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Jim Hightower: Surrendering To The Terrorists

By: Jim Hightower

Good grief. With Democrats like these, who needs Republicans?

Last week, 19 Democratic senators surrendered to bullying and fear mongering, extending the executive autocracy of the Bush-Cheney regime. By joining every Republican senator to okay Bush's blanket program of mass wiretapping that he had secretly launched, these 19 defectors from fundamental democratic ideals are surrendering your and my Constitutional rights.

In the name of "protecting" us, they voted to invade us. This law extends unprecedented and unconstitutional power to the White House, letting a president decide on his own whim to have the government listen in on hundreds of millions of our phone and internet messages. No courts, no warrants, no oversight.

Yes, terrorists are a threat, and, yes, we must be vigilant as a nation - but that doesn't mean being stupid. Bush likes to say that terrorists "hate us for our freedoms". If so, how pathetic for him and Congress to be so cowed that they react by removing our freedoms. Liberty is America's greatest treasure, our defining ideal - why are today's craven leaders surrendering something so essential to terrorists? The founders understood that you don't gain security by locking down liberty, and subsequent generations fought, bled, and died to secure that wisdom. Are we so weak today that we can't stand up both to the terrorists and to those who would shred our Constitutional principles?

Most of the media coverage of this legislation has focused on whether AT&T and other telecom giants should get retroactive immunity for having illegally helped Bush spy on us. I think they should not, but let's not lose sight of the bigger issue. By massively expanding the executive branch's spy powers, it's our own elected representatives who are surrendering our civil liberties and betraying some 230 years of the rule of law.

For more information on Jim Hightower's work - and to subscribe to his award-winning monthly newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown - visit www.jimhightower.com.

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Comments

Charles
22 Feb 2008, 21:32
Mr. Hightower, you are spot on.
We have very weak leadership in this country. Everyone who signed that bill is either stupid or the worst kind of coward and an enemy of the Constitution and, in that view, a traitor. These civil rights are far to important to compromise. This current government has betrayed and discraced us all. While the average guy can only think, "The economy has turned, how can I survive this very tough time. How can I keep my house"? His thoughts are more immediate. His income is now suffering and he's gravely worried and, thanks to the network media, he is getting scared and he has no voice.
He's hoping the next leadership will, at least, not make things any worse than they are now.
About the cowards, I'll bet getting military grade Antrax in the mail on the heels of 9-11 scared the hell out of them.
The ideals of the Constitution seem to have been under constant fire for the longest time by those who would hand us over to slavery. Do they hate us for our freedom? Why do they disregard the Constitution?
Must be corruption. Corruption of the Constitution. Corruption - forever in the headlines, everpresent from every corner. A culture of corruption.
Americans forget and cannot conceive of the consequences of this betrayal. But if they protest, they cannot be heard beyond the local. They have no voice. Popular media only seems to misinform, implys falsehoods, and spin importances. Where News is entertaining and everything is opinion.
America has given the lions share of the control broadcast media to one man, Rupert Murdock. Where is he from? I can't quite get the accent.
Why do Americans forget so easily?

We need help.
Is there a true patriot out there?
He who upholds the Constitution should be my leader and yours.
Sorry for the little rant. For a moment I found my voice.



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