April 7, 2008 archive

From The Press Association:

Protesters have forced police to extinguish the Olympic torch amid heavy demonstrations as it set off across Paris.

Officers in jogging gear who had been escorting the flame put it out and took it on a bus, apparently to get it away from the protesters.

The flame, which started out at the Eiffel Tower amid tight security, was being carried down a road next to the Seine near demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags when the relay was stopped.

Sky News has footage of the security guarding the torch, including the police on rollerblades:

Markos has a new piece up at Newsweek, the first one since November 26, 2007.

For the intro and some instant analysis, join me below the fold.

This is my mistake. Let me make it good

I raised the wall, and I will be the one to knock it down

Monday’s Headlines: ‘Soft money’ battle brewing : Three Days of Fire Still Seared in Witnesses’ Minds:  Olympic spirit comes to Britain: Is the food still Italian if the chef is a foreigner?: Farms raided as Mugabe incites racial tension: Darfur women still face rape risk: Sri Lankan minister among dozen killed in suicide blast at marathon:  War reporter Jon Swain pays tribute to Dith Pran: Clashes in Egypt strike stand-off: Rift widens between Iraq’s Shiites:  

Editorial

Another Test for Habeas Corpus

One of the dismal hallmarks of the Bush administration’s conduct of the war on terror has been its obsession with avoiding outside scrutiny of its actions, including by the federal courts. In particular, it has attacked habeas corpus, the guarantee that prisoners can challenge their confinement before a judge. The administration is doing so again in an important Supreme Court case concerning the habeas rights of American citizens held abroad. The justices should rule that the detainees have a right to review by a United States court.

As we know, much of the Constitution has been suspended, as has Habeas Corpus.

Most recently, the First Amendment has virtually been destroyed. Details are here:

https://www.docudharma.com/show…

This means that American citizens have lost Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Religion.

Yesterday I asked “What would Jefferson and Franklin do?” – say? think? regarding these perilous times in a diary called “You Can’t Be Serious”. Some respondents posted pictures of frogs, cake, horse faces and nose picking to demonstrate their cheer and suggested that we all need a good laugh, some entertainment. Some cherry-picked quotes to prove that Franklin, and Jefferson were really jolly sorts.

We are taught to remember these inventors as kite-flyer and gentleman farmer, so some of that is true. But a further look afield yields riches.

Franklin considered the suspension of rights and values very carefully. What he had to say about that is in Franklin’s own essay, below the fold. As you read it, you will see now closely his times were like our own. (Emphasis is added by me re Habeas Corpus, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.)

Eric Larsen tells us of the dangers we face in this magnificent three-part essay – with which, I think, the Framers would agree.

http://www.ericlarsen.net/food…

Your Congresscritter can be contacted here http://www.congress.org/

If you love America, there is nothing to laugh about, and every reason to get busy saving Liberty.

“A Republic – if you can keep it”

~ Ben Franklin

As you may know, the First Amendment of the Constitution has virtually been suspended. Among other things, this means that Americans no longer have Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion.

Yesterday I asked “What would Jefferson and Franklin do?” regarding these perilous times in an essay, “You Can’t Be Serious”.

Some respondents presented cherry-picked quotes to demonstrate that Franklin, and Jefferson, were really jolly sorts. But, as is so often the case with quickly provided internet responses,  they didn’t do their homework.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/…