In recent days some leading members of the GOP have engaged themselves in overly harsh and unproductive criticism of the Democratic Party. Their latest contentions include protesting the upcoming civilian trial of a known terrorist and questioning the validity of global warming due to snow.
Eric Holder is the first black attorney general of the United States. He is responsible for overseeing the arrangements for the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who is generally viewed as the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Holder also bore the responsibility of deciding whether the trial would be held in civilian or military court and many Republicans have voiced strong opposition toward his decision to try Mohammed in the federal civilian court system. At a recent rally promoted by a radical organization of GOP members called “Keep America Safe people were overheard shouting at Holder on a large television screen, communist traitor” and even “lynch him.”
The issue these Republicans do not seem to understand is that Article III civilian courts are generally the most reliable way to prosecute a terrorist and military courts are reserved to try those who are military forces. Not only is it a near certainty that Mohammed will be found guilty in these courts but he will also have been tried in accordance with the highest letter of the law— the Constitution. To deny Mohammed these Constitutional rights could not only pose negative repercussions down the line but also challenges the very fabric of the ideals upon which our nation was founded.
An important point that has been left out of this issue is that so many terrorists have already been tried and convicted in the federal court system. President Obama (as well as reports from outside sources) confirms that the most recent Bush administration successfully prosecuted no less than 190 suspected Islamic or jihadist terrorists in the civilian court system. Criticizing the Democratic Party for the way in which it is handling these trials is clearly hypocritical— and acts as further evidence that the GOP is simply looking for ways to discredit Obama with no consideration of facts.
Another issue that has been attributed to Democratic ideals— and therefore criticized by Republicans— is the combatting of global warming. Some GOP leaders and party members joke that since the nation is seeing so much snow this season global warming must be a hoax.
Let’s all take a step back and try to remember what global warming (now more commonly referred to as climate change) really is. Since the time of the Industrial Revolution the increase of carbon emissions has amplified the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere thereby steadily raising the average temperature of the Earth. Though this increase is very slight what many people fail to understand is that our planet runs on a delicate system of ocean currents and weather patterns that can be thrown off by the smallest of changes to our global climate.
To say global warming is simply about the planet getting warmer is the mistake many people are making as they criticize Al Gore from their snow forts. There is already evidence of ocean currents being thrown out of wack which may be one reason we have received snow farther south this year. The melting of polar ice changes the salinity of the ocean which can also change weather patterns. And what about all this snow? Think about this: warmer oceans mean more water vapor in the air which eventually must condense into precipitation meaning more rain or snow.
It is becoming alarmingly apparent that the GOP is restlessly exploiting any way to criticize the Obama administration and democrats. The real problem is that there are thousands of people who take this criticism as fact when much of it is not. In the long run Mohammed will be convicted no matter where he is tried and climate change will affect our lives in real ways no matter how many Republicans disagree. In the end these issues will not be solved with blind submission to party politics but with real calculated action that will result from objective analysis of the facts.