Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Too Long A List

There is such a long list of the BushCo depredations of our system of government, the checks and balances and basic rights that sometimes stuff just slips our memory. There is so much wreckage to be cleaned up I doubt a dedicated Congress and willing Administration could manage it in a year doing nothing else.

The NYT Editorial Board would like to remind us of one that was slipped through in October '06, and slipped through is exactly the words. The defense budget bill contained a little provision that might be really scary to anybody paying attention. Posse Commitatus bars the military and National Guard from acting in a law enforcement capacity and the Insurrection Act of 1807 which allows and exemption in cases of lawlessness, insurrection and rebellion, where a state is violating federal law or depriving people of constitutional rights. The nasty little provision allows the President to "use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or to any “other condition.” The NYT thinks this needs a "public airing," I don't think any amount of airing is going to clear this smell.

I know that BushCo has killed irony and made satire pointless, but why exactly is he fighting a war in Iraq to spread democracy and fighting a war against it at home?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

His trick [ why hasn't congress caught on?]is to present his budget that is loaded and has no time to be thoroughly examined, and lazy congress just puts a Pass and votes to the affirmative. If congress [dimmos and repugs] would halt the quickness of this treachery, these hidden liberty thefts would soon disappear. Remember the phrase " If you don't know, just vote NO!

Chuck Butcher said...

What an odd thought that they should know what they're passing.