Posted on 09/14/2001 11:15:24 PM PDT by Uriel1975
As you've probably heard, Bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist organization is estimated at as many as 20,000 followers in a loose-knit collective spanning as many as 37 countries. While Federal military action is entirely justified against the actual nation-States proven to be active sponsors and harbors of organized terrorist operations, surely we do not expect to declare National War on all of these countries where recruitment, support, and training cells exist. Nor should we trust the (shall we say, not 100% perfect) resources of US counter-terrorist Intelligence, hamstrung in their operations by the "rules of engagement" imposed upon them by the nature of their work and by their host countries to effectively eliminate these cancers. So -- what are we to do?
The Issuance of Letters of Marque and Reprisal is a fully-Constitutional Federal Power which was specifically intended for the prosecution of Vengeance against the "stateless terrorists" of the Founder's day -- Pirates, Brigands, private armies, military adventurers, etc.
The purpose of a Letter of Marque and Reprisal is to create a financial incentive for private-sector military professionals -- trained mercenaries with an ability to travel individually or in small groups without detection -- to bring justice to those "stateless terrorists" identified as enemies of the citizenry. To gather intelligence on the ground, hunt these individuals down where they are hiding, and apprehend or eliminate them in their nests. The advantages of these private, paramilitary units (which are NOT mutually exclusive to a purposeful and directed Military response against defined physical targets) may suggest themselves already; so let's address the disadvantages first:
-- so does the US Criminal Justice system, every year... but we still prosecute Murder, because Murders must be avenged. But - bearing in mind for a moment that this is not a perfect world - ask yourself this: Who is likely to kill more innocent people -- a private mercenary unit who is looking for a specific individual so that they'll get paid, and knows that getting caught "in-country" could leave them at the mercies of a hostile foreign kangaroo court if they hit the wrong target..... or a B-52 bomber at 20,000 feet??
-- They already did try to kill the President (and Congress, too), and the soon-to-be-coming mass bombing raids against diverse and sundry Jihadistans aren't very likely to make them cozy up to us and play nice.
-- September 11, 2001. And what is stopping them from doing it again, using different tactics, against different civilian targets is... what? The point is bloody well moot.
-- Yes, and I'm proposing to pay them a heck of a lot more than the average 18-year old infantryman we're about to put into harm's way - and only if they volunteer for the mission, at that.
-- Puh-leeze. Congress just busted the budget to the tune of $40 Billion for what may turn out to be the preliminary battles in a long war. We could bounty the heads of every single al-Qaeda operative at $1/2 million apiece for a quarter of that. And amounts averaging that level are probably appropriate, given a desire for swift and effective retribution, and the dangers that private contractors will face.
Those objections addressed, let's now consider a proposal.
RESOLVED, That the Senators and Representatives of the United States in Congress Assembled, acting by the Powers granted them under Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution of the United States of America, do hereby issue and grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal against those agents and operatives of the Al-Qaeda Terrorist Organization, such as the Department of Defense acting on the direction of the President in consultation with this Congress, shall specify. Terms:
In support of the prosecution of these Letters of Marque and Reprisal, the Congress of the United States directs the Department of Defense to provide registered contractors with such armaments, equipment, logistical support, and intelligence as the contractors shall reasonably require; and may provide such discrete transportation and assistance in the prosecution of these contracts as the Department of Defense shall deem appropriate. However, in the case of capture by a hostile agency, the Department of Defense shall have the right to disavow any knowledge of, or responsibility for, the contractors in question; especially in the case of any contractor action against targets not specified for Reprisal by the Department of Defense.
Lavaroise, it is customary to READ the article in question before commenting.
(Or hadn't you noticed?)
Please READ the Article.
Understand that what is being proposed is the intended Constitutional methodology for location and termination of "stateless terrorists" -- a Declaration of Marque and Reprisal amounts to a (Monetarily-Bountied) Government Declaration of "Open Season" on all terrorist cells operating worldwide, as identified by the United States Department of Defense. It is a Declaration by the US Government to all private paramilitary contractors (i.e., mercenaries) that "We will pay you to kill these targets". This is NOT mutually-exclusive with Government Military Action against these targets. But "official" Military Action operates under constraints of International Law when dealing with countries with which we are NOT at war (and Al-Qaeda terrorist cells are estimated to be operating in as many as 37 different countries).
Mercenaries, OTOH, are not so constrained (there's plenty of analysis to this effect in the article posted above -- which you did not read).
Ergo, the employment of private mercenaries in a situation like this -- when you are dealing with the matter of attempting to locate and destroy as many as 20,000 Bin Laden followers, operating in 1-2,000+ individual terrorist cells, hidden in some 37 different countries -- is a fully-Constitutional method of hitting your targets from multiple directions at once. If Military action will accomplish the objective, fine. If, on the other hand, the US Military is unable to get at these terrorists due to lack of resources (when is the last time a Military attacked in 37 different directions at once, and was successful?) or International Law constraints, the "Marque and Reprisal" option for war-fighting specified under Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, allows the military to say to private paramilitary operators, "If we can't get to them first, we'll pay you to kill them for us".
"If we can't get to them first, we'll pay you to kill them for us". Marque and Reprisal. EXACTLY WHAT is your problem with that?? (As I said, next time READ the article. Good grief).
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
Letters of Marque and reprisal (and the implementation thereof) would send a message more sure than any other.
Keep bumped.
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
BRAVO! You've done very well Uriel. You should be proud. I know I am for you.
This is NOT mututally exclusive with Government Military action, nor is it intended to be.
But it IS intended to utilize a fully-Constitutional methodology for employing the seasoned ex-military veterans among our nations' Citizen Militia in the prosecution of a Winnable War against stateless terrorists -- without writing Senator Chuck Schumer a blank check to eliminate all our freedoms and spend untold billions of dollars fighting a war which the Government Military alone, if it has to fight a war on 37 different fronts, will be very hard-pressed to Win.
By the way, Demidog -- Sabrin is a rock. Without my even mentioning your own conversations on this issue, he (of his own initiative) brought up the very same points you have been making about the insanity of past US foreign policy, the disarming of American citizens by Gun Control and our resultant defenselessness in the face of terrorists armed with knives-fer-cryin-out-loud, and the extreme danger of surrendering our freedoms and our right to self-defense in the prosecution of a War in which victory by Government action alone is likely to prove --- well, difficult at best. Sabrin is an absolute rock in defense of Liberty, as I have always said.
I will let "D Joyce's" response speak to your objection:
The best source of intel, in that part of the world, are the Bedouins. I can reconnect if I can get to eastern Turkey, in one piece.
96 Posted on 09/16/2001 14:10:19 PDT by D Joyce
I think that you are substantially underestimating the professionalism of seasoned veterans who have "done their 20" on active duty in US military, intel, and law-enforcement/security services.
I'm not sure that you understand how deep cover government agents operate. They don't have a host government nanny. But if they get in trouble with the host government, the host government would be told to lay off. 94 Posted on 09/16/2001 13:16:50 PDT by Torie
Nonetheless, my prior point remains:
We should prosecute this War via multiple-layered tactics, on multiple levels, from multiple directions. We aim, after all, to win.
Unleash the seasoned ex-military veterans of our Citizen Militia against Bin-Laden -- and let the Hunters become the Hunted.
I called my old friend Murray Sabrin (National Vice Chair, Republican Liberty Caucus) immediately after the evening service and faxed the above article to his attention.
He had already heard of the Private-sector Bounty proposals being reported in the press, and his response was extremely supportive. He will be calling the office of the honorable Dr. Ron Paul, US Representative from Texas (member, Republican Liberty Caucus) and asking Ron's staff to clean up this proposal for formal submission to the United States House of Representatives.
Fire in the hole!! This Bill is on its way to Congress.
Respectfully, Jim, I would like to offer you my point of view.
Whatever you may think of us, Jim, Libertarians are PATRIOTS.
We just refuse - ever - to use any definition of "Patriotism" but that of George Washington. To Defend our Country, and to advocate policies to keep her safe from harm, without remorse or compromise.
And as George Washington Patriots, we are going to do whatever is within our power to help win this War. Because whatever we may say about the Government, the fact remains that Libertarians love America. We seek to see her enemies destroyed, and to see her kept safe from harm.
I live in Ron Paul's district. I was planning on giving him a call Monday morning. I'll be sure to mention my support of this proposal.
I'll be calling to find out what can be done about the Senate's destruction of our liberties via the new wiretapping bill.
I want that bill killed. And opposition to it will exact a high political price.
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