Shameful and Dangerous Politics

09/28/2006

Paul Munnis

With the passage of the recent anti-terrorism legislation the voters of America can see why they must vote against the GOP in the coming mid-term election. The passage of flawed legislation that could be turned against Americans to rob us of our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms is the threat posed by the GOP legislation.

Their vehicle is an appeal to anti-terrorism. Trying to get Democrats to vote against the legislation to abet a GOP smear campaign is a cheap political trick that shows the GOP puts political power ahead of the U.S. Constitution and the American Bill of Rights.

We believe that it could backfire on the GOP when voters enter the voting booth in November. Voters will ask what the results will be if they themselves criticize the government and are then turned in and arrested as a terrorist suspect and are designated as a “detainee.” Like Russia before us neighbors could be spying upon neighbor and the secret police could incarcerate a “detainee” denying them of all rights. This is dangerous stuff and voters will hopefully reject it.

It is imperative that the Democratic Party go on record as determined to amend this legislation when elected so as to clean up the legal flaws that it contains and to assure that the law clearly cannot be used against Americans to muzzle freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression.

Talk about a ‘Contract With America.’ Our contract has always been the U.S. Constitution and The American Bill of Rights. Those are now under attack in the name of anti-terrorism control. The American people need to maintain our rights and liberties to assure the support of our national foundations and our guarantees of freedom and liberty.

Whether it be domestic or foreign anyone accused of being a terrorist must have full legal rights to defend themselves and be assured that they will not be tortured and abused to extract confessions that can then be used to imprison or kill them. If this takes time and uses court resources so be it. Better legislation would be to expand the Courts to assure that legal resources are available on a timely basis.

As this legislation moves to the Senate we encourage the Democratic Party to offer amendments that pull the threat to American citizen rights and liberties out of the legislation. We think the accused should be entitled to a lawyer to defend themselves against imprisonment and possible death penalties. We think an accused person has a right to see the evidence, regardless of it classification, and we think the other legal flaws must also be fixed.

It wouldn’t bother us at all to see the last Senate days spent in filibuster of this Bill in order to prevent its final passage before Congress adjourns and thus end the session prematurely before more GOP damage can be done to America citizens’ rights and liberties. We do not fear giving these rights to foreigners that we detain.

Voters should watch their Senators carefully and see what they advocate and vote for. This is a good chance to cull out those Senators who do not support the American Constitution and the American Bill of Rights By their votes on this measure you will know them.

American history will record this as a watershed time in the American experience. The question is will America citizens be betrayed by its politicians and will voters approve of it. If so, then I think it will the beginning of the end of America as it was conceived and founded in 1776. The new nation will be fascist to the core.