America, Politics and the Law

(11 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

During the George W. Bush administration, Republicans were working to achieve perpetual GOP dominance of our government. The Department of Justice was politicized and stocked with individuals, like Monica Goodling, willing to hire only those loyal to the GOP. Other government agency officials, like Lurita Doan, wondered how their agency could assist during elections to ensure continued dominance. But, eight years of scandals and lies by the Bush administration ended those dreams with electoral landslides in 2006 and 2008 by the Democratic Party.

The political party that ran on the slogan “Country First” has decided that they really don’t like our country, or its democracy, now that they are out of power. Republicans are blocking committee hearings from occurring in the Senate. Republican Rep. Gohmert (R-TX) is introducing a Constitutional amendment to eliminate public senatorial elections. The GOP is filibustering every piece of legislation, mandating that the Democratic party needs 60 votes to govern, then crying how it should be higher if 60 votes are garnered.

James Madison wrote in Federalist Paper 48, “They seem never to have recollected the danger from legislative usurpations, which, by assembling all power in the same hands, must lead to the same tyranny as is threatened by executive usurpations.”

Thomas Jefferson wrote in his “Notes on the state of Virginia”, “All the powers of government, legislative, executive, and judiciary, result to the legislative body. The concentrating these in the same hands, is precisely the definition of despotic government.”

Given the tactics used by the GOP in order to maintain their dominance of our government, but worse, their tactics once they hold no power, is there any doubt that their form of governing is the very definition of tyranny?

Consider the surveillance of all American citizens by the NSA using special rooms in telecommunication centers without warrant or cause. Consider the claim that anyone, American citizen or not, can be imprisoned indefinitely without charge or trial once they are deemed to be a terrorist. Consider the use of torture by our government. Consider that journalists, exercising their right of a free press, were threatened with prosecution and imprisonment because they investigated and published the lawless acts committed by our government. These were all done during a Republican administration. Believing that one class of people, Republicans, are “above the law” seems to be a hallmark of Republicans.

It was the Nixon administration, in fact, Republican Richard Nixon, that claimed if a President does it than it isn’t illegal after Watergate. It was during the Ronald Reagan administration that the Iran-Contra scandal emerged. It was during the George W. Bush administration that our government truly became truly lawless, believing themselves above and beyond any law. But, it should be noted, that the same actors seem to continually plague American politics under Republican presidents, simply going from one administration to the next perpetrating more egregious crimes each time they resurface.

Elliot Abrams was convicted during the Reagan administration for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, yet, again found himself in government during the Bush administration. John Negroponte was appointed Ambassador to Honduras during the Reagan administration then found his way back to power under the Bush administration even though it has been documented that torture occurred in the countries to which he was Ambassador both places during his time as Ambassador, in Honduras and Iraq. And, of course, there is Dick Cheney, who started in Nixon’s administration and wound up Vice-President to George W. Bush, his secrecy while in office now infamous.

Even though the Democratic Party controls Congress and the Presidency now, they won’t in the future. In the future, another Republican will win the Presidency. Who, at that point, will find their way back into power and office? Monica Goodling? Alberto Gonzales? John Yoo? Bradley Schlozman? If those who have violated the law before have found their way back into power, why should we not believe that these same individuals won’t find their way back with the next Republican administration? If torture wasn’t bad enough to land a person into prison for life, what could be? If admitting you broke the law before Congress only carried the penalty that you left office, what could be worse for you in a future administration?

Thus, we have to wonder, why was impeachment of George W. Bush for the crimes that occurred during his administration taken off the table by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi? Why did Attorney General Eric Holder refuse to investigate the use of torture by the Bush administration, much less, refusing to prosecute Bradley Schlozman for his role in violating Federal hiring laws?

We are told that the Democratic Party is better than the Republican Party, and, I agree. I have documented how lawless the Republican Party has become. But, if a person believes in the rule of law in America, how can they vote for either political party?

If the Democratic Party cannot even bring themselves to pursue those who tortured people, a crime by U.S. federal and international law, what WILL they pursue?