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Big Brother Bush

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet. Posted December 29, 2005.


I don't mean to scare you silly -- but there's a reason we have never given our government this kind of power.

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The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. Thirty-five years ago, Richard Milhous Nixon, who was crazy as a bullbat, and J. Edgar Hoover, who wore women's underwear, decided some Americans had unacceptable political opinions. So they set our government to spying on its own citizens, basically those who were deemed insufficiently like Crazy Richard Milhous.

For those of you who have forgotten just what a stonewall paranoid Nixon was, the poor man used to stalk around the White House demanding that his political enemies be killed. Many still believe there was a certain Richard III grandeur to Nixon's collapse because he was also a man of notable talents. There is neither grandeur nor tragedy in watching this president, the Testy Kid, violate his oath to uphold the laws and Constitution of our country.

The Testy Kid wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it because he is the president, and he considers that sufficient justification for whatever he wants. He even finds lawyers like John Yoo, who tell him that whatever he wants to do is legal.

The creepy part is the overlap. Damned if they aren't still here, after all these years, the old Nixon hands -- Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, the whole gang whose yearning for authoritarian government rose like a stink over the Nixon years. Imperial executive. Bring back those special White House guard uniforms. Cheney, like some malignancy that cannot be killed off, back at the same old stand, pushing the same old crap. Of course, they tell us we have to be spied on for our own safety, so they can catch the terrorists who threaten us all. Thirty-five years ago, they nabbed a film star named Jean Seberg and a bunch of people running a free breakfast program for poor kids in Chicago. This time, they're onto the Quakers. We are not safer.

We would be safer, as the 9-11 commission has so recently reminded us, if some obvious and necessary precautions were taken at both nuclear and chemical plants -- but that is not happening because those industries contribute to Republican candidates. Republicans do not ask their contributors to spend a lot of money on obvious and necessary steps to protect public safety. They wiretap, instead. You will be unsurprised to learn that, first, they lied. They didn't do it. Well, OK, they did it, but not very much at all. Well, OK, more than that. A lot more than that. OK, millions of private e-mail and telephone calls every hour, and all medical and financial records.

You may recall in 2002 it was revealed that the Pentagon had started a giant data-mining program called Total Information Awareness (TIA), intended to search through vast databases "to increase information coverage by an order of magnitude."

From credit cards to vet reports, Big Brother would be watching us. This dandy program was under the control of Adm. John Poindexter, convicted of five felonies during Iran-Contra, all overturned on a technicality. This administration really knows where to go for good help -- it ought to bring back Brownie.

Everybody decided that TIA was a terrible idea, and the program was theoretically shut down. As often happens with this administration, it turned out they just changed the name and made the program less visible. Data-mining was a popular buzzword at the time, and the administration was obviously hot to have it. Bush established a secret program under which the National Security Agency could bypass the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court and begin eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

As many have patiently pointed out, the entire program was unnecessary, since the FISA court is both prompt and accommodating. There is virtually no possible scenario that would make it difficult or impossible to get a FISA warrant -- it has granted 19,000 warrants and rejected only a handful.

I don't like to play scary games where we all stay awake late at night, telling each other scary stories -- but there's a reason we have never given our government this kind of power. As the late Sen. Frank Church said, "That capability could at any time be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capacity to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide."

And if a dictator took over, the NSA "could enable it to impose total tyranny." Then we always get that dreadful goody-two-shoes response, "Well, if you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about, do you?"

Folks, we KNOW this program is being and will be misused. We know it from the past record and current reporting. The program has already targeted vegans and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- and, boy, if those aren't outposts of al-Qaida, what is? Could this be more pathetic?

This could scarcely be clearer. Either the president of the United States is going to have to understand and admit he has done something very wrong, or he will have to be impeached. The first time this happened, the institutional response was magnificent. The courts, the press, the Congress all functioned superbly. Anyone think we're up to that again? Then whom do we blame when we lose the republic?

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Molly Ivins writes about politics, Texas and other bizarre happenings.

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Jefferson
Posted by: Tom Degan on Dec 29, 2005 2:50 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Thomas Jefferson said it in the Declaration of Independence...I don't have a copy of the document with me at the moment so I'll have to paraphrase. But there is a line in there to the effect, that when certain abuses become to much to take over long periods of time IT IS YOUR DUTY TO DESTROY OR ABOLISH THAT FORM OF GOVERNMENT. Perfect! This government must be destroyed - nonviolently, of course - but destroyed, utterly, completely, nonetheless. Alot of people in the legislative abd the executive should be thrown in prison and that includes the president and vice president. Jefferson's words will be our arrest warrent. What the hell are we waiting for???
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
tomdegan@frontiernet.net

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» RE: Jefferson Posted by: kc10ken
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Lincoln fan
» Are we waiting for action? Posted by: Lincoln fan
» Why non-violent Posted by: truthteller
» RE: Why non-violent Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Why non-violent Posted by: gooch_x
» RE: Why non-violent Posted by: oceanye
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: montana freeman
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Llama11
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Bushhater
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Iconoclast421
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Samantha Vimes
» RE: bunch of weazels. Posted by: Smiggsy
» RE: bunch of weazels. Posted by: ShaSpirit
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: bigskyfunk
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: Jefferson Posted by: aonghus36
» RE: Voting makes a comeback? Posted by: paul_revere
Remember Barbara Jordan
Posted by: StoneRiley on Dec 29, 2005 3:52 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total. I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution."

There was one truly extraordinary moment in the Nixon impeachment hearings shortly before his resignation. Barbara Jordan, a black southern Congresswoman, a member of the Judiciary Committee, a college law professor, spoke to the committee -- and to the nation through the TV camera -- about the nature of American democracy and the need to check Presidential tyranny. The large audience was rapt in silence, hanging on her words. The brief speech was so lucid and convincing that a white conservative businessman in her hometown of Houston immediately put up a message on a large billboard beside a downtown freeway. The billboard said: "Thank you, Barbara Jordan, for explaining our Constitution to us."

A transcript is here:
http://www.elf.net/bjordan/judiciary.html

And a transcript of her magnificent keynote address to the next Democratic national convention is here:
http://www.elf.net/bjordan/keynote.html

Here is video of those speeches, and also a eulogy by Bill Moyers:
http://txtell.lib.utexas.edu/stories/media/j0001-video.html

Submitted by Stone Riley
stone60@aol.com
www.yessy.com/stoneriley

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» RE: emember Barbara Jordan Posted by: amanda615
» RE: emember Barbara Jordan Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: emember Barbara Jordan Posted by: bogtrotters
» RE: emember Barbara Jordan Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: emember Barbara Jordan Posted by: bamage
Our Government has been highjacked and pillaged
Posted by: kencohen on Dec 29, 2005 4:32 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Over the past 6 years, I have never witnessed our culture sink to such a low level of depravity and ignorance. Right wing fanatics blare invectives and bold face lies over the airways received as truths and moral imperatives. The Bush administration claims to be protecting our way of life from "terrorists" by dismantling the foundations and principles that have defined our very way of life from our inception. All the while, they rob our treasury to fund a war inspired for reasons still not disclosed and tell our traditional allies and the world to go to hell if they don't like our behavior.
First stonewalling the formation of the 9/11 Commission then summarily ignoring their recommendation exposes a truth about this adminsitrations real motivation to keep us safe.
They create media issues that are innane and/or irrelevant (gay marriage, creationism, etc) to distract from the real and significant domestic problems that face us (Katrina exposed). While the 20% of the richest Americans have seen their incomes increase over the past 4 years, the remaining 80% have seen a steady decline of their average salaries. This administration has had the unmitigated nerve to promote themselves as moral and religiously pious while committing some of the most amoral and criminal acts. So, it is no surprise that they can believe that they are above the law or interpret statutes correctly (to their liking).
The Right wing has convinced the electorate that they have the answers and have taken control of all branches of government. This administration's hubris and bold faced arrogance has progressively alienated enough of their own party to begin to divide ranks. Their deceit and incompetence is also becoming exposed. I hope that the new voices of leadership can arise from the ashes to restore our way of life before it sinks any further.

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But Remember the Behavior of a Cornered Animal
Posted by: diof09 on Dec 29, 2005 4:38 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
With the passive-aggressive nature of Bush & Co. (which I think 9/11 was one of the first manifestations) I could see him "allowing" attacks, catastrophes, etc. to happen just to "show us" how much we needed his constant vigilance through wiretapping. That too me is the real danger, This band of lunatics will find some way to twist this to their advantage.

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Yes, but where is our response.
Posted by: Farragher on Dec 29, 2005 5:09 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Molly's right again, but what makes me wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night is the alrming lack of response to all of it. The real danger is very clear to many of us, but obviously not to enough of us. I would have expected a deafening hew and cry, but no, you have to put your ear to the rail to hear anything at all. Maybe after the holidays, huh......?! Our representatives are silent in regard to this administration's admitted criminal activity. Why? And more importantly, how do we break that silence. Clearly the time has come to do more than preach to the chior.

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A New Civil War in Reverse
Posted by: menckenman on Dec 29, 2005 5:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Blue States need to secede from the Bible Belt. I think its time New York and California become the new confederacy. Isn't that what the South has wanted since the civil war? Cut them loose, every state out for itself. An outright war would be better than watching the US become a fascist dictatorship.

The only patriotic response to this President is impeachment.

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» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: ShaSpirit
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: lindalee
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: ConnecttheDots
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: Samantha Vimes
» RE: A New Civil War in Reverse Posted by: famouspipeliner
Another march perhaps?
Posted by: starvinmarvy on Dec 29, 2005 5:24 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A few years ago,I remember the Captain of a womans basketball team ..I think N.Y somewhere...turned her back on the Flag as the Nation Anthem was playing.It was in protest of the Iraq war..among other things as I recall,which created quite a news story for the major networks."How could she"?
"How horribly un-patriotic"??? Well....guess what folks?She displayed the kind of courage its gonna take all of us...to save our sinking ship! That paticular news story has stuck in my mind everytime I rise for the anthem..of recite the pledge
of allegence...I too now wonder WHY..I`m doing this?But after
some thought I look at it this way now...as I`m sining the anthem..or say the pledge of allegence...I don`t picture the Capital Building or White House..or past Pres Monuments...or
guys dying on a battlefield ...I picture US..the citizens who make up this country!!The miners...the factory workers..the
farmers...the kind people who volunteer their time to help others! I pledge my Allegence to all of you!! AS FOR THIS GOVERNMENT.....another story alltogether.They don`t represent me! Even if we DO change some leadership in the Senate/House/President...to a Democratic majority...we STILL
need to pay close attention...and to weed out all those who
go against whats only right ..for US,,the AMERICAN PEOPLE!!

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» RE: Another march perhaps? Posted by: Lincoln fan
Molly, I beg to differ
Posted by: Germanicus on Dec 29, 2005 5:25 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I humbly beg to differ. If I went before a judge and said I was sorry for robbing that liquour store (especially when it is pretty damn clear that I am not), do you think that judge would, or even should, let me off?

George W. Bush violated the law in full cognizance of his actions - as evidence I submit his and Cheney's by turns lame and chilling attempts at justifications for these actions. If we are to remain a civil society governed by laws, then the president of the United States must be impeached. There is no alternative. Whether or not he is removed from office is for the Senate to decide.

Second, Tom:
I would agree rather with StoneRiley. The Constitution is still valid. Our problem is that we have not been using it much of late. Abolishing our form of government is exactly what these thugs have been doing these past five years. A perhaps more relevant quote from that other Tom might be:

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.


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» RE: Molly, I beg to differ Posted by: kencohen
» RE: Molly, I beg to differ Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: Molly, I beg to differ Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Molly, I beg to differ Posted by: Tom Degan
Just had to share...
Posted by: Germanicus on Dec 29, 2005 6:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
While not strictly speaking relevant, I think it definitely falls in the big brother category. From the paper formerly known as the paper of record on the Jose Padilla case (bold text is mine for emphasis):

But Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, in the administration's new filing Wednesday asking the Supreme Court to take up the custody issue, said the Fourth Circuit's decision "defies both law and logic," and he noted that Mr. Padilla himself had sought to be transferred to civilian custody.

In unusually caustic language, the solicitor general said the Fourth Circuit did not have the authority to "disregard a presidential directive." And he said its decision blocking Mr. Padilla's transfer "is based on a mischaracterization of events and an unwarranted attack on the exercise of executive discretion, and, if given effect, would raise profound separation-of-powers concerns."


Full article here

I mean, if it weren't our country going to hell, this would be hilarious.

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» RE: Just had to share... Posted by: kencohen
» RE: Just had to share... Posted by: Germanicus
» RE: Just had to share... Posted by: Basenjis
Impeach Bush
Posted by: packofwolves on Dec 29, 2005 6:25 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush and all of his wicked cronies need to go. Impeach them all. If we allow this president to continue status quo, he will get his wish and become our new dictator. Didn't you see that speech where Bush admitted he aspires to a dictatorship as long as he is the dictator. He probably wasn't joking. But he's laughing at all of us.

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» RE: Impeach Bush Posted by: kencohen
» RE: Impeach Bush Posted by: katz
» RE: Impeachment -- solved. Posted by: paul_revere
succinct quote
Posted by: kww355 on Dec 29, 2005 6:29 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I love my country

I FEAR my government

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» RE: succinct quote Posted by: jenbeca
Impeach Big Brother
Posted by: sassicatz on Dec 29, 2005 7:09 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What really scares me is that Clinton was impeached for a blow job, but Bush walks all over the constitution and laws of the land and no one blinks an eye. There is something very wrong with this scenario.

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» RE: Impeach Big Brother Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: sex is a sin? Posted by: ShaSpirit
» RE: Impeach Big Brother Posted by: janetsal8
bigtime
Posted by: pnut on Dec 29, 2005 7:14 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Sir-People, What scares me is--the republicans think mr bush is the best thing past nixon. I have a friend, he thinks mr bush is God him self, he finds a way to justify all of his actions. no one can tell him he is not God. How can any thing be done with 40-50% of the people so dumb. I am at a loss. bigtime

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» RE: bigtime Posted by: rubymydear
» RE: bigtime Posted by: kencohen
» RE: bigtime Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: bigtime : Lincoln fan Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: bigtime : Lincoln fan Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: bigtime : Lincoln fan Posted by: kencohen
» RE: bigtime Posted by: Doubtom
» RE: bigtime Posted by: aonghus36
» RE: bigtime Posted by: Iconoclast421
Molly you're so right!
Posted by: RonaldBosch on Dec 29, 2005 7:56 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm sure you have no political aspirations Molly, but GEEZ we need some sane perspective. How about leading us out of this mess? If you then want to quit, so be it. BUT HELP US GET RID OF THESE GOONS!

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» RE: Molly you're so right! Posted by: Doubtom
GOP gets offer they can't refuse
Posted by: runawaychimp on Dec 29, 2005 8:10 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I expect that pretty soon we will be seeing the Republican members of congress being called to a special "strategy" meeting by the their leadership and the president. The pitch will go something liike this.

"Look boys, you can go all legalistic and vote with the Democrats for impeachment to preserve the constitutional balance of congress. Just remember, you won't be re-elected to that congress. Voters will still see you as members of the party of the disgraced and impeached president. You loose, the president looses, and the party looses. Or you can let this little transgression slide, and the president will use his expanded powers to make sure you stay in office as part of the endless and all-powerful GOP government this country needs and deserves. We will take good care of you and everybody wins"

Judging by past performance I think we know how the majority of them will decide.

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NOTABLE
Posted by: Barnett on Dec 29, 2005 8:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Considering Iraq a tragedy is a mild assessment.So if in times of grief we do not laugh a bit - we are left with the option of crying a lot. In reflecting on how the Iraq war was advanced - we might laugh a little as Blair and Bush are given annual awards for 2005... ( visit the blog at wwww.gobaljusticeonline.com.. for more)....
Annual NOTABLE awards for Blair and Bush ( 2005) - Afghan/Iraq Review - Carter speaks.
December 22nd, 2005
Annual NOTABLE awards for Blair and Bush ( 2005) – Afghan/ Iraq Review – Carter speaks.

In 2003, the “NOTABLE” AWARD was presented to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom. This year the NOTABLE COMMITTEE having reviewed our short-list for mendacity, again recognises Blair’s sterling contribution. President Bush remained a contender, but the committee determined that Bush does not have either the brains or the capacity for articulate deception.

Bush, however, has this year been recognised as the President most worthy of the H.L. Mencken prize. In light of Mencken’s words, the committee commends President Bush for his undeniable suitability for the award, and congratulates Blair on his victory.

CITATION TO PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR

16th December 2003

Prime Minister Anthony Blair
10 Downing Street
London SW1 A 2AA
England

Dear Prime Minister Blair,

It is a distinct pleasure to inform you that the ‘NOTABLE COMMITTEE for liar of the year’ has by unanimous decision declared you ‘ NOTABLE liar of the year for 2003’. Normally, the committee makes its decision in January of the New Year. On this occasion, your mendacity so impressed us that for the first time in the committee’s history exemption was made in acknowledgement of your achievements.

There can be no doubt that in your capacity as Prime Minister, you lied brilliantly in support of the war in Iraq. No less a person than Saddam Hussein, is reputed to have said of one of your falsehoods, that you had just uttered, “The mother of all lies”. We crave your indulgence while we recall some of your finer moments.

We noted the unflinching servility with which you dedicated yourself to lying for President Bush as his poodle, in advancing the case for war against Iraq. The claim that Saddam had Weapons of...continued at blog at www.globaljusticeonline.com

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Be afraid....be very afraid.
Posted by: nise52 on Dec 29, 2005 8:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Nearly every day we hear another "expose" about how Bush walked all over the Constitution (if not the law!).

He's the little boy playing with his tin soldiers (in Iraq), stamping his feet and pouting (Supreme Court appointees), and hoping his henchmen let him play King Bush in the near future.

He was elected by 52 million Americans who had heard his name and figured that since he was already in office, might as well let him have another 4 years. That's all they knew about him. (don't laugh...my mother actually used this rationale for voting for him!).

Those people couldn't care less who's in office as long as they get to keep their big screen tv's, SUV's and "girls gone wild" videos.

And that's what scares me. The complete stupidity and compacency of the American public. And those of us who cry out in anger and frustration are labeled liberals or unpatriotic goons who need to be thrown out of the country or jailed (you know where).

It's Germany in 1933 all over again....

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» Don't be afraid of Bush Posted by: Lincoln fan
As I've said before...
Posted by: NamVeT on Dec 29, 2005 8:36 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
it won't be long until king georgie halibush and his criminal pals take over this country. The next "terror incident" will of course be planned and carried out by this contemptable bunch! IMPEACHMENT IS THE ONLY WAY to get this great country of ours back, if possible. If we don't move NOW, I fear that it will be too late. Hang bushie, cheney, rummy, and all of them in the public square! We are being RULED by incompetents!

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» The next one? Posted by: hbw
» RE: As I've said before... Posted by: Doubtom
Deconstructing Molly
Posted by: Psychomike on Dec 29, 2005 8:39 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Let's play deconstruction.
I don't mean to scare you silly -- but there's a reason we have never given our government this kind of power.

(Ok folks, here's where we have the first problems. The entire article, and a glimpse at the comments below it confirms this, is meant to scare you.This is done by carefully mixing fantasy with fact and ignoring all negative aspects to any other parties.

FDR made sure no article about the war appeared in print until it was checked by the War Office. Can you imagine what the left would say today if every piece done on Iraq, including those stories told on blogs and on the net, had to be turned in to be ok'd?

FDR was the first President to unleash J. Edgar Hoover on the American public- by transforming the FBI into a spying machine against critics of the FDR administration - and consequently allowing our nation to be infiltrated for years by spies loyal to Stalin.

The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. Thirty-five years ago, Richard Milhous Nixon, who was crazy as a bullbat, and J. Edgar Hoover, who wore women's underwear, decided some Americans had unacceptable political opinions.

( Richard Nixon supported a draft. He paid reparations to Native Americans and gave the tribes freedoms that would allow them to open casinos. He initiated the endangered species act which could be used to stop 'capitalist developement' by those that support such things. He brought about a wage price freeze, a socialist control of government. He recognized China, an act that would have caused calls of treason if it had been done by liberals at the time. So why do leftists refuse to admit any of this?

Now, let's deconstruct the Hoover comment. Hoover DID NOT WEAR WOMEN'S CLOTHES. Here is an unbiased source, gay bashing ok for the left

Ok. It's a lie.
But wait you say. The left supports, loves and defends gays.

So, why do they continue to tell this fib about Hoover?

Because clearly, it is just one more piece of rhetoric that collapses upon examination. If they really did support gays, why would they pass on this ridiculous story, meant to dismiss Hoover purely on the grounds that he wore "women's clothes/ was gay"? )

I could go on, but I'm out of room.

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» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: Llama11
» Dissing Molly Posted by: jwg
» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: liberalibrarian
» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: codingguy
» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: ShaSpirit
» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: Doubtom
» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: vstill
» RE: Deconstructing Molly Posted by: jefhadist
Engage in discourse
Posted by: Llama11 on Dec 29, 2005 8:42 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If you want to reach people, talk to people. Next time your on the bus or at work or in class, start talking to people about Bush and his deplorable policies. Most people, when pushed hard enough, really cannot argue very clearly for Bush. To them it's about gay marriage, abortion, or even, "he seems like the kind of guy you could have a drink with." (Seriously, somebody told me that.) Other people will say "I don't care" which is the most dangerous attitude of all. If we want to spread our ideas, we need to be heard. I love arguing with Bush lovers in public. Most of the time they just back down.

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» RE: ngage in discourse Posted by: liberalibrarian
» RE: ngage in discourse Posted by: ttmrichter
Bravo!
Posted by: ScottP on Dec 29, 2005 8:42 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Another excellent article, thanks!

Now we must decide on the action to be taken. Not that we have to agree, for through multiple actions we can hedge our bets against the uncertainty of the future. So I'll take the initiative to (re)state some possibilities:

- impeachment: certainly a good start, and a good way to scare some of the stooges into behavior modification. But the danger is that just as Iran went from the Shah to unimaginably worse, we could do the same. Plus it's not very likely, given the robber baron hold on the mainstream media and the gullibility of the populace.

- make the defense budget an issue, call your Congressperson. If Congress would just cut the funding for the Iraq war, the troops would start coming home today. If they cut the NSA budget, they wouldn't have the funds to spy on everyone all the time.

- make declassification an issue. If the classified documents started rolling out for all to read, more people would wake up. National security is being used as a cover for political protection. Let's have a look at the assassination of Allende, the coup attempt against Chavez, and the lies about Iraq. Watch Cheney cringe when records of him scheming with oil executives to get richer while callously dismissing national security.

- make alternative energy research an issue. When the defense budget is cut, there are a lot of talented techies who could turn their efforts to developing solar energy systems instead of faster fighter jets and more cruel napalm.

- your idea goes here!

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» RE: Bravo! Posted by: Lincoln fan
My two cents worth...
Posted by: ftorres on Dec 29, 2005 8:42 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Molly Iven is a icon of free expression. Why she hasn't been ordered kidnapped by the White House and sent to some hidden CIA torture chamber is real amazing being the many many innocent human beings are in that category now. Molly and many others, expecially on the internet are perhaps the only things that keep many of us from losing faith in the entire government. I remember the (I'm no crook!) Nixon's, the Reagan's and Bush the elder Adminstrations quite well...but this guy in the White House really exposed a madmen drunk with power. I blame it all on the Red States, the Conservative Christian coalition's deranged fundamentalist dogma and the corporate news media. But the most blame goes to the Judicial and Legislature Branches of Government who "played the fiddle while Rome burn!" With the exception of a few legislators, the entire House and Senate need to jailed for betraying the Constitution of the United State, a treasonable act. The truth is, Americans either forget too easily or just ignore the past. Everytime a Republican gets into the White House, the world holds it's breath. Looting the treasury that past Democratic Presidents left when they leave office is a key strategy for Republicans. And Americans still keep voting these international war criminals in! That's the mystery of it all.

But the most humorous incident of Mad Dick's regime was those White House guard uniforms! They looked like keystone cops just like the ones we see in a Charlie Chaplin silent movie. I don't know how true this is, but someone stated that Nixon actually wore one in the White House! To keep on with the spirit of Mad Dick, the White House now has one that loves to strut around in uniforms, especially landing on carriers decks claiming victory! That is after he deserted his post during the Vietnam war!

Meanwhile, the carnage goes on.

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» RE: My two cents worth... Posted by: YogiBear
Fascism, American-style
Posted by: thomas adcock on Dec 29, 2005 8:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The oil barons Bush & Cheney have stolen two successive elections and established corporatism as the American governmental form--corporatism and fascism being one in the same, according to the late Benito Mussolini.

Logically, now comes:

--Permanent military aggression as political policy ("war on terror," "shock & awe," "coalition of the willing," ad nauseum), complete with international economic bribery as a means of attracting allies;

--Attacks on or outright suspension of basic freedoms inherent in a modern democratic state, complete with mass degradation of voting processes;

--A virtual ministry of propaganda to promote permanent fear, complete with the incarceration of working journalists, patriotic sloganeering, dire warnings of imminent peril to the national security, alliance with religionists and constant threats to corporate owners of a largely compliant news media;

--Marked increases in police brutality and prison populations;

--Emasculation of labor unions as a fundamental tenet of economic policy;

--Emasculation of the middle classes by means of tax policy favoring those who live off unearned income, favorable legislation to credit card issuers and other exploiters of the consumer economy, so-called, and wholesale destruction of the manufacturing segment of U.S. payrolls;

--Tacit encouragement of racial and religious discrimination as a means of destroying unity among those opposed to fascism;

--Reliance on the docility and obediance of the middle classes, exhausted by overwork and fearful of losing property and social status per the sad experience of friends and family members.

Tom Adcock
North Chatham, N.Y.

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» RE: Yep Posted by: jefhadist
Our Government
Posted by: mizerock on Dec 29, 2005 9:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They wanted Clinton out, so they went after him. They want Bush to stay, so they are not going after him. So who are They? Our real leaders, I guess. That's the simplest explanation, isn't it - that multinational corporations run this place, not "we the people"?

And I wouldn't even complain about it, if They were instead (or even in addition!) doing things to protect us. The leaders are there, but aren't allowed to lead us.

The alternative to sticking your head in the sand (which most Americans are happy to do, and can you blame them?) is to sound paranoid, is it not?

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» RE: Our Government Posted by: Lincoln fan
Forget it
Posted by: Llama11 on Dec 29, 2005 9:09 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Progressives, we must capitulate. Of course fair-minded Mr. Bush has our interests at heart. He loves us all. Why would we want to oppose our nation's greatest citizen? It is treasonous to oppose the President, or the war in Iraq, or tax cuts for the rich. After all, trickle-down economics really works.

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Harry Pate
Posted by: Harry Pate on Dec 29, 2005 9:30 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Republicans want it both ways. For years they've been telling us that government is bad & it can't be trusted. Now they tell us that the Bush administration is looking out for us so we should just trust them.

The voters have got to understand that if they let this president spy on anyone he wants, they'll have to let every president do it in the future. Would they want a President John Kerry, Al Gore, or Hilary Clinton to have the same power?

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» RE: Harry Pate Posted by: aonghus36
What do I have to worry about--you unthinking neocons?
Posted by: zorro on Dec 29, 2005 10:00 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It is not about 'what we are doing wrong...' In their eyes (the totalitarian regime in power, that is, and all the ignorant, hateful neocons in the population-- lets just call them what they are--Nazis) To them we are doing something wrong if we disagree with them, if our politics are not their own, if we advocate peace and love, if we want to end poverty, and endorse mass transportation and healthy, organic food instead of poisonous cancer and deadly, addictive,designer drugs...if we appreciate the environment and empathize with the world--the world being every country outside parochial America--this is what makes us terrorists! This is what justifies spying on us. We disagree with their imperialistic and domestic violence, their rape, their robbery, their plunder and murder, and infanticide. This is what makes us dangerous. I'm not doing anything wrong--i'm doing something right and that makes me wrong.

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NAZI AMERIKA!!!
Posted by: Bushhater on Dec 29, 2005 10:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush said, "running the gov't would be easier in a dictatorship, as long as I'm the dictator". He also said that he would declare martial law in response to an outbreak of bird flu. These are the smell use the term loosely) people who also considered postponing the last presidential election due to a "terrorist threat" in Nov '04. Wanna bet that all this will occur by Nov '08? Setting up a fascist police state is their true objective, all the hints, and clues have been made. This is our future unless we stop it NOW!!!. The revolution has come, it's time to pick up a gun. OFF THE PIGS!!! Does anyone know how to build a guillotine?

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» RE: NAZI AMERIKA!!! Posted by: monkeywrench
» RE: NAZI AMERIKA!!! Posted by: Bushhater
Guns and Butter
Posted by: YogiBear on Dec 29, 2005 10:21 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I wonder how many people the left would win over if they were just a little less psychotic on the gun rights issue? That assault weapons ban was a joke. I know people who are basically progressive -- they believe in the environment, helping the poor, stuff like that. They are non-religious or non-fundamentalist. They are pro-choice. But they are also generally registered Republican and are hunters. So long as they think voting Democrat means their rights to bear arms will be taken away, they will never vote Democrat even when they hate the opposition. Man, if we Bill of Rights defenders could just start including the 2nd ammendment, we'd undercut a significant portion of the people that the GOP uses to tip the vote their way.

But I know it won't happen and I'll be crucified for suggesting it. *Sigh*

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» RE: Guns and Butter Posted by: kk33deg
» RE: AMEN!!!!! Posted by: Againstthewindwalking
» RE: Guns and Butter Posted by: chief of okeefe
» good point Yogi Posted by: starvinmarvy
» RE: good point Yogi Posted by: aonghus36
» RE: good point Yogi Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: good point Yogi Posted by: Iconoclast421
"It's Deja Fool All Over Again"
Posted by: monkeywrench on Dec 29, 2005 10:26 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
From Molly:
"There is virtually no possible scenario that would make it difficult or impossible to get a FISA warrant -- it has granted 19,000 warrants and rejected only a handful."

Well, yes there is – and Molly mentioned some in her article: spying on Quakers and PETA and vegans, etc.. ALSO, spying on, say, the Kerry campaign during the 2004 election run-up, or many Democratic candidates in 2002 and 2004 – only this time, without a crude and blatant burglary.

Compared to Nixon, the Little Dictator has raised data mining to a new art form, thanks to the incessant march of technology (Ain't high-tech grand? The same people who bring you DVD's and MPEG's also bring you "Your Whole Life [with errors] In Every Database In Government and Industry." Possibly to be followed by the equally exciting sequel, "A Midnight Knock On Your Door").

What separates the current Santayana'ian reality, where we are condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past, from the highjinks of Mr. Nixon, is an all-new "mistake": a deaf, dumb and blind news corps. Bob Woodward, half of the duo that uncovered Nixon's malfeasance, is now an obedient Bush lap-dog; Judith Miller soils the NY Times with BushCo yahoo "reporting"; and the news corps either prefers to have the White House do all of their writing for them, or takes at face value the propaganda spewed by BushCo-paid shills. Meanwhile, every story with even a little real importance to our society that happens to make it to our common airwaves is IMMEDIATELY followed by some trite crappola, like "Brad and Jen" or "Is your dog psychic?", etc., to diminish any chance that people might actually get to contemplate what they just heard. And where is the Washington Post now that we need them? Out for cocktails with Karl and Dick and George....

Let's just hope against hope that we soon find a way to pry the parasites out of the fruit, and that we don't make the same mistakes as other failed governments, by waiting for a complete socio-economic collapse to expose the rot from within.

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» RE: "It's Deja Fool All Over Again" Posted by: ConnecttheDots
» RE: Yep Posted by: jefhadist
NAZI AMERIKA!!! (correction to previous post)
Posted by: Bushhater on Dec 29, 2005 10:30 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush said, "running the gov't would be easier in a dictatorship, as long as I'm the dictator". He also said that he would declare martial law in response to an outbreak of bird flu. These are the same and I'll use the term loosely) people who also considered postponing the last presidential election due to a "terrorist threat" in Nov '04. Wanna bet that all this will occur by Nov '08? Setting up a fascist police state is their true objective, all the hints, and clues have been made. This is our future unless we stop it NOW!!!. The revolution has come, it's time to pick up a gun. OFF THE PIGS!!! Does anyone know how to build a guillotine?

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» RE: I know how to load an asault rifle!! Posted by: Againstthewindwalking
Cold chills
Posted by: Slowburn on Dec 29, 2005 10:32 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There are only two things worth a dam that comes out
of TEXAS. Molly Ivians tell it like it is column and T-bone steaks. In that order. Please tell me people that you are not naive enough to think that the NSA(Never say anything) has not been listening to every body worldwide for as long as they have had the technology to do so.
Illegitimately of course but nun the less routine. And truth be known probably longer than we've had this here internet. But the thing that makes chills run down my spine is the fact that King George truly believes that this is not only legal but necessary in time of war (speaking of which can someone tell me exactly what nation we have declare war on).
IN my humble opinion if we don't start asking the hard questions the future will pay a severe toll. questions like what would happen to whats left of Iraq if we leave. One possibility,
Iran's theocracy will annex. We can not leave entirely but we can change our mission there with a change in leadership here. Don't have to tell ya what would happen to the blood of our economy do I if Iran was in control of the entire region. Which to some extent looks like what is going on now.
(What if) the (faithful) do not see what their false prophet (W) and his trinity of death (Cheany, Rummy and Wolfowitz) has done to the worlds future and pass on this absolute power to another even more reprehensible/unconscionable posse?
Or heaven forbid we have to fight a defensive war on our west coast while our weakened forces are away fighting an offensive war in the desert.
I am not suggesting capitulation to those that seek to change our way of life but the way it seems to me the goals that were in the minds of the suicidals that boarded those planes on 9/11 are systematically being realized though our own theocracy here at home.
What i am suggesting is that the suicidals are winning and will achieve exactly what they set out to do. With the help of the mislead god fearing people here at home. True we should have a government that can keep secrets from our enemies but when that government treats it's people as the enemy we have no future were true freedom is concerned.
At the rate we are going Mr. Orwell's fiction 1984 may be a
nonfiction by 2084. And the head lines of the day suggest we are well on our way. We must fight the good fight to keep this from
happening or die trying.

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Blah, Blah, Blah
Posted by: Ming on Dec 29, 2005 10:44 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I've finally lost my interest in reading progressive points of view because nothing has changed over the last 5 years except the rhetoric. And it isn't going to change anytime in the near future under the current system of government. We get what we deserve when we fail to get involved.

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» RE: Blah, Blah, Blah Posted by: Unbowed
» RE: Blah, Blah, Blah Posted by: Lincoln fan
Amen
Posted by: Unbowed on Dec 29, 2005 10:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In this time of war against Osama bin Laden and the oppressive Taliban regime, we are thankful that OUR leader isn't the spoiled son of a powerful politician from a wealthy oil family who is supported by religious fundamentalists, operates through clandestine organizations, has no respect for the democratic electoral process, bombs innocents, and uses war to deny people their civil liberties. Amen.

Aaron Magruder (From his cartoon, "Boondocks")

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» RE: Amen Posted by: cyclone
» RE: No Shit! Posted by: Againstthewindwalking
Mad
Posted by: Unbowed on Dec 29, 2005 11:13 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What, Me Worry?

Alfred E. Neumann

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» RE: Mad Posted by: jefhadist
The Majority-Treason
Posted by: Unbowed on Dec 29, 2005 11:22 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

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Time to Change Partners
Posted by: jeffrey7 on Dec 29, 2005 11:25 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
PLATFORM of the People Over Tyrants Party O/K/A The P.O.T. Party

Because of the current trends in National and Foreign Policy and the many and varied forms of tyranny our people are being exposed to,we have formed from the People, a Party, that is For the People. This is our
vision of how we get the Country back for the People,restore our Liberty,Freedom,and Peace,here and now.
NO MORE WARS.
This country has 'made' the enemies we now face through corrupt policy in the name of 'Profits'.
We cease all weapons sales,development and deployment.
Close all bases on foriegn soils,begin TOTAL DISARMAMENT with pacts of Non- Aggression.
END ALL BLACK PROJECTS FUNDING. Disband the C.I.A., Homeland Security,and the DEA.
All monies would be 'redirected' to Free Education for ALL People, K- Grad School.
PROTECT THE EARTH
Restore the 'Roadless' Laws in perpituity.Ban clear cut forestry operations. End logging in National Forests. 1,000 year moritorium on mining. Restore the Great Lakes and rivers.
Force Industry to be 'inert' environmentally, Force Auto Industry to make High Mileage Hybred cars and trucks.EXTREME CONTROLS on pesticides and fretilizers and emmissions.
Heavy reliance on Solar,Wind, Hydro Generation, Hemp and other Biomass fuels for charcoal.
STOP DRILLING IN THE ANWR. Force Oil Companies to RESTORE IMPACTED AREAS.
PUT THE MONEY BACK IN THE PEOPLE'S HANDS
Freeze all Transportation Fuels and Utility prices for ten years. Extendable if deemed so by the People.
END COMPOUND INTREST RATES on loans,mortgages and small business loans.
FORGIVE ALL DEBTS. End Property Tax on ALL VETERAN'S personal homes.
CUT DEFENSE 60%, fund FULL HEALTHCARE and ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP
Non Deductable/Refundable 90% TAX The WEALTHIEST PEOPLE and BUSINESSES.
Make SOCIAL SECURITY ALWAYS FUNDED
GIVE food stamps to all Low Imcome Families.
RESTORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE
PARDON ALL VICTIMLESS,NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS.
PARDON ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS
MAKE NATURAL DRUGS LEGAL, MAKE MANUFACTURED DRUGS PERSCRIPTIONABLE.
BILL of RIGHTS PROTECTION TO INCLUDE MARANDA RIGHTS
END WARRANTLESS SEARCHES,DOMESTIC SPYING ON CITIZENS
GUARANTEE THAT PEOPLE CAN DO WITH THEIR BODIES WHATEVER THEY DEEM RIGHT
ALL WORKER'S RIGHTS WOULD BE PROTECTED BY THE GOVT.

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» RE: Time to Change Partners Posted by: gonzoskismet
Organize?...yeah right!
Posted by: starvinmarvy on Dec 29, 2005 11:27 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
That title is a slap to my own thoughts by the way.
I was thinking if only we (all of us disgusted,angry,hurt,sad,
deserted,fusterated citizens) could...UNITE !!! The battle would be over before it actually began. BUT....the truth of the matter is that those folks over at NSA would have us people
..(the TERRORIST)...under the microscope and would never
let the meetings start..or continue. We all know this. We all know that this is what this current Administration whats to curtail....the huge DISSENT in this country! US..right here on this site....over on MoveOn.org....TomPaign.com...ect. That is
what this spying on Americans is all about.Terrorist? Give us a break Cheney!! Thats why I suggest another march on Washington...one that is second to none...one that will go down in the books a s the biggest anti-government rally that
was ever held! The time is perfect people !!!! Lets organize!!

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» RE: Organize?...yeah right! Posted by: Lincoln fan
The next one?
Posted by: hbw on Dec 29, 2005 11:39 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The next major terror attack in the US very likely will have Bush's & Cheney's fingerprints on it, not that the media will report that. But has anyone proven that the Bushbabies did not carry out 9/11? No one has yet proven conclusively that al Qaeda were responsible, and even if they were, who's to say they didn't get the idea from Washington or Langley? There hasn't been a trial, nor even a thorough investigation, and the official story is full of holes, just like the Florida and Ohio ballot recounts.

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» RE: The next one? Posted by: hbw
» RE: The next one? Posted by: ShaSpirit
» RE: The next one? Posted by: gonzoskismet
» RE: The next one? Posted by: Iconoclast421
» RE: The next one? Posted by: katz
» RE: The next one? Posted by: Harry Pate
Mike NZ
Posted by: Paxmana on Dec 29, 2005 12:00 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As a child in wartime and post war Britain .. the weekly visit to the black and white movies was eagerly awaited. I know for sure that Lady Liberty with that Torch held high was a promise, an indelible symbol .. for millions around the world.

Another thing for sure is that what happens to America will happen to the rest of the world next .. and does .. and all around the world innocent people are being snatched from the streets .. removed from their families with no word.

Violence begets Violence .. Israel/Palestine .. USA/Iraq is proof of that. Someone has suggested the Ghandi option. I pray to God that that the inherent decency and common sense of the American peoples will prevail.

You have the legal tools ... not the bent ones .. impeachment of this whole evil cabal seems to be the way .. problem is .. how do you make your elected representatives carry out the will of the people and relight that Torch?

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» RE: Mike NZ Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Mike NZ Posted by: underledge
Censure Bill; Before Alito Hearings
Posted by: Andie927 on Dec 29, 2005 12:06 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Dear Senator, I urge you to please consider, deferring the Alito Conformation Hearing, until AFTER the Senate gives due consideration to the Conyer Censure Bill, which could ultimately end in Impeachment Proceedings!

If Pres. Bush is impeached wouldn't it make his Supreme Court Nominee Null and Void?

Go To: CensureBush.org, or AfterDowningStreet or Impeach PAC

NO ALITO HEARINGS until BUSH CENSURE IS HEARD!!!

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clinker
Posted by: cottontail on Dec 29, 2005 12:59 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Repugicans have, aided and abetted by the NRA, sold America a bill of goods on the gun issue. Most Dems favor sensible gun control, like no AK-47s on the streets. The NRA fought the banning of cop-killer bullets. I am and most of my Dem friends are hunters and gun owners. The right wing has peddled that issue along with same sex marriage, abortion, and school prayer to the dim witted electorate, all the while promoting war and huge deficits as far as the eye can see, saddling future generations with enormous debt.
Happy New Year.

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A Better Idea
Posted by: yesman on Dec 29, 2005 1:43 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"Either the president of the United States is going to have to understand and admit he has done something very wrong, or he will have to be impeached."

I have a better idea: he admits and understands he has done something very wrong AND he is impeached. (And of course he hasn't just done "something" very wrong, the list of his high crimes and misdemeanors could fill an encyclopedia.)

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Have you been spied on?
Posted by: Ray on Dec 29, 2005 3:52 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Well, have you?

There's not too many ways to find out. If you know how to get an answer to this question please let me know because I'll bet I've been spied on. Actually, my bet is that the 1,800 figure given by Big Brother Bush (BBB) is more like 180,000,000 or more. I'll bet Molly has been spied on!

But let's not forget about the timing for this Times article - it came right on the heals of Knovac's exposure of Bush as knowing everything from the begining of the Plame CIA criminal exposure case. No one is talking about that exposure. Why? Probably because this revelation is far more threatening to everyone than the CIA case.

Ray

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» RE: Have you been spied on? Posted by: gonzoskismet
And of course we're all being "watched"!
Posted by: Pris on Dec 29, 2005 4:39 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Yes,
The FBI/CIA & God knows what other government agency is watching what we type, as we type & they know who we vote for, etc...
Love my Country, Don't trust my Government.

Have a great evening all!

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Hummer please?
Posted by: BuckFush on Dec 29, 2005 6:15 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I've said it before, and even seen a few bumper stickers that say the same thing.

Will somebody please give GWB a blowjob, so we can legitimately impeach him once and for all!

Are we a country based on precident, or what?

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» RE: Hummer please? Posted by: Doubtom
J. Walter Plinge
Posted by: J. Walter Plinge on Dec 30, 2005 7:17 AM   
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Molly, you should write about THIS


The biggest world-wide propaganda lie is that the US is a democracy. The SECOND biggest lie - running neck and neck with the first - is the lie that the US is a REPUBLIC (see the flag Pledge ... "to the Republic for which it stands ...").

History book claim that the founders intentionally designed a Republic rather than a Democracy, but if you check any reasonably complete dictionary you will find that Republics require that elected representative be held strictly accountable to their electorate. Yet there is nothing whatsoever in the US Constitution that enforces accountability - either morally, ethically, or legally – by elected representatives. The US is NOT a Republic. In fact, the electoral college was designed specifically to kick in if and when the voters elected the "WRONG" guy.

So if the US is none of the above then what is it?: technically, it is designed as a Plutocracy, rule by the rich. Always has been. At the time of its signing the Constitution provided that only rich white guys could vote. No Blacks, no women, no landless, no slaves, and no Indians or foreigners could vote.

MORE:
http://cyberjournal.org/cj/fresia/


Write about the SOLUTIONS not the problems. We know the problems already.

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» RE: J. Walter Plinge Posted by: John Rice
Funny Farm Administrator
Posted by: Linda on Dec 30, 2005 8:54 AM   
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Flash! They Walk Among Us!!

(Check out Dec. 30th newspaper articles on Hookah Bar phenomenon, such as USA Today, etc.)

Al Qaeda terrorists are using Washington, D.C. & other big urban cities' "Hookah Bar" craze, to create a new way to communicate messages, to try to recruit potential new members among Muslim immigrants who frequent the bars, & to conduct covert spy surveillance of Americans.

Al Qaeda professionals no longer use cell phones & the internet, we know, to pass on crucial messages. Now "mushrooming" growth of Hookah smokin' caterpillar bars are providing a wonderful meet & greet place for young Arab Muslims, who can mix entertainment & relax together, while conducting an undercurrent of serious "underground" conversations in code talk.

The "couriers" now being used by Al Qaeda & their wanna-be's are finding the Hookah Bars a great spot, & so very handy!
Just "Go Ask Alice"!

Source: the CIA Funny Farm
("We're coming to take you away, ha ha, ho ho, ha ha! To the CIA Funny Farm, where you'll be happy every day, la la fa la fa la...)

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» RE: Funny Farm Administrator Posted by: aonghus36
Our emerging US dictatorship
Posted by: Sojourner on Dec 30, 2005 9:04 AM   
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Ever since Nixon we have had a creeping dictatorship in the US. Reagan fueled it with Iran-Contra. BushI sent our troops into Panama. And now BushII has pushed presidential power beyond all limits by starting a war that then justifies his violations of the constitution. Since he owns the Supreme Court, we have no way to stop him.

All the talk about impeachment assumes that the constitution can still be enforced. It will not be enforced without massive non-violent citizen protest. And that will never happen without leadership, which we do not have.

A citizen's job is to promote the leadership we need. We create our leaders. We have created BushII. Are we creating the opposition to him that we need now? Where? Show me!

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jml
Posted by: jml on Dec 30, 2005 9:08 AM   
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There are so many politically important things one could say about Hoover. The comment, "J. Edgar Hoover, who wore women's underwear" is at best irrelevant and a waste of time and space. More importantly, it is intended as a personal slur; it has no place in an otherwise excellent article written by an otherwise excellent journalist.

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» RE: jml Posted by: Doubtom
» RE: jml Posted by: ftorres
» RE: jml Posted by: jml
Safer
Posted by: Rod in 83706 on Dec 30, 2005 10:44 AM   
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Molly said we would be safer if....and gave a couple of examples. Let me finish that list:

We would be safer if we would declare our neutrality in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It's none of our business.

We would be safer if we stopped attacking other countries and imposing regime change on them.

We would be safer if we brought our troops home and stopped occupying Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

We would be safer if we closed our borders and kept terrorists out.

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» RE: Safer Posted by: IanA
» RE: Safer Posted by: ftorres
IMPEACHMENT TALK
Posted by: picket on Dec 30, 2005 10:55 AM   
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Sorry if these sites have already been posted. They may[?] be a couple of possibilities to further the MAIN GOAL.

Grassroots organization that has placed large ads in major newspapers......www.VoteToImpeach.org

ImpeachPAC supports Democratic candidates for Congress who support the immediate impeachment of Bush/Cheney for LIES on IRAQ. Dems have nothing to brag about but .......

BIG BROTHER/PLUTOCRACY [for sure,see above post] that is why I say PICKET. They know who we are anyway. Take courage it's a WAR and we need HEROS.

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» RE: IMPEACHMENT TALK Posted by: aonghus36
» Give me liberty or give me death Posted by: monkopotamus
Aleabeth
Posted by: Aleabeth on Dec 30, 2005 3:23 PM   
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There will be a lot of pain, misery and death before this current polictical climate changes. Why? Because the American people are to divided to act against it.

You have the "live and let live" segment...
The "well sometimes it's necessary"...
and then the "We have to protect our citizens from themselves" segment.

And to make it even more confusing, there's the sub-groups.
From the Eco-extremist to the religeously-righteous, to the corporate whores and to the hopeless and disenfranchised.

Unfortunately, it is the religiously-righteous in bed with the corporate whores who are at the helm and on the extreme end of "We have to protect the people from themselves" mentality.

To safeguard our Constitution and Bill of Rights that have defined our nation since it's inception, those of us who see the current trend a direct violation of those mandates have to quite talking and ACT. Time is of essense... after all, if you look at history, it didn't take the likes of Hitler, etc., long to change it's course.

The $64,000 question is: How?

What we need is a powerful Leader... someone who can show us "the way", because, after all, humans are lemmings walking on two legs, only with less hair.

Of course, that "powerful leader" will have to be as close to perfect as humanly possible... can't have any skeletons in the closet. Have to be dynamic, charismatic and good-looking in a GQ or Vanity Fair way. Preferrably a family wo/man with some spiritual bent (but not too excessive) to their character. They would have to be fair, yet stern. Uphold the laws of America with only the people's best interest at heart. Would have to hold corporate America responsible for their products and the neighborhoods they do business in with no incentives cept for those bestowed on them by their customers.....
Someone who remembers what happened in the past to other "true" leaders and is still willing to put their butts on the line for people who may or may not care what happens to them and theirs....

Anyone up for the job?

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» RE: Aleabeth Posted by: IanA
» we should start with our schools Posted by: starvinmarvy
» NO strong leaders. Posted by: monkopotamus
» RE: Aleabeth Posted by: Aleabeth
All democratic congressman and senators on this list
Posted by: ng1944 on Dec 30, 2005 3:50 PM   
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There is no doubdt that all dems in congress and senate
were on this spying list.
They have to demand this list.
This is much worse than Nixon crime.
Thats why they are on the attack.

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Gotta love it!
Posted by: jefhadist on Dec 31, 2005 7:32 AM   
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God I love Alternet! Don't you? Unfreakin' believable. What an interesting time to be alive, eh? Keep up the good work!

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» RE: Gotta love it! Posted by: ftorres
Exposing their "playbook"
Posted by: kencohen on Dec 31, 2005 8:15 AM   
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Ever wonder why the Bush administration was so unreactive to the 9/11 Commission's recommendations?? It is now becoming clear. The 9/11 Commission was developing a plan that also conformed to the Constitution and the law of the land. Why bother when you can simply trash the Constitution and perform broad invasion of privacy. Remember the KGB? The Justice Department has taken pages from their playbook.
It is also quite interesting how passive the Administration has been regarding the Plame leak, a real undermining of the CIA while becomes rabid in their quest to uncover the NSA leak source. Claiming that the NSA leak was a treasonous act undermining national security is laughable. This Rove game of changing the focus and blaming the whistleblower is getting very old and transparent. The chickens are coming home to roost. The more this administration draws attention to the NSA leak by launching these diversionary tactics, the more they dig themselves deeper.
Ckeck out: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20051230.html

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» Speaking of whistelblowers: Posted by: Sojourner
To NSA without Love
Posted by: GeorgeC on Jan 1, 2006 8:20 AM   
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Since it is clear that the NSA is intercepting all e-mails then they must have computers set to flag e-mails having key words or phrases and kicking out suspicious ones for an agent to analyze. I think they should earn their pay. Little Red book -- jihad -- Che -- Castro -- Hugo Chavez -- PLO ,etc. just anything to get their attention.
Let's all give them something to ponder !
Carroll Johnson

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Re-Lincoln
Posted by: freedem on Jan 1, 2006 5:39 PM   
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Lincoln -
Your Idea to take back the government by not voting or voting for Abe Lincoln has a fundamental flaw. It is the same flaw that Ralph Nader missed in the last few elections. That is that not voting for the lesser of two evils assures the victory of the greater evil. While there was a great deal of fraud in the 2000 election, it came within inches of not working, and anything that did not help Gore, helped that fraud squeek by.

The only way to beat the Republicans is to become the Democrats! Take your anger to the streets by running actively for any office, or find somebody you can get behind and really support them, raise money for them, go door to door getting people to vote for them. Vote fraud will only work if it is not overwhelmingly obvious (Ohio is close).

Only when the Dictatorship is obvious to everyone can a velvet revolution, or even a violent one have a chance. If the British had not opened fire on Bostonians we would still be toasting the Queen, as Canada still is after the lower Colonies proved themselves just as bad by attacking a Canadian town.

Expose the truth, A stencil with "No Choice is No Freedom" sprayed on every overpass, telephone pole, and blank wall, might bring the day of awareness closer, but doing things that make yourself less effective only helps them.

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We all should be scared
Posted by: pubcrawler on Jan 1, 2006 8:22 PM   
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In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs,
hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people's windows.

3. Surveillance
With technical advances... private life came to an end.
The invention of print made it easier to manipulate public opinion, and the film and the radio carried the process further. With the development of television, and the technical advance which made it possible to receive and transmit simultaneously on the same instrument, private life came to an end
Mr. Bush said the surveillance would continue, that it was being conducted under appropriate safeguards and that Congress had been kept informed about it. He rejected any suggestion that the surveillance program was symptomatic of unchecked power in the presidency.

But Mr. Bush noted that it has been used only to monitor communications between someone in the United States and someone else in another country - not to intercept calls between, say, Houston and Los Angeles.

WAR IS PEACE
In his weekly radio address on Saturday, New Year's Eve, Bush said "2005 has been a year of strong progress toward a freer, more peaceful world and a more prosperous America."
As we help Iraq build a peaceful and stable democracy, the United States will gain an ally in the war on terror, inspire reformers across the Middle East and make the American people more secure," Bush said.

Saying the United States "has a vital interest in the success of a free Iraq," President Bush promised to stay the course in the war-wracked country, where U.S. troops have been slugging it out for nearly three years in a bloody fight against a determined insurgency.

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

The President also lobbied for a renewal of the Patriot Act today.

I want senators from New York or Los Angeles or Las Vegas to explain why these cities are safer" without the extension.

President Bush said Saturday that senators who are blocking renewal of the terrorism-fighting Patriot Act are acting irresponsibly and standing in the way of protecting the country from attack.

"In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment," the president said in a live broadcast from the White House of his weekly radio address.

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General strike; bring down the government
Posted by: evesegal on Jan 2, 2006 1:07 PM   
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There is no precedent for it in the US but plenty of precedents in parliamentary systems. Is there Constitutional impediment to calling a nationwide general strike with the specific intent of calling on the Executive and the Congress to resign? Then a special election would have to be held within at most two months to elect (perhaps with UN monitoring to insure an honest election) a new Exec and Congress to serve out the terms of those who resigned. Yes, I think it's come to that. The people must take the initiative to restore our democracy.

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itchyvet
Posted by: itchyvet on Jan 3, 2006 5:50 AM   
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Oh Woe is me, gnash, wring, wipe snot and cry some more, urgh .
WTH is WRONG with you people ??????
All you do is wring your hands, cry and blubber a lot, expecting someone else to lead you to the promised land .

Has it ever occured to you, YOU GET THE GOVERNMENT YOU DESERVE ????????????????????????????????????????????????

AND, if you don't like that Government, IT'S UP TO YOU TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ???? Besides wringing you hands and crying buckets of tears about it ??

Therein lies the CANCER that's eating the guts out of America, your inability to ACT cohesively as a people, let alone a DEMOCRATIC people.

Where's all the demonstrations in the streets, where's the protests in front of your contsituent's offices ??????
If you want them impeached and kicked out of office, WHY ARN'T YOU TELLING YOUR SENATORS THIS, WHY ARN'T YOU CAMPING IN FRONT OF HIS HOME WITH YOUR PLACARDS ???

That's why this crowd can get away with ANYTHING they choose to do, they KNOW they have COWED DOWN the general populace of America, got you all quaking in your boots in fear of your own Government.

REMEMBER THIS, not too long ago, there was a Nation in similar circumstances, wherein the populace was also cowed down and frozen with fear, the people there, also cried out for someone to HELP them and do their dirty work for them, then a nation did just that, and look at the result, I'm talking about IRAQ.

Mark my words, my friends, If you choose to sit on your butts and expect someone else to do your dirty work for you, YOU DO NOT DESERVE the benefits that would flow on from such actions, they should go to the people who did the dirty work in the first place.......... DUH...... RING A BELL YET ???????

WOW, incredible, bring on the Gullags.

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» RE: itchyvet BRAVO !!!!!! Posted by: picket
2cents
Posted by: mickey on Jan 3, 2006 9:20 PM   
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Speaking of Nazis, why is there a building on the Navy base in San Diego, North Island, Coronado, that is shaped like a swastika? Someone found it on the internet and sent it to me. It seems the government is using tactics like mobbing and gangstalking. And mind control.

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