Obama wisely moves to block release ACLU seeks for photos showing alleged abuse

Snipped from the National Geographic video at the end of this column, a look at what our troops confront in the Middle East. Treatment of detainees, formerly known as alleged terrorists, has been front row and center as groups like the American Civil Liberties Union push for the release of more photos allegedly showing torture of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Barack Obama is wisely trying to block the release of these photos.

Regardless of your position on matters such as waterboarding, scaring detainees with insects and blaring loud music, you can’t deny there will be an impact on our troops in the Middle East if the photos are released. Obama has already reversed the Bush administration’s position on a number of matters related to terrorism. Whether Obama’s method will work as well as Bush’s remains to be seen.

We’ve reported on outcomes for The Millennium Bomber and The Blind Sheikh when Democratic Party approaches are followed. The MB did talk for awhile, but then he clammed up and a sympathetic judge gave him a light sentence. The Blind Sheikh admitted having a good laugh when he managed to smuggle messages directing terrorist operations while serving a life sentence in a Minnesota prison cell. The detainees are soldiers in no man’s army. They are basically [allegedly] international thugs who would like to see America resemble a french fry.

What’s interesting to me is the information about a couple of litigators for the ACLU, an organization that really needs a new name in my opinion—maybe the Anti-American Civil Liberties Union would be more appropriate.

ACLU Litigators
The Associated Press quotes ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer faulting the president for breaking promises about transparency. Never mind Obama’s position as commander-in-chief or his oath to defend our country when he took office. For Jaffer, it’s all about the photos. Or is it?

Here’s a statement from Jaffer in a letter to the editor of The New York Times in October, 2000. The location is noted as Ottowa. Jaffer wrote, “Israel's soldiers have killed scores of Arab civilians, most for throwing stones, and some for merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

On the ACLU website, Jaffer is dubbed director of the National Security Project. Whose national security he’s looking after is questionable. Jaffer is also described as having served as law clerk to Hon. Amalya L. Kearse, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and then to Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada. A couple other biographical tidbits are posted at the website Ultrabrown: Jaffer was born in Ontario and once worked at Lehman Brothers. He is no fan of the Bush administration and from his NYT letter I’d say he’s no fan of Israel either. So it goes to figure he’s pushing for the release of the photos; this guy could care less about our troops and probably even less about American security.

The ACLU also has Jamil Dakwar who is the director of the organization’s Human Rights Program. Dakwar has been a busy bee protecting the rights of detainees allegedly connected to the September 11 attack on America that killed more than 3,000 innocents. Dakwar’s official bio says: “Before coming to the United States, Dakwar was a senior attorney with Adalah, a leading human rights group in Israel that focuses on issues concerning Arab Palestinian citizens.” I’m pretty sure Dakwar isn’t too enamored with America or Israel either. He recently praised the administration’s successful bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. I recently called that decision Obama’s worst yet—there is an overwhelming preoccupation with “Islamophobia.” Read our column to learn more.

For a look at how Hamas views Israel, read the article, ‘Jews portrayed as blood drinkers…’ at MEMRI. At the same site, you can enjoy reading about how the Swine Flu is, according to Iranian TV, a “Zionist-American conspiracy.”

Troop Security
My purpose in writing this column is not to argue the merits or injustices of interrogation techniques. I do agree with a point made by former vice-president Dick Cheney. We should know exactly what information the techniques employed by the Bush Administration yielded. The current debate rests on incomplete information. We do know that methods employed by the Clinton administration helped enable the planning of the attacks on America. Read the 9/11 Commission Report for more information.

In my opinion the ACLU should change the organization’s name. I perceive the group as hostile to American interests and to interests of our allies such as Israel.

We know that during the Vietnam War undertaken by Democratic President John F. Kennedy the enemy applauded people like Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Glitterati like Jane Fonda for their anti-war statements. A member of my family who died several years ago, someone I loved very much, did two tours in Vietnam. During the second tour he was wounded. He acknowledged the power of US media to make things harder for troops and harder for prisoners of war. I still have the letters he wrote to me.

Whether by design or by ideology, the ACLU in my opinion is hostile to American interests and a federal judge has no business overruling the president on matters related to national security. Our country was unjustly attacked. Obama has made a difficult decision about trying to block the release of photos. Whether that decision rests on politics or concern for our troops, his approach is wise.

Obama wisely moves to block release ACLU seeks for photos showing alleged abuse by Kay B. Day