u00a0 But Obama never pretended that this was anything other than an assassination.\u00a0 Obama has granted to himself sole discretion with regard to the execution of a U.S. citizen without even the pretense of due process.\u00a0 President Obama has been very careful to avoid calling this a war on terror.\u00a0 If it is not a war, then what exactly is the source of his authority to take this action?<\/p>\n
There are several things he could have done.\u00a0 He could have had Anwar al Aulaqi tried, in absentia, in a U.S. court or even a military tribunal.\u00a0 He could have asked congress for authorization to eliminate a known terrorist.\u00a0 He could have done a lot of things, but he did not.\u00a0 He just decided Anwar al Aulaqi was a threat so he ordered him eliminated.\u00a0 The problem is with regard to the precedent this sets for this President and for other Presidents in the future.\u00a0 This time, most Americans agree with the decision to eliminate this terrorist.\u00a0 But, there is a reason for the rule of law.\u00a0 The rule of law is not designed to protect the guilty; it is designed to protect all of us.\u00a0 Once we give this type of indiscriminate power to anyone, including a President of the United States, we are entering dangerous new territory.\u00a0 If Obama can target Anwar al Aulaqi, he can target anyone.<\/p>\n
President Obama was speaking at the retirement ceremony for Admiral Michael Mullen, who is retiring as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.\u00a0 He referred to him as Mike.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0This shows a lack of respect for the office held by Admiral Mullen.\u00a0\u00a0 It also shows a lack of respect for the office of President of the United States.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help imagining the following phone call:\u00a0 \u201cHi Mike, Barry.\u00a0 This \u00a0al Aulaqi guy is becoming a real nuisance.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you go ahead and take him out!\u201d\u00a0 Really?<\/p>\n
According to reports the ACLU is all over this.\u00a0 Normally, I find the ACLU on the wrong side of every issue.\u00a0 But in this case, perhaps we should pay a little more attention to what they say.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what you heard this morning, but I heard abuse of power.\u00a0 I also heard that a despicable terrorist is no longer with us.\u00a0 The question is, which matters more?<\/p>\n
\u00a0TDM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I just got my first set of hearing aids this week.\u00a0 It has been an ear opening experience.\u00a0 \u00a0My hearing has been terrible for years, but recently it deteriorated to a level I could not tolerate.\u00a0 So, I finally made … Continue reading