After the audacious mission that took down the mastermind of 9/11, speculation has been rampant as to whether the perverse legacy of this man — his “dead hand” — will continue to control or influence future jihadist terrorist actions. No one knows for sure. Our intelligence agencies are still methodically analyzing the so-called trove of documents and data — “a bonanza of intelligence” — our brave Navy SEALs captured during their daring raid. Some...

As I wrote here, following the dastardly September 11 attacks, the U.S. State Department offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Osama Bin Laden. At the State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” web site, “Seeking Information Against International Terrorism,” one can still see “Usama bin Ladin’s” mug shot; one can still see the “Up to $25 Million reward” offer; one can still see the terrorist’s vital statistics; and one can still...

I know that my colleague Elijah Sweete has just very briefly commented on this story. But having written a previous post on Senator John McCain’s courageous, correct and consistent position on torture; having some very strong convictions on this issue myself and with my apologies to Elijah, I just can not let this one slide by. As Elijah points out, presidential candidate, never-been-tortured, never-even-served-in-the military, torture apologist Rick Santorum has the temerity and the shamelessness...

The concluding paragraph in the Washington Post’s announcement that “Trump won’t run for president in 2012,” pretty much says it all from the Republican front: Trump’s decision not to run is likely to be greeted by a sigh of relief by most Republican Party strategists who viewed Trump as a major distraction for the more serious contenders for the nomination. To those who have consistently viewed the spectacle put on by this ostentatious, thin-skinned man as nothing less than vanity and...

In an article benignly titled “The ‘Road to Heaven’ at Sobibor” almost exactly two years ago, I wrote about a photograph accompanying an article in the Dutch NRC Handelsblad published around that time. It was the photo of “a blissful, peaceful, country path bordered on both sides by tall pine trees.” A path that was described in the newspaper as a “reflection lane,” a path that roughly coincides with a path previously known as the “Himmelfahrtstrasse,” or road to heaven. A...

I do not usually agree with Senator John McCain. In fact, most of my past articles on the Senator from Arizona reflect my dislike for many of his policies and decisions: His obstinate opposition to ending “don’t ask, don’t tell;” his equally obstinate support of the Iraq war; his disappointing posturing on the new GI Bill of Rights during the Bush administration; his silly pick of Sarah Palin to be his running mate—and the list goes on. However, John McCain deserves credit...

Riobamba, Ecuador, 1946 Perhaps one of the (few) perks of being a contributor to The Moderate Voice is being able to post your own personal Mother’s Day message—picture of your mother and all. There have been some very nice pictures, thoughts and messages already about this special day. So here goes a picture of “my Mom and me.” But not before hoping that all those who for one reason or another can not share their favorite “me and my Mom” picture with us, will be able to hug their...

In the wake of the successful raid on Osama bin Laden’s “mansion” on the outskirts of Islamabad, under the noses of the Pakistani government, military and security forces, many were saying that, years from now, people will remember what they were doing, where they were, when President Obama announced to the nation that: A small team of Americans carried out the operation [to capture or kill bin Laden] with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid...

Even some of the most ardent birthers, even some of the most seasoned Obama haters, even The Donald, are giving up their crusade against the President, after he released the original, official, genuine, full, long-form, state of Hawaii, U.S. birth certificate. But not birther queen Orly Taitz. She appeared before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, yesterday to tell the judges that that the long-form birth certificate released by Obama is “not...

First, congratulations President Obama, our military, our intelligence agencies and America for a Mission Accomplished—accomplished so brilliantly. But now to the $25 million question. As we well remember, in our anguish and fury following the dastardly September 11 attacks, the U.S. State Department offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Osama Bin Laden. According to The Republic, “Frustrated that bin Laden had not been caught, Congress in November...

President Barack Obama announced tonight from the White House, while hundreds of cheering Americans were gathering outside, waving flags and singing patriotic songs, that Osama bin Laden, the master terrorist and master brain behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed more than three thousand Americans was killed in a courageous U.S. CIA-military-led operation in Pakistan. Justice has finally been done. Read more here

To the few remaining Dutch survivors of the Holocaust and to the descendants of the more than 100,000 Dutch Jews who were murdered by the Nazis during World War II, this Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Day) could be a particularly poignant one. You see, het Nationaal Archief (The Netherlands’ National Archive) announced a couple of weeks ago that it has compiled, from previously sealed archives on war collaborators, extensive information about the arrests and deportations to Nazi concentration camps...

Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, was officially designated as a day of observance by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 and is an internationally recognized day to remember, honor and memorialize the more than six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. The date corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar and marks the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Because the actual date of Yom HaShoah falls on a Sunday—May 1—this year, in Israel it will...

When I immigrated to the United States at the young age of 18, the first and foremost thing I wanted to do was to join the armed forces of the country that had so graciously accepted me as an immigrant, My second objective was to, one day, become an American, a real American. As a “green-card-holder,” in order to be accepted into the U.S. armed forces—in order to fight, and possibly die for this great country—all I had to do at the time was to sign a declaration of intent: that I...

Or perhaps I should ask, “What is going on with hell?” In a macabre way, Hell has always been popular. But it seems that recently more and more people are hell-bent on talking and writing about that lovely piece of real estate “down under.” For example, Ross Douthat at the New York Times, afraid that “belief in hell lags well behind and the fear of damnation seems to have evaporated” makes “A Case for Hell.” He cites and disagrees with Pastor Rob Bell’s “Love Wins: A Book About...

Several sources are reporting that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will attend her husband’s Endeavour space shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral on Friday—a launch that President Obama and the first family are also expected to attend. This would be the first time that Giffords is allowed to travel since she was flown from Tucson to Houston more than three months ago to recover from her injuries sustained in Tucson. An interview with Mark Kelly by Katie Couric where this subject is discussed will be...

I have consistently supported the enforcement of the UN-established no-fly zone in Libya and have defended it against those who would try to compare it to the disaster that was the invasion and occupation of Iraq—as I did here. At times, things have not gone too well, and even those who supported the enforcement have begun to waver. There has just been an important announcement regarding the coalition action over Libyan skies. I know that those Democrats who on principle do not support this...

Last week The Huffington Post published a series of articles focusing on issues affecting the families of those who serve, as part of Military Families Week. One story that I was touched by was one written by a fellow retired Air Force colonel, Richard Klass. It wasn’t because it is such a well-written story—it is—nor because it is about our troops and our veterans—although that is part of it. Nor is it because it is about the glory of war or the heroism of those fighting our...

After New York Times columnist Gail Collins wrote a blistering yet candid column in the Times mocking Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations and debunking the tenets of his sudden “birther” epiphany, Trump immediately fired back a letter to The Times lashing out at Collins—insulting the lady. Trump’s rambling letter broke just about every one of the Times’ rules on letters to the editor—length, decorum and especially the one about letter writers being...

On that dreadful Saturday afternoon in January, I along with many others started blogging on the tragedy in Tucson and updated the story at first every few minutes, then every few hours. Then, after the political and finger-pointing comments abated, I started updating the story almost daily, via comments, focusing on the miraculous recovery of Representative Gabrielle Giffords. From the number of “views” (over 1700), I concluded about two months ago that our readers were very interested in the...

Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I — of nearly 5 million Americans who served during that war — died last month at age 110. Buckles, who served in England and France, was a member of a steadily aging and shrinking group of heroes from our “early” major wars — where I am also including World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War — the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). One of these veterans is John Tschirhart, a decorated World War...

In a previous post, I apologized “for accusing Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump and ‘[e]very purported Republican candidate for president’ in my March 31 (not April 1) article of being birthers’ ‘winkers,’ “demurers,’ ‘coy players,’ or ‘issue dodgers.’” I did so because an April 1 Salon article said that they were all “just kidding about all that stuff,” and “the entire thing was just a bit of fun.” Well, this morning on the Today show, Donald Trump...

UPDATE: April 9 Legislation that would legalize concealed handguns on Texas college campuses for students 21 years and older has suffered a temporary setback, falling short of votes in its first attempt at passage by the Texas Senate. However, the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, intends to bring it up for consideration again Monday. According to the Austin American-Statesman: …even though the measure has strong support from conservative groups and others who call it a key gun rights...

I must apologize for accusing Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump and “[e]very purported Republican candidate for president” in my March 31 (not April 1) article of being birthers’ “winkers,” “demurers,” “coy players,” or “issue dodgers.” According to a Salon article yesterday, April 1, they were all “just kidding about all that stuff,” and “the entire thing was just a bit of fun.” According to Salon, in this April 1 article: Subsequent interviews with...

As you may know, The Times is now charging for unlimited access to NYTimes.com and NYTimes apps. Arianna Huffington has decided to follow suit. In an announcement just published, she starts: Today marks a significant transition for The Huffington Post Media Group, as we introduce digital subscriptions for employees of The New York Times. It’s an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Huffington Post, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism...