Congress to USA: Republics are overrated

While Americans were busy blowin stuff up to celebrate the beginnings of a Republic based on law and checks and balances, Congress was busy getting ready to pass a new FISA bill. FISA started in the 70's after tricky Dick got caught spying on journalists and Democrats. It was a decent bill that, if anything, gave the President too much power in that judges rarely, if ever, denied the executive a request for a wiretap. It simply said, somebody with a gavel needs to sign off on this. It also said that companies had to have documentation as to the legality of any program the executive asks them to be involved in.

Apparently that wasn't enough for Bush. Bush started a program of illegal wiretaps that Ashcroft wouldn't even sign off on and involved the telecom companies (especially AT&T). If these were valid spying operations, the whole thing could have been done quite easily under FISA.

Now the Democrats have caved and changed the law to fit W's blatantly illegal program. This includes Obama, who lied during the Wisconsin primaries when he said he would stand with Feingold to fight such blatant disregard for the rule of law. Obama instead decided to vote for a new FISA bill which shatters the power he has as a Senator, but grossly inflates the power he will be given when he enters the White House.

Between poor education about why laws are important, TV shows that glamorize prosecutors who disregard the rule of law in favor of revenge, and spineless politicians, we find ourselves in a country edging closer and closer to autocracy. Our chief executive can now wage war when he wants, spy on Americans when he wants, send the military against his own people when he wants, change laws when he wants (signing statements), rig elections when he wants, and destroy the planet when he wants. These are not trivial powers, no matter who is in the White House.

Check Senator Feingold drop some knowledge on these punks:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiexH7mN_iU