My D.C. sources say:

Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Jim Webb (D-VA) have an amendment to an appropriations bill which would prohibit any federal funding to bring 9/11 co-conspirators like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to the United States for trial in civilian courts. The idea is to return those cases to the military commissions Congress created on a bipartisan basis, where they belong, and keep detainees out of the United States.

The problems with trying terror detainees in civilian courts are well documented. Such trials have inadvertently leaked sensitive material, tipped off terrorists to a communications link, and even unintentionally provided intelligence information to Osama bin Laden. Last month former attorney general Michael Mukasey wrote an excellent op-ed for The Wall Street Journal explaining why his experience has shown civilian courts to be the wrong venue for such trials. Sen. McConnell also explained the necessity of this amend

150 family members of 9/11 victims have written a letter to the Senate urging the passage of this amendment.  They write in part, “We adamantly oppose prosecuting the 9/11 conspirators in Article III courts, which would provide them with the very rights that may make it possible for them to escape the justice which they so richly deserve.”

Keep an eye out for a vote on this amendment later today.

Please retweet/Facebook/talk this up.

Having come of age in the era of busing in Boston (yet another dumb idea hatched by liberals), this article by Washington Times reporter Justin A. Rice is particularly salient. Liberals make promises they can’t keep.  They cited the objective of “integration” to justify the busing program. Today (2009), Boston schools are overwhelmingly non-white. Bear this in mind when they extol the virtues of single payer/gubimint run/public option/delay trigger health systems. Here’s an excerpt:

Boston schools still let parents pick schools, but only within three enormous and controversial geographical zones. Buses carting only one student often crisscross the city – contributing to next year’s nearly $80 million transportation budget at a time when the district faces a projected $100 million budget shortfall.

“Buses carting only ONE student….” Stupid, stupid, stupid AND expensive AND wasteful. And it only comes with a 27% dropout rate.

John Steele Gordon does an excellent job of reaching into the heart of the liberal to ascertain why he/she thinks,does and says the things he/she does:

We all use paradigms to make sense of what we see around us and couldn’t get along without them. Unfortunately, the basic liberal paradigm hasn’t shifted in a hundred years, while the world we live in has changed utterly since the late 19th century, when modern liberalism was born.

Charles Kesler’s interview with Peter Robinson does an excellent job of explaining the waves of modern liberalis, the implication of each wave, and the inherent dangers posed by liberalism.

House docket room 428 – “has been closed.” 3 employees out of their jobs since Monday, October 26, 2009.

“Budget cuts” or… sneaky effort to circumvent open meeting laws?  Details as they become available.  Also check out Fix Beacon Hill for more info.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:07 — 24.8MB)

The attached podcast is a foreshadowing of the Monday, October 19, 2009 edition of Patriot Games airing on the RFC Radio network. My guest – DR Tucker proprietor of the Notes and a member of the staff here at Patriot Games on the RFC Radio network. Topics discussed:

Rush Limbaugh and the emasculation of the NFL

The Nobel Prize fiasco

Republican establishment supports an ACORN/card check/Margaret Sanger liberal over a genuine conservative

The Vatican’s support of the New World Order

From the “Isn’t it pathetic” file: The Boston Globe reports that a group of African-American religious figures in Boston endorsed the re-election campaign of scandal-scarred Mayor Thomas M. Menino, arguing that Menino “…was the best choice for a community eager for solutions to chronic problems such as unemployment and lack of opportunity.” You have got to be kidding me.

One dissenting black religious figure accused Menino of playing racial politics, but a Menino flak blew him off, as usual.

A pro-Menino minister actually asserted that Menino was “a friend of the minority community who has joined it in fighting crime.” Say what, brother? Is black Boston doing better in 2009 than it was in 1993, when Menino first became Mayor? If the answer is no, then how can these guys stand with Menino? Can it not be argued that these clergymen are acting stupidly?

Mitt Romney’s enemies are at it again.

PoliticsDaily.com reports that the former Massachusetts Governor has been targeted by the same folks who attempted to sabotage his 2008 Presidential campaign; they’re even going so far as to launch a website attacking veteran conservative activist Tony Perkins for his apparent support of Romney.

Seriously, what is wrong with these people? If Sarah Palin fails to run for President in 2012, Romney will be the GOP’s only real hope to recapture the White House. Romney would have soundly defeated Obama if he had been the GOP nominee in 2008, as his economic knowledge would have been far more palatable to the general population than Obama’s saturated-in-socialism stands. Are these guys actually interested in stopping the spread of statism? Or do they have other motives?

Look, Romney is not perfect (and Romneycare certainly isn’t). However, by allowing the perfect to become the enemy of the good, Romney’s enemies are, to quote our Collectivist-in-Chief, “acting stupidly.”

The Boston Globe informs us that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s administration “… urged approval of a controversial Gloucester charter school earlier this year, over the fierce objections of city residents and the advice of state specialists, based not on its merits but because it would further the governor’s political agenda, according to a recently published e-mail.” Wonderful!

“The e-mail,” the story notes, “..contrasted with the administration’s repeated denials that politics played a role in approval of the charter school and could potentially weaken its credibility as it seeks legislative approval of proposals to help the state’s worst schools.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if Gov. Patrick approved more charter schools not for political purposes, but because they were the right thing to do? And don’t you wonder if President Obama is leaning on Gov. Patrick not to run for re-election?

The Boston Herald and Boston Globe report on an alleged coverup within the administration of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. As mayoral contender Sam Yoon notes, “This is what happens when power goes unchecked and unopposed…Absolute power corrupts absolutely.’’

The problem is, what if Boston voters again fail to recognize that its mayor has fundamental leadership issues? After all, just last month a federal judge declared that Menino had overstepped his authority in attempting to force Boston cab drivers to move to hybrids. Will Boston voters, who rejected qualified alternatives in 2001 and 2005, once again choose to stick with Menino, an empty suit in an empty chair?

Norman Podhoretz shares his thoughts on this issue in today’s Wall Street Journal. Excerpts follow:

As a Jew who moved from left to right more than four decades ago, I have been hoping for many years that my fellow Jews would come to see that in contrast to what was the case in the past, our true friends are now located not among liberals, but among conservatives.

What I am saying is that if anything bears eloquent testimony to the infinitely precious virtues of the traditional American system, it is the Jewish experience in this country. Surely, then, we Jews ought to be joining with its defenders against those who are blind or indifferent or antagonistic to the philosophical principles, the moral values, and the socioeconomic institutions on whose health and vitality the traditional American system depends.

Mr. Podhoretz’ larger observations hold true across the political spectrum: how does liberalism benefit the average individual? We maintain it does not.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:38 — 26.8MB)

As promised, I am linking to the text from the September 4, 2009 edition of Patriot Games aired on the RFC Radio network. The show topic: Why are Jews liberal? (Roughly 1 hour in length).  The respondents to the question included Michael Medved, William Kristol and Boston’s own Jeff Jacoby.  The podcast is also included for your listening convenience. Kudos to D.R. Tucker of “The Notes” fame, a highly insightful website of breaking news, comment and internet radio.  RFC Radio welcomes thinking listeners of all stripes. Please leave your comments and thoughts here at this site. Thank You in advance.