stress is taking years off Hillary Clinton’s life
December 18, 2007 | Filed Under Elections, News, government | Leave a Comment
Campaign Stress and Aging
They say that Martin Luther King aged quickly because of the stress that the civil rights movement put on him as he led the movement. Is Hillary Clinton experiencing the effect that politics has on the big-name candidates?
Patriot Act abuse and your privacy rights
December 2, 2007 | Filed Under News, government, scandals | Leave a Comment
One of the bigger scandals that has yet to hit our Bush Administration is the use of provisions within the patriot act that allow intelligence gathering that goes counter to constitutional safeguards so long as the situation calls for it. Exigent circumstances from a legal standpoint, to put it simply means ‘impending danger, death, or threat’. It’s like the use of “imminent threat” by the Bush administration when he led the nation to believe that Saddam Hussein was preparing some special red, white and blue mushroom clouds.
The telecommunications companies have received tens of thousands of these orders, I’m sure that the intel gathering didn’t happen on an individual basis either. We already know the NSA has a base stationed within AT&T headquarters, so it’s not like they aren’t already listening in one capacity or another. Doesn’t it frighten you the extent to which our government would go to control our nation? Does anyone really think this is entirely about securing our nation from foreign terrorists? One could make a legitimate argument that this paranoia and fear by government of threats has more to do with government control and power than security and safety of our citizens.
Alberto Gonzales, executioner of Liberty
November 21, 2007 | Filed Under News, War, government, scandals | Leave a Comment
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was instrumental in helping President Bush send Americans off to get butchered in the middle east. He, like President Bush, is complicit in crimes that not only violate federal and international law, but do a number on the Constitution.
There is nothing about this administration that is good for America. We’ve lost so much of our essence to these murderers, and they sit around and smile. The smug look on their faces is enough to make any American gag. In the end, justice will prevail. Good WILL triumph over evil, it’s unfortunate that the rhetoric about good and evil is now best focused on our own country. Blood is on their hands and God will be the ultimate judge.
President Bush and Attorney Gonzales better come up with a better plan around the divine than “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and “God told me to invade Iraq” because lying won’t be an option.
Waterboarding is torture, says Harry Reid
November 14, 2007 | Filed Under News, War, government, scandals | Leave a Comment
“Any human being would admit anything under those circumstances.”
Harry Reid’s suggests that a person on the verge of death will admit to anything, even when it isn’t true.
This argument is used to support arguments against coercion and duress by law enforcement officials during their investigations. The argument counter to Reid’s assertion, of course is the Jack Bauer scenario. If a terrorist has information that would lead to saving the lives of thousands of people, then would “torture” be acceptable? I’m as liberal as the next guy, and I’d have to say that under a life or death situation, torture does and will happen. We should allow the law to play this out, instead of accepting ‘torture’ as a tactic, deny it under the Constitution as it previously has.
IF the Jack Bauer scenario actually happens, then the agent will likely make a moral judgment, thus, providing a defense in a court of law. What this does is makes sure that we preserve the integrity of our constitution, and continue supporting our “innocent, until proven guilty” system of jurisprudence. To remove torture from the ‘debate’ and insist that it is criminal, as it should be, would remove the heinous activity of torturing individuals and retrieving information under duress from among a laundry list of reasons for foreigners to hate the United States. This would go a long ways in restoring our reputation and significance in the world as a major political and international player.
Reid makes a very important point, historically, the United States has executed and jailed people for committing the crime of water boarding. During the Nuremberg trials, the use of torture was an issue that was not escaped by propaganda and clever political rhetoric. If President Bush were ‘on the other side’ of the Nuremberg debate, he would have surely been hanged for his sponsoring of such illegal activity (if it is proved that he is indeed guilty of promoting torture and terrorism to achieve political ends).
56% of citizens aren’t proud of America
November 12, 2007 | Filed Under News, government | Leave a Comment
More than half of Americans—56 percent—say they’re not proud of the country’s leaders. Two thirds and more say the country is in a leadership crisis. Nearly three quarters say the nation will decline without better leadership.
the Nexus of Politics and Terror
November 11, 2007 | Filed Under Elections, News, War, government | Leave a Comment
Politics, particularly on the GOP side has gained a nasty reputation for being propelled by ‘fear-driven’ propaganda. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I might call the claim of ‘fear-driven’ politics a false claim or one based on propaganda itself. However, our President and current GOP leaders who are front-runners in the primary nomination, make no apologies for using the kind of rhetoric that has pinned the GOP in a corner over the Bush years.
What is most fascinating to me, is that they don’t see how detrimental this “fear-mongering” is. While, I recognize that “fear-mongering” is a propaganda driven statement, what they do is frighten Americans into submission. The problem that they seem oblivious to, is that people who have their backs against the walls (un-American liberal pussies) are in a fight or flight situation. If you take a look at the liberal movement right now, they are in fight mode.. they aren’t running away from anything no matter what GOP strategists would have you believe.
In the eyes of most liberals, the GOP is a bigger threat to America than any 3rd world terrorist ever was. They believe, and I to a certain extent, that the far right has harmed our nation far more than Al Qaida did on September 11th. It seems like an extreme and irrational statement to be made and even more difficult to defend, but the current ‘feel’ in America is that the GOP is the party of ‘evil’ and anything or anyone would make for a better candidate than another Bush-clone. Oddly enough, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney have done their best impressions of President Bush and are trying to run on the ‘fear-driven’ agenda that has brought the GOP to its knees.
Not this time, my Republican friends, not this time.