Jul 15 2008
Accountability for Elephants & Asses
The new FISA law recently passed and signed into law by President Bush is one of the most egregious affronts to Freedom and Liberty in my life time, and only advances a pattern of law making (following law breaking) that corrupts the very essence (and future) of democracy in America. The mainstream media has repeated many falsehoods, one of the most damaging of which is that the “far left” is upset with Obama for supporting it.
This is hogwash, a half truth, a smokescreen. Something to fill the papers instead of this.
It’s not about right and left, it’s about accountability, which senators on both “sides” of the aisle were all to quick to suspend, by passing this ill conceived amendment. The very concept of retro active immunity is offensive when it hasn’t even yet been established what laws were broken. It is well known that most Senators never even read bills before voting for them. The Patriot act wasn’t even circulated with sufficient time for even the speediest reader to finish before a vote!
So we now find ourselves in a situation where law makers don’t know the laws they’re making, and yet they feel compelled to make news laws absolving those who broke the old laws before a court (you know, that red headed step child of a branch) can make a ruling. How exactly does this make sense to anyone?
To quote the incomparable Glenn Greenwald
“…If the rule of law doesn’t constrain the actions of government officials, then nothing will. Continuous revelations of serious government lawbreaking have led not to investigations or punishment but to retroactive immunity and concealment of the crimes. Judicial findings of illegal government behavior have led to Congressional action to protect the lawbreakers. The Detainee Treatment Act. The Military Commissions Act. The Protect America Act. The FISA Amendments Act. They’re all rooted in the same premise: that our highest government leaders have the power to ignore our laws with impunity, and when they’re caught, they should be immunized and protected, not punished.”
One of the sentiments I’ve most often heard over the past goes something like this “soon our long national nightmare will be be over” (read: 8 years of Bush). Sadly, this is far from the truth, for two reasons:
1) The vast increases in executive power and the repealing of basic rights are not so easily undone. People don’t give up power once the ring is on their finger. This is even more true in this case because…
2) The Democrats have, with a few notable exceptions (Dodd, Kucinich, Feingold) been directly responsible for #1, with the help of course of the Republicans save the always principled Ron Paul. The undermining of our free society has happened on the watch of both candidates and today’s congress, voted in by you my fellow Americans (myself included). This is why it is important that we focus on issues and individual accountability, not two party warfare. Two party warfare is a scam. Elephants and Asses both stink to high heaven.
Thus it’s time that like minded folk with a passion for Liberty bind together to hold our leaders accountable. It’s clear that the legislative won’t hold the executive accountable (nor will they let the judicial do their job), so it’s time for citizens to step in and make some demands. The Accountability Now PAC was started to to just that. Please check your left/right notions at the door and help restore Freedom to our country. Freedom Fighting and Nation Building starts at home.
For tonight’s homework, I ask that you read up on your Glenn Greenwald who has been spot on regarding these issues, and would also strongly encourage you to read my friend Alex Chiba’s post here about actions you can take now, as well as an updated post here.
More info on Accountability Now & their upcoming “money bomb” on August 8th:
