The Providence (R.I.) Journal, July 7, 2011:
Now that the U.S. and some of its NATO allies have committed themselves to ousting Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and that mission is achievable, we must press ahead and help finish the job.
To let Gadhafi stay in power in Tripoli would sorely undermine NATO's credibility and ability to threaten the use of force when it decides it is necessary for security or extreme humanitarian reasons. And if Gadhafi were able to re-establish control over the country, he would carry out a bloodbath against Libyans who have opposed him, especially in the east of the country, now controlled by the rebels.
The government based in Benghazi has gained growing international support, with, for example, Turkey having just recognized it. (But meanwhile, the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Gadhafi for crimes against humanity may complicate efforts to get Gadhafi to leave Libya rather than stay and fight to the death.)
One might ask why we don't come to the aid of those brutalized by Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The answer is that such a task would be far more difficult; Syria (like Iraq) is a much more populous and complicated place than Libya.
That we can't stop humanitarian outrages everywhere is no reason not to try to stop them when it is practical. Libya, with only a few more than 6 million people, the vast majority of them living in a narrow strip between the sea and the desert, is a nation we can help, while supporting our European allies who rely on its oil and worry about longstanding trouble there -- a result of which troubles could be many more refugees fleeing to Europe.
That is not to say that President Obama shouldn't have gotten much clearer authorization from Congress to act in our aerial attacks on the Gadhafi regime, in concert with some allies, most notably the French and British. Unfortunately, he acted as presidents have since the Korean War -- stretching the limits of constitutional powers to the breaking point.
But now that Gadhafi is rapidly weakening, we have little alternative but to help finish the job against someone who has not only murdered thousands of his compatriots but has killed Americans, most notably in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, in 1988, in which 189 Americans died.
We have gone too far now to exit without Gadhafi's departure, whatever one thinks of over-committed America's having gotten into the campaign against him in the first place.
The Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald, July 7, 2011
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously noted: "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
On July 4, at Strawbery Banke and at locations all across America, 24,000 people who had been citizens of other countries decided, for deeply personal reasons, to become American citizens.
There is no more true or eloquent statement about our nation, despite our polarized politics and deep economic woes, than each individual decision to pledge allegiance to the United States of America.
On Monday, 105 men and women made this pledge at Strawbery Banke.
Wearing a colorful headdress not often seen in Portsmouth, Daborah Kogdal, a native of South Sudan, said she came to America six years ago as her country was embroiled in a civil war.
Rita Ficek, a native of Germany, came to America for love, after meeting her husband when he was playing professional ice hockey in Germany. The couple now has two children born in America, and Ficek said becoming an American just feels right.
Calvin Kum is a native of Malaysia but has lived here most of his life. Kum said he's working now but plans to continue his education to "be able to live the American dream."
Jung Walley from South Korea also became a citizen. She said she was so excited, her nerves woke her up with the sun that morning.
These four new citizens and the thousands of others across the country who also became legal Americans on Monday went through an arduous process to gain their citizenship. They had to pass tests in civics, history and basic English, and it's also relatively expensive.
Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a New Hampshire native, noted that these new citizens, in preparing for the exams, learned more about our nation's history and constitution than many of those who have spent their entire lives as Americans.
"You can be good examples to the native-born American citizens, because one of the sad facts of life in the United States is that you know -- right at this moment -- more about what is in the Constitution of the United States than most Americans do," Souter said.
Think Souter is exaggerating? Here are some questions from the naturalization test:
How many amendments are there to the Constitution?
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
If both the president and vice president cannot serve, who becomes president?
While native-born Americans may not be aces in civics and history, we can say, based on our survey of residents Sunday about what Independence Day means to them, that we do take our freedom seriously.
"There are no boats leaving this country, trying to escape America," noted Don Tourville, outside morning services at the Salvation Army.
