As if we needed any further indication that the feckless, sociopathic war criminal in our White House is not the least bit interested in protecting us, but wholly consumed with controlling us, now comes word that George W. Bush thinks he has legitimately granted himself the authority to read our private mail at his whim.
I challenge anyone on this planet to show me exactly where the words "Unitary Executive Branch" appear in the United States Constitution, and exactly which clause of this document allows the president to ignore laws passed by Congress as he sees fit with a simple signing statement. There is, quite simply, no such clause and therefore no such presidential authority to arbitrarily sidestep the law. Consequently, there is not a single of the hundreds of Bush signing statements that holds any greater value than the paper it is printed on.
The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 specifically states that First Class Mail cannot be opened without a warrant. But with the signing statement he attached to it, Mr. Bush claims the authority to do exactly that, in "exigent circumstances" (in case of emergency). Sounds like a good argument on its face, and Bush's army of far-right, boot-licking media parrots will no doubt make it.
But what they won't tell you is that in 1996, postal regulations were changed to permit the single exception of opening of First Class Mail without a warrant in cases where the Postal Inspector believes there is a credible threat, such as a bomb or other hazardous material in the package. They'll no doubt also neglect to tell you that this single exception remains in place with the new law.
So White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore was actually correct when she said this week "In certain circumstances – such as the proverbial 'ticking bomb' – the Constitution does not require warrants for reasonable searches." But if the Felon-in-Chief is not claiming any new authority with this new signing statement, as Lawrimore also claims, what is the reason for it?
The reason, folks, is that this administration has either already been illegally rifling through our private mail on a massive scale, or plans to, and they think that another of Bush's mountain of completely worthless signing statements will provide them legal cover when they finally have to answer for their treasonous actions in court.
It is not nearly enough to simply impeach these criminals and remove them from office. If we are to maintain any shred of credibility in the rule of law, and any shred of respect and cooperation in the eyes of the rest of the world, they must also be held accountable to the fullest extent of the laws of our land.
www.johnperryonline.com
John Perry is a morning radio personality in his home state of Connecticut. He started paying closer attention to life inside the Beltway several years ago, when it became obvious to him that his "representatives" were not interested in helping independent webcasters, who to this day remain under attack and faced with extinction, thanks to the nefarious efforts of the RIAA to maximize consolidation of Internet music distribution. He had been attempting to launch his own Internet radio business at the time, and remains hopeful that someday it may still happen.He says the experience has made him a more responsible citizen, and for that, at least, he is grateful. "They pissed off the wrong guy," he likes to say. He promises to remain vigilant, holding accountable those who promise to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. "Far too many of the people we send to Washington don't take their oath seriously," he says. "It's our responsibility as citizens to let them know we're paying attention, and we're not going away."
Check out his new video commentary format at johnperryonline.com
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