"When the government fears the people, that is LIBERTY. When people fear the government, that is TYRANNY."
There is a lot of talk going around about picking a conservative judge means they will adhere to the constitution better than a liberal judge. What that really means is they will adhere to the conservative's view or interpretation of the constitution.
Conservatives are in the majority right now in congress and in the white house. As a result of that, police can now execute search warrants by "notifying a judge" instead of having to "ask a judge for permission". They can order a library to give them a list of the books you read and under penalty of law the library can't even tell you about it. They can and have held American citizens in jail without the right to an attorney, without being charged, and if they do get an attorney, the feds can listen in on the conversation.
All of this has happened on the current administration's watch and they say that picking a judge for the supreme court with their values will mean one that upholds the constitution. I don't find anywhere in the constitution or bill of rights that suggests the things in the patriot act are in line with the thinking of our forefathers when they wrote them. Nothing in the patriot act is compatible with the "spirit" of either document.
"A politician will do anything to keep his job - even become a patriot." [ William Randolph Hearst]
These same patriot act supporters will say, yes, but times have changed and with terrorism, we need to give up some of our rights and our privacy in order to be safe.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." [ Benjamin Franklin ]
The right to a trial and the right to an attorney, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, is a basic American principal and part of essential liberty. If we torture prisoners and deny rights to them, then we have become what we fear and hate. We become that which we fight.
You think we are winning the war on terrorism? Then you are not opening your eyes and don't understand the principals this country was founded on. Every right we give up, every freedom we give up, every bit of privacy we give up, is another victory for the terrorists. The patriot act itself is the terrorists declaration of victory. They sought to destroy freedom and our politicians helped them take it away from us and they continue to do so a little bit at a time so you won't notice.
They have used fear to deny civil liberties on the basis that they just want to protect us.
"Naturally, the common people don't want war ... but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." [Hermann Goering]
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be lead to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." [ H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) ]
If this same group of people who support the patriot act put forth a judge who believes the way they do, then the judge will be off the mark as well. You cannot believe the patriot act is justified and believe in the constitution or bill of rights at the same time. If you do, then you don't understand one or the other.
"Any law which violates the indefeasible rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all." [ Maximilien Robespierre ]
This is the same group of people who believe that not supporting EVERYTHING the president does is unpatriotic.
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." [ Theodore Roosevelt ]
"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." [ Edward Abbey ]
Comment in our Forum!
More things that just piss me off
Conservatives are in the majority right now in congress and in the white house. As a result of that, police can now execute search warrants by "notifying a judge" instead of having to "ask a judge for permission". They can order a library to give them a list of the books you read and under penalty of law the library can't even tell you about it. They can and have held American citizens in jail without the right to an attorney, without being charged, and if they do get an attorney, the feds can listen in on the conversation.
All of this has happened on the current administration's watch and they say that picking a judge for the supreme court with their values will mean one that upholds the constitution. I don't find anywhere in the constitution or bill of rights that suggests the things in the patriot act are in line with the thinking of our forefathers when they wrote them. Nothing in the patriot act is compatible with the "spirit" of either document.
"A politician will do anything to keep his job - even become a patriot." [ William Randolph Hearst]
These same patriot act supporters will say, yes, but times have changed and with terrorism, we need to give up some of our rights and our privacy in order to be safe.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." [ Benjamin Franklin ]
The right to a trial and the right to an attorney, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, is a basic American principal and part of essential liberty. If we torture prisoners and deny rights to them, then we have become what we fear and hate. We become that which we fight.
You think we are winning the war on terrorism? Then you are not opening your eyes and don't understand the principals this country was founded on. Every right we give up, every freedom we give up, every bit of privacy we give up, is another victory for the terrorists. The patriot act itself is the terrorists declaration of victory. They sought to destroy freedom and our politicians helped them take it away from us and they continue to do so a little bit at a time so you won't notice.
They have used fear to deny civil liberties on the basis that they just want to protect us.
"Naturally, the common people don't want war ... but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." [Hermann Goering]
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be lead to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." [ H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) ]
If this same group of people who support the patriot act put forth a judge who believes the way they do, then the judge will be off the mark as well. You cannot believe the patriot act is justified and believe in the constitution or bill of rights at the same time. If you do, then you don't understand one or the other.
"Any law which violates the indefeasible rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all." [ Maximilien Robespierre ]
This is the same group of people who believe that not supporting EVERYTHING the president does is unpatriotic.
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." [ Theodore Roosevelt ]
"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." [ Edward Abbey ]
Comment in our Forum!
More things that just piss me off
posted by NameCritic at 4:25 AM
1 Comments:
Yea, the republicans should really follow that definition of 'Liberty' when they spout off about spreading freedom and liberty around the world. Maybe they should start rigth here.
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