Nate (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} evilnate) wrote,@ 2006-01-17 15:32:00 |
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More political stuff
From Al Gore's speech last night:
"Can it be true that any president really has such powers under our Constitution? If the answer is 'yes' then under the theory by which these acts are committed, are there any acts that can on their face be prohibited? If the President has the inherent authority to eavesdrop, imprison citizens on his own declaration, kidnap and torture, then what can't he do?
The Dean of Yale Law School, Harold Koh, said after analyzing the Executive Branch's claims of these previously unrecognized powers: 'If the President has commander-in-chief power to commit torture, he has the power to commit genocide, to sanction slavery, to promote apartheid, to license summary execution.'"
and
"Fear drives out reason. Fear suppresses the politics of discourse and opens the door to the politics of destruction. Justice Brandeis once wrote: 'Men feared witches and burnt women.'
The founders of our country faced dire threats. If they failed in their endeavors, they would have been hung as traitors. The very existence of our country was at risk.
Yet, in the teeth of those dangers, they insisted on establishing the Bill of Rights.
Is our Congress today in more danger than were their predecessors when the British army was marching on the Capitol? Is the world more dangerous than when we faced an ideological enemy with tens of thousands of missiles poised to be launched against us and annihilate our country at a moment's notice? Is America in more danger now than when we faced worldwide fascism on the march-when our fathers fought and won two World Wars simultaneously?
It is simply an insult to those who came before us and sacrificed so much on our behalf to imply that we have more to be fearful of than they. Yet they faithfully protected our freedoms and now it is up to us to do the same.
We have a duty as Americans to defend our citizens' right not only to life but also to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is therefore vital in our current circumstances that immediate steps be taken to safeguard our Constitution against the present danger posed by the intrusive overreaching on the part of the Executive Branch and the President's apparent belief that he need not live under the rule of law.
I endorse the words of Bob Barr, when he said, 'The President has dared the American people to do something about it. For the sake of the Constitution, I hope they will.'
A special counsel should immediately be appointed by the Attorney General to remedy the obvious conflict of interest that prevents him from investigating what many believe are serious violations of law by the President.
Second, new whistleblower protections should immediately be established for members of the Executive Branch who report evidence of wrongdoing -- especially where it involves the abuse of Executive Branch authority in the sensitive areas of national security.
Third, both Houses of Congress should hold comprehensive-and not just superficial-hearings into these serious allegations of criminal behavior on the part of the President. And, they should follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Fourth, the extensive new powers requested by the Executive Branch in its proposal to extend and enlarge the Patriot Act should, under no circumstances be granted, unless and until there are adequate and enforceable safeguards to protect the Constitution and the rights of the American people against the kinds of abuses that have so recently been revealed.
Fifth, any telecommunications company that has provided the government with access to private information concerning the communications of Americans without a proper warrant should immediately cease and desist their complicity in this apparently illegal invasion of the privacy of American citizens.
Freedom of communication is an essential prerequisite for the restoration of the health of our democracy.
It is particularly important that the freedom of the Internet be protected against either the encroachment of government or the efforts at control by large media conglomerates. The future of our democracy depends on it."
From DailyKos:
"Al Gore and Bob Barr are right. The President has broken the law and has thrown the gauntlet down and said that he will continue to break the law.
CNN is airing Gores speech and a piece with Gonzales claiming that Article II of the Constitution gives him the right to do so.
The time to act is now... no more debate on who can win in 08 or snarking at trolls! Contact your Congressmen and women today and tell them:
This President has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, specifically he committed multiple felonies by evading compliance with the FISA Act, each count carries a five year prison term and $10,000 fine. He states Article II of the Constitution as his justification... yet the Supreme Court already decided this in 1972 in the Keith decision and ruled his rationale as unconstitutional, Article II doesn't nullify the Fourth Amendment.
Congress is incapable of investigating this matter because of the obvious conflict of interest and demand a Special Prosecutor be appointed!
The USAPATRIOT Act must not be renewed until our Constitutional liberties are protected.
Contact your Senators and Representatives today! Its speak now while you still can!
http://www.senate.gov/
http://www.house.gov/"
Republican Senator Arlen Specter (on ABC's "This Week"):
"When asked what could happen if lawmakers find Bush in violation of the law, Specter answered: 'Impeachment is a remedy. After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution, but the principal remedy ... under our society is to pay a political price.'"
What do you think?
From Al Gore's speech last night:
"Can it be true that any president really has such powers under our Constitution? If the answer is 'yes' then under the theory by which these acts are committed, are there any acts that can on their face be prohibited? If the President has the inherent authority to eavesdrop, imprison citizens on his own declaration, kidnap and torture, then what can't he do?
The Dean of Yale Law School, Harold Koh, said after analyzing the Executive Branch's claims of these previously unrecognized powers: 'If the President has commander-in-chief power to commit torture, he has the power to commit genocide, to sanction slavery, to promote apartheid, to license summary execution.'"
and
"Fear drives out reason. Fear suppresses the politics of discourse and opens the door to the politics of destruction. Justice Brandeis once wrote: 'Men feared witches and burnt women.'
The founders of our country faced dire threats. If they failed in their endeavors, they would have been hung as traitors. The very existence of our country was at risk.
Yet, in the teeth of those dangers, they insisted on establishing the Bill of Rights.
Is our Congress today in more danger than were their predecessors when the British army was marching on the Capitol? Is the world more dangerous than when we faced an ideological enemy with tens of thousands of missiles poised to be launched against us and annihilate our country at a moment's notice? Is America in more danger now than when we faced worldwide fascism on the march-when our fathers fought and won two World Wars simultaneously?
It is simply an insult to those who came before us and sacrificed so much on our behalf to imply that we have more to be fearful of than they. Yet they faithfully protected our freedoms and now it is up to us to do the same.
We have a duty as Americans to defend our citizens' right not only to life but also to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is therefore vital in our current circumstances that immediate steps be taken to safeguard our Constitution against the present danger posed by the intrusive overreaching on the part of the Executive Branch and the President's apparent belief that he need not live under the rule of law.
I endorse the words of Bob Barr, when he said, 'The President has dared the American people to do something about it. For the sake of the Constitution, I hope they will.'
A special counsel should immediately be appointed by the Attorney General to remedy the obvious conflict of interest that prevents him from investigating what many believe are serious violations of law by the President.
Second, new whistleblower protections should immediately be established for members of the Executive Branch who report evidence of wrongdoing -- especially where it involves the abuse of Executive Branch authority in the sensitive areas of national security.
Third, both Houses of Congress should hold comprehensive-and not just superficial-hearings into these serious allegations of criminal behavior on the part of the President. And, they should follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Fourth, the extensive new powers requested by the Executive Branch in its proposal to extend and enlarge the Patriot Act should, under no circumstances be granted, unless and until there are adequate and enforceable safeguards to protect the Constitution and the rights of the American people against the kinds of abuses that have so recently been revealed.
Fifth, any telecommunications company that has provided the government with access to private information concerning the communications of Americans without a proper warrant should immediately cease and desist their complicity in this apparently illegal invasion of the privacy of American citizens.
Freedom of communication is an essential prerequisite for the restoration of the health of our democracy.
It is particularly important that the freedom of the Internet be protected against either the encroachment of government or the efforts at control by large media conglomerates. The future of our democracy depends on it."
From DailyKos:
"Al Gore and Bob Barr are right. The President has broken the law and has thrown the gauntlet down and said that he will continue to break the law.
CNN is airing Gores speech and a piece with Gonzales claiming that Article II of the Constitution gives him the right to do so.
The time to act is now... no more debate on who can win in 08 or snarking at trolls! Contact your Congressmen and women today and tell them:
This President has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, specifically he committed multiple felonies by evading compliance with the FISA Act, each count carries a five year prison term and $10,000 fine. He states Article II of the Constitution as his justification... yet the Supreme Court already decided this in 1972 in the Keith decision and ruled his rationale as unconstitutional, Article II doesn't nullify the Fourth Amendment.
Congress is incapable of investigating this matter because of the obvious conflict of interest and demand a Special Prosecutor be appointed!
The USAPATRIOT Act must not be renewed until our Constitutional liberties are protected.
Contact your Senators and Representatives today! Its speak now while you still can!
http://www.senate.gov/
http://www.house.gov/"
Republican Senator Arlen Specter (on ABC's "This Week"):
"When asked what could happen if lawmakers find Bush in violation of the law, Specter answered: 'Impeachment is a remedy. After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution, but the principal remedy ... under our society is to pay a political price.'"
What do you think?
