1) Thank you for quoting the Constitution of the United States to us. To
often we, the citizens of this free land, forget our own origins or take
them for granted. It always amuses me though that citizens of other nations
love to quote, in an attempt to use our own words, our historical documents
against us to prove their point.
The following is called the Preamble, an introduction if you will to what
our fore fathers wanted to create here on the continent of N. America.
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.
Article III
Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity,
arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties
made, or which shall be made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting
ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls;--to all cases of admiralty
and maritime jurisdiction;--to controversies to which the United States
shall be a party;--to controversies between two or more states;--between a
state and citizens of another state;--between citizens of different
states;--between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of
different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign
states, citizens or subjects.
In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and
those in which a state shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original
jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court
shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such
exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury;
and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have
been committed; but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be
at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy
and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the
crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have
compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the
assistance of counsel for his defense.
Now that we have all the, correct, relevant quotations out of the way,
Please note the very beginning of our constitution, the Preamble. Does it
state; We the people of the world? or does it in fact state "We the people
of the United States"? At no time was this document meant to ensure these
values on the world at large. This is a document solely for the use of and
by the citizens of the US of A.
On to other matters, I do not believe that anyone in the world can
accurately say that we in the U.S. have been blind patriots, my country
right or wrong syndrome if you will. Or that we are being that now. No this
is not an official war, one declared by congressional act, it is instead an
armed response to an act of war against the sovereign nation of the U.S. And
no one can deny that the suicidal attack on the Twin Towers, on U.S. soil,
was an act of war. But seeing as this has turned to a constitutional debate,
please peruse the following
Article II
Section 1.(last line)
Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following
oath or affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to
the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the
United States."
Section 2.
The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United
States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the
actual service of the United States;
As commander in chief of our armed forces, he can respond to acts of war
for the self - defense of our country. These actions have also been approved
by our congress, which has given the President the full support of both
houses of congress, Democrats, Republicans and the other assorted odds &
ends of our full political spectrum. The tribunals do not require
congressional approval under our constitution. And have been used
successfully in the past during war time conditions.
So please everything that is being done is being done legally and with in
the confines of OUR constitution and principles and in the best interests of
our nation, to "insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,
promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity"
2) Definition of majority: a number greater than half of a total. (Webster's
New Collegiate; 1977)
By your own admission, "best estimates are that 10-15 percent of Muslims
worldwide are of the militant Islamist strain" This definitely looks like a
lot less than a majority follow the militant path. And while I personally
believe that Islam is and always has been a militant & aggressive religion,
most (by definition) practitioners are definitely not militant and are
peaceful by nature. Most Islamic people are just as appalled by the
atrocities (acts of war) committed on September 11th, 2001.
3) As for us being blindly patriotic or not being citizens of earth, please
note that none of the Arabic/Islamic states that were receiving financial
aid from the U.S. have been cut off from funding.
Jordan - $760 million since 1990
India - To date, India has received the equivalent of $13 billion in U.S.
economic assistance ($52.7 billion in today's dollars). In the 1980s and
1990s, USAID's average annual budget for India was $157 million.
Egypt - The U.S. has provided an average of $815 million of economic
support funds to Egypt annually since the Camp David Accords were signed
1979.
West Bank/Gaza - Since FY 1994, the U.S. Government has committed over $1.1
billion in economic assistance.
Bangladesh - The U.S. has invested significantly in Bangladesh, providing a
total $4.5 billion of development assistance, food aid, and disaster relief.
Pakistan - The U.S. has provided Pakistan with about $7.9 billion in
economic assistance from 1948 to 1990 when a phased closeout began due to
Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. USAID initiated the Pakistan NGO
Initiative in 1995 to continue limited assistance efforts.
And let us not forget the humanitarian aid that the U.S. government
continues to send to various areas around the world. And please do not
forget all the donations freely given by U.S. citizens, independent of
government funding, through the various humanitarian organizations. I think
we, here in the U.S., definitely qualify as "earthlings" as well as proud
U.S. patriots.
Sincerely,
Dana Kyler, a Sinclair by marriage
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