tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762928.post113833502120618465..comments2024-01-03T05:23:36.046-08:00Comments on The Citizens: Domestic Spying-Fog of ComplexityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762928.post-1138402751564626902006-01-27T14:59:00.000-08:002006-01-27T14:59:00.000-08:00Bush and his supporters don't respect democracy, l...Bush and his supporters don't respect democracy, liberty or due process. They use militarism and nationalism to quell public dissent. The push narrow interpretations of traditional folk-religion to drum up support from marginalized people. They favor particular corporations and friends over the free market. They spend money on targeted hand outs to narrow constituencies.<BR/><BR/>These are NOT traditional Republican positions on these issues. These are NOT EVEN traditional Conservative positions on these issues. Bush and his supporters can best be described as fascists! <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>// posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://thecitizens.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow" TITLE="">Raised By Republicans</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762928.post-1138399317038864982006-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:002006-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00Very good points, USWest. I saw the news about th...Very good points, USWest. I saw the news about the Bush administration's response to a bill Sen. DeWine's proposed in 2002, and I was astonished--at last, we have finally caught the administration red-handed in lying to Congress and the public about its spying program--and yet the media do not realize its significance. <BR/><BR/>The Bush team has been doing a great job of flim-flammery, and now they are going for the big lie: they are claiming the very existence of the warrantless wiretap had to be kept secret because that would tip off the enemy. My god, that doesn't even pass the laugh test--and yet, it appears to pass by the press.<BR/><BR/>By the Bush team's adamant defense of their actions, we know they are really worried about the consequences. They have gone on the offensive, claiming the program was vital and had to be secret. I hope this final arrogance may be their downfall at last, because they cannot back down now. This is how I see it:<BR/><BR/>1. Bush knowingly ordered the NSA to violate the FISA act and wiretap thousands of Americans citizens' international phone calls without even obtaining retroactive warrants from the secret FISA court. There is no question that NSA violated the FISA act on the President's orders.<BR/><BR/>2. Bush says his actions were "legal" because the FISA law was unconstitutional. But no court has yet agreed with this position. And the President has no authority to disregard acts of Congress on any grounds. Amazingly, even though many experts question whether FISA provides enough due process to be constitutional as it is, Bush has the audacity to say FISA is unconstitutional because it guaranteed TOO MUCH freedom and due process!<BR/><BR/>3. Bush lied about what he was doing, repeatedly. It's not just that he kept the program secret. Now we know that back in 2002 when he was offered an amendment to the FISA act that would have permitted him to do so, he told Congress such a change was not only unnecessary but probably unconstitutional! Why should we believe him now that he's changed his tune?<BR/><BR/>4. Now that he has been caught, Bush claims it was all for "national security." But won't let anyone verify exactly what he has done--not even Congress--he just won't come clean. And if there is one thing we learned from Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, etc., is that we should NEVER blindly trust the President, especially when he spies on Americans. That's why we have checks and balances; that's why we have an elected President, not a king.<BR/><BR/>Bush and Cheney must be impeached.Dr. Strangelovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14407042105777411150noreply@blogger.com