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What sort of Laws can be written to prevent another BushCo.?

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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:09 PM
Original message
What sort of Laws can be written to prevent another BushCo.?
Assuming the Iron Heel doesn't come crashing down in Decenber 2004, what can be enacted in the near future to stop this sort of shit BEFORE it takes hold? How do we make a "Next Time" never materialize?

Is it even possible with our two party system and lifetime judges?
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Styles Donating Member (34 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:14 PM
Response to Original message
1. Well, there was the constitution...
You would think that was a document written to prevent BushCo...
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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:16 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. Didn't work.
At least not so far.

Bummer, eh?
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tom_paine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 07:53 AM
Response to Reply #4
20. I think it has worked quite admirably
It has slowed the Busheviks down to a tremendous degree. It has given us this twilight of however many years before the Iron Heel falls.

The Cosntitution, in it's extreme dying agony, is doing what it was designed to do...slowing tyrants as they pause to dismantle it.

In that regard, the Constitution has been a smashing success, and has given us perhaps more than a decade of semi-freedom where we might have had...well.. had what Amerika will have by 2020 or so.

ANY system is only as good as the people who are running it...are in it.

And NO System can survive the critical mass the the Busheviks and their Fellow Travelers have reached, That they system is less important than Endless Unchecked Power and the means to achieve it.

Once the Busheviks reached that level, the writing was on the wall.

But again I say, the Constitution has performed admriably in being sand in the gears of Tyranny, and slowing it's rise.
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TahitiNut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:19 PM
Response to Reply #1
8. Agreed. In addition, however, ....
... how about a couple of public laws: (1) prohibit any elected or appointed federal official from engaging in any kind of outside employment or fundraising of any kind while in office, and (2) all pulic statements made by any elected federal official are to be treated as though taken under oath and, if (knowingly) untrue, punishable immediately (no immunity, no pardon) under perjury laws. :eyes:
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jimshoes Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:14 PM
Response to Original message
2. Mandatory Drug Testing and
psycological evaluations every couple of months. Also must give speeches hooked up to a lie detector. ;)
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Mairead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:16 PM
Response to Original message
3. Constitutional amendment: initiative, referendum, recall
If we had had a recall provision for federal offices, Coup2000 would never have taken place because not only would Smirk have been immediately sacked, but so would the Five Felons.
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Flying_Pig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:17 PM
Response to Original message
5. The following would represent the best hope for..
reform, and to insure another Bush regime could never happen again:

1. Public financing of elections, and a ban on all campaign contributions, except say $20.00 per individual, with all corporate and business contributions banned, along with special interest PAC's.

2. By executive order, the next Dem president should reinstitute the "Fairness Doctrine", so that the media is never again allowed to lie to the American people, wiithout rebuttal. The "Doctrine" should include the print media as well.

In addition, steps should be taken to break up all media conglomorations, and invoke RICO laws to prosecute those who have thus far violated them.

3. Abolish the Electoral College.

Simple as that, and you have returned democracy to the people.
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protect freedom impeach bush now Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:19 PM
Response to Original message
6. No member of CIA can be president.
No CIA presidents.
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Eloriel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 09:00 AM
Response to Reply #6
23. I vote for that
And we need to find a way to shut down the nefarious part of the CIA too.

Eloriel
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ben_thayer Donating Member (344 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:19 PM
Response to Original message
7. A requirement that
the President must have an IQ in the double digits, MINIMUM...
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blondeatlast Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:21 PM
Response to Original message
9. Elimination of the Electoral College?
Insistence that any aggressive action be approved by Congress and sanctioned by the UN?
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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:38 PM
Response to Reply #9
14. Eliminate the War Powers Act and require UN Approval?
I can dig it, can our system?
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Clete Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:24 PM
Response to Original message
10. Seriously?
We have to remove campaign contributions from the equation. Each candidate who qualifies to run,(that would be another discussion),should be given campaign money from public funds to run for office. No candidate will be allowed to use any other money except what he is given.

This should, in theory, put forth the best candidates, not the ones with the most money. Oh yes, since all those corporations have excess money to contribute, we should figure how to get same money from them in taxes to fund a campaign chest. So they will be contributing like they always did,with the only difference being they won't be able to dictate which candidate gets the money.
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Yupster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 02:59 AM
Response to Reply #10
18. But how do you syop billionaires
like George Soros from spending tens of millions of dollars to elect Bush or defeat Bush?

Isn't that the bigger problem than millions of people donating $ 20 or $ 2,000 to Bush or Dean?

I thought the campaign finance laws were supposed to keep the big money out and limit donations to $ 2,000, then I hear about Soros and his $ 10 million, and Indian tribes giving away millions. And this is after campaign finance reform passed! It's pretty discouraging.
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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 07:40 AM
Response to Reply #18
19. Funny that you only mention the Democratic big donations.
I guess the repukes don't do that?:eyes:

Another thing. $2,000 to give to a candidate is a major burden on most Americans. Unless they use a credit card, which is asinine, your average working family would be hard pressed to do it.
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sistersofmercy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:28 PM
Response to Original message
11. Requiring a proof of IQ that is 70 or above!!!!
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nannygoat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 08:45 AM
Response to Reply #11
21. And a drug test... n/t
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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:31 PM
Response to Original message
12. So far we've had some great suggestions!
Now then, how would we ever get them enacted?

Would a Dem Congress do some of the campaign finance ideas, like Public Financing, or would they crap out?

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kcwayne Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:34 PM
Response to Original message
13. Mandatory sterilization of ditto heads
would be a good start for long term results
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Don_G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:51 PM
Response to Reply #13
17. You're Talking About Retroactive Birth Control
Didn't Florida take care of an Abortion Activist who felt the same way?
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Don_G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:48 PM
Response to Original message
15. I Can Think Of Several And Offer A Suggestion
One: All stocks be put into a federally supervised blind trust upon election to office and for two or three terms and "after" any member of the Federal Government leaves their office.

Two: All elected and appointed officals to the Federal Government will surrender financial control to the trust in the time-frame specified by the Constitution between Election and assuming office.

Three: There will be a mandatory Prison Sentance of no less than 5 years and a day imposed and "hard-time" for each and every violation of the RICO Act when our elected officals abuse their office.

Suggestion: Trace the campaign contributions in the curent election cycle and "hammer" Dimbo with factual data. It's hard to lie when an asshole is staring "truth" in the face....



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seventhson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-11-03 09:50 PM
Response to Original message
16. Civil/Criminal Prosecution of Skull/Bones under Racketeering (RICO)Act
That would make all their members (Bush and Kerry) ineligible to VOTE let alone RULE our beloved country.
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Eloriel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 08:58 AM
Response to Original message
22. I don't think it's about new laws
I think it's about not letting bullies and thugs get away with a THING.

It's also about The People actually taking more responsibility for becoming well-informed and then excercising some responsibility for citizenship.

As a citizenry, we SHOULD have:

* not let them get away with the Warren Report
* not let Reagan/Bush but esp. BUSH get away with Iran-Contra
* not let Bush get away with S&L, BCCI and all the rest of that stuff
* not let Bush2 get away with stealing the election

We ARE going to have to DEMAND far more accountability from our elected officials AND we're going to have to become much more accountable and responsible for running this country which is supposed to be "of the people, for the people, by the people."

And of course, we have to do something about the media. I agree with Abraham Lincoln who said something to the effect that he trusts the people to do the right thing IF they have the information they need to make appropriate decisions.

Eloriel

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BiggJawn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-12-03 09:23 AM
Response to Original message
24. Ammendment banning any progeny of Prescott Bush....
...from holding public office.
This includes Jebbie's kids, the Tequila Twins and any of THEIR conceived-in-drunken-debauch offspring, Neil and his descendents, etc.

I was gonna make a Yul-Brynner "Moses" inspired comment here, but decided that it could have been interpreted as a "threat". it has been edited out.

Wonderful place, this Murka, where you're afraid to even SPEAK your mind.....
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