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The recent release of Bush era memos from the Justice Department by Attorney General Holder is the tip of the iceberg documenting the threat of an unconstitutional dictator, http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/olc-memos.htm. The masters of manipulating public opinion and equating wars of aggression with patriotism used a multi-pronged approach to engage massive public support for the erosion of our constitutional rights, while claiming their oil war was for Iraqi freedom. Clever; convince the public that only by taking away their rights would they and the Iraqi nation be free. Manipulation and intimidation of the press, the congress, and the public were essential to convince the masses and the soldiers that the American military were performing their gruesome duties in the name of freedom. It was the wolf of a big intrusive military junta disguised as a democracy loving sheep doing what it does best; claiming to protect freedom while secretly plotting to take it away. If as Bush claimed, terrorists operate because they hate our freedoms, then he in fact helped them along by attempting to suspend those freedoms. He was so convincing that many citizens began arguing for the removal of their freedoms and rights to prevent them from being taken by the terrorists.
What struck me about the Bush memos was not the justification for taking our constitutional rights away, it was the totalitarian and secret behavior of one branch of government, the executive branch. Our constitution is clear on checks and balances in our federal government for the protection of freedom and democracy. The Bush administration apparently did honor this protection.
The suspension of our constitutional rights amidst our glossy patriotic eyes was made possible because of our economy's insatiable appetite for free flowing cheap oil. Cheap oil to be supplied by pliant dictators willing to control their citizens in the oil rich Middle East; Saddam Hussein, King of Saudi Arabia, Emir of Kuwait and prior to the Iranian revolution the Shah of Iran.
These released documents will be studied by college students and faculty members throughout the United States and beyond. I applaud their release and am sure that they will become part of academic curriculum giving strength to those who work tirelessly to protect our freedoms and expose tyrannical leaders. It is March 4, the day I write this letter, the day our constitution went into effect in 1789 and I celebrate its return.
