Many of my OPs are distinctly anti-war because, as a Vietnam veteran, that Asian fiasco began to haunt me the moment our troops set foot in Iraq. Being anti-war has little in common with the spirit of Thomas Jefferson. To be worthy of sharing his name, I should rail against our Military Industrial Complex, which maintains the world's largest and most expensive "standing army."
As I condemn gigantic cooperations, which apparently own every Republican in Washington DC, instead of attacking Exxon as it absorbs competitors or AT&T as it acquires BellSouth in spite of rulings by Judge Harold Green, I should attack a "national bank," known as the Federal Reserve.Indeed, I am not even fit to polish the boots of Thomas Jefferson but there comes a time for every ghost to wail out into the night, even if no one listens.Since I took the name Jeffersons Ghost because the U.S.A. Patriot Act dismantles basic liberty, guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, let's start with that theft of your freedom.
After listening to recent debates for high office on C-SPAN, I've noticed that Republican candidates attack Democrat incumbents who voted against the USA Patriot Act II. Before proceeding, let me admit to one more failing: I should rail against EVERY leader in DC that voted for the FIRST U.S.A. Patriot Act.Not long after 9/11 the Bush regime pushed a 128 page Act through the Senate. Most experts agree - due to the length and detail of this legislation - that the first Patriot Act was prepared well in advance of the World Trade Center disaster, however, that is only a side-bar to this rant.
In fact, only ONE U.S. Senator stood up to oppose the Act: Russ Feingold. While Congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex) told the Washington Times that no member of Congress was allowed to read the first Patriot Act, which was passed UNANIMOUSLY by the House on October 27, 2001, Feingold said he voted against the act "because I read it."
While I don't know a Habeas from a corpus, I do know a bit of Latin and can smell the "corpus" of democracy as it lies rotting in the hallowed halls of our Senate.According to Russ Feingold, "Habeas corpus is a fundamental recognition that in America, the government does not have the power to detain people indefinitely and arbitrarily. And that in America, the courts must have the power to review the legality of executive detention decisions.
Habeas corpus is a longstanding vital part of our American tradition, and is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
As a group of retired judges wrote to Congress, habeas corpus safeguards the most hallowed judicial role in our constitutional democracy--ensuring that no man is imprisoned unlawfully.
We can and must fight terrorism aggressively without compromising fundamental American values. We must remember what the Army Judge Advocate General told me at a Judiciary Committee hearing this summer: that the United States should set an example for the world, and that we must carefully consider the effect on the way our own soldiers will be treated.
In closing let me do something I don't do very often--and that is quote John Ashcroft. According to the New York Times, at a private meeting of high-level officials in 2003 about the military commission structure, then-Attorney General Ashcroft said: 'Timothy McVeigh was one of the worst killers in U.S. history. But at least we had fair procedures for him.' How sad that this Congress would seek to pass legislation about which the same cannot be said."
Truly I have not only attacked Republicans in print but also - to my dismay - some true-blue democrats that I suspected as being "trolls" here at DU: Now, I will apologize publicly for those attacks. EVERYONE is entitled to express his or her opinion, without being called silly names. It was truly an exercise in paranoia, which makes me no better than the "Decider."
Instead of attacking ANYONE on the right, I will now offer their opinions on the loss of liberty in America.
First here is a review of a book that curiously has 128 pages called, HOW WOULD A PATRIOT ACT?I'm a Republican and I voted for Bush twice. Like the author, I did not want to believe that our president acted in bad faith or that he has made deliberate assaults upon basic Constitutional rights. But unfortunately the facts and the record seem to bear that thesis out. True conservatives are supposed to believe in limited, smaller government. Bush does not. True conservatives are supposed to support the Constitution. Bush does not. True conservatives are supposed to be, at a minimum, skeptical of government authority. Bush is not.
One of the biggest problems with too many critics of Bush is they will argue and say just about anything. Eg. Bush is a "Nazi"; Bush only wants to help out his friends in the oil industry, and so forth. Most of it is angry and irrational. This sort of hysteria hurts their credibility. Indeed, it actually helps Bush and his people because it tends to cloud the real issues. Greenwald cannot be lumped in with this crowd. His writings are well reasoned and his facts are sound.
Instead of just clamoring for power, instead of patting themselves on the back for having the "moral courage" to watch the latest Michael Moore adolescent film, instead of shouting nonsense, good Democrats (and Republicans) need to be asking the President the following questions: (1) Are you or have you been authorizing or encouraging abuse and/or torture of prisoners? How do you define torture? (2) If there is indeed a "war" on terror, is it your goal to increase the authority of the executive branch during such a "war" such that it cannot be checked by either the Congress or the Judiciary? (3) Can you explain why you would give less due process rights than those recommended by your own military lawyers? (4) Do you intend to abide by the Supreme Court's ruling in Hamden v. Rumsfeld?
As a conservative Republican, I cannot avoid the conclusion that these policies have damaged our nation and its battle against those who would enjoy seeing it destroyed. As evidence accumulates that tends to show that the abuses of Abu Ghraib were not merely an aberration, but part of Administration policy, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue to others that we are indeed a beacon of hope and freedom to the world without incurring a scoff.
James Patrick Hunt
author of "Maitland" and "Maitland Under Siege."
Here is a "Brief Analysis of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act 2003
Also Known as USA Patriot Act II" by Alex Jones, which is not copy-righted to allow a wider online readership: 1. The secretive tactics being used by the White House and Speaker Hastert to keep even the existence of this legislation secret would be more at home in Communist China than in the United States. The fact that Dick Cheney publicly managed the steamroller passage of the first Patriot Act, ensuring that no one was allowed to read it and publicly threatening members of Congress that if they didn't vote in favor of it that they would be blamed for the next terrorist attack, is by the White House's own definition terrorism. The move to clandestinely craft and then bully passage of any legislation by the Executive Branch is clearly an impeachable offense.
2. The second Patriot Act is a mirror image of powers that Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler gave themselves. Whereas the First Patriot Act only gutted the First, Third, Fourth and Fifth Amendments, and seriously damaged the Seventh and the Tenth, the Second Patriot Act reorganizes the entire Federal government as well as many areas of state government under the dictatorial control of the Justice Department, the Office of Homeland Security and the FEMA NORTHCOM military command. The Domestic Security Enhancement Act 2003, also known as the Second Patriot Act is by its very structure the definition of dictatorship.
I challenge all Americans to study the new Patriot Act and to compare it to the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. Ninety percent of the act has nothing to do with terrorism and is instead a giant Federal power-grab with tentacles reaching into every facet of our society. It strips American citizens of all of their rights and grants the government and its private agents total immunity. Here is a quick thumbnail sketch of just some of the draconian measures encapsulated within this tyrannical legislation:
SECTION 501 (Expatriation of Terrorists) expands the Bush administration's "enemy combatant" definition to all American citizens who "may" have violated any provision of Section 802 of the first Patriot Act. (Section 802 is the new definition of domestic terrorism, and the definition is "any action that endangers human life that is a violation of any Federal or State law.") Section 501 of the second Patriot Act directly connects to Section 125 of the same act. The Justice Department boldly claims that the incredibly broad Section 802 of the First USA Patriot Act isn't broad enough and that a new, unlimited definition of terrorism is needed.
Under Section 501 a US citizen engaging in lawful activities can be grabbed off the street and thrown into a van never to be seen again. The Justice Department states that they can do this because the person "had inferred from conduct" that they were not a US citizen. Remember Section 802 of the First USA Patriot Act states that any violation of Federal or State law can result in the "enemy combatant" terrorist designation.
SECTION 201 of the second Patriot Act makes it a criminal act for any member of the government or any citizen to release any information concerning the incarceration or whereabouts of detainees. It also states that law enforcement does not even have to tell the press who they have arrested and they never have to release the names.
SECTION 301 and 306 (Terrorist Identification Database) set up a national database of "suspected terrorists" and radically expand the database to include anyone associated with suspected terrorist groups and anyone involved in crimes or having supported any group designated as "terrorist." These sections also set up a national DNA database for anyone on probation or who has been on probation for any crime, and orders State governments to collect the DNA for the Federal government.
SECTION 312 gives immunity to law enforcement engaging in spying operations against the American people and would place substantial restrictions on court injunctions against Federal violations of civil rights across the board.
SECTION 101 will designate individual terrorists as foreign powers and again strip them of all rights under the "enemy combatant" designation.
SECTION 102 states clearly that any information gathering, regardless of whether or not those activities are illegal, can be considered to be clandestine intelligence activities for a foreign power. This makes news gathering illegal.
SECTION 103 allows the Federal government to use wartime martial law powers domestically and internationally without Congress declaring that a state of war exists.
SECTION 106 is bone-chilling in its straightforwardness. It states that broad general warrants by the secret FSIA court (a panel of secret judges set up in a star chamber system that convenes in an undisclosed location) granted under the first Patriot Act are not good enough. It states that government agents must be given immunity for carrying out searches with no prior court approval. This section throws out the entire Fourth Amendment against unreasonable searches and seizures.
SECTION 109 allows secret star chamber courts to issue contempt charges against any individual or corporation who refuses to incriminate themselves or others. This sections annihilate the last vestiges of the Fifth Amendment.
SECTION 110 restates that key police state clauses in the first Patriot Act were not sunsetted and removes the five year sunset clause from other subsections of the first Patriot Act. After all, the media has told us: "This is the New America. Get used to it. This is forever."
SECTION 111 expands the definition of the "enemy combatant" designation.
SECTION 122 restates the government's newly announced power of "surveillance without a court order."
SECTION 123 restates that the government no longer needs warrants and that the investigations can be a giant dragnet-style sweep described in press reports about the Total Information Awareness Network. One passage reads, "thus the focus of domestic surveillance may be less precise than that directed against more conventional types of crime."
*Note: Over and over again, in subsection after subsection, the second Patriot Act states that its new Soviet-type powers will be used to fight international terrorism, domestic terrorism and other types of crimes. Of course the government has already announced in Section 802 of the first USA Patriot act that any crime is considered domestic terrorism.
SECTION 126 grants the government the right to mine the entire spectrum of public and private sector information from bank records to educational and medical records. This is the enacting law to allow ECHELON and the Total Information Awareness Network to break down any and all walls of privacy. The government states that they must look at everything to "determine" if individuals or groups might have a connection to terrorist groups. As you can now see, you are guilty until proven innocent.
SECTION 127 allows the government to takeover coroners' and medical examiners' operations whenever they see fit. See how this is like Bill Clinton's special medical examiner he had in Arkansas that ruled that people had committed suicide when their arms and legs had been cut off. JG Note: Why does the right constantly feel the need to somehow blame EVERYTHING on Clinton?
SECTION 128 allows the Federal government to place gag orders on Federal and State Grand Juries and to take over the proceedings. It also disallows individuals or organizations to even try to quash a Federal subpoena. So now defending yourself will be a terrorist action.
SECTION 129 destroys any remaining whistle blower protection for Federal agents.
SECTION 202 allows corporations to keep secret their activities with toxic biological, chemical or radiological materials.
SECTION 205 allows top Federal officials to keep all their financial dealings secret, and anyone investigating them can be considered a terrorist. This should be very useful for Dick Cheney to stop anyone investigating Haliburton.
SECTION 303 sets up national DNA database of suspected terrorists. The database will also be used to "stop other unlawful activities." It will share the information with state, local and foreign agencies for the same purposes.
SECTION 311 federalizes your local police department in the area of information sharing.
SECTION 313 provides liability protection for businesses, especially big businesses that spy on their customers for Homeland Security, violating their privacy agreements. It goes on to say that these are all preventative measures - has anyone seen Minority Report? This is the access hub for the Total Information Awareness Network.
SECTION 321 authorizes foreign governments to spy on the American people and to share information with foreign governments.
SECTION 322 removes Congress from the extradition process and allows officers of the Homeland Security complex to extradite American citizens anywhere they wish. It also allows Homeland Security to secretly take individuals out of foreign countries.
SECTION 402 is titled "Providing Material Support to Terrorism." The section reads that there is no requirement to show that the individual even had the intent to aid terrorists.
SECTION 403 expands the definition of weapons of mass destruction to include any activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce.
SECTION 404 makes it a crime for a terrorist or "other criminals" to use encryption in the commission of a crime.
SECTION 408 creates "lifetime parole" (basically, slavery) for a whole host of crimes.
SECTION 410 creates no statute of limitations for anyone that engages in terrorist actions or supports terrorists. Remember: any crime is now considered terrorism under the first Patriot Act.
SECTION 411 expands crimes that are punishable by death. Again, they point to Section 802 of the first Patriot Act and state that any terrorist act or support of terrorist act can result in the death penalty.
SECTION 421 increases penalties for terrorist financing. This section states that any type of financial activity connected to terrorism will result to time in prison and $10-50,000 fines per violation.
SECTIONS 427 sets up asset forfeiture provisions for anyone engaging in terrorist activities. There are many other sections that I did not cover in the interest of time. The American people were shocked by the despotic nature of the first Patriot Act. The second Patriot Act dwarfs all police state legislation in modern world history.
In closing, I will offer an email that I sent to myself yesterday. I noticed that not only was every e-mail in my hot-mail account out of order but also that the ordering of my emails kept changing, as I made subsequent checks. It might just be more paranoia, although I know if our great bureaucracy is sorting through my mail and phone calls, they would screw it up so bad that even the stupidest "terrorist" could easily see them coming from a mile away.
I suspect that I visited several well-watched on-line sites to attain the VIVID (warning) graphics for this recent OP:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2890548Just in case I'm wrong and Homeland Security missed my email to myself with "PROJECT X" in the subject line, here it is for them to read:
If you bunch of trolls at Homeland insecurity or NSA are who is fucking with my e-mail, it doesn't scare me one damn bit! You may think that you're doing something real patriotic but you're only taking part in ruining our country. You wanna know something else? I'm so old and run down that what you're doing for these crooks and liars doesn't affect me personally. It DOES affect my children and yours too, so I hope you're proud. Anyhow, have a nice day and enjoy rotting in Hell, in the afterlife.
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