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The Washington Post and News 8 are running a story that speculates that the Obama administration will move Gitmo detainees to the Alexandria, VA.  The Mayor of Alexandria, William D. Euille (D), had this to say:

We would be absolutely opposed to relocating Guantanamo prisoners to Alexandria.  We would do everything in our power to lobby the president, the governor, the Congress and everyone else to stop it. We’ve had this experience, and it was unpleasant. Let someone else have it.

Mayor Euille, you are the worst kind of hypocrite.  People have protested Gitmo and wanted it closed during the Bush administration.  Now that some of those “innocent” people are going to be released, they don’t want them there!

This is similar to a story that I heard about a year ago.  Montgomery county in Maryland said that they would not help Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown on laborers.  But the largely liberal community cried out when these laborers started loitering around their neighborhood.

This goes to show that liberals only care about justice when it’s cool and hip.  If you truly believe that these wrongly held citizens are innocent, why not invite them with open arms?

I’ll be the first to say welcome!  Here’s my letter to Major Euille:

Mayor Euille:

I am shocked by the comments you made regarding the possible relocation of Guantanamo detainees to Alexandria.  Many of your constituents have demanded their release from the prison.  Many of these same constituents wanted to end the war in Iraq.  I personally don’t take these positions but I find it highly hypocritical that you would not welcome these detainees with open arms.

Per our constitution, all of these detainees are INNOCENT until proven guilty.  With the new president, he is listening to the people and is releasing them.  It’s not right for these same people to now complain when they are being released into their back yard.  Alexandria, who voted President Obama in with a sweeping majority, should now embrace these detainees.  After all, they haven’t even been charged with a crime.

I expect more from a leader such as yourself.

Sincerely,

Michael Soh

UPDATE :: 31 March 2009 10:00 am

Mayor Euille did me the courtous thing and replied to me.  But it confuses more than it answers.  I guess if he couldn’t do that he wouldn’t be in politics:

Dear Mr. Soh:

Thank you for your email. I appreciate your taking the time to let me know your concerns about the disposition of the Guantanamo detainees. While I support the closing of this facility and giving the detainees a fair trial, I believe that Alexandria has already done its fair share by handling for more than four years the Missaoui trial.

William D. Euille
Mayor

For those that don’t know, Missaoui, a Gitmo detainee was tried in the federal court located in Alexandria.  Of course, there were protests and the like.  The security alone cost an arm and a leg.  However, a democratic society has the duty to administer justice, right?  Well, apparently, Mayor Euille doesn’t believe in justice.  He believes in convienence.  Here is my reply to him:

Mayor Euille

I appreciate your reply. However, I’m confused by your last sentence of your e-mail. If you support giving the detainees a fair trail, why should it matter how many detainees are tried? Does this mean that you don’t support exonerating wrongly convicted prisoners?

It seems that there is a double standard. I believe that as a democracy, we should give these detainees the benefit of the doubt and support them as a community. They have yet to be proven of any wrong doing. I think that by saying that “Alexandria has done it’s fair share” you are saying “Let someone else deal with the problem.”  But what problem is that?  Administering justice?  Making sure that a possibly innocent person gets his fair day in court?

The detainees should be treated with respect, and not like garbage that we can simply pass on to someone else. The next city many not be as accommodating as the fair citizens of Alexandria, who support President Obama. I continue to disagree with your position would appreciate a more thorough explanation.

Very respectfully,

Michael Soh

My letter to my Congressman:

Congressman Moran

I’m writing to you because of my deep disappointment of your vote to impose a 90% tax on people who received bonuses through the TARP.  Congressman, you voted for this for bill, which included NO oversight.  You agreed to bail them out, despite your constituents screaming no.

Instead of admitting the mistake, you decide to blame someone else.  The reality is your vote allowed this to happen.

I’m becoming deeply troubled by your voting record and will now openly admit that my vote for your re-election is in jeopardy.

Very respectfully,

Michael Soh

Visit the Legislative Information System to track your own bills.

Bills I support:

• HB 982: Concealed handgun permit applications — Protects from public disclosure permittee names and descriptive information held by the Department of State Police.  Bill forged after The Roanoke Times published a list of names and addresses of those who had conceal carry permits.
• HB 55 : Designating English as official language of State — I think it’s discriminatory that the VA government website only offers Spanish as an alternative language.  Why not Korean?  Make the official language English so there is no discrimination.
• HB 65 : Voters and voting; photo identification required to vote — Voting is important to the democratic process.  We must be able to verify all voters to be sure that they are indeed the person who they say they are.

Bills I oppose:

• HB 904 : Mobile telephone and other wireless electronic devices; use of hands-free accessory while driving — Unfairly targets travelling businessmen as well as more affluent drivers.  I would only support this bill if eating, drinking, and any other activity taking focus away from driving were also banned.
• HB 20 : Primary elections; voter registration by political party — Political party affiliations should not used as a filter.  Current rules are fine.
• SB 233 : Transportation Plan; include quantifiable measures & achievable goals for greenhouse gas emission — Greenhouse gases is a very broad term and measurement of these gases will accomplish nothing except provide an arbitrary measure to reduce a naturally occurring emission.
• SB 2 : Retail Sales and Use Tax; eliminates exemption for certain fuels — We don’t need any more taxes on gas.  And the Use tax should be eliminated, not expanded.

You can view federal bills I’m tracking on OpenCongress.org.

Earlier this week, Bush made an announcement solidifying the Health providers’ conscience rule.  For the most part, this announcement only combines laws that are already on the books.  There wasn’t a new bill passed.  The rule provides doctors, nurses, and health care provider’s a choice to provide or refuse a treatment that they disagree with.

The irony of this is that people from the “pro-choice” camp are saying that it prevents people from getting abortions.  What’s even more ironic is that these “pro-choice” people want to take choice away from health providers to force them to perform a procedure they think is unsafe or that they disagree with.

Why should it matter why?  Doctors refuse treatments all the time when they don’t believe it is safe for the patient.

I cannot support HR7310 (sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette [D, CO-1] and Rep. Louise Slaughter [D, NY-28]) or S20.  These democrats, who are pro-choice, want to take choice away from doctors and instead give it in politicians.  Call your senators and congressmen and tell them to vote these bills down!