# Dumbass "Keep America Safe" group attacks DOJ attorneys as terrorist sympathizers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 6, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556 "2010-03-06T20:19:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/1 "2010-03-06T20:19:15Z")
[http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped\_archive?month=03&year=2010&base\_name=another\_bush\_official\_defends](http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=03&year=2010&base_name=another_bush_official_defends) > [@](#): > > John Bellinger III, a former legal adviser to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and currently a partner at the law firm of Arnold and Porter, defended the nine Department of Justice lawyers who have been accused of being terrorist sympathizers by Liz Cheney’s group, Keep America Safe. > [@](#): > > “We’ve had a long-standing tradition in our country for lawyers to represent unpopular causes, and they shouldn’t be attacked for doing so," Bellinger added. Did these people sleep through grade-school Social Studies classes? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/2 "2010-03-06T20:30:51Z")
Liz Cheney is an idiot. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/3 "2010-03-06T20:34:02Z")
It’s not that unusual to see similar attitudes in certain sections of the American population about criminal defense attorneys more generally. The same morons who claim that America is the greatest country on earth because of its awesome freedoms and rights and due process of law are, apparently, incensed that accused criminals can be defended under that same system of due process. It’s one of the more common manifestations of cognitive dissonance among the Blithering Idiot section of the United States. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/4 "2010-03-06T21:03:06Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > It’s not that unusual to see similar attitudes in certain sections of the American population about criminal defense attorneys more generally. > > The same morons who claim that America is the greatest country on earth because of its awesome freedoms and rights and due process of law are, apparently, incensed that accused criminals can be defended under that same system of due process. It’s one of the more common manifestations of cognitive dissonance among the Blithering Idiot section of the United States. I see it more as a sense of entitlement… It’s all about me. The universe revolves around me. I have all these rights, and more, but you don’t have any. Laws should protect the things I want or things I do. Laws should outlaw or curtail or tax the shit out of things you do, if I don’t like them. My freedoms are sacred, yours are of no consequence. It’s all bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/5 "2010-03-06T22:23:52Z")
It’s also why they oppose ordinary trials and insist on military tribunals, which do not allow for the accused to adequately defend themselves, even if they get military advocates who actually do their job. The underlying premise is that only Americans deserve these vaunted rights. The rest of the world (and this usually translated into brown people from the third world) do not deserve them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/6 "2010-03-06T22:33:18Z")
Got a link with the details? The link in the OP doesn’t really say much about what KAS did. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/7 "2010-03-06T22:35:47Z")
“Dumb”? If only. They know _exactly_ what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/8 "2010-03-06T22:41:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Got a link with the details? The link in the OP doesn’t really say much about what KAS did. You can see the video in question on the “Keep America Safe” home page: [http://www.keepamericasafe.com/](http://www.keepamericasafe.com/) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/9 "2010-03-06T22:52:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Got a link with the details? The link in the OP doesn’t really say much about what KAS did. Apparently, after the DoJ hired 9 lawyers who had previously defended Guatanamo detainees, Attorney-General Holder would only release the names of two of them. Keep America safe, in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIxg7LmlEQg), calls for the release of the names of the others, referring to them as the “Al Qaeda Seven.” You can get a sense of Keep America safe’s priorities on their [website](http://www.keepamericasafe.com/), although, apart from their Mission Statement, there’s not a whole lot of substance on the site. It consists mainly of links to conservative news and opinion sources. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/10 "2010-03-06T23:04:27Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Apparently, after the DoJ hired 9 lawyers who had previously defended Guatanamo detainees, Attorney-General Holder would only release the names of two of them. > > Keep America safe, in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIxg7LmlEQg), calls for the release of the names of the others, referring to them as the “Al Qaeda Seven.” Thanks. Hmm. I have no idea if I’m supposed to be outraged about Holder not releasing all their names. Is that unusual in any way? And it appears KAS did something worse than call these guys “terrorist sympathizers”. To me, “al Qaeda 7” says “terrorist”, not just sympathizer. Slime. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/11 "2010-03-06T23:04:28Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Apparently, after the DoJ hired 9 lawyers who had previously defended Guatanamo detainees, Attorney-General Holder would only release the names of two of them. > > Keep America safe, in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIxg7LmlEQg), calls for the release of the names of the others, referring to them as the “Al Qaeda Seven.” > > You can get a sense of Keep America safe’s priorities on their [website](http://www.keepamericasafe.com/), although, apart from their Mission Statement, there’s not a whole lot of substance on the site. It consists mainly of links to conservative news and opinion sources. Imagine that. Defense lawyers defending the accused. This is America. We can’t have such behavior here. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/12 "2010-03-06T23:12:58Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Thanks. > > Hmm. I have no idea if I’m supposed to be outraged about Holder not releasing all their names. Is that unusual in any way? I really don’t know. It’s not clear to me whether the identities of all DoJ employees are generally considered to be public information, or whether there is a policy of not releasing certain names due to security or privacy concerns. Given that these lawyers defended Gitmo detainees, and given the Obama administration’s professed desire for a more fair and open and accountable system of trials, i think it probably would have been better (or at least, more politically expedient) for Holder to simply release all the names when he was first asked. I can sort of understand why he didn’t, given the invective and accusations coming from KAS and its fellow-travelers on the issue, but it might have been good to release them and say something like: “Here are the names of the DoJ lawyers who defended the Gitmo detainees. These people have provided an invaluable service to the United States and to the world, and have helped to ensure that America lives up to the values of justice and due process that we are fighting for around the world.” ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/13 "2010-03-06T23:33:55Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I really don’t know. > > It’s not clear to me whether the identities of all DoJ employees are generally considered to be public information, or whether there is a policy of not releasing certain names due to security or privacy concerns. > > Given that these lawyers defended Gitmo detainees, and given the Obama administration’s professed desire for a more fair and open and accountable system of trials, i think it probably would have been better (or at least, more politically expedient) for Holder to simply release all the names when he was first asked. > > I can sort of understand why he didn’t, given the invective and accusations coming from KAS and its fellow-travelers on the issue, but it might have been good to release them and say something like: “Here are the names of the DoJ lawyers who defended the Gitmo detainees. These people have provided an invaluable service to the United States and to the world, and have helped to ensure that America lives up to the values of justice and due process that we are fighting for around the world.” Maybe they are worried about some psycho going after them? Still, I have trouble imagining that nobody could find out or figure out who they are, if they really wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/14 "2010-03-06T23:39:47Z")
[Here’s a really angry editorial by a colleague of one of the slandered lawyers.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030404181.html) ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/15 "2010-03-06T23:43:20Z")
Liz Cheney on Bill O’Reilly: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwcy\_0JWvro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwcy_0JWvro) O’Reilly seems pretty skeptical of Cheney’s claims, even if he agrees that it’s important to treat terrorism as a war rather than as a crime. If her arguments can’t even stand up to a friendly interviewer, I’d say they’re pretty fucking weak. ---
**Author:** ![SweetLucy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@SweetLucy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetLucy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/16 "2010-03-06T23:52:53Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Liz Cheney is an idiot. That is all. Runs in the family, I guess 😛 ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/17 "2010-03-07T00:01:12Z")
Keep America Safe is a terrorist organization. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/18 "2010-03-07T00:02:52Z")
> [@sleeping](#): > > Keep America Safe is a terrorist organization. They’re Al Qaeda’s recruiting arm. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/19 "2010-03-07T00:03:05Z")
Ted Olson, Legal Times, January 2007 “The ethos of the bar is built on the idea that lawyers will represent both the popular and the unpopular, so that everyone has access to justice. Despite the horrible Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, this is still proudly held as a basic tenet of our profession,” … “When government officials are called ‘war criminals’ and when public-interest lawyers are called ‘terrorist huggers,’ it not only cheapens the discourse, it scrambles the dialogue. The best solutions to these difficult problems will emerge only when the best advocates, backed by weighty resources, bring their talents to bear. And the heavy work of creating solutions for these complicated issues can only move forward when the name-calling ceases.” ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556/20 "2010-03-07T00:08:23Z")
Wolf Blitzer, apologizing for the CNN display of a DOJ terrorist graphic: On Thursday, CNN broadcast text that read “HAPPENING NOW, DEPARTMENT OF JIHAD?” and “Are Justice Department Lawyers Disloyal?” … “CNN had no intention of suggesting that the Justice Department supports terrorism. Lawyers at the Justice Department are patriotic Americans and we certainly regret any confusion that may have been caused by our graphic.” No intention. Check. Department of Jihad. Check. Disloyal. Check. Cue shit hitting the fan. Check. Compete 180 degree turn. Check. Goto first line - no intention. My ass. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbass-keep-america-safe-group-attacks-doj-attorneys-as-terrorist-sympathizers/531556.md?page=2)