FACEBOOK
TWITTER
Is there a Method to Liz Cheney’s Madness?
Is there a Method to Liz Cheney’s Madness?Many observers have found Liz and Dick Cheney’s fervent crusade to ensure that President Obama define terrorists as “enemy combatants,” and the fight against terrorism as a “war” on terrorism quite curious.
Why would a former vice president break the long established tradition of fading into the woodwork to engage in a silly debate over semantics? Now we also have his daughter, Liz Cheney, attacking standards set down by the United States Constitution guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law.
Liz Cheney has now branded attorneys who defended ‘alleged terrorists’ the “Al Qaeda 7,” and she’s calling the United States Department of Justice – that’s simply carrying out the prescription set down by the United States Constitution – “The Department of Jihad.” Could there possibly be a reasonable explanation behind such radical behavior? I think there is.
The Cheneys are engaged in a preemptive strike against the Obama administration in general, and the Justice Department in particular, in order to stir up public opinion against the prospect that the Obama administration will finally decides to prosecute Dick Cheney for war crimes – as the rule of law demands. They’re busily laying the groundwork to incite insurrection across this country to counter the application of the rule of law.
While the GOP is atrocious when it comes to governance, they’re absolute geniuses when it comes to stirring up their base for war – and in this case, they’re preparing the nation for an all out internal conflict. One can hear it in every speech as they sprinkle little gems like ‘secession’, ‘socialist’, and ‘government takeover’ into the political dialogue. Thus, the threat that they pose to America makes Al Qaeda pale in comparison.
They started exactly one month after President Obama entered office when on February 21, 2009, the New York Post published a cartoon portraying President Obama as a monkey being shot by the police. There was a lot of subliminal messaging in that cartoon. True to their usual method of operation, they began to dehumanized the enemy, just like they did Saddam, by portraying the enemy – President Obama in this case – as a monkey. They then show the police shooting the president in order to prevent him from pursuing what they consider an unpopular initiative. By showing the police – respected authority figures – shooting the president, that’s intended to lend legitimacy to the action.
I immediately recognized what was afoot, and I pointed it out in my article, The Assassination Cartoon:
I also pointed out that -
“We’ve had enough experience with neo-cons and radical conservatives where anyone with even an ounce of common sense recognizes that nothing is a joke with them–especially when they’re out of power. They’re dead serious, and they’re desperate. Conservative Republicans know better than anyone that considering their atrocious eight years of governance, combined with President Obama’s competence and responsible statesmanship, that the Republican Party faces an extremely bleak future. So they’ve gone to plan B, to eliminate Obama at all cost, and by any means necessary. As ugly as it seems, anyone who doesn’t recognize that reality has blinders on.
“Look at the facts. Their proven method of operation is to demonize, dehumanize, then eliminate. When the neo-cons decided to exploit Iraqi resources instead of going after Osama, as was the intent of the American people, they first began to demonize, then dehumanize Saddam Hussein–a former ally–in order to prepare the American people to accept the idea that it was necessary to take him out.”
If there was any doubt about my contention, however, it should have been immediately resolved when they trotted out turncoat and perennial loser, Alan Keyes. Keys called into question President Obama’s legitimacy as president. He referred to the president as “a radical communist.” He went on to say, “He’s [Obama] going to destroy this country and we’ve either got to stop him, or America will cease to exist.” He also indicated that since Barack Obama wasn’t legitimately the president, if something wasn’t done about it we were going to end up in “civil war.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DlTgrMCxPg&feature=player_embedded
Thus, these are people are clearly without limits, and have an absolute disdain for the United States Constitution. They’re only concerned with one thing – power, and that’s the only thing they respect. So President Obama’s inclination to compromise and appeasement is totally lost on them. All appeasement does is give the GOP the breathing room to engage in further calculation and plotting. Their strategy was clearly demonstrated in the healthcare debate. Even after the president allowed them to water down the bill, they voted against it. That’s their method of operation. They’re not interested it compromise – they want nothing short of complete control.
So when the president signaled Attorney General Holder that “we should look forward, not back,” even though the president was obviously ignoring the rule of law to accommodate them, they didn’t appreciate that. They didn’t say, “Wow, this is a good guy;” they said, “This guy is weak – we’re going to run all over him.”
Had President Obama followed up on his campaign promise of change, on the other hand, and simply allowed the rule of law to play itself out, his entire base would still be behind him, and the Republican party wouldn’t have dared engaged in the obstructionism that they are currently engaged in. First of all, politics as usual wouldn’t have flown in such an environment; and secondly, the roots of Bush and Cheney’s corruption undoubtedly sink so deep into the Republican party that in response to a DOJ investigation a large percentage of the GOP would be too busy trying to cover their own butts to have time obstruct the president’s agenda.
During a recent debate I was having on this issue a gentleman indicated that this was no time to investigate war crimes. “President Obama has to pick his battles.” While it is true that it’s important for the president to pick his battles wisely, there is no battle more important to the American way of life than protecting the rule of law.
One can only wonder if the gentleman would have taken the same position if one of the charges involved the torture and murder of a member of his own family. I think not. Thus, the day that America can turn a blind eye to the injustice and murder of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children – including our own troops - is the day this nation ceases to be America, and thus, effectively place us all in jeopardy. How long would it be before the Cheneys decide it’s necessary to murder attorneys who represent people they don’t like?
This goes beyond a personal or political issue. The fact is, in any democracy, maintaining the rule of law must always take priority over all else. Without the rule of law there can be no democracy, since a democracy is established by the rule of law.
After all, what’s the sense of enacting healthcare reform, or any other law, if a precedent has been established that renders the rule of law meaningless?
Eric L. Wattree
wattree.blogspot.com
Religious bigotry: It’s not that I hate everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like me – it’s just that God does.
Related Posts:
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=21094
Posted by Eric L. Wattree on Mar 12 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
COMMENTS
To post, we ask that you login using Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail in the box below.Don't have a social network account? Register and Login direct with VT and post.
Before you post, read our Comment Policy - Feedback
Eric
10 years of war and the threat of more have made us all a little nuts and made the nuts extremely nuts.
As Hunter Thompson wrote “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
I fear that much of what you say in this excellent piece is true.
I have long thought that we have more to fear from the “National Security State” and the “Military Industrial Complex” than from these ragtag terrorists and hoodlums.
Americas worst enemies are much closer to home.
Bob Higgins
Bob,
We see eyeball to eyeball on this. Corporate thugs are robbing us blind. They have us spending hundreds of billions of dollars fighting the equivalent Middle Eastern Crips.
The military/industrial complex have us trying to swat a fly with a sledgehammer. Let’say we’re successful in Afghanistan. What does that mean? All it means is we spent billions of dollars to get Al Qaeda and the Taliban to take five minutes to pack their knapsacks and move down the road – and the military/industrial complex know this.
So they’ve got a real good thing going. They can continue to gouge the American people forever.
Who needs to steal when they have Fort Knox at their disposal? The oil would just be a tip.
Eric
I’ve said nearly from the beginning that rather than send the Marines we should have sent Columbo.
We had an enormous crime committed on our soil by non state actors, (if you leave out Saudi support) who we call terrorists rather than criminals for dramatic effect and to arouse the populace.
Instead of sending an international task force of experts in crime solution we sent our biggest clumsiest bears rampaging through the china shops of the world and ruined several countries including our own.
The fact that it cost and is costing trillions of public dollars is exactly what the military/industrial complex wanted, the conversion of public funds to private hands.
“I’ve said nearly from the beginning that rather than send the Marines we should have sent Columbo.”
I like that. I wish I had said it, and I’m sure I will in the future.
Thanks, Bob.
Ps- I’m shameless when it comes to a great phrase, but I promise to give you credit – and might even post a link to your work.
Eric
I think I’ve used the expression a time or two in print, but what’s phrase for, if it’s accurate; fire away.
Bob
Shrewd manipulations, behind the scenes give and take, Media monopole, Infiltration of every Institution that matters, including Academia, campuses, the use of Lobbies to corrupt and/or blackmail WASP politicians and their substitution by Israel First Cheerleaders in Congress & Senate, National Security Agencies and key positions in the Pentagon and House Committees, have made The Zion-Talmudist International Mafia in less than a generation the TRUE RULER-MASTER of the USA and most western European and Eastern European Countries.
US Domestic and foreign policies, war and no-peace, Monetary and Financial Policies world wide and even who is going to be elected as president of the USA, France, Prime Minister of GB or Chancellor of Germany are decided now by the Zion-Talmudic Outfit through AIPAC, the Jewish Controlled Media, Wailing Wall Street and Tel Aviv.
Former Vice-President (I would rather call him President of VICE) Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz are part of the same International Mafia Outfit that has taken over America and is set to take over the whole Planet by imposing a GLOBAL GOVERNMENT, ruled by the Israel Lobby and with a International Corsair Patent to PRINT inorganic-paper-fiduciary money by the Federal Reserve, lend it the “GOVERNMENT” and make the hard working citizens pay the debt on top of what Wailing Wall Street steals from the People. It is simply a dirty RACKET rub by racketeers and the Cheney’s father and daughter are part of it.
“The Cheneys are engaged in a preemptive strike against the Obama administration in general, and the Justice Department in particular, in order to stir up public opinion against the prospect that the Obama administration will finally decides to prosecute Dick Cheney for war crimes – as the rule of law demands. They’re busily laying the groundwork to incite insurrection across this country to counter the application of the rule of law”, wrote Mr. Eric L. Wattree and I absolutely agree with him in his appreciation. They preemptive attack serves as well to divert and shift the focus from the more serious crimes that the INTERNATIONAL MAFIA OUTFIT has been/is responsible for: Invasion of Irak based on blatant lies, the Haliburton dealing and wheeling and Public Funds misappropriation, the damage done the USA worldwide, Treason to the Nation by allowing and collaborating with thugs in order to violate the Constitution, destroy its capacity to produce goods and services and compete peacefully with other Nations.
Cotton Dick Cheney and Poppy Bush has done a good job to DESTROY America and subject its citizens to a Police State under the FALSE pretense of fighting “TERRORISM”, they themselves created and passed it to the Obama Government all infiltrated by members of the Zion-Talmudist-Outfit, who will control every single step the president makes, and if he tries to govern for the PEOPLE, they will take him out, without a single blinking of the eye…
It is up to the AMERICAN PEOPLE to rebel: 1) Nationalize the Federal Reserve, 2)demand that the AIPAC-ADL (both) register as FOREIGN NGO, 3)reign in Wailing wall Street activities 4)put Monetary and Financial Policies in the hands of the AMERICAN PEOPLE and, 5)get rid of the patriot act, reestablish Habeas Corpus and the Constitutional Rights that have been taken away from the PEOPLE, 6)conduct a thorough CLEAN UP in ACADEMIA and National Security Agencies, 7) Ditch the Criminal state of Israel and REBUILD America for the BENEFIT of AMERICANS and World Peace.
The TRUE TERRORISTS are to be found in Washington-New York-London-Tel Aviv. Those are the hide outs where it is proper to look…
Wow!
Please, Azeddine, don’t be timid – just say what’s on your mind.
Denial of any wrongdoing, always attack a moderate proposal concerning global geo-politics as being “soft”, ignore the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution,
play up the fear factor and you have the prime ingredients of a sith lord.
Bob: you see the picture very clearly. Now add the simple fact that Hillary tried the same tactic with Bobby Kennedy’s death and you probably come close to what
concluded after Chaney’s escalating game, and that is that it goes beyond the Republicans, this “coven” of power hungry “aliens from hell” have their sight and plans to control the world by force not vote. 1984? Worse. As you said worse than AlQaeda. There are no ideology guiding them, it is pure brute power, viciousness, malice, and downright beastly as that tape of those hired guard having a disgusting party on Iraq. Would you call those Human being? But that is what happens when power is the Faith and the wisdom.
Oooh, Erica… Ouch! Tell us what you really think, girl.
You’re right on target, Erica.
BTW, I just love your name. It inspires confidence:>)
Eric
E.W. => “Why would a former vice president break the long established tradition of fading into the woodwork to engage in a silly debate over semantics? Now we also have his daughter, Liz Cheney, attacking standards set down by the United States Constitution guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law.”
Hi Eric, I’ll try to keep this short: It is not a “silly debate over semantics”. The American Constitution is to protect Americans from an abusive American government, and a potentially abusive world. But, in America, not the world. When we visit other countries, we have to abide by their laws. If an American goes to Paris as a terrorist to blow up the Eiffel Tower, and gets caught, the American is tried under French law and the French Constitutional guidelines. There are no semantics involved. A terrorist is a terrorist. The only exception under our Constitution is a T. McVeigh type. Other than that, a terrorist belongs to no country.
Your “semantics” argument tries to enfold into the terrorist into the area of a citizen’s rights. The American “enemy combatant” designation solves that wandering terrorist issue. Other country’s have chosen to behead “enemy combatants”. Is that a better deal?
As far as Liz Cheney goes, she can have bad hair days. She can have other opinions. that doesn’t make her a bad person, or bad American. It makes her an opinionated American. You relate to that, don’t you?
I don’t think there is any American law that says Dick Cheney has to disappear into the woodwark. That idiot lying Gore hasn’t. Oh that’s right. He’s a leftist so he gets to keep blabbering. Only rightists have to disappear. That makes common sense, huh? However you feel about this, I would, however, recommend not going bird hunting with Dick Cheney.
As far as the Obama presidency, it doesn’t look good, thought the jury is still out. Like a typical failed lawyer (i.e., politician), he has no concept of numbers. Not even simple math. Maybe he’ll improve. Maybe not. A number of former Presidents have improved as they began to understand the mentality and daily steel-will required of that demanding job.
Cheers my friend. Tom Houston Vet
Hi Tom,
It’s good to hear from you. You said -
“As far as Liz Cheney goes, she can have bad hair days. She can have other opinions. that doesn’t make her a bad person, or bad American. It makes her an opinionated American. You relate to that, don’t you?”
your right. What makes her a bad person is her direct assault on the percepts of the United States Constitution. Where in the Constitution does it indicate that a non-citizen doesn’t deserve representation? She’s even scaring the other wingnuts – and I’m sure she’s terrifying mainstream conservatives.
And what makes her daddy a bad person is that all of the evidence available suggests that he committed treason by outing a CIA agent. And ironically, her job included gathering intelligence on Iran’s nuclear arms program. As a result of that outing, American troops may someday have to die to confirm or deny information that she might have gotten covertly.
In addition, after her identity was revealed, that also blew the cover of everyone who associated with her. So we have no idea how many Middle Eastern operatives, or just casual friends, who might have been killed simply because they had dinner with her. As a direct result, it’s going to be just that much harder for the U.S. to gather intelligence in the Middle East. Anyone who we might have gotten to with us are all afraid that some idiot like Cheney might get pissed at someone and get them killed.
And with regard to the so called Gitmo “terrorist”, these are “alleged terrorists.” None of these people have been found guilty as yet, and many of them have been found to be innocent – or at least, not guilty. We mustn’t forget that during the “war” the Bush people were rounding up anyone who so much as took out their trash in order to try to obtain false intelligence to support their disinformation campaign to the American people.
But even if they are guilty, where in the Constitution does it say that only American citizens have a right to legal representation in the United States? If that were the case, believe me, considering the political environment in many parts of this country, our state prison systems was be overflowing with undocumented workers.
Think about it, Tom. Bush and Cheney was rapidly turning this country into a fascist state. Does sending our troops of to die in order to enrich the president’s cronies sound like the America that you grew up in? How about giving our troops contaminated water, or allowing them to be electrocuted in the shower, or having to pay for the gear that had to be cut off of them on the battlefield after they’ve been wunded in action? I don’t thin k so.
So yeah, these are very bad, and dangerous, people.
Hi Eric
E.W. => “What makes her a bad person is her direct assault on the percepts of the United States Constitution. Where in the Constitution does it indicate that a non-citizen doesn’t deserve representation?”
T.D ans. => The Constitution was written for CITIZENS of the U.S. To Wit:
WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, …. …. do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.
Article 1, Section 8: The Congress shall have the power to: constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish felonies on the High Seas and Offences against the law of Nations; to declare War, grant letters of Marque (reprisal, retaliation) and make rules concerning captures on Land and Water;
Article 4, Section 2: The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of the Citizens in the several States
Article 4, Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in the Union, a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion, … and against domestic violence.
Amendment 5: No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime … except in cases arising in the Land or Naval forces, or the Militia, when in actual service in the time of War or public danger.
Amendment 11: The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend … to citizens or subjects of any Foreign State.
Amendment 14: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are CITIZENS of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of CITIZENS of the United States.
We can go into the Constitution further, Eric, but I think my point is made. Citizens can legally be treated different than wandering international terrorists — another form of high seas terrorists.
As to Valerie Plame, Plume, or whatever, in my opinion she was an idiot who put herself in a poor judgement risk situation by trying to get her unemployed husband a friggin’ job — a sensitive job at that. Iran is laughing all the way to the nuclear bank over VP’s lack of sound judgement. Cheney cannot be held responsible for her seemingly confirmed stupidity.
Overflowing prisons? Check out California where you reside. What percentage of State Prison inmates are illegal, gang-banging, drug pushing illegal immigrants? California wouldn’t be going bankrupt if they dealt with that problem alone. Deforest Catalina and put them all out there with nothing but blunt tip fishing poles. Or ship them ‘home’. Oh that’s right. Home doesn’t want them. How cruel.
Finally, as far as the America I grew up in, I lost family members in WWI, WWII, Korea, the ‘Cold War’ Viet Nam and almost lost myself three times defending the indefensible — human stupidity. My family lineage includes Daniel Boone, President and General U.S. Grant, Thomas Jefferson and I carry the middle name of the first surviving Virginia Colony in 1605. My Cherokee wife never lets me forget that her people kicked the sh-t out of my folks. The little squirt is continuing the process. You’d think 400 years of it ought to be enough, huh?
Keep chuggin’ and keep writing man. And keep that new young man in your life under some semblance of control? Well, at least understanding. My gut instinct tells me he’s gonna be a winner.
Your friend, Tom (the mold from my boots has risen to my head)
Tom,
Nothing you cited here indicates that a non-citizen doesn’t have rights. You cited the following , for example:
“Amendment 11: The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend … to citizens or subjects of any Foreign State.”
That doesn’t mean that people from a foreign country don’t have rights. That simply means that the power of our courts don’t extend to other countries, just like the power of California courts don’t extend to Massachusetts. But that’s far from saying that a citizen of Massachusetts doesn’t have any rights in California.
You also cite the 14 Amendment as saying, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are CITIZENS of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
That simply defines citizenship. It doesn’t say anything about all people not meeting that definition don’t have any rights in the U.S.
But nice try, good buddy, but that ain’t gonna fly. The Cheney’s are clearly trying to re-define America in their own image.
Eric,
Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, the entire neoconservative crowd infamously created their own facts, their own intelligence, their own empire and their own authoritarian reality.
Below is a snip from a now famous lunch conversation between writer Ron Suskind and an unnamed source widely reported to have been “reality creator” Karl Rove, back in 2004.
Bob Higgins
Hi E.,
The Constitution clearly states in Article One, Section 8, allows tribunals inferior to the US Supreme Court to define and punish Piracy and Felonies committed on the high Seas and offences against the Law of Nations.
Who can believe otherwise that the al-Qaeda terrorists that attacked on 9/11, etc. were nothing more than a more modern form of piracy?
So, in simple words, Military tribunals are a constitutionally viable
That’s a lot longer than our combatants get at their hands.
option to try the Guantanamo detainees. Now, should we have tried them faster? Yes. It would have saved us a lot of money not having to feed those suckers and give them better living conditions that caves in East Wazitistan. In fact, if I were in charge (thank God I’m not) those terrorist pirates would have lasted no more than 90 days.
The stops have already been pulled out for our country. It is only a matter of time before we become a police state… Unless the people of this nation stand up for restoring our Constitution.
We were entrusted by the Founding Fathers to do this… protect our freedoms by protecting the system that they have put into place for us. But no, we let Congress, politicians, lawyers and the ‘experts’ take care of the nation for us. That is exactly Not what the Founders intended for us to do… get lazy, fall asleep… or parrot regurgitated news puke… mostly… the latest ‘clever’ e-mail we were sent.
There is a Huge Invested Interest for ‘a few’ in keeping America in a constant and open-ended ‘War On Terror’ against ‘enemy combatants’. In having the open-ended conflict against global terrorism… the changes in the Constitution which have been made in the past decade… are more likely to stay in place with the thought being…”We ‘need’ these changes to ‘protect’ us!”
Well, that’s ‘fine’… as long as Americans aren’t defined as an ‘enemy combatant’.
“It’s o.k…. they aren’t coming for US… just those Other scary people.”
Fear does wonders to override reasoning.
That’s how fascist governments usually start… “It’s not happening to us!” the people think as they go on in their lives while supporting the very mechanisms for a fascist nation as they are being put into place.
For so many Americans who have been born into this wonderful country that our Founding Fathers established and left a system to protect us from inevitable human nature which can lead to tyranny if left unchecked… it can be hard for these Americans to comprehend and understand that the price of Liberty is strict vigilance of the common people.
And…
I am so curious why it seems that the very people who are so worried about becoming a ‘Communist’ nation don’t seem to be concerned about the Military Commission Act, the Patriot Act and Executive Privilege and the possible future implications that they can hold for us… you… me.
It is a distraction. As so many Americans are protesting against American Communism… we are heading straight into a Fascist State.
They are one and the same… a police state.
“Look over there!” we are being told… as our freedoms are being snatched.
Let me ask, Fran. What freedoms have YOU lost? Please list three and I’ll respond to your post.
Thanks, Tom
P.S. Don’t forget to read my response to Eric above, first. Then look at your lost freedoms. Then tell us how you think you can fix them. I won’t be suprised if you ignore this, but I’d recommend you get really informed.
Cheers, Tom
Damn Tom!
Fair enough…
I’m sure you are referring to this…
“as our freedoms are being snatched.”
I was referring to the process that is and has been occurring in establishing an environment in our government in which our freedoms can be easily taken.
I named a few… (the Military Commission Act, the Patriot Act and Executive Privilege)… if you don’t have a problem with the changes that have been made… then that is your privilege.
I have a very demanding life that is calling me right now and I have to go now.
I have no problem having an on-going conversation about this as time goes on. I AM trying to inform myself. I am open to your opinions too… I just don’t want to get into a pissing match… and go tit-for-tat… o.k.? I just don’t find that very productive for any and all parties involved.
(Why would I ignore you? I stand by what I say/write or I can stand corrected… no big deal… we all love America… we are on the same side… America’s)
Take Care,
Fran Lawrence
Fran
Tom-
In regards to…
“I named a few… (the Military Commission Act, the Patriot Act and Executive Privilege)…”
I was referring to what I believe to be part of the process to strip us of our rights… not actual freedoms that have been taken away.
O.K? YOU WIN!!!
YOU WIN!
I have not lost any rights or freedoms as of yet…
it just creeps me out how it has been set up so that my rights and freedoms CAN BE taken away.
So… don’t nit-pick me to pieces… then I will ignore you… life is too short….
Tom-
Whether I have been personally subjected to these recent changes in our government’s interpretation of our Constitution… does not change the fact that I have already lost these freedoms!
Do I have to wait until they come in my home and take me away to say I lost my freedoms? That’s usually when the masses of people get concerned… when it is too late.
Just study a little history and every fascist/totalitarian nation started in an incremental process…
A lot like the process that is and has been laid out the past decade.
Governments that seemed to of been taken over in days… weeks…the foundation was already laid well before hand…
Here are Only Three Freedoms Lost Listed Below:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Government may prosecute librarians or keepers of any other records if they tell anyone that the government subpoenaed information related to a terror investigation.
RIGHT TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION: Government may monitor federal prison jailhouse conversations between attorneys and clients, and deny lawyers to Americans accused of crimes.
FREEDOM FROM UNREASONABLE SEARCHES: Government may search and seize Americans’ papers and effects without probable cause to assist terror investigation.
How to ‘fix’ these lost freedoms?
Restore the Constitution…
Do you have a problem with that?
If so… Why?
Fran
My home can be searched without a warrant?
My phone calls can be listened into?
Sorry… in a hurry… just can think of two right now…
you are right… I do need to be better informed!
Peace!
Oh and there are some pretty interesting youtube videos of the last Republican Convention of what was going on outside the convention…
Right to peacefully assemble?
Right to protest?
I’m late now… damn!
gotta go!
Freedom from illegal search and seizure.
Freedom from detention/habeas corpus.
Freedom of privacy.
waiting…..
The comment:
“Well, that’s ‘fine’… as long as Americans aren’t defined as an ‘enemy combatant’.”
is intended to be a sarcastic remark.
In reference to “the price of Liberty is strict vigilance of the common people.”… I meant that as – The common people need to keep strict vigilance to maintain Liberty.
Just so there is no misunderstanding there.
“”Why would a former vice president break the long established tradition of fading into the woodwork to engage in a silly debate over semantics?”"
He’s only acting the same as Al Gore. Only this time it’s not a fraud/hoax/lie/scam.
Transferring hundreds of billions of dollars from your children’s standard of living to Halliburton’s coffers in search of fanthom WMD was the biggest “fraud/hoax/lie/scam” ever perpetrated on the American people. Bush/Cheney was the second biggest scam, and Ronald Reagan was the third – and notice, if you will, everyone of which carry the Republican brand.
Jeremiah and Everyone-
Try to realize that this is not a Rep./em. issue.
This is an AMERICAN ISSUE.
Try to think not in the terms of political parties… but of political power,
We, The People have been invested with incredible power…
if we could only break out of our self-imposed boxes that seperates us, divides us and limits us from fully utilizing the most incredible gift that our Founding Fathers gave us…. THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE.
correction:
Not… “Try to realize that this is not a Rep./em. issue.”
But… Rep./Dem. issue.
But we all knew that.
Fran,
I may not always sound like it, but I fully support everything you just said.
http://wattree.blogspot.com/2010/01/beneath-spin-eric-l.html
And one other thing, Fran,
One of my newest and best friend on this site is a conservative – Tom Dillman. We disagree about almost everything political. There’s only two things that we agree upon – that we both love America, and, for some reason, we like one another. I’d say, such relationships are what this nation’s all about.
It’s not the first time I’ve experienced this kind of friendship. When I was at Camp Pendleton there was this guy name Scott that I took an immediate dislike to. He was a gung ho conservative, and worse, he had a pronounced Southern drawl (I was young and stupid, and used to classify people based on characteristics rather than character). But Scott wasn’t a good person to choose as an enemy – he was a nationally ranked black belt in Shotokan Karate.
But anyway, I was in Oceanside one night and I was trying to make a phone call, but I dropped the dime in the booth. When I bent over to pick it up, this brute of an SP grabbed, thinking I was drunk, but in the process he made me bump my head against the little tray in the phone boot beneath the phone. So I saw red, and came out fighting both him and his partner who intervened. So they started hitting me with their batons, and literally started beating me to a pulp.
Then Scott showed up out of nowhere and more than evened the odds, and we went to work on them. It took two more SPs and four Oceanside police officers to drag us off of them. But we were finally subdued and taken to the brig. Our goose was literally cooked, accept for one thing – they sprayed us both with maice after they had us handcuffed.
The next morning Top White, another conservative old fart from Kentucky who also talked funny, had us released and brought to his office. And what took place thereafter completely changed the way that I’ve assessed people to this day.
Top just stared at us for what seemed like an eternity. Then he said, “You know, you two have everybody from the colonel on down completely brain-fucked trying to figure out how this happened.” Then he looked at Scott, who had refused to talk to me all night, and said, “Everybody in the unit know that you think Corporal Wattree is an asshole, so how could you two end up on the same side of this shit fit?”
And Soctt said, “Yeah, but he’s our asshole, Top.”
I’m sure that response kept us both from being drummed out the corps, because Top smiled (very unusual for him), and then said, “I hear you two put a real kickin’ on ‘em. That’s what marne do.”
Then he called the provost marshal and said, “I understand that your people maced these marines while they were in custody. They may have deserved it, but we don’t treat marines like that, so this can get real ugly. So why don’t you handle your people, and we’ll take care of ours here in the unit.”
I don’t know what was said on the other end, but after Top hung up the phone he just looked up and said, “Get the hell out of my office.”
Thereafter, me and Scott managed to become good friends – although he spread the word through the unit he was gonna kick my ass once after I met this woman and ditched in San Diego.
So while I seriously disagree with conservative politics, I have to admit to a pronounce soft spot to many of the non-political values of TRUE conservatives.
Eric