( – promoted by buhdydharma )
I believe in compassion, mercy and forgiveness…but when great and grievous wrong has been done, you don’t skip straight to forgiveness. No, the first stop on the path to redemption is called justice.
When former governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state of Alabama, Don Siegleman gets thrown in federal prison for 9 months for being a progressive democrat and has to go around the country begging for justice once they finally let him out on appeal bond (fruitlessly I might add – they never did vote contempt for Karl Rove) then something is desperately wrong in this country.
The fact that we didn’t impeach Bush shows how much justice matters in this country – and I still say that those who opposed impeachment were either stupid, complicit or flat out fucking traitors. People of good conscience will be mourning the consequences of not impeaching Bush for many decades to come. Future historians will surely wonder WTF were we thinking?
The Labor Department is racing to complete a new rule, strenuously opposed by President-elect Barack Obama, that would make it much harder for the government to regulate toxic substances and hazardous chemicals to which workers are exposed on the job. New York Times
Just weeks before leaving office, the Interior Department’s top lawyer has shifted half a dozen key deputies — including two former political appointees who have been involved in controversial environmental decisions — into senior civil service posts. Washington Post
Read more about how Bush is screwing us on his way out in clammyc’s excellent post, President @$$hole
We hear it all the time, the USA is a nation of laws. But is it true? The answer is, only if you’re poor and powerless. If you or I break the law, we will pay and pay dearly. We have the highest rate of incarceration of any nation on earth, and our prisons are godawful. The so-called justice routinely meted out to the poor is so harsh as to violate the very concept of justice, while the rich and powerful do whatever they want: invade unoffending countries, slay innocent people by the millions, torture helpless prisoners, steal from the poor to give to the rich, make a mockery of every standard of decency, or defile the Constitution of the United States. And they get to take their ill-gotten gains back to their luxurious homes and their pampered lifestyles with an arrogant smirk and big FUCK YOU to anyone who doesn’t like it.
The catalog of horrors perpetrated by the Bush administration and their democratic enablers like Pelosi and Reid is absolutely mind-boggling – and we won’t even know about much of it for years, if ever. These are crimes, and not minor ones. The offenses against the environment alone are staggering and with dire consequences for us all.
The rich and powerful have been running amok – grabbing everything they can and stealing the whole world blind. Is there anyone who will stand up to them? The answer is no. Anyone who could stand up to them is in it with them. Even our hope for the future, President-elect Obama is opposed to bringing the thieves and torturers to justice.
“I think you reserve impeachment for grave, grave breaches, and intentional breaches of the president’s authority,” he [Obama] said.
I supported Obama and I am trying to hold out hope that he will end up doing the right thing, but any way you slice that statement it’s pure bullshit. Grave, grave breaches? Bush? Naaaah. Boys will be boys I guess.
And I haven’t even touched on the great trillion dollar rip-off.
My guess is that they will shove this down our throats and the pain everyone hopes to avoid will simply be delayed somewhat and increased substantially while the greedheads are rescued with OUR money.
This is the biggest rip-off ever.
And their pretense at oversight is laughable.
Turns out I was right about that.
Treasury Inspector General: The Bailout Is ‘a Mess’
In the six weeks since lawmakers approved the Treasury’s massive bailout of financial firms, the government has poured money into the country’s largest banks, recruited smaller banks into the program and repeatedly widened its scope to cover yet other types of businesses, from insurers to consumer lenders.
Along the way, the Bush administration has committed $290 billion of the $700 billion rescue package.
Yet for all this activity, no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.
“It’s a mess,” said Eric M. Thorson, the Treasury Department’s inspector general, who has been working to oversee the bailout program until the newly created position of special inspector general is filled. “I don’t think anyone understands right now how we’re going to do proper oversight of this thing.”
So now we’re just going to forgive and forget. Pretend like nothing of any consequence has happened here. Maybe we’ll have a nice little commission to sweep it all neatly under the rug. Let bygones be bygones. I mean really, who needs justice?
I can’t believe we are just going to roll over for these assholes – AGAIN!
I, for one, will hate to see it go.
Peace out.
OPOL
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about the absolute necessity to bring the rampant criminality of Bush/Cheney to justice. The country cannot ever regain any of its promise if the travesty of the last eight years is swept under the rug in the name of political expediency.
I can’t believe how many of my so-called ‘liberal’ friends repeat the same conservative talking point – you can have justice or you can have healthcare, but you can’t have both.
Bull.fucking.shit.
g.
and justice for… some?
Good one, man!
the mythology with this.
It made me think about the lack of justice for Union Carbide for the Bhopal Disaster. According to wiki:
And here’s a bit about what happened to the CEO
is IT.
this is the problem.
our ‘representatives’ are not. not anymore.
we’re in another case of taxation without representation.
of the rich taking from everyone who is not.
only a huge upset to the system will make any difference.
it would have to be a massive allatonce shift….
electing out everybody who is there & electing in just people….people with some fucking common sense who are Not invested in all these companies…and getting completely rid of lobbyists as they work now & make it be arguing your point in front of congress..if your point is good enough & your speaker skilled enough you may change some minds……& getting rid of corporate ‘rights’. there are NO corporate rights only human rights.
without all of this going forward simultaneously chances are slim that real change will occur. we’re just changing actors who play the same roles while what we really need is a major rewrite of the damn play…..or getting back to a previous version, scratching out all those sideline notes.
and they are still running the show no new faces in this new gallery. Karl Rove thinks the new line up is great
But, overall, Monday’s announcement of Mr. Obama’s economic team was reassuring. He’s generally surrounded himself with intelligent, mainstream advisers. Investors, workers and business owners can only hope that, over time, this new administration’s economic policies bear more of their market-oriented imprint.
They do not see this as justice. Justice is power and legal manipulations. Hillary as secretary of state does not bode well. They want us to believe that Bush did not break the law, was not criminal. They even changed the basic laws which humans have evolved over centuries, to accommodate his tyranny and criminality. Civil rights and any human rights are all up to the lawyers with guns interpretations. “The Law is King” has been replaced with the king decides what’s law.
I posted this elsewhere yesterday.
Re:A joke (4.00 / 3)
When the collective, debases themselves to see how little/how much they can do before the apple cart is upset, they cease to believe in the rule of law & therefore become co-criminals.
It`s better to stand alone in upholding the law & fail, than to kneel & hope.
Otherwise open the jailhouse doors for all.
If criminals can remain free, then free the criminals.
Absurd isn`t it.
The “tough on crime” bunch who have locked up so many for so little, should be deal with in like manner.
1,000,000,000 dead in Iraq, almost 5000 Americans dead, maybe 35,000 physically wounded with 100`s of thousands more, mentally crippled somewhat, & the worry is if the agenda or political momentum will suffer.
HAHHHAHAhahahhhaaaaaha.
The difference between theists and atheists is that the atheists don’t set the theists on fire for refusing to agree with them.
As with Nixon, as with Iran Contra, once again, I fear that there will be no justice. And the next time will be worse.
… Karl Rove pretending to be a pundit, when he ought to be in jail, it makes me physically sick.
I’ve come to the point where I want information — I want every American to be confronted with the truth of what this gang of crooks have done. I want the misdeeds of Karl Rove and his ilk to be entirely exposed. The ACLU, as well as other organizations, are working hard right now to use the FOIA to get that information. We are entitled to it.
And I don’t want a single American to be able to hide from these facts, not any media people or government representatives. I want every person in this country and the world to know what they have done, and in order for that to happen, we need the facts to see the light of day.
We know so much of what they have done and have evidence of same. But we don’t know the whole story and as of now too few people know as much as we do.
So to me, getting that information and spreading it everywhere is the first step to justice.
I test capabilities, I direct attention, and every time I win, I lose. I exact my vengeance. It is possible to beat them.
But I’d rather have justice, and be able to live my life and do my job in peace.
…in this day and age may be antithetical.
We want, and should be able to have, both; but is it even possible today?
…thanks for your power and the truth of your perception and expression.
This is so strong it makes me feel ill. What will it take to right this corrupted ship of state?
Some people say the impeachment folks are motivated by wanting vengeance. No. That’s not it. Restoring the rule of law is essential to righting the ship of state.
I don’t think Bush would feel or own any punishment in any event. I believe he is too deluded to ever feel he has done anything wrong.
Since seeing the movie “Untergang”, “The Downfall”, about Hitler’s final days in his bunker, I have seen several similarities between Bush and Hitler. Hitler was unable to feel any guilt or blame for what had happened.
When his few remaining generals counseled Hitler to surrender because that would save at least 100,000 German lives, Hitler became enraged, asking why he should save the German people because it was the Geman people who were responsible for the defeat.
As I watched that scene, I felt a shivering chill run up my spine. I felt that if we were ever able to hold Bush accountable, his denial system would have to deny reality even to the extent of pushing the nuclear button. I felt he would be willing to take the whole world down in order to “protect” and “save” his own ego in his poor deluded mind. I see him as a very. very dangerous man.
So perhaps we should work now for denying his being able to issue blanket pardons, and do all we can to proceed with prosecution after he is far away from the nuclear button.
In light of what Obama has said, we need to put strong pressure on him to find justice. His main field in the law was Constitutional Law. Let us cause him to remember that.
I repeat, you’re so right it hurts.
I’m reminded of someone who once said:
He also said:
And, if I recall correctly, something about:
52 days from now I want to see a whole lot of subpoena’s coming out of the new Attorney Generals office, and a batch of elephant-sized orange jumpsuits being sewn. If I don’t then it’s back to the same work we’ve been doing these past 8 years, end of Obamoliday.
The scary part is I heard Senator Pat Leahy (I can’t remember where I read this now) said “there’s no way Bush & Cheney will be tried for murder/war crimes/etc.” That’s pretty sad. Leahy didn’t explain why he said that, but I have a pretty good hunch it must be harder than we think it is. Why that is, I have no idea. But that doesn’t mean we stop pressuring our elected officials for accountability. The pressure HAS to continue.
Amazing diary as always.
The mere or not so mere mention of no accountability causes my rage to pierce through me each time it comes up. It is truly truth stranger than fiction. That these “evildoers” could commit all the high crimes and misdemeanors as they have and walk away from them, oh, and pardon themselves, to boot, is just beyond all reasonable comprehension.
This pretty much takes the cake!
This absolutely blows me away!