Beware the October Surprise
It just kills me when the traditional media totally misses a point. In the New York Times editorial April 7, 2006 called Playing Hardball With Secrets, they say "revealing selected bits of intelligence, including information that officials may well have known to be false, seems like a serious abuse of power. It's not even clear that Mr. Bush can legally declassify intelligence at whim."
This whim is precisely the point. President Bush feels his whim is the law. He claims to have been elected a unitary President, with powers unlimited as long as he deems them necessary. His signing statements show that his executive branch is not bound by any laws passed by any Congress. He creates ad hoc courts where they are allowed to make up rules as they go. And not even the Supreme Court can stop him.
I have never cast a presidential vote imagining that the person I was voting for, would possess that kind of power. My conception of a system of checks and balances has been rendered obsolete by a palace coup of corrupt and conscienceless politicians. THIS is the true issue we face, in this most important election year in my memory. And I think Americans are coming around, with more indications that the electorate is leaning Democratic this year. But November is months away, and before then I truly do anticipate an October surprise.
The current bunch in charge, complicit Republicans in Congress included, has shown no reservations in doing anything necessary to keep their hold on their now imperial power. I hope we can learn from past manipulations of this kind, and be able to respond immediately, perhaps even massing protests as needed at short notice. If it looks like Bush is about to nuke Iran, by God, I WILL be out in the streets. But I fear something much worse, a terrorist-related or other national security disaster, which could throw an upcoming election in doubt. I welcome any ideas at organizing a response to such an occurence. We cannot afford to allow the cynical and savvy media/party machines, to appeal to the basest emotions of enough voters to sway this election. Let's be ready for them, this has got to stop.
Hello NSA, yes, I mean you too.
God helps those who help themselves.
This whim is precisely the point. President Bush feels his whim is the law. He claims to have been elected a unitary President, with powers unlimited as long as he deems them necessary. His signing statements show that his executive branch is not bound by any laws passed by any Congress. He creates ad hoc courts where they are allowed to make up rules as they go. And not even the Supreme Court can stop him.
I have never cast a presidential vote imagining that the person I was voting for, would possess that kind of power. My conception of a system of checks and balances has been rendered obsolete by a palace coup of corrupt and conscienceless politicians. THIS is the true issue we face, in this most important election year in my memory. And I think Americans are coming around, with more indications that the electorate is leaning Democratic this year. But November is months away, and before then I truly do anticipate an October surprise.
The current bunch in charge, complicit Republicans in Congress included, has shown no reservations in doing anything necessary to keep their hold on their now imperial power. I hope we can learn from past manipulations of this kind, and be able to respond immediately, perhaps even massing protests as needed at short notice. If it looks like Bush is about to nuke Iran, by God, I WILL be out in the streets. But I fear something much worse, a terrorist-related or other national security disaster, which could throw an upcoming election in doubt. I welcome any ideas at organizing a response to such an occurence. We cannot afford to allow the cynical and savvy media/party machines, to appeal to the basest emotions of enough voters to sway this election. Let's be ready for them, this has got to stop.
Hello NSA, yes, I mean you too.
God helps those who help themselves.
posted by Scoop | 12:20 PM
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