The case against George W. Bush
Are we so comfortable that we can't be bothered by losing our civil
liberties?
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of
fighting a foreign enemy.
- James Madison

Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith voted "guilty" on one count of the articles of
impeachment against President Bill Clinton. When The New York Times reported
that President Bush had signed a secret executive order years ago to spy on
the civilian population without judicial review, Sen. Smith said nothing.

Neither did Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden.

Their predecessor, Sen. Wayne Morse, would have had a lot to say about this
transgression on Americans' right to privacy.

Here is what Sen. Wyden suspects Morse would have said: "I think he would
have said, 'This is beyond belief.'"

Would Morse have also said that the president's action was an impeachable
offense?

Speaking for himself, Wyden added: "As a member of the intelligence
committee, I hadn't been briefed on the program, and it seems to me that if
the president felt this was necessary to protect this country, it's not a
close call. He comes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and
says, 'Look, this is what I need to do.' There is even an emergency
provision under this statute that allows the president to gather information
now and apply to the court subsequently."

Sen. Wyden's comments are one more indication that the president's secret
executive order was a poorly conceived theft of our constitutional rights.

This is a radical presidency that has no respect for precedent and little
respect for the Constitution. Witness the disregard for the Geneva
Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war. Witness the secret
executive order.

The administration also has a penchant for lying. Thus we were urged to
launch a pre-emptive attack on Iraq for grounds that proved to be false.
Thus we are told by the president and his secretary of state that the U.S.
does not torture prisoners when that fact has been documented several times
over.

It is time that senators and members of Congress raised a little hell about
President Bush's nullification of our civil rights.

And what about the rest of us? Are we so comfortable that we can't be
bothered by a president who hijacks our civil liberties?

http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=2
9998&TM=9346.764