What's At Stake If We Don't Try In Civil Court

The trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 5 alleged September 11th conspirators were originally going to take place in New York City, the epicenter of the tragedy. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked the Obama Administration to move the trials out of the city in federal court because it would cost almost $200 million a year to hold the trial as well as cause much anxiety and distress to an already disturbed and shaken society.

Now, the argument begins again, where to hold the trial. Pittsburgh has been mentioned (because we did such a bang-up job with the G-20 thanks to Phil Blannigan!) as well as military tribunals. We will gladly take anarchists over terrorists any day! Not in our backyard, Fast Eddie screams! Luke is thinking about who he can rub elbows with and that sweet homeland security vehicle . . .

Consider this:

Historically, military trials are done for people in US military. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is hardly an enlisted man.

It also is very dangerous to set a precedent that terror suspects are tried by the military; what happens when Americans are accused as being terrorists? Would they then be tried in military court (i.e., Timothy McVeigh)?

During the Bush administration, some of their people were fond of accusing Democrats of being sympathetic of terrorists. What if a future administration were to accuse their opponent of being allies of terrorists? Would you want American civilians to be tried by the military rather than the American court system? It is a dangerous line to cross, one that has even deeper implications than just the court system, our rights and our freedoms.

When the Red Coats fired on the Americans during the Boston Massacre, they were put on trial in civilian court and defended by John Addams, one of our founding fathers (no biggie). So, clearly the founding fathers would have been very disturbed by the notion of military trials for people who are not part of the military.

My answer?

Why not have civlilian trials remote from any population at a secure location? Like one of those states we always forget is a state--a Dakota or Wyoming. Here in Pittsburgh, we are hauling in people from Harrisburg for the Richard Poplawski trial. The same can be done with the September 11th trial. Let's not let this be another Nuremberg Trial.

LE

Conan's Last Gig

Conan Says Goodbye with Will Ferrell & Freebird - watch more funny videos

I'm With Coco!

What does a NBC President who canned a Tonight Show Host after 7 months because his ratings weren't high enough (FYI, Leno took four years to beat Letterman's ratings), and a candidate who sought MA public office and felt she was entitled to the seat so she didn't campaign too much until the last week of the election have in common?

American has turned against them, maybe even hates them.

One is responsible for nearly stopping the passage of the nation's health care bill. The House may have to pass the current bill as is without the Senate, which has none of the compromises that were agreed upon in the bipartisan committee, like the 5-year tax delay on union benefits. It will be better than nothing and all of this will have to be addressed down the road. They could try to do something in the next two weeks while MA certifies the results, but you know how that could go--Lieberman and Specter could upset the cart in that time!

The other is responsible for not giving Conan O'Brien his full time on The Tonight Show and instead, gives it back to Jay Leno after his failed attempt at a comedy hour at 10:00 pm. Many in Hollywood have vowed to boycott Leno, saying he's had his time (over 17 years), and are standing by Conan, who is reported to receive over $45 million in a contract buy-out for him and his staff, and who will be able to shop around at other networks by September 1st, most likely FOX.

This hits the nerve of the American public who are hurting in a lot of ways, many of whom have been laid off themselves. They have tuned into Conan's show, watching him unmercilessly take shots at NBC. A bit he's introduced last night wasn't about being funny, but instead, about being very expensive--A Bugatti car (priced over $1 million) dressed as a mouse, playing "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones. It's what people want to do to their bosses, former and current, to bank owners, to politicians, to the health care industry--to everyone they feel are sticking it to them. Conan has become their hero. Leno's ratings have plummeted and Conan's have risen 50%.

With Martha Coakley, people are sick and tired of being taken for granted. Scott Brown came in the last week and resonated with the voters, effectively bumping himself up ten points ahead of her. He managed to hide the fact that he voted for the state's health care bill that was supported and signed by former Governor Mitt Romney and repeated over and over again that this was the "People's Seat," and not the Kennedy's seat. Why in the world would a liberal state that passed their own version of universal health care elect this guy? He's called himself the "41st vote" to kill the health care bill. Selfishness? Ignorance? Scared of the Nation's plan and all of the propaganda being thrown at them? Something is WRONG.

All I know is I'm with Coco.

LE

Still Confused About Health Care?

Congressional leaders, the Obama administration and Union leaders met to negotiate taxation on "High-Value" Tax Plans, any individual plans worth $8,000 or more in any given year and $23,000 for a family plan.

Without the union endorsement, the Health care plan was doomed to fail.

The new negotiated plan will delay the tax on high-value health care plans, which previously accounted for one-in four union plans, for five years, and it will increase the value the plans must be worth before they are taxed after the five year delay. Make sense? So instead of an individual union health care plan being taxed at $8, 000, it will be taxed when it reaches a higher value. What value that is, it is not clear yet.

In Massachusetts, there is a hotly contested Senate race to replace Senator Ted Kennedy on Tuesday--this Tuesday. The Democrat, Martha Coakley, was up 15 points last weekend, but now the Republican, Scott Brown, is ahead by four points. Brown has called himself the "41st vote" to kill the health care bill.

Obama is going to Massachusetts tomorrow to drive a get-out-the-vote effort for the Democrats.

In the meantime, by extreme luck, it takes Massachusetts two weeks for them to certify the winner. It is the hope that the US Legislature could try to push the compromise bill through in that two week time.

Steel State of Mind

From B94 Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh's Avatars Revealed

I'm all Avatared Up!!

In the modern era, an Avatar is a computer representation of oneself or one's alter ego used on the computer. If you want to take it out of the computer context, it has two other meanings:

1. The incarnation of a Hindu deity, especially Vishnu, in human or animal form.
2. An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype: the very avatar of cunning.

For the purposes of this blog, an Avatar is an alter ego.

So far, the Avatar has grossed more than $191.5 million at the global box office over this past weekend, taking in more than $1.34 billion--$460 million shy of the current record holder Titanic, which was also directed by James Cameron.

Our Pittsburgh Republican political analyst Bill Green, who is a regular panelist on WQED, lives out his alter-ego as Arlen Specter. They say you grow conservative as one ages, but in Bill's case, he's growing liberal!

Former US Senator and #3 in charge Rick Santorum was loving life until his nemesis Bob Casey came along. No worries, his alter ego, snake oil salesman Kevin Trudeau keeps him busy raising funds for Santorum's Presidential bid in 2012.

Allegheny County Councilwoman Jan Rea lives life under the radar, helping keep people in her district content. But in reality, she's Jane Orie (her hair gives her away), soon to be an ex-Senator.

Another Allegheny County Councilman, Rich Fitzgerald, is seemingly content here in Pittsburgh, but is in truth, a powerful Congressman from Rhode Island. That cheesy smile doesn't fool anyone.

Allegheny County Councilwoman Joan Cleary--the most shocking news--has been writing children's books for decades.

LE

A Big WTF Moment--Darlene Harris Voted President

Bill Peduto, Natalia Rudiak, Bruce Kraus and Doug Shields elected Darlene Harris as Pittsburgh City Council's next President. Peduto engineered it, apparently.

Ricky Burgess, Patrick Dowd, Daniel LaVelle voted for Theresa Smith.