Letters to the Editor
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frightening and also hypocritical
It is chilling to see these thought leaders of the right blithely use such terms as dictatorial. Especially because they have demonstrated that it is not just rhetoric for them.
What is worse is that they wrap themselves up in their reading of the constitution only now when their boy is in the WhiteHouse. Where was the concern for the weakening of the president under Clinton. Will they support the right of the next Democratic president to withdraw from Iraq as his/her rightful decision? Most likely not because we have learned how lsippery their principles are. The only constant is self promotion at the cost of many many lives.
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Useful shooter242
I'm pretty sure that the previous administration bombed Bosnia and Iraq into "submission" with nary a congressional vote. ...In fact the Congressional resolutions passed by a Democratic Senate supporting Afghanistan and Iraq incursions may be the first approvals granted in half a century.
-- shooter242This post is valuable. The difference in Congressional behavior shooter notes is worth a little study. There was vigorous, acrimonious Congressional debate in the 90s regarding Clinton's desire to take military action in the Balkans. Congressional Republicans held his feet to the flames before, during and after the U.S. military intervention there. I don't remember the exact timelines in the Clinton era military action in the Balkans, but Congress did not allow him to move men and materiel into the region for many months, despite his aggressive campaigning to get in there. Tom Delay held him back using the power of the purse, or the threat of it.
More to the point of Glenn's post -- there was no lobby for dictatorship operating on Clinton's behalf at the time. No lobbying cohort was using its vanity presses to argue that well-constrained powers loaned to the President by Congress constituted a carte blanche, given to him henceforth and forever. ("forever" having been defined as "for as long as the Presidency is held by a Republican" in their narrative.)
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New American Century
Interesting
http://www.newamericancentury.org/
I went there, in fear and loathing, and actually experienced a moment of relief. They have little boxes that link to their "projects" for various parts of the world. One of them even links to the whole world. But the box that touches on South America is empty. Since I spend about half of every year in Brazil, I was delighted to see that these arrogant characters apparently have no plan (yet) to impose the New American Century there.
But my moment of relief was just that. A moment. Then I realized that they probably are assuming that more than one "American Century" has already been forcefully imposed on Latin America.
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Civic Literacy Report - Major Findings
http://americancivicliteracy.org/report/major_findings.html
America's colleges and universities fail to increase knowledge about America's history and institutions. There is a trivial difference between college seniors and their freshmen counterparts regarding knowledge of America's heritage. Seniors scored just 1.5 percent higher on average than freshmen, and at many schools, seniors know less than freshmen about America's history, government, foreign affairs, and economy. Overall, college seniors failed the civic literacy exam, with an average score of 53.2 percent, or F, on a traditional grading scale.
On the other hand, you could say that our high schools are doing an outstanding job. They're producing high school graduates who have 98.5% of a college graduate's understanding of civics!
Perhaps some of you liberal elitist snobs are thanking God and Mom and Dad that you didn't go to Podunk U.? Read it and weep :
http://americancivicliteracy.org/report/major_findings-2.html
Prestige doesn't pay off. An Ivy League education contributes nothing to a student's civic learning. Indeed, there is no relationship between the cost of attending college and the mastery of America's history, politics, and economy. Moreover, of the 50 schools surveyed, including Brown, Georgetown, and Yale, 16 showed negative learning—in other words, at 16 schools seniors scored lower than freshmen, suggesting that they will graduate with even less civic knowledge than what little they had as freshmen.In 1957, when the Soviets launched Sputnik, the USA got scared and decided to beef up our math and science education. What's it gonna take before we get scared and realize that we need to beef up our civics education?
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Kristolnacht
To me, it's beyond comprehension that virtually everything I learned about government: separation of powers, three co-equal branches, "of the people, by the people, and for the people," compromise for the general good, congressional declaration of war, etc., etc., has been almost completely undermined by so-called "conservatives."
Bill Kristol and his neocon cronies (in league with a President who either doesn't know or doesn't care how American government is supposed to work have used "conservatism" and "war" as a ruse for gutting the Constitution, our individual liberties, and our system of government. Ironically, they've done this, in part, by being the most incompetent administration in the history of our nation!
The one who is "supposed" to know (the President), knows nothing of history, government, or governing. Those who lead him around by the nose know only their aristocratic, warmongering ideologies with little or no regard to our founding fathers or the Constitution. Those who follow "Dear Leader" place loyalty before country and ideology and power before the well-being (the very lives) of America's citizens.
In all of my years, I never dreamed that we, as a nation, would allow ourselves to become so fearful, so cowardly, so ignorant - that we would sit by while America's legacy; all the good things we used to stand for, were decimated and destroyed by men (and women) whose lack of knowledge is exceeded only by their lack of caring. I, for one, am ready to do whatever is necessary to redress my real and abiding grievances with our current "leadership." Impeachment is too mild a remedy. Criminal prosecution and imprisonment of these traitors is the best, and possibly only, solution!
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" ...Patrick Henry, 1775