I am not sure if something in the water is making these people less and less capable of rational thought, but here is the latest from Byron York's parajournalism:
Attorney General Eric Holder says nine Obama appointees in the Justice Department have represented or advocated for terrorist detainees before joining the Justice Department. But he does not reveal any names beyond the two officials whose work has already been publicly reported. And all the lawyers, according to Holder, are eligible to work on general detainee matters, even if there are specific parts of some cases they cannot be involved in.
Wow, I am shocked, shocked that in America everyone is entitled to a fair trial and to representation. Byron York apparently needs that fix that comes with hysteria drills such as this and predictably it works. The match is lit, here comes the fire.
Under the title of "Obama appoints nine terrorists lawyers to Justice" (so now the lawyers are terrorists?), one of these mental-all stars has this response:
You've got to be kidding me.
If Byron York is correct, the CIA needs to start flying Reapers over Eric Holder's terrorist advocate-filled Justice Department
No, I am apparently kidding myself into thinking that the far-right has any interest in a democracy or the Constitution.
Then there is this response from the Astute Bloggers - a violent image declaring Obama and Holder traitors (at left).
No really, go see for yourself.
But my favorite thus far is the paranoid crazy over at Power Line:
"No one familiar with the legal community will be surprised by Holder's disclosure. Among many liberal lawyers, representing terrorist detainees has come to be viewed as a badge of honor. (When a lawyer in the Bush Justice Department demurred, he was widely condemned.)
For some liberal lawyers who represent corporations, providing free legal services to terrorist detainees is proof that they became lawyers to help the "oppressed" after all; not just to help corporations squirm out of difficulty."
Yes, because only SOME people are entitled to a fair trial and representation, but only the very special. And according to this paranoid theory, anyone who defends, gulp, "terrorists" is either doing to give a middle finger to the Bush administration or to feel really peachy about themselves.
Power Line apparently has not considered the third, and most likely option: lawyers represent defendants (innocent until proved guilty) because everyone is entitled to representation in this system we are so proud of.
Yes, these people seem to prefer the Soviet style of justice: detain suspects indefinitely, then convict them in a show trial, and finally disappear them to a galaxy far, far away.
For people who are so afraid of Commies, it is astonishing to me that they so openly favor the Soviet system of justice.
