Suggestion for Peter King

In another CNN 'Belief' piece that appears cleverly designed to bash conservatives and Republicans, a 9/11 mother, Talat Hamdani, reminds readers that her late son killed in the Twin Towers was an American too, and she's pretty appalled about Rep Peter King's hearings to single out Muslims planning domestic terror.

There's some validity to her opinion. America has long struggled to balance a melting pot society without devolving into bitter factions; add in the recent threat posed by radical Islam it's only natural for some people to succumb to xenophobic chants. In World War II FDR handled that problem by rounding up anyone who looked like or were related to the enemy (at least one of them) and locking them away--but we must strive to not repeat the mistakes of our past.

Some believe Rep King is doing just that, Ms. Hamdani being one of them. She advocates for slightly changing his agenda:

Make no mistake: As a mother who lost a son, I am aware of the need to ensure that our country is secure, that an event like 9/11 never happens again, and that other mothers do not have to bury their sons. And I understand that it is the job of our elected officials to ensure that we are safe. But I reject the notion that it is mainly Muslims in America who pose a threat to our security. Domestic terrorism stalked America before 9/11, and it continues to come in all forms.

That is why I support the call from Rep. King's fellow congressmen and a coalition of Muslim, civil rights and interfaith groups to expand the hearings to include a consideration of extremists of all kinds, not just those who are Muslim.

In other words-- everybody say it --TIMOTHY MCVEIGH! He's the one shining light in the left's arsenal of defense of the domestic jihad from angry teabagging union busting Republicans. They even name conservative TV characters McVeigh to make sure nobody forgets that domestic terrorists can be lily white Christians, too, even if they are fuzzy agnostics. Close enough!

The problem is that CNN and most of their alphabet network comrades, along with most in the reality-based community in general, have forgotten too much about Oklahoma City and may need to be reminded of a few things.

For instance, they've forgotten Joe Doe Number Two. They might remember Richard Clarke's testimony in the 9/11 hearings when he apologized to America for government failures (wink, wink, Bush) but have forgotten the passage in his book where he speaks of McVeigh's bombs being duds before Nichols went to the Philippines (where master bombmaker Ramzi Yousef, KSM and other jihadists were lighting at the time).

So here's a recommendation for Rep King: take Ms. Hamdani's suggestion to heart. America can always benefit from knowing whether any far right militia groups might be plotting insurrection--like these guys. It would also be helpful to know if any of them are so determined to overthrow the government that they'd actually turn to our sworn enemies to obtain help. So bring it on--surely we can all handle the truth.

MORE 3/7/11

Both CNN and Fox News have stories heralding King's upcoming hearings on Thursday. Notice the difference, keeping in mind that Fox is supposed to be biased network.

By the way, the Fox version mentioned that King will summon the father of Carlos Bledsoe, al Qaeda name Abdulhakim, who allegedly shot and killed a Little Rock Army recruiter in 2009. This case alone might be worth the hearings if nothing else but to answer a few questions. One, why was Bledsoe not charged with a federal crime despite targeting members of the military in a self-proclaimed jihad? Arkansas prosecutors are going for the death penalty but his lawyers--the ones he keeps trying to get rid of--keep trying to get him declared not competent for trial; psychologists keep determining that he's sane enough. We already know such people are crazy but not necessarily insane--that's sort of the point.

Perhaps keeping it within Arkansas has effectively squelched coverage from the national press. Bledsoe himself has claimed the FBI knew about his background and failed to stop him--it appears they knew he went to Yemen and was radicalized.

Also, as we approach the hearings Obama has now leaked that he'll restart the GTMO military tribunals soon. At the same time a video was spotlighted today on Drudge and other sites showing helicopter footage of 9/11 taken from an NYPD chopper. It was leaked to Cryptome. Interesting timing.