Jack Kingston

Weigh in on the Supreme Court’s decision today “that the administration lacked the power to hold military war crimes trials for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.”

With permission, we post this letter from a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army reacting to this news:

Dear Congressman Kingston;

I am an Army Reserve Officer serving as a ******* ****** with the ***************.

This morning, I was shocked to hear the news that the Supreme Court has overturned the Presidents wartime authority.

This case has been keenly watched by the uniformed military and it will seriously erode the morale of those serving in the War on Terror. I have said for a long time that it is not an issue of “support the troops” but rather “trust the troops.” The Supreme Court has clearly stated they do not “Trust the Troops.” I have followed your writings and comments and know that you “Trust the troops.”

You can now expect that the number of soldiers voluntarily deploying to support the War on Terror will drop significantly. I am on the volunteer list to deploy, but this afternoon I am removing myself because of this SCOTUS opinion. I have heard from other officers this past hour and they are doing the same.

Being a Reserve Officer, that also means most of the year I am a civilian in the community. As a civilian, I am politically active in Republican Politics. There was a comment in “SCOTUS Blog” comments section that nails exactly what Congress should do:

“Undoubtedly Congress could pass a statute overriding the Geneva Conventions as applied to terrorists. Does anyone really doubt Congress would be willing to do this? I can’t imagine more than a handful of legislators voting for a one-sided treaty with Al-Qaeda in an election year. Or couldn’t Congress make a more explicit jurisdiction-stripping provision?”

http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/archives/2006/06/hamdan_summary.html

Because we are in an election year and the issue is fresh, this may be the only opportunity where Congress can take action that shows you “Trust the Troops.”

If there is anything I may do for you in this or any other regard, I remain at your service.

Respectfully,

****** * *********
Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry
United States Army

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