Letters to the Editor
Timothy3
Published Letters: 138 Editor's Choice: 13
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@ Pow Wow & Macgupta
[Read the article: Leaders of the free world]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm in agreement that the central problem here is "how party control is asserted, and party discipline enforced, inside Congress ...." That's why I, like so many others, am in favor of the Accountability Now approach to things. Certainly, using conventional means, as Glenn has pointed out repeatedly, will simply get us more of the same.
Macgupta, I'm no constitutional expert or lawyer, but among those who are (such as Douglas Cox http://tinyurl.com/6yjbfm) there are views such as this, from September 1998: " ... the Framers did create a Limited Immunity for Legislators, in the Speech and Debate Clause. This demonstrates that the Framers knew how to create an immunity when they chose." This comment was specifically about Presidential immunity but, it seems to me, if there are limitations on Presidential immunity there surely must be limitations on the President's staff.
From the House Judiciary Committee website (http://www.judiciary.house.gov/news/031008.html): "Ms. Miers is not 'immune' from the obligation to appear before the committee in response to a duly authorized, issued and served committee subpoena;" There are several other statements here regarding the immunity issue. But one thing is certain, at least to me, is that if the claim of executive immunity were that dominant, there wouldn't have been a need to grant Congress the judicial contempt power. And regarding Blackwater guards coming to Rove's rescue, well, such an event would be most instructive for the public. And if Congress continues to abdicate from its responsibilities, these Bush maneuverings will not only be unchallenged but, perhaps worse, form some sort of precedent.
Finally, I think I must have missed something in the thread regarding people being flamed. Kitt, Oomex, DCLaw and Pedinska have commented on it but, as I say, I must have missed it.
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Hagee as Moses
[Read the article: The honorable centrist Joe Lieberman]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lieberman may see Hagee as a new Moses, that new "leader of a mighty multitude in pursuit of and defense of Israel," but the Youtube clips no longer available tell a rather different story. A few weeks ago Max Blumenthal (http://tinyurl.com/5pcun3) wrote of Hagee's threatening legal action against the site over copyright infringement if they didn't remove the clips. As Blumenthal put it, "the Hagee video slaughter was a naked exercise in news suppression orchestrated by high-level operatives from the preacher's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas."
So here we have a new Moses who, rather than declaiming from a mountaintop a truth for the ages as his namesake did, frantically, furtively scurries to remove his sterling expressions of truth regarding Hitler, the Anti-Christ, etc.
You have exquisite taste in allies, Joe.
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Engagement
[Read the article: Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The general tenor of these letters include:
1. You're jerks if you didn't realize this already;
2. Both parties are complicit and you're fooling yourselves if you didn't already know this;
3. Justice will not be served by this Congress or the next president;
4. You're already being monitored and there's nothing to be done about it;
5. Don't delude yourself--your not important enough to be monitored;
Etc.
One thing is certain: Whatever is actually happening will continue and most likely grow in scope and offense if the citizenry refuses to engage in what we commonly call "the process." It is unreasonable, surely, to work for comprehensive change and expect overnight results. But we can work, at the local and federal Congressional levels, to bring forward progressive candidates who actually value human decency, fairness and equity, whether it's wage equity, environmental issues (inclusive of alternative fuel sources, to name one example) or, simply, responsive government that doesn't view its citizens as the enemy. We currently lack this because for far too long most Americans have delegated, by lack of interest and by inaction, their governance to non-responsive, self-interested people. How could we expect anything less? We've been granted what our slothfulness seemingly desired and now we see the fruit.
This doesn't have to be the end, nor is it a matter of throwing one's hands up and shrugging complacently in the face of seeming defeat. Really, it only takes a modicum of interest and involvement. I think many of us would be surprised at the outcome.
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Of Cipro and Other Tools
[Read the article: Vital unresolved anthrax questions and ABC News]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's remarkable, literally incredible, that Cohen's Slate piece has this: "I had been told soon after Sept. 11 to secure Cipro, the antidote to anthrax. The tip had come in a roundabout way from a high government official, and I immediately acted on it." He doesn't see the obvious inference? It doesn't occur to him what the source of the Anthrax might be, even as late as March 2008?
And sysprog's citation of the Mooney review of Meyer's book has this: "On Oct. 18, 2001, a White House alarm went off indicating that sensors had detected dangerous levels of radioactive, chemical or biological agents. According to Mayer, anyone who had entered the White House situation room, including Cheney, had been exposed.
'They thought Cheney was already lethally infected,'
said a former administration officer who had kept the White House secret until now, according to the book."
This "secret" is especially suspect if the anthrax originated from a US bioweapons lab. It seems as if the rollout of disinformation continues apace.
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Is Suze Orman
[Read the article: Hell, yeah, I like Suze Orman]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]an economist? I don't know that to be the case. I enjoy her show since she, generally, gives solid and common sense advice to people about money management. As the sole brother among seven sisters I support her efforts to help women increase their awareness of financial issues.