amendment 5- the bill of rights- the constitution of the united states of america:
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
habeas corpus- a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge or court, esp. for investigation of a restraint of the person's liberty, used as a protection against illegal imprisonment.let me spell it out for those folks who are too busy, or have nothing to hide and don't mind the domestic spying and all that jazz- THE GOVERNMENT CAN NOW CLASSIFY YOU AS AN 'ENEMY COMBATANT' AND THROW YOU IN JAIL INDEFINITELY WITHOUT RECOURSE AND WITHOUT YOU KNOWING WHY. did i make it clear enough? do you know what it would take for that to happen? a little bird in homeland security's ear that you are a terrorist. doesn't take much- look that the sad folks in miami who were accused of allegedly masterminding a plot to blow up stuff in chicago. look at the canadian fellow who did absolutely nothing and was spirited away to syria for almost 2 years and tortured- and then oops- sorry we will let you go now that your government found out.
let me give you a little take on what some former military folks are saying- you know the ones who actually saw combat and actually interrogated prisoners during other 'conflicts' in which there was no formal declaration of war on our part. torture isn't necessary nor preferable for gathering intelligence. of course civilian government heads who are only interested in expanding the powers of the executive branch into a republican oligarchy don't really give a shit. they would just as soon throw you in jail if you are a nuisance. well, there are some ways to not give these folks satisfaction should you find yourself being carted away to an american internment camp- now keep in mind these guidelines were fashioned back when we actually had a constitution to protect us- but you can keep them in mind nevertheless. thanks to sappho for them.
you don't think that this could happen in america? well, i never thought that i would ever have any sort of discussion about torture and secret prisons and domestic spying either. not ever. but i am. the sad crux of it all is- it is completely unnecessary. there are no sleeper cells in america. the biggest terrorists we have in this country is our own government. folks domestic terrorism is a bigger threat than al quaida or any of the muslim groups. terrorism in the world is growing because of our stupidity- our government tells us that we are safer but then goes ahead and takes away our constitution anyway.
folks i have said it before and i will say it again- you either want a free and open society with all of its risks or you don't. you cannot have it both ways. there is no middle ground because governments are not benevolent entities. the only people elected representation we have is the american congress. the president is elected by the electoral college and the supremes are nominated by the executive branch. take a good hard look at the congress that you elected. do you think that they are representing you? i am going to go out on a limb and say that they folks in south florida are yelling a resounding no at this time. think about it and take some responsibility. ok i lied- i am not much calmer.
7 comments:
yeah- that's pretty much the size of it. i don't know what else to do but keep fighting for a way of life that may or may not been romanticized anyway. it is such a noble idea- the whole constitution thing. it appeals to my sense of romanticism. being sent to a secret prison doesn't really appeal to me though :)
Sorry but Blogger wouldn't allow me to comment on the post i was supposed to:
You always get me focused and back on track Betmo, so let me return the favor. The process of democracy an dchange is a long and painful one. We cannot change the world over night. We must be persistent and dedicated, now having said that I want to comment on this idea:
we are a nation of conditioned consumers. let's hit these fuckers in the pocketbook. the corporations control things- so let's start being savvy about what we buy and how much and from whom. let's boycott and support the companies that do give a damn-
and earl said, “If we're just a nation of consumers, it's time to become smart consumers.”
I want to say that we are not simply a nation of consumers; we are a nation of producers. It may not be chic anymore to quote Marx, but the working class have control over what is produced. Well, we don’t anymore but if we realized the power we have in the workplace we could be much more effective than in boycott. Think about what would be more effective. Boycotting Starbucks because of its strangling of local coffee shops, or helping to unionize its employees to demand higher wagers and health insurance. If this doesn’t work, how about going on strike and crippling ten of their stores in your town? Do you see? The $5 coffee you don’t buy is not as effective as the thousands they would lose in a strike. Imagine if that strike was worldwide. That is millions.
But Starbucks is only one example. When dealing with bigger companies how are you going to boycott, Boeing, or GE, or Haliburton? We live in a capitalistic society and so our power is not in our ability to consume but in our ability to halt production. These companies are making profits both ways. First from our buying, but they also exploit our labor force. That is where real change will come.
As for the Dems, give it up people. THEY WILL NOT SAVE US! Everytime there has been change in the US, 30’s. 60’s etc..It has been from the streets and that is where change will come this time. Read your Steinbeck, research the Wobblies, read some Abbie Hoffman. The voting booth is a dream that has been fed to you by the very people who control your political life. People throughout the world have seen this, so why are we still so ignorant in the states? Propbably cause we all have our little gadgets, we are neck deep in debt and follwing in single file like we have been taught.
I have added a small readingand viewing list that io think will clarify some of these points:
Films
Why We Fight?
Life and Debt (Please see this movie)
Books
A People’s History of the US Howard Zinn
No Logo Naomi Klein
Forging the American Empire Syndey Lense
Betmo you are becoming what we call Radicalized and that is a good thing. Search your options and see what you can do next. When you find it, let me know, because there is nothing more frustrating than knowing what is wrong, but being powerless to fix it.
Hey Dukes up, there are so many similarities between the fall of Rme and what is happening now in the US, that it is truely scary. The end is near...
dukes up,
It's worse than that. Every major civilization that builds a wall like the one we're contemplating on our southern border:
Rome-Hadrian's Wall
China-The Great Wall
Russia-The Berlin Wall/Iron Curtain
...all bear the hallmarks of a society on it last leg.
So betmo, your anger no longer white hot, but still seething.
Are you doing politics or law
You preparing yourself to be a High Court Judge, a Justice of the Peace or Magistrate as we call them
A new Constitutional Judge?
Here in JJ Bob Menendez (D) proudly cliams in his campaign ads that he voted against invading Iraq. Well done Bob!
....ummmmm... So Bob, why then did you vote FOR the Military Commissions Act?
I e-mailed him, pointing out that he is in a close race and if he would like up to $1000 contribution from me to help him keep my job, all he needed to do was explain to me why he voted for that bill.
q- i think that it would take some time for me to be any judiciary figure- since i would have to go to law school :) i doubt that i would get appointed to any seat anywhere remotely near the constitution- because i have actually read it several times :)
5th- ahhh- the fact that these folks think we aren't going to check their voting record on something this important just shows the blind arrogance that is incumbancy. let me know if his office gets back to you. human over at carbon paper contacted several offices- check his site out for the results.
I personally knew a very bright, sick, scary, crazy guy that served as an interrogator during the Gulf War.
I'd hate to end up in some sort of detention facility and be "questioned" by him or his type.
People are NOT scared, they DON't get it, anymore than they get the danger of sending their kindergarten aged kid out the door every morning alone to walk to school. God, have you ever seen how the little ones meander?
Denial everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.
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