Letters to the Editor
Nequals1
Published Letters: 332 Editor's Choice: 7
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Lawless State Department
[Read the article: Red, white and mercenary in Iraq]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Until pressured by the House Committee on Oversight to conduct an investigation, the State Department was complicit with the mercenaries, undermining its own mandate to bring security to Iraq, as well as destroying any semblance of credibility for its stated goals of fostering civil society, democracy and the rule of law.
What makes you believe that the State Department is not now and continuing to be complicit? It hasn't cooperated, nor has it acted ethically and in good faith.
It's obvious that its Pledge of Allegiance is to its own subversive interests and not to the US.
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Americans' Choice
[Read the article: The latest revelations of lawbreaking, torture and extremism ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Americans have now been publicly informed that the US is a terrorist state, and that its government and agents commit programmed, willful and deliberate terror in our names. We can no longer hide behind euphemisms for torture or have any doubt that our country is not being governed by the Constitution.
We have a choice to make:
Impeach.
Call a Constitutional Convention and restore government under the limits of the Constitution.
-OR-
Continue to aid and abet torture with the acknowledgment that the US is the most powerful terrorist state on the planet.
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Old South Meeting House
[Read the article: The latest revelations of lawbreaking, torture and extremism ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I just came from hearing Charlie Savage speak about his new book, Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy at the Boston Old South Meeting House. The ghosts are restless in that place, and there is a palpable sea change in the air.
Charlie spoke to his pursuit of the history and mystery of the presidential signing statements, the recalcitrance of the current crop of presidential candidates to speak to what they believe about inherent and concentrated executive power, and what they intend to do about it and with it if elected to office.
During the question and answer portion, questioners were often asking about the seeming disconnect between the will of we the people to impeach and Congress' obvious reluctance to do so.
Charlie's response was that it was interesting for him on his nationwide book tour to routinely get these questions and animated discussion about the imperative to impeach, while within the Beltway, there is no impeachment discussion at all - by anyone.
His view is also that once executive power has been claimed, it rarely is reduced via remediation by Congress. There is even a huge question about who holds the legitimate authority to question presidential signing statements in the courts, and individual members of Congress do not have that authority, according to his research findings. - Maybe Glenn would write to this.
The bottom line is that we the people, having been publicly informed, are now aiders and abettors of torture and terrorism as a state sponsored and sanctioned program as long as we do nothing.
As citizens, we have a clear mandate:
To collectively call for impeachment of the president and the vice president and any elected or appointed official who has broken the oath to uphold and to defend the Constitution
To call for a Constitutional convention and restore government function to that under the Constitution
OR
Nothing - and to be collectively responsible for living as citizens in a terrorist state.
The shadows of the Sons of Liberty cast darkly over the audience tonight. Imperial presidency or inherent power of the king: the oppression of the people is evident, and the people are fomenting a rebellion.
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The disconnect between the governed and the governors
[Read the article: Joe Klein's defense of warrantless eavesdropping and telecom amnesty]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]is simply becoming more transparent and blatant.
The citizenry is simply a tool to be used in the voting booths to cover for the corporatocracy.
S/elected officials are more and more brazen in their loyalty and allegiance to corporate interests because that is where their bread is buttered.
In the absence of real new leaders appearing on the scene and restoring the Constitution, restoring the rule of law, and returning the accountability of government to those governed, I can only hope that the people consider convening a new Constitutional Convention.
I spent an eye-opening afternoon reading James Madison's transcription of the original http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/debates/debcont.htm and I can only wonder if we have any group of clear-sighted, committed, enlightened leaders among us now, and whether in our current iteration, could ever have even approximated the great work that those earlier founders achieved.
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Breath of Fresh Air
[Read the article: Al Gore's win, America's loss]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The award to Mr. Gore is deserved and prescient, in my view.
The disastrous fascist policies regarding science and the censoring of sound science and scientists in the United States by the Bush administration, is causing permanent and irreparable "bright flight" of the best minds to countries with a more supportive and reasonable view of science and scientists.
The US is fielding fewer and fewer scientists, researchers, philosophers, artists and thinkers, and our loss is the world's gain.
Mr. Gore's award is both a literal and figurative breath of fresh air. I hope he exploits it for maximal impact.
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Yellow Ribbons and Flag Porn
[Read the article: American flag pins are for idiots]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yellow ribbons have come to symbolize the cowards hiding behind their keyboards and sitting in the NASCAR bleachers - all hat and no cattle patriots.
But the flag porn has just got to go. Anyone who relies on using the colors or anything related to the flag in order to send a message of patriotism has got is ass backwards.
Fascism relies on identification with nationalism and the flag.
At this stage of the game, I only fly the flag upside down, for surely our country is in distress.
True patriots are those who speak truth to power and who actually support, protect and defend the Constitution of these United States.
Without another Constitutional Convention to restore what has been rent asunder, I fear that the greatest experiment of this republic is but a memory.