Concerning Libya, Egypt, and other countries that might currently having human rights issues:
Please understand that my opinions are not derived out of greed, or not wanting to make personal or national sacrifice in assisting other countries yet, it is about my personal opinion, or perspective in doing the right thing by our own country despite my compassionate outlook towards others.
Firstly, we're not the world's police force and it's not about having our noses in every conflict that comes down the pike as far as I'm concerned to no matter if it adversely affects us or not.
It's not that I'm complacent, heartless, or callus about the needs of suffering others verses being prudent of our own national needs and respecting the boundaries of other nations.
As I've stated before in that we are a compassionate nation yet, this in itself has caused we as a nation to be drawn into matters of foreign affairs that we shouldn't have allowed ourselves to have been pulled into in the first place past offering up our national opinion.
Yes, I believe that we as a nation should vent our concerns and further advocate positive actions taken on the part of a leader that's trying to do the right thing and further condemn a leader for carrying out uncivilized gestures against another nation or its own people however, prudence and balance must be observed here as well in what to say and when to say it.
Assisting rebel forces out of good intention, or a belief in doing the "right thing" can have the opposite effect in causing even more carnage eventually in the end, or worsening the pre existing condition at best.
It's just so important that we as a nation draw the line somewhere between legitimate intervention in a matter that directly effects us and those that just violates or ethical beliefs and so, this is as good of place to start and anywhere.
Yes, it's a tough decision to make especially when people are dieing under heavy hand rule, or via someone committing war crimes, never the less we must stay the course and understand what we are actually capable of and what are place actually is in the global community. In short, we must stop taking on more on ourselves then what the international community actually expects of us.
It's not about taking sides with a once allied turned rogue dictator, or in interfering within a troubled regions state of affairs that another country might be having so much as it is about biting our tongues and letting these conflicts work out on their own accord these various war torn countries.
Just because we are compelled in using prudence and restraint concerning these conflicts, or in possibly engaging in, or involving ourselves into another's conflictual situation, we are not without power in other actions that we might take against another country in the way of trade, or other pressure tactics to induce or resolve a conflictual circumstance to a peaceful outcome.
In short, if you have a brutal bully on the block, then it is our choice to reject any type of working relationship with such a individual along with any allies that may agree with us against any other nation that might act out in the same manner against other nations or it's own people.
We must hold fast to the rules of political or diplomatic pursuit to resolve a situation while thinking long and hard about any actions that we may consider taking in a war time theater and the ramifications that will bring against ourselves and the nation in question.
Moreover, we must also remember to keep any political actions in their proper perspective, or neutral and fair without being biased. In light of the United Nations slow and or over all inactions at this time, I really don't know what to say here other then the world will judge them via the way they handle such situations and more so that their credibility and reputation could be on the line via global opinion.
The U.N. has conveyed in so many words that the situation in Libya hasn't reached what it considers to be a severe enough level for intervention others view this as a dragging their feet and possible stalling behavior in not committing to this issue concerning the nation in question.
I will further say that inaction on their part concerning the fatalities of innocent civilians violates the very nature of why this body of government was formed and exists in the first place and thus, could be construed as shirking their responsibility to a suffering people under heavy handed dictatorial rule.
Even if it was impossible for the U.N. to intervene in what it considers to be a war time situation by its own admission, humanitarian aid could still be afforded to the oppressed people by force if necessary, along with assisting innocent person out of a war stricken area from the outward borders of such war stricken lands.
Of course, medical facilities could also be offered as well without actually engaging into anything that could be considered a field of combat engagement, or "no fly zone". In the case of Mubarak, such pressures were needed by the U.N.
As a result he made the right choice in stepping down because he believed that the U.N. were about to apply and enforce the negative repercussions against him for what he had perpetrated against his own people however, in the case Moamar Gaddafi:
Moamar Gaddafi and his son, are currently acting out such as was seen under Saddam Hussaine rule in what he actually did to his people some years back however, the U.N. and The United States dealt with Saddam Hussaine in the proper way, or by the book in what protocol dictated.
The same procedure needs to be enacted against Moamar Gaddafi and his son Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, in my opinion. This same process should be enacted immediately against this regime for the obvious reasons of blatant criminal abuse and war crimes against unarmed innocents.
It's one thing to suffer the death of innocent others from friendly fire, and quite a different matter to intentionally fire on known innocent civilians.
I understand that the Lebanese rebels are now blaming the United States for not intervening into the conflict yet, the United States did it's part in condemning the actions of Moamar Gaddafi and his son Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and further implored the United Nations to intervene.
And so, let's place the credit where credit is due concerning fault here. To put it in a more poignant way, the main responsibility here rest with the United Nations sense these are the world leaders empowered with global decision making versus one nation being the U.S.
Let us also remember that in the start of this rebellion or conflict in Libya that we, being the United States were warned to stay out of this conflict via the government and the Libyan people.
Moreover, it was stated that if we did involve ourselves that the rebels would turn against us by siding with Moamar Gaddafi long enough to fight and expel the U.S. from the nation.
When the rebels began to lose then, and only then, did they ask for the assistance for the United States. Is it any wonder that the U.S. would be hesitant about involving itself directly into a conflict such as a Libyan uprising? I think not.
So in the end, the U.S. used good prudence in my opinion and stayed out of something that really didn't have anything to do with us.
It is also my opinion that the U.N. dropped the ball concerning aid to the innocents, or removing these tyrannical leaders before they could actually do their harm to the Libyan people. I believe that the U.S. has excised good judgment In the Egyptian revolution, or uprising as well.
As hard as these types of situations are to sit through, we must stay the course in utilizing our prudent foresight in what might be construed as beneficial or detrimental to our own survival as a nation and moreover, keeping our options open concerning any circumstances we might find ourselves in the near future at any time.
In closing on this topic, I implore the U.N. to step up to the plate while making an example for this particular dictator Moamar Gaddafi and his son Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi to avoid, and discourage this type of treatment of innocent persons in the future at any point.
Should you leave this situation UN-checked, then you send a bad message to the world in that you condone the barbaric treatment of those seeking freedom, or those seeking the most basic of human rights.
Again, it is my hope that the current Obama Administration holds fast to recent policies, to do the right thing and stay the course regarding over seas conflicts.
Holding Special Hearings On Radical Islamists And Muslims
Firstly, let me just say that I don't belong to any mainstream denomination or otherwise however, I do belong to Divinity and subscribe to Their holy laws solely.
With this being said, please let me get right to the heart of the matter in saying that not only is holding special hearing on any form of Islam not only a bad idea but sets a bad example over all.
I think we have to separate extremist mindsets from religious doctrines to better understand this topic. If we look at the Old Testament, or the Five Lost Books of the Old Testament, we can see many extremist view points and or laws within yet, we don't label the Judaism faith as a extremist view nor do we feel compelled to hold special hearings on this faith system in Washington D.C.
We can see more watered down versions of the Old Testament and the Islam in modern day Christianity as well yet, we don't feel compelled to hold special hearings on this perspective as well. Why?
We don't hold hearing on these closely linked spiritual traditions simply because were not engaged in conflict with these particular faith systems, and that we don't perceive Christianity or Judaism to be a threat to our national security.
As I've stated before, in just about religious doctrine or discipline you will find extremist view and Islam is no exception to the rule. The question is, would the doctrine be the extremist factor or is it the one that chooses to practice the doctrine to the extreme?
Yes, the Koran, otherwise known as the book of Gahbrayalel, or Gabriel is rather extreme in certain parts of it doctrine, and yes it does have passages within promoting Jihad, or Holy War against the infidel under certain circumstances however, this is taken out of context by a hand full of extremist rebels.
The mainstream Muslim public does not accept or condone the radical views or activities of the few that use religion as an excuse to murder. To hold witch hunts as it been referred to by some not only offends American Islamist.
It also by its very nature impedes and possibly infringes upon the civil rights as American Islamic citizens indirectly. How? As a direct result of these so called hearings promoting intolerance, paranoia, panic, fear and promoting ignorance to the public at large against a Islamic community. Two words here to drive my point home: RED SCARE 1919 – 1920 & 1947- 1957 look it up.
Another point to drive this insanity home would be in having you look up the Japanese-American Internment of 11,0000 in 1942. Please remember these dates American government and let's not repeat history.
Now, just to remind everyone out there what happens when we start becoming paranoid regarding a certain ethic group within our society let's look at another example being "Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps ( in German Konzentrationslager, or KZ ) throughout the territories it controlled.
“The first Nazi concentration camps were greatly expanded in Germany after the Reichstag fire in 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime.”
“The number of camps quadrupled between 1939 and 1942 [1] as Jews, political prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies, the mentally ill and others were incarcerated, generally without trial or judicial process.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camps
Does this really sound like a place that we would all like to return to? Personally speaking, I do not; and that's why I'm giving you all a damn reality check via this section of the paper.
So, if you look up these three examples you will realize why hearings set such a DANGERIOUS presidence as a highly stressed out and scared nation will take this sort of thing as a green card to oppress, abuse and kill another part of our society while thinking their doing America an over all favor.
So, we became afraid of the Soviets, Japanese and now the Muslims. Have we learned nothing over the last 60 years? We can be a fickle society as we fell for “War Of The Worlds directed and narrated by Orson Wells” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio_drama Ok; there's another example of how out of control things can get as a result of promoting hysteria.
If I'm understanding correctly, the American and foreign Islamic communities have aided U.S. Intelligence in exposing and capturing extremist Islamic threats to national security.
Why? Because they don't want to be stereotyped with the extremist few being AL Qaeda; secondly American Muslims are just that, AMERICAN MUSLIMS who are attempting to protect their country who absolutely DON'T subscribe to the extremist view.
Again, we must separate a faith system full of law abiding citizens from a hand full of extremists and moreover find a way to both attack and dismantle an extremist view through mass education via the flaws found within that extremist view. It also wouldn't hurt to open up constructive diplomatic dialog with the hostile faction to resolve this on going problem we find ourselves having with this particular group.
To do otherwise in handling this issue, or to maintain hearings on this particular part of society will only worsen the problem as history tells us.
And folks, if your one of those people out there that thinks that this is a reasonable way to handle the problem, or a sensible was to protect national security, then you better think what could occur should this nation go to war with, or have security problems with your nationality in the near future. You don't want to go there baby, believe me.
We all live in uncertain times full of hard decisions to make and this isn't the time to collapse into our own fear least we doom ourselves to the past, doom ourselves in making the same mistakes that our ancestors made over and over again simply by not remembering the past and how certain things worked out as a result of our actions whether good or bad.
In a closing statement I will just say, you can't declare yourself to be “America the land of the free” while continuing to say “send us your sick, oppressed and your poor” only to turn against them once they have arrived upon our shores with a wish, hope and a dream in living a free and prosperous life.
We as American citizens need to remember where we came from, who we are, what we stand for and what we stand against. It hasn't been that long ago that we were the stranger in a strange land three hundred years ago.
It wasn't that very long ago that we landed on foreign shores and at the mercy of cold winters; it wasn't that long ago that we just wanted to be accepted and free to do what we will. Can we not afford others the same opportunities without becoming frantic at the first sign of trouble? I hope so in Divinity's Name.
It's about leading by example as I've said over and over again however, it doesn't seem that I'm getting through to Congressman Mr.King in light of his hearing on radical Islam.
Congressman King, I urge you to reconsider your stand on the topic of radical Islam by going after actual extremists instead of innocent law abiding citizens of the United States that aren’t doing a thing to you.
In fact, you should more then likely consider befriending these folks instead of making enemies out of them, or alienating a entire ethic community from you.
Thank You and God Bless You Folks,
James R. Morgan ll