I don't have a problem with protests, as long as they are valid

But to protest against a suspicion is ridiculous. Sure, there are those who oppose the war in Iraq. I was among them, since we had no formal declaration of war. However, I also realize the position in which now find in Iraq. I do believe that once we took the action to conquer Iraq, we then took on the responsibility to see things through. I wish we could bring our soldiers home as much as anyone else. I also believe that the only reason why people focus on Iraq is that it is a George W. Bush action. We are still in 130 countries around the world and need to bring our soldiers home from other countries before coming home from Iraq.

I said all this to get to the point that there are those who protest at Johnston County Airport, supposing that they are making a difference or that anyone really cares. Quite honestly, they seem to be protesting what they only imagine. They allege that the CIA is using Aero Contractors, a private company that provides air transportation, to shuttle prisoners around the world to be tortured. Of course these claims are based upon hearsay and the word of dubious individuals. Furthermore, to protest a transportation provider is assinine. That is like protesting Greyhound because The Unibomber took the bus. They simply have the wrong target.

Now there are those who want to stage a protest march in Smithfield. Hey, good luck with that. Note my sarcasm. I am all for the right to peacefully assemble.

Also from WMPM's news page.

Council Delays Action On Anti-War Peace March - Dr. Walt Caison appeared before the Smithfield Town Council Tuesday night hoping to win immediate approval for a peace march and rally. Board members told Caison he needed to apply for the proper permits and return before the council in September, something he didn’t want to hear. Caison said he expects 300 people to attend a rally he wants to hold October 27 at the Smithfield Town Commons. Caison said he wants to draw attention to the Iraq War and to the role he believes Aero Contractors, based at the Johnston County Airport, has played in the war. The company has been accused of transporting terrorist suspects for the CIA to countries that allow torture during interrogations. Caison said organizations such as Johnston County Christians Against Torture, Code Pink Women For Peace, and Amnesty International have agreed to support the rally, which will include vendors and several speakers. Caison has already received a permit to hold the rally at the Town Commons, but not a permit to have amplified music at the event or a parade permit for the peace march. Caison said his rally would be a "festival type atmosphere" similar to the Christian Music Festival sponsored annually by the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation. Police Chief Gillikin expressed concerns about the number of potential protestors who may show up at the march, and the requested closing of several streets, including Fourth Street , where the march would start, along with Market and Front Streets. "We’re not in opposition but a lot of things need to be answered," Chief Gillikin said. Caison said, "As an American citizen, as a taxpayer, I have rights of free speech, assembly, and the right to be protected." He felt the delay in the council’s decision was unwarranted. "Waiting to September wouldn’t work for us," he told the board. Councilman Daniel Evans later responded, "Maybe you should have been here last month." Councilman Clayton Narron and Town Attorney Robert Spence told Caison he would have to return in September with details about the march before the board would take any action.

If you have plenty of time to waste, check out the throngs of people protesting at the Johnston County Airport. It is overwhelming.


I have no problem providing transportation to the government. If I owned a private charter jet company, I would stand in line to get some of that business. It is no different that providing a taxi service.

Keep in mind that these are still allegations and not proof of the CIA activities. Quite honestly, if our nation can extract information from an enemy, throw them on the waterboard. It's a dirty job, but a necessary one.

What I find extremely hypocritical is that the same people (and this is a generality, but it holds true with most everyone I have ever talked to that hold that view) who would oppose the quartering of POWs at Gitmo or the business of Aero Contractors and are vocal opponents of alleged (not confirmed) torture trips are the same ones who support the worst human rights abuses. By and large, these people support abortion on demand and oppose the death penalty. They claim to defend humanity but support the slaughter of innocent children. The groups mentioned in the article are generally far left organizations with a political agenda rather than a humanitarian one.

How anyone can claim to support human rights on the one hand yet support the wanton slaughter of innocent life is astounding. This same mindset is what will get many more people killed by radical Islamists, get millions of more babies killed before they were born, and defend oppressors across the globe as long as they are socialists.

Some of these positions are where I differ with Ron Paul in his opinions. I have no problem taking it to Islamists if they are coming after us. He claims that they are coming after us because we are present in the Middle East. They have been doing so long before we were ever there. It is their creed to do so, and it is simply the result of an evil belief system.

I am not for wholesale torture at all. I don't believe that the CIA is doing that, either. The amusing thing is what some people consider to be torture. Sleep deprivation, being humiliated, and even using the waterboard technique are hardly torturous. Men being stripped naked and posed in front of a camera, wearing women's underwear, and wearing a dog leash like our soldiers did at Abu Ghraib are not torturous acts. Medieval techniques were torturous.

I see the group "Johnston County Christians Against Torture" referenced in the article. I doubt that it is anything more than a person or two who took on a name to give themselves more credibility and operate from a dining room table. I found absolutely NO references to them on the internet.

To that group and their associates I offer the opportunity to have an entire hour on a podcast to get their message out on my talk show. I will allow y'all to have a civil discourse to prove your point and attempt to convince me as well as my listeners of your cause.

What I found amusing in the youtube video that I posted here is that people were condemning the pilots who were flying the charter jets for Aero Contractors to Hell. They declared that they will be refused entry into Heaven. Funny how the same people probably have as a favorite Bible verse something about judging others. We are supposed to judge, as we are told in 1 Cor. 6. We can judge actions as holy acts or not. We are supposed to do so, otherwise there would be no differentiation between sin and righteousness. However, these people went further and judged their hearts, their motives, and their eternal souls. This is the very essence of the admonitions against such judging. I have been judged the same way by these people. I am not the judge of their hearts, but I will judge their actions and their cause.