I Joined the ACLU Today
I don't usually get into political stuff here, but I figure this is kind of important. I'm sure you've probably heard that as a result of an ACLU lawsuit, a federal judge has struck down the Bush Administration's wiretapping operation.
Bush doesn't particularly like it when other people oppose him, so he has a history of a) not informing others who would hold him to account for his actions, or b) issuing "signing statements" that basically say that since he's the president, he doesn't have to follow any law that he doesn't want to.
Case in point is McCain's Anti-Torture amendment to a Defense Department bill passed by both houses earlier this year. The goal of the amendment was to close all of the existing loopholes that would allow the military to torture detainees.
The White House tried to deep six it, and when that failed, and it came time to sign the bill, Bush added a signing statement saying, and I quote, "The executive branch shall construe [the law] in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President . . . as Commander in Chief. [This approach] will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President . . . of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks."
The Bush Administration has a history of attempting to consolidate power based on the assumption that we are "at war", and that he has supreme executive power due to his role as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. As Monty Python told us, "supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony". Just replace "aquatic" with "signing" and we're on the same page.
Point is that personal freedoms that we've sort of taken for granted are being systematically removed by an administration that thinks it has MY best interests in mind, and will do just about anything in its ever-increasing power to "protect" me. I sort of think that's something that should be decided through a more democratic process than the brain of "The Decider".
So I joined the ACLU. Yes, they defend total scumbags like Fred Phelps and NAMBLA. As disgusting as they are, they have as much right to say their piece as I do to say mine. The ACLU defends them because they are covered by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. As we all are, including Bush. The ACLU has just sent him a reminder of that, I'm grateful that there's an organization willing to stand up for me. Congress certainly isn't.
Bush doesn't particularly like it when other people oppose him, so he has a history of a) not informing others who would hold him to account for his actions, or b) issuing "signing statements" that basically say that since he's the president, he doesn't have to follow any law that he doesn't want to.
Case in point is McCain's Anti-Torture amendment to a Defense Department bill passed by both houses earlier this year. The goal of the amendment was to close all of the existing loopholes that would allow the military to torture detainees.
The White House tried to deep six it, and when that failed, and it came time to sign the bill, Bush added a signing statement saying, and I quote, "The executive branch shall construe [the law] in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President . . . as Commander in Chief. [This approach] will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President . . . of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks."
The Bush Administration has a history of attempting to consolidate power based on the assumption that we are "at war", and that he has supreme executive power due to his role as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. As Monty Python told us, "supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony". Just replace "aquatic" with "signing" and we're on the same page.
Point is that personal freedoms that we've sort of taken for granted are being systematically removed by an administration that thinks it has MY best interests in mind, and will do just about anything in its ever-increasing power to "protect" me. I sort of think that's something that should be decided through a more democratic process than the brain of "The Decider".
So I joined the ACLU. Yes, they defend total scumbags like Fred Phelps and NAMBLA. As disgusting as they are, they have as much right to say their piece as I do to say mine. The ACLU defends them because they are covered by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. As we all are, including Bush. The ACLU has just sent him a reminder of that, I'm grateful that there's an organization willing to stand up for me. Congress certainly isn't.
coughed this up at 4:51 PM
2 El Commentos:
As that famous song goes,
"You gotta fight for your right to paaaaarrrrrty!"
What's with Americans always having to fight for your freedom? Good luck!
i think it's because "we" would much rather watch Fear Factor or Survivor than take a few minutes to actually learn about issues.
i also think we'd have a better time of it if we sort of stopped trying to shove our freedoms down people's throats. ah well.
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