Readers of this blog know that I strive to maintain a civil tone, but today, I find it extremely difficult to do so in the face of politically-motivated and utterly craven treachery by the Democratic "leadership" in the House of Representatives. I wrote a version of this post laced with profanity - it is literally the only way I can adequately express my anger and dismay right now - but I have replaced it with this one in the interest of polite discourse. It is safe to say, however, that I could not be more furious.
Glenn Greenwald has more detail about this betrayal, but the simple version is as follows. This afternoon, the House Democratic leadership - under the guidance of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, voted to provide retroactive immunity to telecommunications communications companies who broke the law at the request of the Bush Administration by facilitating warrantless surveillance of American citizens. A crime was committed, but because the Democratic leadership is worried that the G.O.P. will use the "war on terror" as an issue during the presidential election, and because the telecommunications lobby is an extremely powerful one, the perpetrators of those crimes will be allowed to go not only unpunished, but uninvestigated.
This is not equal justice before the law.
Imagine, if you will, that the sheriff or police chief in your hometown - or even the President of the United States - approaches you with a written request to break into your neighbor's house in the interest of "national security." You know, however, from junior high school social studies, that not only do you not have the authority to perform this act, it is illegal for anyone to perform it without a warrant. Do you do it anyway? If, in this imaginary scenario, you do, then congratulations; you are leadership material for companies like Verizon and AT&T.
Can you, for even a minute, imagine illegally entering someone else's home, and expecting the excuse that you had a letter from the government asking you to do so, to hold up in a court of law, or even that of public opinion? It wouldn't, but the ability to break the law and to get away scot free is exactly what Steny Hoyer, Silvestre Reyes, Nancy Pelosi and, on the Senate side, the embarrassing Kit Bond did, with the last explaining it this way:
Glenn Greenwald has more detail about this betrayal, but the simple version is as follows. This afternoon, the House Democratic leadership - under the guidance of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, voted to provide retroactive immunity to telecommunications communications companies who broke the law at the request of the Bush Administration by facilitating warrantless surveillance of American citizens. A crime was committed, but because the Democratic leadership is worried that the G.O.P. will use the "war on terror" as an issue during the presidential election, and because the telecommunications lobby is an extremely powerful one, the perpetrators of those crimes will be allowed to go not only unpunished, but uninvestigated.
This is not equal justice before the law.
Imagine, if you will, that the sheriff or police chief in your hometown - or even the President of the United States - approaches you with a written request to break into your neighbor's house in the interest of "national security." You know, however, from junior high school social studies, that not only do you not have the authority to perform this act, it is illegal for anyone to perform it without a warrant. Do you do it anyway? If, in this imaginary scenario, you do, then congratulations; you are leadership material for companies like Verizon and AT&T.
Can you, for even a minute, imagine illegally entering someone else's home, and expecting the excuse that you had a letter from the government asking you to do so, to hold up in a court of law, or even that of public opinion? It wouldn't, but the ability to break the law and to get away scot free is exactly what Steny Hoyer, Silvestre Reyes, Nancy Pelosi and, on the Senate side, the embarrassing Kit Bond did, with the last explaining it this way:
I'm not here to say that the government is always right, but when the government tells you to do something, I'm sure you would all agree that I think you all recognize that is something you need to do.
Really, Kit? I'm not here to say that the government is always wrong, but you can take your arrogant, sanctimonious and pathetic misunderstanding of what it is you've been hired to do, and stick it someplace shady. You and Hoyer are bloated ticks on the body politic, and if there was ever a reason to root your cowardly and diseased carcasses from their unearned and parasitic comfort, it is this.
Good luck in the next election cycle; you're going to need it.
This is no longer an issue of Democrat versus Republican; it is a matter of trust versus treachery. ActBlue is organizing funding to unseat rubberstamp Democrats who enable the illegal and failed policies of the Bush Administration. As they describe it:
Good luck in the next election cycle; you're going to need it.
This is no longer an issue of Democrat versus Republican; it is a matter of trust versus treachery. ActBlue is organizing funding to unseat rubberstamp Democrats who enable the illegal and failed policies of the Bush Administration. As they describe it:After Dick Gephart betrayed the majority of House Democrats and plotted with Bush, Cheney and some Blue Dogs to thwart the will of the majority and rubber stamp Bush’s decision to attack and occupy Iraq, he was forced out of his role as Democratic Leader. Steny Hoyer deserves the exact same fate.
Click on the image to go the ActBlue FISA page, and please contribute whatever you can.
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