On Security, Obama’s ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Takes Shape

In a vote of 258-163, the House of Representatives passed a broad package of measures entitled H.R. 2892 “Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.”

The “other purposes” really ran the gamut, including one bizarre tack-on section allowing butane lighters on board airplanes and another allowing the importation of drugs from Canada for personal use. The interesting stuff (from our perspective at least) is among other things, the “Detainee Photographic Records Protection Act of 2009,” aimed at giving the Obama Administration legal cover in its battle to keep pictures of detainee abuse from becoming public. The bill also included a non-binding recommendation seeking to keep Guantanamo detainees from coming to the US to face trial.

The vote was spun as a defeat for the Obama Administration’s ostensible plan to close Guantanamo Bay, but really underscored the hawkish voting block that the administration will likely have to rely on to push through future escalations in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Though only supported by 35% of voting Democrats, the bill passed easily, relying on a coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans. Only one Republican, Congressman Ron Paul, voted against the measure.

18 thoughts on “On Security, Obama’s ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Takes Shape”

  1. There is only one Republican worthy of the name, and he's the only one that rejected this monstrosity. The rest have joined their leftist buddies in the wholesale looting of our country.

    Remember that hilarious Steve McQueen movie, "The Blob," where an amorphous, unthinking and ravenous monster consumed everything in its wake? We have our own modern day Blob. It's called Uncle Sam, only this is not fiction, and there is nothing remotely funny about the destruction that has taken place.

    And this is only the beginning. Be prepared for a precipitous decline in our standard of living, compliments of the Washington Blob.

  2. If we replaced everyone serving in Congress with random Americans, then we'd be better off. That's why I believe we should get rid of elections. Serving in Congress should be like jury duty. That way, a bribe would be punishable as a bribe and not accepted as a campaign contribution. There'd be no partisan politics. We wouldn't have a Congress filled with nothing but whores and megalomaniacs. Yes, I know most Americans are hopelessly stupid. That is even more true about the current members of Congress.

    1. An equally big part of the problem is that Congress is, except for small seasonal breaks, continuously in session. This makes these criminal rogues full-time tax parasites and gives them ample opportunity to dream up new ways of violating the constitutional laws they've sworn oaths to uphold and to get rich, at We the People's expense, in the process of doing so. The most sensible solution, in parallel with the one you prescribe*, is to limit congress to one 90-day session per year, as is the practice for many or even most state legislatures (I actually think 30 days is a better idea) in that this will give them less time to exercise their criminal inclinations and force them to focus on tasks that are within the constitutional purview of their office.

      While I would like to think that the full-time nature of the congressional class of criminals was an oversight on the part of the founders when drafting the Constitution, after reading Kenneth Royce's ("Boston T. Party") Hologram of Liberty I'm not so sure.

      (* My main objection to your suggestion is the coercive aspect of "conscripting" someone for any kind of service to the State, be it for jury duty, military service, or representative office.)

      1. It wouldn't be conscription if it were limited to those willing and able to serve. The selection would be random within a district and you would keep selecting till you got someone.

    2. A "capital" idea. The system is broken. Think there would be ample volunteers and it would work well with appropriate term limits and absolutely no pay or retirement. As to the stupidity of the public, my favorites are P.T. and H.L.

      1. Thank you, E.H., but I think it would only be fair to give those serving a reasonable salary. Otherwise, too many of those willing to accept the appointment would only be interested in exploiting their position for corrupt gain. You have to make it easy for good people to serve.

        We should continue to think this through. I would hope that it led to constitutional changes because things are horribly corrupted and broken now.

  3. Dr. Ron Paul–I call him “Doctor” instead of “Congressman” because the former is much more honorable–is standing virtually alone for law and freedom these days.

    Heathcliff Maw is right. The bought-and-paid-for, live-on-the-taxpayers’-dime slugs
    who infest the Parliament of Whores could f**k up a wet dream.

  4. House votes against releasing detainee abuse pics because the US does not torture people!It is only people like Sadam who do that.

  5. It is just a matter of time before Israel uses it's nukes against a western country.The west is afraid of Israel.The ruling classes know that it was Israel that murdered JFK for blocking them from getting nukes.They threaten and bribe western legislators,intimidate judges and have an open policy of selected murder against foreign leaders that they consider a threat to Israel.American leaders are never going to stand against Israel and Israel has no loyalty to any other country and cares only about jews.Only China seems to be immune from jew pressure and the jew lobby is breaking America.The future of the human race is bleak enough with global warming and over population but Israel almost insures a nuclear war in the not to distant future.The jews control the governments of France,Germany,Britain,Australia,Canada,Georgia and the United States and they have successfully blackmailed Russia with American missile policies.

  6. "An equally big part of the problem is that Congress is, except for small seasonal breaks, continuously in session. This makes these criminal rogues full-time tax parasites…."

    Some of them are elected to get them out of town! I was once "represented" in Congress by a Repub. who would spend his recesses back in the constituency, seducing 13 year old black girls! (He was 50ish white guy.) Eventually, the state of Ohio convicted him of statutory rape and sentenced him to a big 90 days in jail.

  7. "Only China seems to be immune from jew pressure and the jew lobby is breaking America"
    The number of Chinese Jews is a few hundred and China has never been Christian country. Likud's clout in the US is with the Christian Zionists, who hope Likud will deliver the Rapture to them. Check out, eg, http://www.prophecywatch.com !

    1. There is no question America's foreign policy is driven not by what is in America's interests but by what a certain ethnic lobby wants.

  8. Only sure cure–term limits.Max 2 four year terms.
    Did you know that most politicians after 1 1/2 terms become multi millionair$. Are Americans/Canadians this stupid not to question how these once unemployable freaks got to be so filthy rich?
    Here is a history lesson that is re-occuring. England kings used to send their sons in battle. English King's son got captured by the Germans. England was financialy broke. To release the king's son,Germany wanted several Ox carts full of gold,which the king did not have. The noble king of England turned to the Chosen ones (money Changers) and made a sure deal.
    The deal was that , only they could trade without sharing any profits with the church. Son was released and Germany was very rich and happy.However, For over 400 years, the dark ages set into all of Europe. Swine flu or the Plague awaits us.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhcJpalbFxo

  9. Israel has taken delivery of two German-made submarines capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads….

    The submarines are the most expensive weapon platforms in Israel’s arsenal.

    Since the end of the Second World War and the mass murder of Jews under the Nazi regime, Germany has made it its historic obligation to help Israel.

    The first two U212s were donated by Berlin to the government of Israel after the 1991 Gulf War.

    It split the cost of the third with the Jewish state, offering it at an almost symbolic price, local media reported.

    “The German government decided to deliver Israel … the five vessels and allow its experts to manipulate them in order to provide Tel Aviv with hardware needed to evacuate its entire nuclear weaponry arsenal on an appropriate fleet, while allowing it to be employed in warfare,” the Arab monitor reported.

    It said the delivery was in violation of German law forbidding the export of military equipment or weapons of non-NATO countries engaged in warfare.

    http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/09/30/Israel-get-two-German-submarines/UPI-90101254337056/

  10. "Here is a history lesson that is re-occuring. England kings used to send their sons in battle. English King's son got captured by the Germans. England was financialy broke. To release the king's son,Germany wanted several Ox carts full of gold,which the king did not have. The noble king of England turned to the Chosen ones (money Changers) and made a sure deal."

    Details, please, since this story sounds like a load of fiction. Which English king? What son? Which German ruler? What date? A rough date will do, but remember that Jews were expelled from England in the 1200s, so the events must've been earlier, if true.

    Note, too, that England's Jews belonged to the kings, who levied a tallage whenever they liked. Ransom money was one of the usual occasions for levying a tallage on one's vassals.

    Lester Ness, historian

    1. Hi,Lester. That story you are challenging does indeed seem like a load of ox droppings.

      You mentioned Jews being expelled from England in the 1200's. At what point were they allowed back in?

      What is the current thinking among historians on the Jewish diaspora from Judea in the first century? Was this an actual historical event or a myth? I thought it was a real event, but Israeli historian Shlomo Sands indicated in an interview it was a myth invented in medieval times to shame the Jews.

  11. "1290 -Jews expelled from England"

    "Although some Jews managed to stay in England by hiding thier identity and religion, the overwhelming majority of Jews–about 16,000 altogether–were forced from England. Many made their way to France and settled there.
    But this expulsion led to three and a half centuries–350 years–of Jewish exile from England."

    http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/7221/je

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