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Thursday, October 4, 2007 12:00 AM

The latest revelations of lawbreaking, torture and extremism

With each day that we acquiesce to the Bush administration's radicalism, the more it defines the national character of our country.

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Thursday, October 4, 2007 09:38 AM

No orbitboy and malcontent. No Hopeless! Hope! Always hope. We'll see? Literature call them fle bitten male/female whores.

I read the first and last page.

No hock phlegm on computer keys.

I believe the (GOP'S) will choke.

Once in awhile, I'll browse via Sun Tzu's, 'The Art of War' wondering. Why is the military so loyal? No be so stupid!

The loyalist to LIES and murder try to abide TIME. In the end, those retired hypocrits who sow war-seed, eventually, choke on their own thistle spittle.

Ask Tigger. RMP agrees.

Tigger's eat bad thistle.

Neocons die misaerably? Yes.

Ever see a GOP die? No lie. It's a horrible departure from the dear Earth. Dear me, it gets too late and the latter days, it's sad languishing- It is Ghastly!

That kinda DEATH is too sad to watch for me. Never give up hope.

Black crows spit on the murder neocon's graves.

Thursday, October 4, 2007 09:38 AM

grcorre re: payment boycott

I think the first thing that will happen is the corporatist Congress will enact a law making non-payment illegal. Of course it is ridiculous, but so is everything else they’ve done in the last 6 years (minimum). The first people (perhaps only) they’ll arrest for this new crime are the ringleaders of the original movement.

It is simply impossible to outlaw non-consumption. That is why I think it is a better choice of protest. But I am not saying this is an either-or proposition. I think that if you can convince a bunch of people to do what you suggest, that is great. If I can convince a bunch of people (so far, none btw) to do what I suggest, that would be great. I think both together would be effective.

Thursday, October 4, 2007 09:41 AM

People don't care

Neither the press nor the general population care about the Bush Administration's behavior enough to do anything about it, because they don't fundamentally understand how fragile democracy and freedom actually are. In school, we learn about internment of the Japanese during World War II and the prosecution of those with "communist" tendencies in the 1950s. We do not, however, learn to recognize the signs that these types of abuses are actually happening when they are happening. Instead, we elect to ingnore such events and "trust" our government to do the right thing. We learn, growing up, that America is the land of the free, that our government is "good," and that we are the greatest democracy in the world. Believing in these ideals is patriotic; not believing is unpatriotic boarding on treason. We are not willing to question let alone give up these deeply held beliefs concerning the "goodness" of American. Entire generations of Americans believe that it is unamerican and immoral to question our government during a time of war. My husband, my family and my work colleagues fairly universally believe that the Bush Administration has been a disaster; they do not, however, believe that it constitutes any real threat to American values, ideals, democracy or civil liberties. Against this background, the few that raise the alarm that we are moving toward an undemocratic society with no respect for freedom and liberty appear as alarmist, unpatriotic, and unamerican nuts. Not until we find ourselves in a real "1984" world will people wake up to the fact that democracy and liberty are fragile and need careful attention and respect. Unfortunately, by then, it will be too late.

Thursday, October 4, 2007 09:42 AM

Now it is so clear.

It is so clear how the ordinary German citizenry became inured to the heinous actions of the German state in the 1930's. Once the process of selecting the country's highest leaders is routinely accepted as gimmicked, the public will ignore wrongdoing by the administration by simply blaming the process - they aren't MY party, they stole the election, so its not MY fault, not MY responsibility. Once you start getting your government off the back of a cereal box, your expectations disappear.

In the last twenty five years, a mere two families have controlled all executive power in the the U.S., three corporations own all the major media outlets - how is that a democracy, or a republic, or a free press? Surprise, surprise, its a criminal enterprise. Of course, when corporate capital cannot make enough profit by acting legally, then (almost by definition) criminals will rise to run our government.

The torure and babykilling and genocide is nothing new - in the endgame it all just happens above board and in plain sight. Pride in hypocrisy replaces the shame of the truth, uninformed, knee-jerk flagwaving successfully intimidates an informed electorate into hiding and submission, plowshares are beaten into cruise missles, rational discussion is mocked and tazered into silence.

Thursday, October 4, 2007 09:43 AM

Particularly Good Piece

Today's piece is an awfully good one, in that it shifts our gaze somewhat to congress, and its continued failure as a constitutional branch of government to address the issues of torture, loss of process, and other human/civil rights issues.

We are, and have been, at a divide between two courses. The course identified with torture leads towards the end of our republic and the creation of some new and monstrous national entity that will terrorize both the world and its own citizens. The course rejecting torture leads us in a better direction.

Here's a recent court statement regarding due process/civil liberties issue:

"This is the destiny of democracy, as not all means are acceptable to it, and not all practices employed by its enemies are open before it. Although a democracy must often fight with one hand tied behind its back, it nonetheless has the upper hand. Preserving the Rule of Law and recognition of an individual's liberty constitutes an important component in its understanding of security. At the end of the day they (add to) its strength."

Don't recognize it? The leftist, soft-on-terror, Osama-loving, Iran-appeasing court issuing this statement was the Supreme Court of Israel, 1999.

Congress would do well to listen, and consider what it is doing. Greenwald is absolutely correct, and in fact the statement is overdue. Failure to act will lead to congressional--and Democratic Party--co-ownership of all these evils.

Thursday, October 4, 2007 09:44 AM

stuff

@nasalfiber: the fact that sometimes I can't tell if you're serious or joking is one reason why I will never support you getting Sugarmanned. Rave on, guy...

@malcontent: agree with ondelette -- magnificent image! may it be so...

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