Well, the SCOTUS released it's decision today concerning the Gitmo prisoners, combatants, or whatever they are called. The Court certainly had names for them. They were given rights under the Geneva Convention and bottom line basically would like to see them tried in a US court, presumably the federal courts. What a joke. This cannot happen. The ball is now in the Congress, although Congress passed a law last year preventing the courts jurisdiction on the detainees at Gitmo. That didn't stop the court from assuming their jurisdiction and turning our legal system on its ear. The Jonathan Turley's of the world were having a field day, he thinks we owe these guys the same rights as an American citizen. I think they should be held until the war ends if ever and then they should be tried under a military court system. We cannot keep giving our right to defend ouselves away. This country is strong, but how strong. Professor Turley thinks this makes us stronger, I do not.

The Times published their explanation for the original bank transaction story. It seems that the MSM has closed ranks to defend the NYT, even Tom Brokaw trotted out on NBC to defend the elite media types. The Congress is dabbling with a resolution to condemn the press for divulging state secrets. I don't think it will ever happen and even if it does, so what. If the leakers are not prosecuted for the NSA leak and the banking transaction leak, then the MSM will not be restricted in anyway. There will be no restrictions on what the press can or should publish.

Rights of the People: Individual Freedom and the Bill of Rights
So we approach this First Amendment once again. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last. What will become of the latest flap? What checks and balances are there on the Fouth Estate? The Executive, Legislative, and the Judicial have checks and balances on each other, but where does that leave the Press?

Okay, the New York Times....
What is the motivation behind the publishing of our country's classified information and especially at a time when we have soldiers on the battlefield. For the life of me, I cannot imagine what motivates these people. I sent me complaint email to Bill Keller and to the Public Editor of the Times asking what in the hell they are thinking. I just don't understand the motivation. Some internet pundits claim that it is an effort to undermine the Bush Administration, some say it is a fishbowl of arrogance at the Times, still others claim that it is a way to save the failing newspaper. I don't really buy any of these ideas but I don't buy the "public interest" reason that the Times gave as the reason to publish. I just can't understand the decision making process that leads to this kind of irresponsibility. It is not a partisan issue, this is an American issue. Do we need publish everything that the government does in secret to keep us safe. My need to know is not as great as my need to keep my family safe. And further more, I don't need The New Times to make that decision for me. Our deceased WWII veterans are rolling over in their graves. We certainly have come a long way, but I'm just not sure in which direction.

Rant: Why can't I get the site feeds to work on my Firefox live bookmarks. All my settings are correct, I have tried everything that blog help suggests and I have visited my Firefox bug reports and still nothing. It is probably just as well, still that's what is bugging me now. If anyone is having a similar problem, leave a comment. Just don't get me started on the New Times, okay.

This is the spot that I am going to use to rant about the state of things as I see them. These are my rants and they do not represent the views of management or anyone else for that matter. Bear with me and just maybe this thing will get better with time. Current events will drive my posts, but sometimes the posts will just be my rants.

The Southern Point of View