What follows my personal commentary is a link to an article that should get the undivided attention of every single American Citizen.
The last call to awaken has been sounded. Be you Left, Right or in the Middle.
While we all debate the polls, speculate on theft of elections and make satirical fun of the decider in chief, Bush has quietly signed into LAW, let me repeat that, signed into LAW the means by which dissent will be dealt with in The United States of America.
Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) (2), which was signed by the commander in chief on October 17th, 2006, in a private Oval Office ceremony, allows the President to declare a "public emergency" and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder."
We all like to make our statements and comment on the issues of our times, you may have noticed as I have, there is no longer any real debate about those issues. The reality we find in our midst today is not a situation of debate and then decide. It is one of decisions made in secret, by a small group of people with extreme conflicts of interest and only given the illuision of debate when and where the aftermath of those decisions are uncovered.
You are either with us or against us. Period.
How does one debate the finer points of torturing another human being? I surely do not know and I feel quiet certain I never will, which I might note, has been pointed out numerous times in comments from the right as putting me squarely in the same category as a terrorist. No middle ground, no debate whatsoever, it is as we say, decided.
The Republican controlled Congress has relegated the Democratic minority to the role of red headed step child within the halls of Congress with no voice in governing. The Republican majority has effectively had no serious opposition and no desire to engage the minority party in the process of lawmaking.
Many of us dare to hope that will change after Nov. 7th but I think if we are honest we really expect to find ourselves reliving the nightmare of elections past. I for one do not believe for one brief moment that these folks have any intention to honor the will of the people. Based on simple observation of them so far, I personally find that a very logical expectation.
So, one is naturally led to ask the question: What will you do if you find yourself, once again, witnessing power delivering power unto itself?
Call in sick from work again?
Spend the day crying because you know the truth and you can't do one damn thing about it?
Apply for your passport and pick out your new home country?
Decide to stay and fight for the country that once was and could be?
A progressive ex-big city girl writing about her post-corporate American life in the Appalachian mountains. Progressive prospective on living and politics from off the corporate ladder.
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
CONGRESS makes laws. Pointing to a president as the culprit in bad law ignores the pivotal issue. The public has no practical control over the president or the Supreme Court. The one organ of government that is most responsive to public control is Congres . . . and when Congress makes stupid laws, the media and political dabblers gnash their teeth at the president. Ineffective, and ridiculous.
Garbage in, garbage out. Don't elect idiots to send bad law for signature and the supposedly almighty chief executive has nothing to sign.
And look more closely at law wording. I followed the circuitous route of links to a more authenticate citation of the actual law and it does not grant the president power to call up guard units without the governor's authorization. It specifies already "Federalized" (assigned to federal control) units.
Presidents are capable of tremendous power, and of using that power very badly. Executive orders, anyone? Japanese interment camps? But bitching at the prez for signing bad law diverts attention from the area where genuine progress can be made.
Public ignorance of the system is one of the foundational supports of the deterioration of the system.
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Patriot-X (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Tuesday, Oct 31, 2006 at 2:56:27 PM
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