Why don't the democrats have the backbone to filibuster this legislation? Regardless of whether it passes this legislation will be used as a campaign issue against democrats. Why not go out on the campaign trail and say to the American people that the Democrats as a party will do everything in their power to stop legislation that permits our president to commit war crimes? Why not point out that this legislation contains provisions that a week ago even Republicans said were unacceptable? I fear we've gone over the abyss now.

Tim -- Can you provide a link to the full letter as sent by those law professors to Congress? While I'd argued in another post that Sherrod Brown's vote approving this atrocity needs to be understood in the context of electoral politics, it's obvious that the House bill should NOT be enacted into law on its merits. It would be enlightening to see the sort of advice being ignored by our elected representatives.

Now I understand the heated opposition to a spanish language version of the pledge of allegiance- Republicans can't speak spanish! All that talk of purity and preservation was for real, they were right for once! I mean, it's only been a few months and already they are forgetting the words. I'll just remind them of the last few lines... "One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"

I second the call for a link to the letter. I would like to see it in full as well as any information on it's origin. I'm in the process of writing to my "representatives" (sorry, I'm from Texas and have to put that in quotation marks) and would like to be able to quote from it.

Thanks.

These guys can't be, but are, serious. If the case to be made is that our elected officials are putting into law "everything we don't believe in" then the disconnect between us and them is nauseating. If our elected officials place this travesty into law then I am finding myself living in a country that I was not brought-up in. It has become a shadow country run by shadowy nilhilists. Now I know how the clearer thiniking German humans felt as they saw thier country receed into darkness through fear, loathing, and lies. I am feeling as helpless as them. My God.

This incredible abuse of presidential power by the neocons and Bush makes me really afraid that at some point his biggest problem is not going to be Islamic extremists, but rather American left wing extremists who have reached their breaking point. We saw what right wing extremists did in Oklahoma. We haven't seen major left wing problems since the late 60's, early 70's but I can't believe this will continue. Our country is now totally fractured. The only thing that can avoid this is a sweeping democratic victory in November.

Out for a walk last night, a thought came to me: "My nation is falling apart."

I've been busy, half paying attention to the nonsense that is this bill -- and only realized yesterday that the vote had taken place in the House and will be voted on in the Senate today.

And I echo the same sentiment I've seen by others -- here and at other sites -- this is not the nation I thought I was living in. All the principles that John Adams and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin and George Washington and countless others put their lives on the line to build and protect are now being washed away.

But I cannot simply blame the folks in D.C. I wasn't paying attention.

Understandably, I didn't think I had to on a matter of such bald idiocy. I just wrote to my Senator and said, "If Bush declared he wanted a bill allowing the eating of the poor's children it would never reach the floor. How is this bill any different it's absurdity and horror?"

But, again, I slacked. Before we start going off on how horrible those people are, how many of us have been fully engaged with our press and politicians. We think we're being heard here on Salon and other web sites. But there's a big disconnect.

My task in the future is to stay on top of these matters and keep in communication. I mean, Bush is in office for another two years. It's possible the Republicans might retain control past 2008 -- which will only embolden the Rove-Cabal.

Our nation is in danger. But our Government institutions are robust enough for us to remedy this by legal and political means. But we must stand up and make the effort to stop what has been pushed forward and stop what might well be coming next.

ChristopherK

The Democrats need to stand up and say, "this is wrong," even if taking a stand against that which is wrong proves unhelpful in mid-term elections. Republicans are going to brand Democrats with being weak on terror, coddling terrorists, etc. no matter how passively the Democrats go along with the Republicans on the issue. Consequently, the only strategy that makes sense is to do what is right -- stand up and say, "we can't fight terrorists and terrorism by abandoning the ideals that make our country great." If we lose the election, oh well, at least history will prove that we did not passively allow wholesale abandonment of what is unequivocaly right.

Congressional offices are designed to respond to letters with non-answers. If you want to get a member's attention, find his/her website, find out where his/her nearest district office is, and insist on setting up a meeting.

I am not a lawyer and don't know all the intricacies of the system, but isn't there a reasonable expectation that a legal challenge is inevitable here? Will the courts not have an opportunity to declare this disgusting excuse for lawmaking unconstitutional? If this legislation is truly as bad as it feels, how on earth could it not be overruled, even by our potentially right-slanted current SCOTUS? I can't believe it, but again, I am forced to place all of my faith in our system of checks and balances in the hands of the Judicial Branch of our government. When the moment is upon them, will all the "activist judges" please (I beg you!!) stand up and do something to prevent the will of an apparent majority from exerting tyranny over the minority?