Mayor Nick Valentine, My Kind of Leader!

Let me preface this blog by saying that in no way do I support the idea of trying the accused 9/11 terrorist scumbags in a Civilian Court.

This has to be far and away one of Lord Falderal’s more stupid notions. Justice should be delivered through the military courts as the attack on the twin towers was an Act of War, not civilian mass murder. The argument should end there.

However, it looks like there may be no escape from holding the terror trials in civil court unless Congress can be effective in cutting the funding for such a travesty. The only question is in what city will the trials take place.

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has made it clear the trials are not welcome in Manhattan given the cost of security, hype and potential danger to the citizens of the Big Apple. He estimated the cost of security alone to be upwards of $200 million. Great use of our tax dough, huh? Providing security for terrorists. Lovely.

As one would imagine there aren’t a lot of Mayors jumping up and down to host the trials in their cities. To the average thinking American it would seem a foolhardy enterprise to actively seek such a thing.

Enter Nick Valentine, part-time Mayor of Newburgh, NY.

Newburgh, NY is one of those charming Hudson River Valley towns forgotten by time and society. It is rich with history not forgotten, but neglected as so many historical Hudson River towns are. There is no real industry left in the town and it has suffered the effects for quite a few decades. This is a polite way to say that in essence the place is very poor and run down.

                                                                        

Most people from the Northeast know Newburgh only as a highway sign they see on their way either west to Pennsylvania, or East to New England. The town’s main landmark which isn’t really in the town at all, is the I-84 Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, a formidable span which on a clear day allows you a slight view of Manhattan 60 miles to the South.

One thing Newburgh has is a shiny new state-of-the-art courthouse that is super secure, and being only 60 miles from Manhattan, convenient to any and all players in say, a terror trial! Newburgh also falls into the jurisdictional requirements of a civilian murder trial. Add in a close proximity to West Point and a Federal Prison a mere 27 miles away and you have a great recipe for a terror trial venue!

Hizzoner Valentine knows this better than anyone and has taken his case to bring the trials to Newburgh public; hitting as many news shows and media outlets as he can.  

This is a real leader and visionary.

Now, I have no idea how the Mayor really feels about the core subject; whether or not the trials should take place in Civilian Court or not, but I do know one thing, he is definitely looking out for his town and that is admirable. Valentine did say at first he wasn’t very keen to the idea of the trials being held in Newburgh, but upon reflection changed his mind. To me, the Mayor is taking advantage of a shitty situation in order to give Newburgh an economic jump-start.

Nick Valentine is a businessman in addition to being the part-time Mayor. He owns a tailoring business right across the street from the courthouse and understands the nuances of simple economics. That is something most government officials lack, in addition to morality and ethics. Most politicians get ethical bypasses at birth!

Newburgh would benefit greatly financially from the terror trials through a wide variety of income streams. There is the obvious onslaught of media types who will bunk down for as long as the trials take, pumping their dollars directly into the local economy, there is the Federal money that will go into ramping up security and then there is the International attention that could spike tourism both during and after the trials.

Are there risks? Of course there are, the very same ones that would apply to Manhattan as the trial venue. Terrorist attacks could ensue, violence from protestors and any of the other sundry items that lay the foundation of the argument for not having these trials in civil forums could occur. But, one would hope these are calculated risks and will be mitigated by the security funding.

No doubt the good Mayor has taken these risks into account and as a small businessman realized the reward in the long term is well worth the risk. Anything worth doing always involves some kind of risk.

I haven’t the foggiest clue whether Mayor Valentine is a Republican or Democrat, and I don’t care. I do know that Mayor Nick Valentine is a breath of fresh air in this climate of bad government. He is doing the right thing for the people who voted him in by trying to draw attention to their plight. Even if they don’t get the trials, which they probably won’t given the inability of the Falderal Administration to give in to common sense, at least he hung it out there for everyone to see.

Surely, there are lots of folks who think this Mayor is crazy including some of his constituents, but those are people who fail to take in the big picture and they are part of the problem not the solution.

Good Luck Mayor Valentine, and citizens of Newburgh.

Cindy Sheehan: Idiot or Just in Need of Serious Therapy?

I have been kvetching about the lack of anti-war protestors since Lord Falderal took office last January. Apparently, protesting against war goes out of vogue when a Democrat takes office. I oftentimes wonder why it is these same people who were promised on January 21, 2009 the US would be withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan, lack interest in holding Falderal accountable for not carrying out his lofty and impossible promises.

It seems to be the worst kind of hypocrisy, especially when dealing with the loss of human lives. Are these protestors really against War? Or, are they just against Republicans and more specifically the Bush administration? The last time I checked those guys were no longer in power, yet we are still at war. The worst part is we are at war without a leader. Thank heavens for the Generals.

Lord Falderal’s inexperience should have been quickly recognized by anyone with a brain stem when he made those ridiculous claims about being able to check out of the wars at will. It doesn’t work that way; something Falderal quickly learned when he took office. And, as we all know his solutions (which really aren’t his but thankfully the Generals) included sending more troops to both theatres. That was the right thing to do however, a reasonable person could assume it would piss off the anti-war folks.

Well, apparently it did, but they chose to go after the wrong targets.

Cindy Sheehan and her crew of misguided sycophants recently protested in front of CIA headquarters and Dick Cheney’s home in Northern Virginia. Does that make any sense to anybody? Ok, maybe the CIA thing makes sense…barely. But, near the Great White Hunter’s house? What exactly were they trying to prove? Wouldn’t a protest in front of say…the White House, or maybe the Pentagon be a better use of time and energy? I had mentioned in an earlier blog that it was curious Sheehan wasn’t protesting during Falderal’s vacation in Hawaii. Yet, she camped out in Crawford, TX at the Bush crib for a protracted period of time.

Something else that was curious was the thread of this particular protest. Sheehan and her crew of merry protestors were barking out against the use of unmanned drones to take out al Qaida and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. Again, does this make any sense? The lives using drones saves is extraordinary. If you have to be at war this is a great strategy to use to protect American troops while accomplishing the intended goals.

I have nothing against war protestors. I hate war. War is stupid, but as long as we stay just one step above Barbarian status in this world there will always be wars. Speaking out against war is truly an American right and we should all be proud of it. But, for fuck’s sake, hold everyone accountable and be true to the actual ideal.

Sheehan isn’t in this for the right reasons; she wants someone to blame for her son’s death and understandably so. I can’t imagine the pain she must feel. Anyone parent who couldn’t empathize on that level with her is inhuman. The problem here is to lash out at those who have no say in the matter is foolhardy and quite insane actually.

If Cindy Sheehan and her followers really wanted to affect some kind of change she would be making her voice heard by the Falderal administration. This is their gig now. The Commander in Speech is the one to be harassing. Leave Cheney alone to quietly have his 53rd heart attack and take his place in Hell along with Kennedy.

I think I know what Cindy Sheehan’s problem is. I am no psychologist, but I am positive she needs lots and lots of therapy and not the kind that comes from yelling and screaming at false targets. My suspicion is that her followers stay with her solely out of sympathy and not solid beliefs in bringing on any real change.

Cindy has to learn what a lot of Bush haters have to learn. It’s over. They are gone. The guy you elected is now the one to blame and the one to go to when you are pissed. Who you should be pissed off at is yourselves for believing the drivel Falderal was spouting not just about the wars but everything else as well.

How’s that CHANGE working for you Cindy Sheehan?