Politics

[rabidsamfan]

Kerry's going to filibuster the Alito nomination.

Good for him.

But the senate website is screwed up tonight. If you want to get to your senators homepage use the subdomain -- i.e., their last name and then senate.gov (Kerry is kerry.senate.gov) and you may need to use the low bandwidth page too.

I've written my senators, write yours. Alito supports the theory of the "unitary executive" -- which is not a conservative idea, it's a radical idea. It essentially says that if the President does it, it's legal. Including torture, including locking people away forever without a trial, including genocide, because no one can say him no. The proponents of this reach back into English law for their justification, conveniently forgetting that we had a long and bloody war to get rid of being ruled by a King. I don't fancy living through another revolution, so let's settle this now, peacefully.

Checks and balances are the American way of ensuring liberty and justice for all. Let's keep it that way.

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.


Pastor Martin Niemöller


Speak up.

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

If that isn't a good reason to boot him out, I don't know what is. And if there ever was a president in power who wanted to be king, (hehe, my dad calls him King George), Dubya ever is it. That's just chilling. We all need to speak up!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I can see him suspending elections because of the war on terror...

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

*shudder* Oh, gosh, and wasn't that actually talked about as a possibility? Or is that just my morbid nightmares speaking here...?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't put it past them.

Contact your senator. Do it. Right now the press is saying that they can't get a filibuster, but if enough citizens protest, maybe we can change a few minds.

[cara-chapel.livejournal.com]

My senator is Elizabeth Dole.

If there is a lost cause anywhere, it's her. I might as well ask George W. to filibuster against Alito. Not gonna happen.

Her residency is totally bogus, too.

Goddammit.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Write her anyway. She doesn't deserve to get away unchided.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Interesting that you use the Niemöller-quote. And you are right - Alito is IMHO only the logial consequence of the current government's policy. And it is dangerous. It is - as I said before and will keep saying - the beginning of fascism, and I know damned well what I'm talking about. What comes next? Not only two terms of office - but as much as said president wants to have?

The end of this development would be a dictatorship. And I think this government is coming painfully close.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It's definitely the path these so-called NeoCons are travelling. Huge power to corporations, a despised minority to kick around, shrill warmongering, and more and more power given to a central figure who is backed by muscle men and secret police.

[mariole.livejournal.com]

My senator is Ken Salazar, who already came out with his position to oppose Alito. I wrote him last week thanking him. I hope there are enough citizens who are alert enough to prevent us from falling into Fascism. My hope in that was really shaken after the last election, however.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

If you look at the information about what happened in Ohio, I think it's pretty clear that the election was stolen. Arizona and Florida too, come to that. Time to get politically active...

And yay for Ken. Write the other senator too, no matter what he's said, if he gets enough pressure from the citizens of the state, he may concede to the filibuster at least.

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

I live in Ohio, and my husband was involved with the Green Party lawsuit to force a recount. Even the recount did not follow state law.

My somewhat conservative rural township, population 2000, had 10 voting booths. The nearby very liberal college town, pop 8000, had a total of 10 in two polling places. Faculty and students waited in line up to 3 hours. This pattern was repeated in Cleveland and other heavily democratic areas. Who knows how many people couldn't take the time off from work or whatever and just went home without voting. This did not happen in the Republican precincts.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I donated to that recount. And I am still angry. If I didn't have to work I would have gone to one of the questionable result precincts and gotten an affadavit from every voter to compare to the numbers.

Cheat to Win is not an American value.