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A Constitution on Life Support

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 08:27:16 PM EST
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Peter Daou of the Daou Report provides a scenario for how Bush's warrantless surveillance orders will play out. As Jane says in a post focusing on Obama, it's dire indeed. Daou says of the Constitution:

The cause of its demise is the corrosive interplay between the Bush administration, a bevy of blind apologists, a politically apathetic public, a well-oiled rightwing message machine, lapdog reporters, and a disorganized opposition. The domestic spying case perfectly illuminates the workings of that system. And the unfolding of this story augurs poorly for those who expect it to yield different results from other administration scandals.

He then recaps the familiar pattern all of Bush's abuses fall into: Talk radio attacks the critics as unpatriotic. The Republicans then defend Bush, resulting in blogswarms by left-leaning bloggers. MSM lends lip service and then drops it. The public gets scandal fatigue.

The president breaks the law. Life goes on....Rinse and repeat.

< Patriot Act Extended For One Month Only | Justice Dept.'s Explanation of Warrantless Surveillance >

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    A Constitution on Life Support | 14 comments (14 topical)
    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 11:34:03 PM EST
    Surprise, surprise. Bush thinks the constitution is a goddamn piece of paper, so what do you expect?

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#2)
    by soccerdad on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 04:42:44 AM EST
    They control a great majority of the media and have intimidated those few outlets they don't control. The congress is a rubber stamp, given the split in the opposition party. Government agencies like the Justice dept have been ridding themsleves of long term professionals to be replaced by idealogues. They are on the verge of having a compliant and sympathetic Supreme Court. Even Rupublican candidates need to pass a far right test if they expect much support from their party. Against this backdrop you have increased suveillance of Americans by the FBI and now the Pentegon and NSA, detainment of Americans without due process. This is all necessary to prepare the country for a long series of resource wars. Given the fiasco that is Iraq, that will mean either escalation or a change of focus to a new venue, most likely South America where the rhetoric against the likes of Chavez will escalate to action. Its alot easier to "spread democracy" when you can't see "under the hood" of the propaganda. The only news source they need to control will be the blogs of known "leftists" and "traitors". We've been through this before somewhat during Vietnam, this time the stakes for those in charge are much higher. The governments xmas present to most of us will be an FBI file, except for PPJ who gets a letter of commendation and a new brown shirt.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 05:12:56 AM EST
    "You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." -- Abraham Lincoln "Here Lincoln is saying that the fools who do the fooling will be found out, that they will be caught with their pants down. They will, like the fools they are, argue that their pants are half up and not half down, and it will make no difference to the people, because they know the fool's pants are down. Given the pathetic condition of democracy under George W. Bush's religious capitalism, Lincoln's characterization of people and their propensity to being fools and to being fooled is as useful today as during Lincoln's time. It serves the people to ask who these fools are and why they are still with us in the 3rd millennium. ... "You Can Fool Some of the People All the Time, (e.g., Old Testament Fundamentalists) ... "But You Can't Fool All of the People All the Time!" (e.g., Americans cum Christians) ... Psychotics proudly fool themselves all the time (e.g., Religious Capitalists) ... The American people ought and need to take heart and mind unto themselves. None of Bush's religious capitalism will have permanence over the People or over their Land, of that the People can be certain, because the entire program of religious capitalism that dominates America is just too damned foolish to be part of a democracy." --Dr. Gerry Lower, December 20,2005 --Of All the Fools He Could Be, Bush is Mostly His Own

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 10:24:15 AM EST
    a politically apathetic public
    I suppose you never considered the possibility that the public is in agreement with W, and therefore silent. Perhaps, just maybe, the public sees this security concern as far outweighing the concern for possible abuses. Perhaps, the public realizes that the left will without question expose and pursue any abuses of the warrantless surveillance and deal with them as needed. Perhaps, just maybe, the public doesn't want to get blown up in their beds tonight, and is willing to give W the tools needed to keep it from happening. Or perhaps, all this warrantless surveillance is really unnecessary, and you lefties have a better way of keeping the public safe from the people who would kill them?

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#5)
    by Dadler on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 10:49:20 AM EST
    Variable, You're a frightened little person. Blow them up in their beds? So now you're afraid of Al Qeada will break into your house? Why not just have machine guns on every corner? You coward. What, you're not willing to die right here in your own country to uphold the constitution? Or is turning your society into a police state for brown people enough of a tradeoff. You're not willing to sacrifice you own life in your own nation for the principles of freedom? Sad, pathetic, cowardly. Name me a single thing you actually DO with your freedom? One. Toeing the government line doesn't require ANY freedom. You can do that in any totalitarian state. THINK, for Christ's sake. Being prejudiced against liberals is fine, I probably have my own prejudice against anyone who proudly calls themself conservative, but neither of those free us from using our FREE AMERICAN MINDS. Stop running scared. Stand up and defend you country right here at home, and don't leave the job to 18 year-olds thousand of miles away. And if you think Americans support Bush on this, well, best of luck to you. We disagree as strongly as two people can. Sorry to be pissy, but you set me off. Peace.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 11:22:12 AM EST
    Hear Hear Dadler!!! A patriot once said..."Give me liberty or give me death." The current right-wing talking point seems to be..."Give me tyranny so I don't blow up in my bed." Very sad days.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#7)
    by Edger on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 11:31:46 AM EST
    Variable, ...the public doesn't want to get blown up in their beds tonight. Link

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#8)
    by soccerdad on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 11:34:22 AM EST
    Very sad days.
    Kdog I agree Dadler you rock Its hard somedays to keep one's spirits up. Seeing good people not putting up with the nonsense gives me hope.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Dec 23, 2005 at 12:46:38 PM EST
    I suppose you never considered the possibility that the public is in agreement with W, and therefore silent. Hey, that's the old "Silent Majority" trick. If it worked for Nixon...... Perhaps, just maybe, the public sees this security concern as far outweighing the concern for possible abuses. Yeah, we need to give up some of the freedoms that the terrorists hate us for so that we can defeat them. Brilliant logic! Perhaps, just maybe, the public doesn't want to get blown up in their beds tonight, and is willing to give W the tools needed to keep it from happening. Lots of perhaps there in your statement. Gotta link to back up your conclusions? No? Typical.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 24, 2005 at 05:45:57 PM EST
    I will continue to reiterate the obvious: The Bush League is in the midst of a "slow coup". Many of my government friends tell me the "slow coup" is pretty much over as it has already accomplished most of its goals, the greatest and most pernicious of which is placing America in a state of permanent war. All you have to do is look around. Everything is excused away by the "fact" that America is "at war". Except that America is NOT at war; it's merely in the midst of committing state-sponsored terrorism on a countrywide scale in Iraq. There IS a difference after all - though you'd never know it from the 9/11/24/7 soylent green we're all being fed by the MSM. The real question is what's in store for us all in 2008. I have no doubt whatsoever that the 2000 election was stolen by the neocons, and there is a great deal of evidence out there to prove just that. I suspect that the 2004 election was as well, though this is much harder to prove, if it can be proved at all. No, the question is, given how badly mauled the country now is, on almost EVERY level, what is the neocon contingency plan to ensure that 2008 is another stolen election? The Dems REMAIN, unbelievably, in absolute disarray. Yet, while there is no clear neocon heir apparent, can anyone imagine the devastation that will occur if yet another four years is squandered? The Bush League is NOT about democracy. Anything but. The Bush League is ONLY about an imperialist oligarchy masquerading as a democracy. Do you REALLY feel any safer now, after all this time? And, before you answer, you might want to consider doing so in a whisper, at night, in an undisclosed location, among those you know to be your friends. Pleasant dreams!

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#11)
    by Edger on Wed Dec 28, 2005 at 01:58:20 PM EST
    Daniel Webster once wrote: “Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.”
    So this is how democracy dies.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#12)
    by Sailor on Wed Dec 28, 2005 at 03:43:44 PM EST
    and is willing to give W the tools needed to keep it from happening.
    That's what all dictators count on ... at first. After that they have the army to back them up internally. Since after 3 years the DHS hasn't done squat to protect ports, chem facilities or nuke plants it's hard to see how bush has done anything to 'protect' us. Katrina has days of notice, and DHS couldn't cope. Imagine if it had been an attack by sappers on the levy how they would have performed.

    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#13)
    by Edger on Wed Dec 28, 2005 at 07:23:56 PM EST
    Sailor: That's what all dictators count on ... at first. After that they have the army to back them up internally.
    The latest test balloon of federal power enhancement comes in the form of public health response to the possibility of an outbreak of pandemic bird flu. The Bush Administration seeks for Congress to grant it the power to use America's military to enforce domestic order and impose martial law. President Bush stated, "I think the president ought to have all options on the table, all assets on the table--to be able to deal with something this significant." Human Events Online The National Conservative Weekly Nov 28, 2005


    Re: A Constitution on Life Support (none / 0) (#14)
    by Edger on Wed Dec 28, 2005 at 07:45:54 PM EST
    History recalls how great the fall can be While everybody's sleeping, the boats put out to sea Borne on the wings of time It seemed the answers were so easy to find "Too late," the prophets cry --Fool's Overture

    A Constitution on Life Support | 14 comments (14 topical)