They Must Be Stopped
Bush’s attempt to create kangaroo courts for terrorism suspects has mercifully been dealt a temporary setback in the Senate:
A rebellious Senate committee defied President Bush on Thursday and approved terror-detainee legislation he has vowed to block, deepening Republican conflict over terrorism and national security in the middle of election season.
Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, normally a Bush supporter, pushed the measure through his Armed Services Committee by a 15-9 vote, with Warner and three other GOP lawmakers joining Democrats. The vote set the stage for a showdown on the Senate floor as early as next week.
This issue is going to require all hands on deck. Bush and his cronies are trying to make supporting kangaroo courts and detainee abuse prerequsites for battling al-Qaeda. It is a thoroughly despicable and cynical maneuver, but it is also one that should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention for the past six years. These people are ruthless scum who will try to maintain their power at any price.
The question is, how will we citizens respond to this administration’s crazed fear-mongering? Will we bravely stand for the principles of human rights that this country has espoused for the past 230 years? Or will we cravenly allow our government to commit any number of horrific acts in the name of keeping us “secure?” In a must-read New York Times piece this morning, Bob Herbert wrote the following:
There was a time, I thought, when there was general agreement among Americans that torture was beyond the pale. But when people are frightened enough, nothing is beyond the pale. And we’re in an era in which the highest leaders in the land stoke — rather than attempt to allay — the fears of ordinary citizens. Islamic terrorists are equated with Nazi Germany. We’re told that we’re in a clash of civilizations. […]
The character of the U.S. has changed. We’re in danger of being completely ruled by fear.
There is still time to change course. We have not yet become a nation of bedwetters who hide behind the government at the mere suggestion of a threat. But we have to act now. Anything less than full-throated opposition to this administration’s plans will be looked upon as historical cowardice by future generations. All hands on deck.
Wh do you want to do something???? Liberals???? They are too busy complaining to actually do anything. We’ve been over this before, liberals are not only uneducated about what is happening aorund them, but they are deliberately mislead into chasing their tails by those who they claim to hold in contempt.
DUH. Liberals are impotent, bleating out that they want change with absolutely no idea how to go about it. It’s like they’re waiting for someone else to do it for them.
Yep, that’s exactly what it’s like.
annie- welcome back. it’s been a while.
And enacting change in this case is easy: it involves calling your congressman and telling them to vote against Bush’s kangaroo courts.
The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, “Closed for repair,”
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair.
She was thinkin’ ’bout her father, who she very rarely saw,
Thinkin’ ’bout Rosemary and thinkin’ about the law.
But, most of all she was thinkin’ ’bout the Jack of Hearts.
–Dylan
mikey
We’re in danger of being completely ruled by fear.
Didn’t some communist guy say “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”?
Slightly OT, but yesterday I was listening to O’Reilly on the radio (I know, why?) and he was talking about what a wonderful job the Nazis did controlling the parts of the Soviet Union they conquered and how there was no insugency while Saddam was in power and our problem is that we are just too darn nice. He was helpful enough to instuct his callers who disagreed with him by screaming, “You don’t know anything about history!!!” I’m really looking forward to spending two more years with these assholes.
I think I need a drink.
The Democrats are again being cowardly about this stuff- basically saying, “Well, we’ll let McCain and Graham and Warner take the lead instead of coming up with proposals of our own. If we hide behind them, then the GOP can’t accuse us of being weak! Win-win!”
The way to win elections in this climate is to attack and keep on attacking. Go right after the GOP for Iraq, failure to catch bin Laden, the deficit, corruption, everything. The Democrats are not attacking and are not being assertive. Mother of Christ, haven’t they learned that being quiet about stuff and hoping it’ll go away does them NO good?
The way to win is to write the best diebold virus.
This is easy stuff guys: Go to Senate and House and you find your reps. Dash off a quick email to let them know how you feel. Most of them really do want to represent their constituencies even if they have lie cheat and steal to do so.
What a cornocopia of knowledge
We’re in danger of being ruled by fear? I’d say the train went through that buffer a long time ago.
i like the Diebold virus scheme. Simple, silent, effective.
I like to frame it this way…
These republicans are the first group to lose 2 wars in the same decade. They’re worse than the French. Do really want to elect failures…again. The results speak for themselves. Americans hate failure.
With the rethugs controlling the media and shutting liberal voices out most of the time, and sadly no, Lieberman and Biden DO NOT COUNT, and the vasy majority of Democratic sponsored legislation never getting out of committee, I think it is disingenious to state they have no ideas on how to deal with any of our problems. How would most people know enough to form an opinion?
What do you want to do something???? Republicans???? They are too busy complaining to actually do anything. We’ve been over this before, Republicans are not only uneducated about what is happening around them, but they are deliberately mislead into chasing their tails by those who they claim to hold in contempt.
DUH. Republicans are impotent, bleating out that they want change with absolutely no idea how to go about it. It’s like they’re waiting for someone else to do it for them. [So that’s why Bin Laden got away.]
Yep, that’s exactly what it’s like.
Right on!
This thought might be naive but maybe if our representatives were encouraged to vote for what was right instead of trying to out flank the Republicans they might prevail.
Nice list, but you forgot Katrina and New Orleans.
The republican message will be simple this fall… “we are protecting you and your kids.” When Matt Laur asked Bush in an interview about the secret CIA prisons, Bush just simply answered, “Hey, I am protecting you and your wife and your kids.” Not the exact quote, but pretty close.
I say the same thing Ben says. And I add another fact that has been overlooked. The last Republican president to win a major war was Abe Lincoln. Democrats have won two major wars. Republican’ts won the Civil War, and beat up Grenada and Panama and with the help of 42 allied nations Iraq in the Gulf War. They have lost Vietnam, Iraq and are about to lose in Afghanistan.
Damn the facts really piss off the wingnuts.
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt. If you’re trying to be funny, you’re not. If you’re just plain ignorant, well, we learn something every day, don’t we?
My fear of Bush exceeds any fear I could have of bin Laden. Even if, somehow, the Taliban managed to attack the US again, I’d still be more afraid of Bush. It’s a wonder given the corruption and incompetence of the Bush administration that shit hasn’t happened since September 11th.
Bush took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, not to erode it, change it beyond recognition, or destroy it.
The only reason that these military tribunals have to be held, with the accused not even able to review the evidence against them is because in an open court all the men would be released due to the fact that all of them were tortured.
There is documented evidence of torture following rendition, including slahing with razors, beatings, humilation, hardly conducive to juduciary standards in a so called free country.
That is why none of the men have been tried. Because the USA broke every law, every convention regarding Human Rights. Open court will expose these failings and even the harshest judge would have no recourse other to set these men free under the terms of current legislation.
If the men hadn’t been tortured, they would have be prosecuted by now and serving time or on death row.
Is torture a good idea? Well why don’t we ask the families of the two US army personel who were captured by Iraqi insurgents then subjected to horrifying torture before they died (or were mercifully killed). Or why don’t you ask the families of all the people who were kidnapped and forced to were orange boiler suits (gitmo orange) before they were beheaded.
As Newton said, “Every action has a reactio”. And that my friends is a Universal Law.
Listen here Repugs…we don’t need to subvert the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions to deal with this issue. We do need leadership that can uphold our Constitution (as “pledged”), recognize the truth and evaluate our situation in light of reality. Preznit BS better pull up his Depends, ’cause accountability’s a bitch.
The Democrats are not attacking and are not being assertive. Mother of Christ, haven’t they learned that being quiet about stuff and hoping it’ll go away does them NO good?
Absolutely not. They’re so afraid of looking like spoiled-sports that they refuse to stand up and fight. They want to take the high road by not slinging the mud, while getting covered from head to toe themselves. It’s shameful.
By the way, welcome back, annie. Now if Gary shows up we’ll be in for a real treat.
*oh noes*
“But when people are frightened enough, nothing is beyond the pale.”
This plan has been in the works for decades. The Red scare, the Domino Theory, War on Drugs, Fear of the Black Man, gated communities, Christian Schools, Gay marriage…it’s all fear. America is riddled with it.
But I would add that the ultimate catalyst is American hubris. “Greatest nation on earth!” “America, love it or leave it!” Then we September 11, 2001 happens and the nation turns into a bunch of fecal hurling primates, unable to comprehend our vulnerability and culpability.
Sorry folks, but there are other nations on earth that offer more freedoms and protection of privacy, and have a better educated citizenry, than the United States of America.
“Hey, I am protecting you and your wife and your kids.�
That one KILLS in NO! Wins them over every time.
I’m quite sure Mark S. was being sacrastic.
The NYT editorial is good today too.
Too bad they didn’t consider any of this when they were busy suppressing the Civilian Surveillance Program story until after the elections to help these bastards keep power. Wankers.
You might ever consider (god help me) sending Sen Warner a campaign contribution.
Attach a note, saying, “I usually think of you as a _____(fill in your favorite pejoriative)______, but what you did recently has the hallmarks of real political courage and statesmanship.� (they LOVE hearing shit like that. And in this case it may actually be true. Who knew?)
Think of it as positive reinforcement. It might even provoke some more of the same behavior.
Didn’t know they could actually do spine transplants.
How is it that no commentator anywhere anytime has pointed out that one day Bush can cloak himself in Christianity (“…a Third (Christian) Awakening…”) and the VERY NEXT DAY demand the right to torture?! How can that possibly square with the truths uttered by the Prince of Peace?
And how come no fucking body ever notices that dichotomy?
And calls him on that bullshit?
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt. If you’re trying to be funny, you’re not. If you’re just plain ignorant, well, we learn something every day, don’t we?
Thank you, Lars, for setting me on the right track. Here are some other famous statements I was wrong about:
Et tu, Brute?
Adolf Hitler
I must be cruel only to be kind
Nick Lowe
God is dead
Dick Cheney
But now I know. And knowing is half the battle, as the Transformers used to say. Maybe you could take your wisdom to set this guy straight.
Here’s my rallying cry — in the form of a video posted on YouTube warning of the extreme danger to the Union presented by the Bush-Cheney power grab.
It’s a little long (9:45), but there’s stuff that needs to be said…
Didn’t some communist guy say “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself�?
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt. If you’re trying to be funny, you’re not.
I thought it was funny.
awesome kangaroo graphic, BTW.
Alas, my Representative (Blargh! It is to stupid) is Roy (show me the money) Blunt (R-Tobacco), and my Senators are Kit (amidst strenuous competition, the stupidest man in the Senate) Bond (R-Shootin’ and Fishin’), and Jim (no-) Talent (R-Apathy).
Weep for me. Weep for the entire state of MIssouri. Because most of us are too fucking stupid to weep for ourselves.
As it is, I have called Bond’s office to complain so often that I think his staff draws straws to see who gets stuck this time when they see my number come up on caller ID. And I’ve never had enough money for Blunt to consider me human, much less consider returning my calls.
I don’t call Talent any more. I’m working on getting him thrown the hell out of the Senate instead.
While y’all are phoning, phone Harry Reid and thank him nicely. According to Greenwald, Reid said, on a blogger conference call, that there is no way the Specter Spying on US Citizens Bill is going to pass the Senate. I don’t really think the Cheney Torture Bill is going anywhere either. I believe the filibuster is back on the table, boys and girls. That’s my interpretation, of course. I don’t care how they do it, so long as they get it done.
Which is why, just because you didn’t read about Democrats opposing Bush’s All-New September Super Demented Fuckwit Agenda in the national fishwraps, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
The Press: Not. Our. Friends.
It pays to remember that the GOP ‘mavericks’ will always be the heroes in any story by our national stenographers. And, to be fair, I think that if McCain, Warner and Graham were going to back down on this, they would have done so already. They may actually be standing on principle here. It’s hard to say, because I’ve so seldom seen it in GOP pols, but it is one interpretation.
Remember, McCain is a total asshole in almost every way, but he did get an anti-torture bill passed before. I imagine he might be a tad upset about the signing statement that completely negated it. As well as other things.
However, I always think it’s an excellent idea to call up your Democratic Senators and Reps and let them know you expect them to oppose this crap. Although they shouldn’t need to be told. Except Lieberman. And he’ll miss the vote anyway, because it’s important.
Nice.. Let’s phrase it like a press conference question:
“Mr. President, to win the Global War on Terror, must we suspend both the Constitution and the Bible?”
Mark S.
“O’Reilly… was talking about what a wonderful job the Nazis did controlling the parts of the Soviet Union they conquered and how there was no insurgency …”*
Wow! It’s like he totally forgot about Poland!
*I know, I know, not part of the Soviet Union, but they did have a heck of an insurgency going. And Mark’s “insurgency” referred to the one in Iraq; but, dammit, it’s my joke and I’ll tell the way I want to!
Mark S.
“O’Reilly… was talking about what a wonderful job the Nazis did controlling the parts of the Soviet Union they conquered and how there was no insurgency …”*
Wow! It’s like he totally forgot about Poland!
*I know, I know, not part of the Soviet Union, but they did have a heck of an insurgency going. And Mark’s “insurgency” referred to the one in Iraq; but, dammit, it’s my joke and I’ll tell it the way I want to!
shit.
sorry!