February 08, 2008
Hope for the Future
One can detect a little promise for the future in the photo above-- it's quite cardboard and two dimensional, but there's a sense of possibility.
All of us here at Dakota are just getting over the loss of John Edwards, (and the lovely Elizabeth) who we considered the only candidate who was not for sale. When we scrolled down to view Obama in this clip, (compared to McCain) we felt a glimmer of hope.
It's heartening to know that Patrick Leahy is watching. From his opening statement to the Judiciary Committee before Mukasey's testimony:
This President's administration has repeatedly ignored the checks and balances wisely placed on executive power by the Founders, who were concerned that they not replace the tyranny of George III with an American king."Among the most disturbing aspects of these years has been the complicity of the Justice Department, which has provided cover for the worst of these practices. Its secret legal memoranda have sought to define torture down to meaninglessness, sought to excuse warrantless spying on Americans contrary to our laws and made what Jack Goldsmith, a conservative former head of the Office of Legal Counsel, has rightly called a 'legal mess' of it all. This President and this administration have, through signing statements and self-centeredness, decided that they are above the law and can unilaterally decide what parts of what laws they will follow. The costs have been enormous, to our core American ideals, the rule of law, and the principle that in America, no one -- not even a President -- is above the law. . . .
It is not enough to say that waterboarding is not currently authorized. Torture and illegality have no place in America. We should not delay beginning the process of restoring America's role in the struggle for liberty and human dignity. Tragically, this administration has so twisted America's role, law and values that our own State Department, our military officers and, apparently, America's top law enforcement officer, are now instructed by the White House not to say that waterboarding is torture and illegal. Never mind that waterboarding has been recognized as torture for the last 500 years......
And from Leahy's closing statement:
I had hoped today would provide more clarity on so many critical issues. Instead, we heard references to legal opinions, justifications, and facts that remain hidden from Congress and the American people. . . ."It is a hallmark of our democracy that we say publicly what the laws are and what conduct they prohibit. We have seen what happens when hidden decisions rendered in secret memos are withheld from the people's elected representatives and from the American people. It erodes our civil liberties and undermines our values as a nation of laws."
We are pleased to know that Michael Moore is working on a film entitled "While America Slept" a comedy on all that has been lost inour democracy under this administration.
Neiman fellow Steven Aftergood suggests that The Next President Should Open Up the Bush Administration's Record
But, let's face it, the picture itself is really pretty bleak.
Photo note: Winter in the garden -- Echinacea a plant known for it's healing properties, which may or may not be effective.
Posted by Dakota at February 8, 2008 07:03 AM