SCOTUS, Afghanistan, and Faisal Shahzad

Liberty and the Supreme Court – Gerard V. Bradley, National Review
A community’s right to govern itself is at the heart of the founders’ intent when it comes to the liberty and freedom protected by the constitution. The founders considered the constitution as belonging to the people. It, and the Bill of Rights specifically, protected the people from courts that may be spineless in their enforcement of the law. A return to a strict interpretation of the constitution is needed, and Barack Obama should not be allowed to appoint a new justice to the Supreme Court that believes the constitution is a progressive playground, made for serving as a justification for any and all government follies. – Dick Young

Obama’s Real Afghan Strategy – Robert Maginnis, Human Events
History continues to repeat itself in Afghanistan. The population does not support a central government, and the resistance is much tougher than anticipated. A quick read through any of the other Afghan occupations would have alerted American leaders to this basic information about the country, but somehow it seems to come as a surprise to America’s intellectual elites. Withdrawal from Afghanistan is the right thing to do. Bring the troops home where they can be more effective guarding America’s borders than fighting farmers in the Afghani outback. – Dick Young

Lapses Allowed Suspect to Board Plane – Scott Shane, The New York Times
As Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, said “Clearly the guy was on the plane and shouldn’t have been. We got lucky.” Thankfully Faisal Shahzad was apprehended before his plane took off, but there were some lapses in the investigation that can be learned from in the future. The no-fly list failed and allowed a terrorist on board an airplane at John F. Kennedy airport. The list needs to be made more effective and timely or else terrorists will simply plan faster escapes. – Dick Young