Mostly about my amusement

Day: July 9, 2008 (page 1 of 1)

The Senate rolls over and plays dead

President Nixon Bush got what he wanted: Senate bows to Bush, approves surveillance bill.

The news article mentions that the old FISA rules were a problem, and that Congress did not want to deal with this in an election year.  Even Senator Obama folded on this one.

I guess his ambition is greater than his morals.  “Vote for change”, what nonsense.

King George must be pleased to have such tame pets.  It was never demonstrated that there was any issue with using the old FISA rules.  It was only an issue because the Bush Cheney administration wanted more power.

The current administration does not want this law passed because they need it.  They don’t torture people because they need to.  They don’t disregard the Constitution because they need to.  They don’t eliminate habeas corpus* because they need to.

They do all these things because they can.

I’m pissed again, I really can’t wait till January 20th to welcome our new king.

*Some people may think that habeas corpus was something denied only to non-American citizen away from our shores.  The fact is, this administration grabbed an American in an airport in Chicago and then John Ashcroft bragged about it from Moscow.  That American, who may have been the most vile scum, was held for years and subjected to abuse before the administration moved him where the law says he should have been.  If they can do this to the worst, they can do this to anyone.

Good read re warrantless wiretapping

Salon has a good write up on Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation Inc. v. Bush from one of the lawyers involved.  If you are a “Get them before they get us” type, don’t bother reading.

If you think everyone has to obey the law (meaning me, you, you, and especially YOU), then it’s a long read but covers the lawyers point of view nicely. This is the best part:

The situation grew darkly comic. They didn’t have a hammer, so they started debating how to smash the hard drive. I suggested they smack it against the corner of the table that was in the room. That didn’t do much.

I found myself thinking of the Samsonite Gorilla, the TV commercial from the 1970s in which a gorilla stomps on a piece of luggage that just won’t break. I thought: “These people are entrusted with our national security?”

Once again, since it is an election year, I am sure that our elected officials will get involved and mess this up.