Things in "Good Night, and Good Luck" that relate DIRECTLY to shrubco:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

http://wip.warnerbros.com/goodnightgoodluck/
(as opposed to INDIRECT, allegorical, symbolic references)

1) McCarthy's words about one party rule in America (that's what we have now, of course RW media does not call attention to this)

2) Eisenhower's words about habeas corpus (GTMO--sadly I'd bet 80 percent of Americans have no idea what "habeas corpus" means or what the history of it is)

Anyone think of any others?

[rainy]

1. Question the patriotism of any objectors!

Accuse those who oppose of being aligned with the enemy.

[TNOE]

2. For our young posters

why don't you give a brief history of habeas corpus?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. Good point.. Wikipedia entry is pretty good:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus

Essentially habeas corpus is the principle by which a government cannot hold prisoners without charge. Basically a prisoner has a right to appear and have charges produced against him/her.

It is quite ancient and a fundamental foundation of Western law. Without it, governments could have the right to arbitrarily imprison people without charges, and in many instances, friends, relatives might not even know the person was seized.

It is not a theoretical issue in 2005, as the Bush administration has essentially suspended habeas corpus in the name of fighting terrorism, reserving the right to themselves to designate someone as a terrorist or supporter of terrorists, seize them and hold them indefinitely without charges.

This does not merely hold for so-called "enemy combatants" in Guantanamo, it has been applied to an American citizen in at least one case, that of Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen seized on U.S. soil, and imprisoned without charges. The accusations (not charges, there are none) against Padilla were initially that he had plotted to create and detonate a "dirty" radiation bomb in the U.S. These accusations have since mutated to other accusations and the original "dirty bomb" accusations seem to have faded away. There are no formal charges against him, and he is still being held.

I mention this because near the end of the film there is footage of Eisenhower at some dinner or ceremony, speaking about the fact that there is habeas corpus in America, and that ought to provide sufficient legal protection for people accused... We are moving backwards in history and progress.

[TNOE]

4. Great explanation

Thanks for that - there are probably quite a few people who would not want to admit to "not knowing" - but hey, that is okay! I can't wait to see this movie!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. Ironically the only instance in U.S. history prior to now where habeas

corpus was suspended, was by Lincoln during the Civil War. As I understand it, the reason, ironically, was due to "terrorist" incidents from Confederacy friendly groups. As I understand it this was not a popular decision and was reversed by Congress after Lincoln's death.

The concept is as old as the Magna Carta which England's King John was compelled to sign in 1215, and has been a part of Western law ever since:

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0110-33.htm

Articles 38 and 39 of the Magna Carta said:

"38 In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it.

"39 No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land."

So shrubya has in essence claimed for himself a power not held by kings for centuries.