mirrorpool: February 2006

We are now entering the crisis the founders of our nation hoped to avoid when they wrote the Constitution of the United States. In spying on Americans without first obtaining a warrant, President George W. Bush has not only violated the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), but one of the benchmark documents of our republic; specifically, 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. This is one of the most basic tenets of our government and no exception is provided in time of war. In point of fact, the Revolutionary War was fought to establish these rights, and they cannot be taken away by fiat. The powers Bush claims simply don't exist in Article 2, section 2, and can't be granted by Congress. Either a new Amendment bolstering his case needs to be ratified by all 50 states, or the president needs to be impeached under Article 2, section 4. These are the remedies available in the Constitution itself, and only impeachment retains our liberties intact.

Instead, the Senate Intelligence Committee wants to simply make a cosmetic change to FISA rather than investigate wrongdoing by the administration. That's no surprise, but it is emblematic of the legislative vacuity threatening the separation of powers in the U.S. When responsibility is abdicated for sheer political reasons, democracy is injured irreparably. At first, there were bipartisan calls for Congressional hearings on domestic wiretapping. But after an obligatory browbeating by Vice President Dick Cheney, most Republican Senators have decided to acquiesce to the White House rather than risk losing support in the coming election. No matter how weak the Bush administration may appear at times, they are still capable of gross intimidation and are not beyond manipulating results to their advantage. Liberals are often accused of "hating" Bush and everything he proposes (a syndrome caused, ironically, by Bush himself), yet the accusers are guilty of a blind allegiance that dismisses all criticism.

The list of scandals Bush and Cheney should be tried for by Congress is almost too long to cover in a single article. Unbelievably, this plays to the administration's advantage. Where does one begin? There are the devastating failures (or conspiracies, if you follow the evidence) on 9/11 and their imperfect cover-up; this undeniably catastrophic event conveniently laid the groundwork for achieving goals clearly delineated beforehand. Then we have the outright deceptions that hurtled us into the Iraq war. Leaking the identity of a CIA agent in order to retaliate against a critic, and thereby jeopardizing national security. Quite blatantly stealing another "election." The torture of prisoners. Illegal surveillance. Lying to Congress in order to start or defend wars, pass bills (such as Medicare reform), or to keep from being investigated. These are just the impeachable offenses. We are of course stuck with the dubious Supreme Court decision that installed Bush in the first place. Equally egregious is the dereliction of duty during Hurricane Katrina, and the obfuscation of the science behind global warming; both interrelated.

These are dark times for our republic, and unfortunately no end is in sight. We can expect an attack on Iran in the near future in order fulfill the next-step in the long-range plan to secure Middle Eastern resources (oil and natural gas). This would also provide a timely distraction from pesky investigators demanding accountability, with all the problems of the administration summarily pushed aside in favor of a debate on Iran. Democrats running for Congress would be forced to support the war or be labeled weak on terrorism, just like in 2002. Republicans will not hesitate to attempt a rerun of their previous success (if it can be called that), and the onslaught would be difficult to overcome, mostly because they still control the electronic voting machines that should have been decertified years ago. It will actually be surprising under these circumstances if they not only don't lose control of either or both Houses of Congress, but gain the 5 Senate seats they need to shut down all debate.

The only remaining way to preserve a true democracy in America is to halt electronic voting until the technology can be independently verified. This is astonishingly unlikely in the current political climate; in fact the opposite is already happening. More machines are being implemented nationwide without oversight. Unless this trend is reversed, we are at the mercy of an unstoppable force that is close to unprecedented dominance. Only a comparison to previous regimes that we considered our arch-enemies can do justice to the breathtaking power our government is on the verge of attaining. Czechoslovakia and then Poland were invaded when the people of Germany became restless and started questioning government policies one year after Austria was conquered. All three countries were ostensibly harboring "terrorists." The parallels are astonishing, and anyone that doesn't believe this should research the beginnings of World War 2. We swore "never again," but history usually finds a way to repeat itself. Only education can save us now, and we face an uphill battle against encroaching propaganda. We'll find out if a shred of real freedom is left to uphold or protect us in the months and years ahead.

Sources:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0217-26.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0226-21.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0218-28.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0218-27.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0207-35.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0201-28.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0221-32.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0316-08.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0321-07.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0222-22.htm

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/index.jsp