Beyond Disrespect

We display yellow ribbons to support our military men and women.? We pray for them, privately and publicly.? We write letters and send supplies.? In every segment of our society, Americans are telling the members of our Armed Forces that we appreciate their sacrifice and value their service.
With one exception.

The administration is planning to bring the terrorists who attacked America on 9/11 onto American soil and into American civilian courts for trial.? The message is that those who took American lives and destroyed American property cannot get a fair shake if they are tried at Guantanamo in the Courts of Military Justice.

Those courts are unfamiliar to most of us, so on the surface it sounds like the Washington establishment is simply trying to ensure that justice is done.?
That is a false perception.

The Courts of Military Justice are the forums in which every member of America?s Armed Forces is tried when he is accused of a crime.? They include lawyers and procedures that are designed to ensure that the rights of the accused are protected.? They are designed to ensure that the security of America is protected as well.

It is beyond disrespectful for Washington to say that the legal system that is good enough for every person who is defending America is somehow not good enough for the people who are attacking America.

Bringing these people onto American soil is compounding the problem.? The base at Guantanamo is isolated for a reason.? The isolation keeps it from being a target.

The terrorists being brought to trial have openly boasted about their success in murdering Americans and publicly stated that dying a martyr?s death is a goal for them, as long as they kill Americans in the process.? When we transfer their trials to areas that are filled with Americans, we are painting a huge target on the back of every citizen who lives within those areas.

America?s military, both those on active duty today, and those veterans who have completed their service, works to keep America safe from attack.? They serve so their families and their neighbors will not be on the front lines of a battlefield.?

For this administration to decide unilaterally to bring that front line to New York, or southwestern Pennsylvania, or any other part of this nation, is a direct slap in the face of every man and woman who has given blood to protect Americans.? ?Trying to justify such a reckless and perilous action defies imagination.

The administration has attempted to counter the outrage by saying that they will set aside $73 million to help with security.? That does not begin to cover the additional costs to the local governments.? So not only is Washington proposing to put American lives and property at risk unnecessarily, they are planning to make the American taxpayer pay for it.?

This is madness.? A secure location and an appropriate system for ensuring that justice is served already exist in Guantanamo.? We should use them.