Congressman's Gaffe Shows He Is Unqualified

Last Friday, Congressman Frank LoBiondo was forced to apologize for remarks he made on a radio talk show comparing Hitler to the prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay.

He did not apologize, however, until after a caller from Margate objected to his remarks. In particular, LoBiondo said that "Muslim terrorists" at Guantanamo are "worse than Hitler" because the Nazi leader "sort of had a political rationale about what he was doing."

He went on: "If you start thinking that this is not as horrible and as evil as someone like Hitler was, he sort of had a political rationale about what he was doing that's different from these people that just want to kill everybody. Hitler, in his philosophy, was, you know, he hated Jews, he was murdering Jews, and there were some people he liked, but he never went to the level that these people are going to."

Wow. He really minimized Hitler's atrocities, didn't he?

At the same time, he condemned prisoners who have never been brought to trial and whose "crimes" are clouded in secrecy. LoBiondo, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, voted against an independent panel to review allegations of prisoner abuse. He contends that persons held there are "the worst of the worst" and are dedicated to harming the U.S. He offered no explanation for (1) men who were released after as many as three years of imprisonment and interrogation without any formal charges being filed against them; (2) findings by our government, the International Red Cross, and Amnesty International that abuse and torture have in fact occurred; (3) pending prosecution of some military personnel; or (4) employment of the same techniques that were condemned in Iraqi interrogations.

LoBiondo should resign from the House Armed Services Committee. He is not qualified to be there.

JANET L. FAYTER

Egg Harbor Twp.

Letter published in The Daily Journal. July 22, 2005

http://thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050722/OPINION03/507220333/1014/OPINION