December 2001

A few suggestions for New Year Resolutions

As the New Year approaches and the time honored tradition of making resolutions for the following year creeps up on us, I thought it would be helpful if some suggestions were made to people and groups as to exactly what they should resolve next year.

For the President of the United States: Resolve to use the popularity that you currently enjoy to further your domestic agenda. There is no reason that a man sitting with 80 percent of the American people behind him should be talking exclusively about the war on terrorism. Take the bull by the horns and get some additional tax cuts, advance a social agenda that includes tuition vouchers for poor kids, and do all those things that you wanted to do prior to September 11th. Squandering your popularity talking about Osama only wastes a perfectly good opportunity to make change.

For Senator Daschle: Resolve yourself to stop having such whiny press conferences. Almost every day we’re blessed with the ability to see a politician complain his way to the front pages. Every news conference comes with an almost mandatory, "The President didn’t tell us…" blah blah blah. You complain that the ABM treaty pull out came as a complete surprise to the Democrats in Congress – did you not listen to the White House briefings or read any newspapers the week before the official withdrawal? South Dakota may enjoy a politician who complains all the time and does nothing to step up to the plate and resolve issues, but speaking as someone from a state with more people than livestock – it is time for you to do something other than lament the fact that you don’t know what is going on around you. They call it leadership.

For Senator Lott: Resolving yourself to stand up to the Democrats in the Senate should be your first priority. There is no way that procedures that require Republican support should pass if they are contrary to what the President and leader of the Republican Party desire. Be more a team player and less of someone trying to get along. Sure, the American people want you guys to be friends, play racquetball, and enjoy long lunches together, but there comes a point when the leader of the Republicans has to stand up to the leader of the Democrats and say, "not on my watch."

For Gay Activists: Resolve yourselves to take on organizations that the American people don’t care about, it will almost ensure a victory. Don’t, however, make the colossal error again of taking on an American institution like the Boy Scouts and then complain when public opinion falls on the side of little kids who do more for the nation than a bunch of lisping, dress wearing, homos whose only agenda is sue their way into organizations who don’t want you rather than simply starting your own. Also, why not think of another way to show America that we’re all normal instead of hosting a parade of decadence every year with shirtless lesbians riding motorcycles leading the charge. Surely you can come up with a better way to further the gay cause than by putting on display all those deviants that you complain Ma and Pa Jones in Kentucky think we all are. It is time for a new agenda in the gay community – one that says to government, "leave me alone" instead of "give me give me give me."

For Osama bin Laden: If you’re still around on New Year, it would be totally appropriate for you to resolve yourself never to allow another video to be made where you gloat and smile about killing Americans. Of course it was good that you took credit for the events of September 11th during your newest video, but denied it all the way until then. Aren’t you proud of what you’ve done? Surely Allah must be pleased with you since he is raining 20,000 pounds of bombs down on your head, killing your family, and your fighters all with the intention of bringing you to heaven with a whole bunch more virgins. My question is that if death is so wonderful and you love sending people to Allah to be martyrs, why are you not looking forward to it instead of hiding in the hills? Come on Osama – time to go to see the man called Allah!

For the Taliban: - what Taliban?

These are but a few suggested New Year’s resolutions for some in our leadership and others who are not. Wouldn’t hurt to add a couple more to the list, but what we have now is a good start. I hope that the Christmas season brings you joy and the New Year brings you prosperity that can be maintained in the form of tax cuts!

Air Travel isn't bad at all, but how bout some common sense please

Like many Americans I used to take hopping on a plane and heading to some exotic, or not so exotic, destination for granted. I always assumed that the people taking me from point A to point B knew what they were doing and that all I had to do was show up at the airport on time and get on the plane. Since September 11th, though, I heard nothing but horror stories about long lines, delayed flights, and even moodier (if you can believe that ) flight crews. Well for the record, I don’t know what these people were talking about.

This week I took a trip from San Diego to Tampa and Palm Beach, Florida to attend to some personal business. I booked my travel a couple of weeks in advance with Continental Airlines online service. Prior to September 11th I always used the Internet to plan my travel – it cut down on the need to deal with people, extended hold times, and the almost always nagging feeling I had that the rate the person on the phone was giving me was not really the best rate for my trip. I expected online services to be more complicated and offer less than they did before, but with almost everything in my trip, I was pleasantly surprised.

Just a day before departing I watched a news story about long lines at security check points and an interview with some talking head that said that people should arrive about two hours prior to their departure for a domestic flight and three hours for international travel. I, being the gullible guy I am, believed him. What a colossal waste of time. The lines at my departure airport were actually longer than the lines I’m used to when I pick up my morning coffee. The security lines, which were rumored to wrap through the terminal, moved quicker than any line I’ve ever been in to do my banking with a real live honest to goodness bank teller. Their approach to security was different and more intrusive than it ever was before, but by and large, traveling this week seemed to be about the same, if not better, than traveling three weeks before September 11th.

There were a couple of things about traveling this time that made me wonder if the FAA and the airlines were taking things a bit far though. I mean, is it really necessary to make people remove their steel-toed boots and run them through the X-ray machine? What is the safety factor in not allowing families or friends to go through security and into the gate area? Surely the FAA thinks that this will make the skies safer, but when was the last time a person who was simply seeing off their mother, father, friend, or co-worker caused a problem aboard a flight? The incessant need to check identification cards is another almost ridiculous safety measure that seems to have been put in place to make the flying public feel better and safer, but do airlines really not understand how easy it is to get a fake I.D.? Does making sure the name of the passenger matches the boarding pass make flying safer?

On board services are about the same. Depending on the flight crew you get either a group of very happy and very caring flight attendants or you get the ones that you dread. I was lucky, I guess, because of all of the flights I took, I had nothing but the most courteous and attentive crew members. The one thing I did notice during the flight is that the safety measure silliness made its way onto the aircraft. Imagine sitting in first class, being served on real china, and unrolling your linen napkin only to find that you’ve been entrusted with a couple of silver forks, a silver spoon or two, and a plastic knife. I’m sure there is some logical reason for giving only plastic knives to passengers, but is there logic behind assuming that a metal fork in the hands of some crazed passenger is not just as dangerous as a butter knife? I think so. Someone needs to notify the people who came up with this rule that the four prongs of a fork can be just as deadly as the sometimes dull blade of a butter knife.

I’m thrilled to have made my recent trip and I can’t thank Continental Airlines enough for making it a pleasure to fly again. Their service has always been top notch and I hope that you will join me in making them your airline. I have to tell you another travel story, this one dealing with service and how one hotel manager made my stay worth while.

I checked into the Hyatt Regency Westshore Hotel upon arrived in Tampa. The check in was without incident and the room request I made was complied with perfectly. You see, I cannot stand to be on the street side of a hotel. I need my room to face away from the street and into something other than traffic. There is no logical reason for this preference, I guess it is just one of many nuances that people come to know and love about me. Anyway, things were perfect until I arrived at the valet that night and got my rental car to go to dinner.

As I got into the car the valet made a point of not allowing me to close the door. He stuck his hand into the drivers side and indicated that he wanted a tip. I instructed him to let go of my door. He did. As he walked back to the valet stand, though, he mouthed to his co-worker a slur and vulgarity that I haven’t heard since I lived in the barracks in the Marine Corps! I rolled down the window only to find his head and hands in my vehicle explaining to me that I didn’t tip him and how that made him unhappy. My rule of thumb has always been that for valets and maids, I tip them after my stay – not each time they pull the car up to the front for me. He didn’t like my tipping policy and made it clear that I should have tipped him at that time.

After the virtual assault by the valet I phoned the hotel to speak with the manager regarding the behavior of their valet. I spoke to the manager on duty who immediately pulled the wayward soul inside the office and corrected his terrible habit of attempting to scare guests into giving him a buck or two. What followed after that was exactly how a good manager makes things better for a guest. From the moment I checked into the Hyatt Westshore I knew it was a great place, but the follow up and attention I received after the incident with the valet makes the reason I stay at luxury hotels obvious – it is all about service. There is something to be said about traveling to a place where the management actually cares how their guests are treated. I never did see that valet again.

So stories aside, traveling this holiday season seems to be a blast and easy for everyone except newscasters and reporters who have decided to make it sound much tougher than it really is. Are the wait times a bit more than before September 11th? Of course they are, but are they so much more that it makes traveling a hindrance and not worth wild? No way! So my advice to everyone is to hop on the next plane to wherever and enjoy the holidays in a climate different than your own. And my advice to Continental? Why not include a knife that can actually cut a piece of chicken?

Yasser Arafat - the Palestinian bin Laden

As the war against terrorism waged in Afghanistan, three bombs rocked Israel,

set off to kill and injure as many Jews as possible. The first two bombs

exploded in a busy shopping and restaurant district in Jerusalem - the target

was Israeli young people. As rescue workers rushed to the scene a second

explosion occurred trapping rescue workers and innocent pedestrians in

fireball filled with nails and other projectiles used to intensify the

carnage. On Sunday a third bomber detonated his device aboard a crowded bus

in the Israeli coastal town of Heifa. At least 200 people are injured and 25

Israelis are dead.

The terrorist group Hamas have taken responsibility for the bombing and both

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have threatened to continue to retaliate for Israel's

killing of Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, the leader of the Hamas military wing in the

West Bank, earlier this month in an Israeli missile attack. Israel makes

does not mince words when pointing a finger at the person they see as

responsible, "This is Mr. Arafat's organization," Israeli government

spokesman Avi Pazner said. "Mr. Arafat has been educating those people for

months to hate Israel, to act with violence against us, to bomb us, to kill

us."

Arafat has, of course, condemned the bombings and in a statement issued by

the Palestinian Authority hours after, his spokesman said, "Yasser Arafat in

the strongest possible terms condemns these attacks," chief Palestinian

negotiator Saeb Erakat told CNN shortly after the explosions. "We don't

condone the killing of Israelis, but we all know that violence breeds

violence, assassination breeds assassination, and bullets breed bullets. We

need immediately to get back to the political track."

The statement by the Palestinian Authority is one that should not have been

issued at all. On the one hand they say that violence is bad and that

killing Israelis is not something the Authority agrees with; in the same

breath they blame the terrorist attacks on Israel. If President Bush is

serious about eradicating the terrorists of the world, it isn't complicated

to figure out where the next set of targets should be.

Every day there is new video from what has become commonly referred to as

"ground zero" - the site where the World Trade Towers used to stand. Usually

accompanying the video are stories of the individual people who were killed

in the attack. Watching the heart wrenching stories about the loss of a

mother or a father, sister or brother brings tears to the eyes of all

Americans. Along with the tears, these pictures bring a rallying cry from

the American public who want nothing more than to see justice served on those

responsible for attacking our nation. When terrorists attack our country we

demand justice, when terrorists strike at Israel - we demand patience. The

double standard of good versus bad terrorism must end.

Israel has been the target of terrorists for fifty years. Each time a bomb

explodes and kills a group of Israelis, the Palestinian Authority issues a

statement telling the world how they condemn the act, but then the next day

open the doors to schools where lessons on hating Israel are taught in the

same vein as lessons of religion. After each bombing the United States

issues a statement condemning the attack and calling on Israel for restraint

in retaliating against those responsible. Media outlets cover each of these

statements as if they are equal - as if Yasser Arafat the terrorist was on

the same level as the Prime Minister of Israel or the President of the United

States. What never fails, however, is the almost instantaneous appearance of

a Palestinian spokespeople who decry the plight of the Palestinian people and

who demand peace. Calls for peace and a cease fire only come from Arafat

when one of his bombs explode killing Israeli people.

The people of the United States have a new vantage point for the terror that

the people of Israel have been living under for decades. We have finally

felt the sorrow, anger, and fear that comes to a nation when foreigners or

people hostile to our way of life take it upon themselves to kill people to

draw attention to their goal. No more should our government call on Israel

to show restraint when it comes to dealing with terrorists, particularly as

we engage in a war against terror for those responsible for killing thousands

of our own citizens on September 11th. Our government must not only not ask

Israel to show restraint, but the United States should assist Israel in

rooting out terror, starting first with the destruction of the Palestinian

equivalent of bin Laden - namely Yasser Arafat.

The next time a bomb explodes in Israel and the leaders of the world line up

to condemn it, perhaps they should consider that every time they invite

Arafat to their nation and treat him like a statesman, that they are greeting

a man whose goals in Israel are equal to Osama bin Laden's goals in the

world. I think leaders would think twice before they kissed a man whose

policies and words run in opposition to one another.

Time for Arafat and the militants in the Palestinian Authority to go the way

of the Taliban and it is time for the world to treat Hamas and Islamic Jihad

the way they treat other terror groups. The sliding scale of acceptable

terrorist organizations must not stand - any group bent on terror must be

eradicated.

Terrorists don't deserve to wrap themselves in the Constitution - nor do the talking heads

The talking heads are doing overtime dissecting the decision by President Bush to have at his disposal the option of sending war criminals to military trial rather than creating a circus in civilian courts. Both the left and the right are upset that people like Osama bin Laden may not be afforded the high profile court trial that would normally be mandated to someone accused of a crime. Some in our government argue that the judicial system of the United States sets us apart from the rogue nations and corrupt governments that we are looking to conquer. Others say that the Constitution applies to everyone in the world when the United States is a plaintiff. I say that any argument to allow Osama and his cronies a trial by a civilian court is just plain wrong and borders on being unpatriotic.

If you agree with the premise that the attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon on September 11th were acts of war, then it follows that the consequences for those who perpetrated those acts would be similar to those that befell other famous war criminals. There was never any discussion that should Hitler be caught during World War II that he would face a jury of American citizens in New York. Similarly, those high-ranking officers in Japan who planned and executed the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor were not returned to Honolulu to face a judge and jury. War criminals are not immune from justice, but how justice is rooted out to those who would wage war is different than those who would simply violate the law.

Osama bin Laden, his supporters, and other terrorist groups and governments who harbor them should not be afforded a similar system of justice as that of a typical criminal. Their crimes are far more egregious than a simple murder charge left for the adjudication of our peers. To allow them the privilege of a defense attorney and the resources of the government to be at their disposal, presumably they will not provide money for their defense, would be to take the tax dollars of those they butchered and fill the coffers of lawyers hired to defend them.

More important than the fact that those who wage war are different than those who commit even the most horrific of crimes is the fact that the Constitution of the United States is not a world treaty entered into by nations that should be honored for some and not for others. I don't think anyone would argue that the First Amendment of our Constitution bestows the rights and privileges, indeed the restraints to government, in China as it does in the United States, so why do so many believe that other Amendments and clauses to this document apply to thugs picked up across the globe? Either you subscribe to the notion that the U.S. Constitution is a world treaty or you don't - you can't have it both ways.

Those who would argue that Osama bin Laden should be afforded all the rights that our Constitution has to offer must also argue, then, that Fidel Castro is a war criminal because he doesn't allow his people to travel; that the British Prime Minister is violating the law because of the ban on guns in Britain is certainly inconsistent with the Second Amendment; and that the President of China should be hauled to U.S. District Court to answer charges that he violates the due-process clause on a daily basis. The beauty of the Constitution is that it is our constitution - not a simple treaty that can be applied haphazardly across the globe.

Those who have declared war on the United States should be treated as any foreign invader would be. Consider that it is not Osama bin Laden or any other terrorist demanding to go to a jury trial - they hate the United States and our system of justice - rather it is people who purport to be patriots and wrap themselves in the flag of the United States demanding that Osama and his cronies receive the same treatment as a gang member, petty thief, or O.J. Simpson. Terrorists and those who declare war on our nation don't deserve a trial in civilian court, but most importantly they are not entitled to one and people on the left and the right should stop demanding they receive one.

As it stands now President Bush may never use a military tribunal to adjudicate the guilt or innocence of a terrorist or supporter, but it is incumbent that the option to use such a system be reserved. For those who are concerned about the Constitutional rights of Osama bin Laden - why not simply afford him the same rights he believed the innocent people of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon deserved? Maybe bestow upon him the rights of the women of Afghanistan? Those fighting for the rights of bin Laden should consider the rights of those who died on September 11th and those who suffer at the hand of the Taliban.

I think the question that needs to be asked of the talking heads is whether they believe the rights of American citizens to live trumps the rights of those who would kill them to have a jury trial. If the answer is anything other than a resounding yes, then the patriotism of the talking heads is obvious - and it doesn't lie with the nation whose flag they wrap themselves in to report scandal and make obnoxious television even more so.