Talking about the Things That Matter Most on Feb. 4, 2010
Live From the Legatus Summit in Dana Point, CA
4:00 9-11 Terror Trials
So, the trial of the century is going to be in Manhattan, where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, killed thousands of people? Well, maybe not, unless Mohammed agrees to be tried in Manhattan, the trial might actually take place in, say, Fargo, N.D.T he alleged mastermind of 9/11 Mohammed, whose photo wearing a dirty T-shirt and sporting a bedraggled look is so familiar to us, is to be tried in Manhattan, blocks from Ground Zero, according to the administration. In recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stated that Mohammed, “will not select the prosecution venue, I will. And I have.” As far as the venue being in U.S. District Court, Holder is correct. But as far as the venue being in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the matter is open to substantial debate. Mark Bonner of Ave Maria School of Law is our guest.
4:20 Union, Nation, or Empire: The American Debate over International Relations, 1789-1941
Most overviews of American history depict an isolationist country finally dragged kicking and screaming onto the world stage by the attack on Pearl Harbor. David Hendrickson shows that Americans instead conducted often-raucous debates over international relations in the long epoch customarily seen as isolationist--debates that form the ideological origins of today's foreign policy arguments. Union, Nation, or Empire is a sequel to Hendrickson's acclaimed Peace Pact, in which he identified a "unionist paradigm" that defined America's political understanding in 1787. His new book examines how that paradigm was transformed under the impact of the great wars that followed. Through skillfully drawn portraits of American statesmen, from Hamilton and Jefferson to Wilson and the two Roosevelts, Hendrickson reveals "union, nation, and empire" as fundamental categories of political discourse that have shaped our engagement with the world since 1776.
4:40 As I See It
“As I See It” is Michael Coren's newest book. A collection of essays about the world and its affairs. "These are my opinions of numerous subjects, issues, debates and people. The world, as it were, as I see it." We talk to the Canadian radio and television host about religious freedom in his country, health care, the middle east, and much, much more
5:00 – Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist on Oprah
With us here at the Legatus Summit, we talk with the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist who will be making an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show next week. We find out why and what the topics will be with Mother Assumpta Long and Sister Joseph Andrew.
5:20 Even some pro-abortion feminists support the Tebow ad
This from Washington Post columnist Sally Jankins. “I'm pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I've heard in the past week, I'll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the "National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time." For one thing, Tebow seems smarter than they do. Tebow's 30-second ad hasn't even run yet, but it already has provoked "The National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us" to reveal something important about themselves: They aren't actually "pro-choice" so much as they are pro-abortion.” Al has a commentary on this issue.
5:40 Oscar Nominations Announced
The Oscar nominations are now out and we sit down with film critic Steven Greydanus to look at what they are, what they mean, and the trends that they reveal.
Re: The Interview with Mark Bonner about the 9-11 Terror Trials
ReplyDeleteThis was a lousy interview. Mark Bonner tells us that a civil trial will give Khalid Sheikh Mohammed a propaganda bully pulpit and that if we have this trial, it will be a propaganda disaster. What propaganda does Bonner have in mind? He doesn't say, and Al doesn't ask. Conservatives, like Pat Buchanan, have said that civil trials for terrorists will put America on trial. Why? Have we done something wrong? I know that Pat thinks the answer to that question is yes. Well then, ... we'd better keep a lid on it.
Bonner called KSM a war criminal. On what basis is KSM a war criminal? Has Congress declared a state of war on the likes of KSM? In September 2001, Congress passed a resolution authorizing the use of military force against terrorists and those who harbor them. The resolution cites the War Powers Act. Does that form the basis for calling KSM a war criminal? I'm not a lawyer, but I have my doubts about all this stuff. It all seems very loose and contrived.
Al said that giving Scott Roeder a bully pulpit boomeranged on Roeder and the pro-life movement, and maybe the same thing could happen with KSM. Later, though, Al said that a civil trial would allow KSM to provide "an apologetics for radical Islam."
When Al threw Scott Roeder into the mix, Bonner complained that Roeder "wasn't allowed to explain, in his mind, what his motive was for committing these offenses." But it's obvious that Bonner does not want to give KSM the same opportunity to explain his motive.
This interview was a mess: a great demonstration of the conservative, hierarchical, know-it-all Catholic mindset.