Molly Ivins: The Day the Constitution Died

The Day the Constitution Died

By Molly Ivins,

http://www.workingforchange.com/printitem.cfm?itemid=17092

AUSTIN, Texas – When, in the future, you find yourself wondering, "Whatever happened to the Constitution?" you will want to go back and look at June 8, 2004. That was the day the attorney general of the United States – a.k.a. "the nation's top law enforcement officer" – refused to provide the Senate Judiciary Committee with his department's memos concerning torture.


In order to justify torture, these memos declare that the president is bound by neither U.S. law nor international treaties. We have put ourselves on the same moral level as Saddam Hussein, the only difference being quantity. Quite literally, the president may as well wear a crown – forget that "no man is above the law" jazz. We used to talk about "the imperial presidency" under Nixon, but this is the real thing.


The Pentagon's legal staff concurred in this incredible conclusion. In a report printed by The Wall Street Journal, "Bush administration lawyers contended last year that the president wasn't bound by laws prohibiting torture and that government agents who might torture prisoners at his direction couldn't be prosecuted by the Justice Department. ...


....

And I think it is time for citizens to take some responsibility, as well. Is this what we have come to? Is this what we want our government to do for us? Oh and by way, to my fellow political reporters who keep repeating that Bush is having a wonderful week: Why don't you think about what you stand for?

Just any member of the Nazi Judiciary.

Can we possibly beat tthese monsters?

I don't know but we are going to try...

it was murdered.

and if we are concerned we ought to take a look at those laws. It might comfort us, that look.

Personally, I would be more comforted if the people within our government adhered to those laws...but that's just me.



http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

...equals the emergence of centralized arbitrary power. We are already deep into the transition to dictatorship.

I posted this yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x55941

but it is so good it deserves an encore thread today. :-)

Sorry to have repeated the piece. It had completely disappeared from the front page when I logged on this morning. But it does bear re-reading, doesn't it?

Since I am a big Molly fan, I post her every chance I get. It seems to be my specialty around here. :-)

And Ashcroft right in there, gleefully kicking the Constitution's prone body.


I can't believe I'm seeing this.

That was an excellent article.

her challenge to the press:

"Oh and by way, to my fellow political reporters who keep repeating that Bush is having a wonderful week: Why don't you think about what you stand for?"

I believe that they are accountable. Only a few have spoken out.
I have always thought that Republicans never really believed in democracy or a representative Republic. They would prolly be quite happy with a Plutocracy. Come to think of it, that what Amerika is.