Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, and anyone else apprehended and suspected of terrorism should be openly tried in a civilian court. Forget all the legal arguments and debates – this is about national security. The best way to ensure the safety of the U.S. is to give these men their day in court, in public, and allow the legal system to run its course.

You’re all familiar with the arguments against allowing suspected terrorists in court – it will turn into jihadi propaganda, it will compromise intelligence sources, and it limits our ability to interrogate terrorists. Steven Simon does a thorough job demolishing those falsehoods, but even without his well-reasoned defense of the judiciary a higher priority should compel the Obama Administration to send all detainees directly to court.

Despite what some pundits and politicians may tell you, we are not fighting a Global War on Terror. Terrorism is a tactic – how can you declare war on a tactic? Osama bin Laden and his ilk use terrorism, but they are not defined by it. They seek to destroy the U.S., or at the very least curb its power and influence. This is their goal, not terrorism. They cannot do this alone – a few ideologues, no matter how dedicated, are incapable of bringing down a superpower. And they know this. To succeed, they must convince the rest of the world that America is not the benevolent leader it claims to be, but rather another imperialist hegemon bent on conquest and power. In other words, bin Laden and others are fighting a battle of ideas, and terrorism is only one of their many tools to win that battle. If we fail to acknowledge that we are in a war of ideas, not a War Against Terror, we are destined to lose. By detaining and denying people the right to trial, we give undermine our position make ourselves more vulnerable.

When we abandon our ideals – democracy, freedom, and basic human rights – we help Al Qaeda make their case. The best recruiting tools extremists have ever possessed were the photos and stories that emerged from the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. If we want to win this war of ideas, we need to demonstrate that what happened at Abu Ghraib was a tragic mistake, not an indicative behavior. Keeping prisoners locked in military detention without charge or trial reinforces the negative image of the U.S. that bin Laden cultivates and strengthens his position. Fair and open trials send the exact opposite message – America is a just nation of laws and respect, not an imperialist power, and that it is bin Laden who is ideologically bankrupt.

If the Obama Administration is serious about protecting America, then they need to ensure that all detainees receive their day in court. It’s not about the legal minutia; it’s about national security.

I mentally wrote several blogs today waiting in the security line at the airport:

1. The problem with airport security is that it is reactive instead of proactive. Case in point being that Richard Reid tries to blow up his shoes, so the result is that we all have to take off our shoes at airport security. What do the terrorists do, they move the bomb six inches up the leg. Unfortunately for TSA, American Puritan values wont allow them to request that we all take our pants off in the airport. Don't get me wrong, personally I would have no problem with this. I have a great butt, and quite honestly, I'd enjoy the view. But in all seriousness am I to assume that we are fucked now that the terrorist's have discovered the crotch bomb?
2. Why don't people dress up to fly anymore? Gone are the days of people actually giving a shit about what other people think of them. Judging from most of the people I saw today I would have guessed that half of them were headed to the gym and the other half were in the process of moving from their bedrooms to the couch based on their choice of head to toe juicy couture jumpsuits. Since when did the word airplane become synonymous with living room?
3. If you have traveled on an actual airplane anytime in the past 8 years why do you think that you are the one person who is going to be able to get your giant bottle of hairspray through security? There should be a separate security line for people who have been previously caught with banned items in their carry on luggage. The line will be just as long as the others but the exception will be that over half of the people in this line will miss their flights on account of the time it takes to unpack and then repack all of their collective belongings. This will undoubtedly lead to quit a few people going postal and not to mention more than a few people screaming "don't tase me bro,"but lets be honest...its the only way they'll learn!