Dreamweaver

8.24.08

Why did I put the video of the holocaust as my first political entry? The holocaust defines politics gone bad. It’s the most horrifying politically backed event in history. It is the worst case scenario, what we all fear most from a government, and what we can learn the most from. I believe that policy should also be looked at through the glasses of the holocaust. Our elected officials should constantly look at worst case scenarios before casting there vote for or against a pending law or policy. Our nation is too vast and too populated to think that “worst case scenarios” couldn’t happen. I’m not saying that we will have a holocaust. I’m saying that from welfare to the war with Iraq, examining every angle is crucial.

Most of you probably got my last political petition regarding Attorney General Michael Mukasey's request to Congress for establishing a legal process for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

Dose this request not instruct Congress to declare a new “armed conflict” that would give a president worldwide power to declare anyone a terrorist and hold the person forever - without ever charging anyone with a crime. Is Mukasey not also asking Congress to enact the Bush Administration’s scheme for undermining the recent Supreme Court decision restoring constitutional habeas corpus protections to the detainees at Guantanamo. The main goal of the proposed new Bush rules restricting habeas rights is to try to block federal judges from ever learning the truth about the deliberate and widespread use of torture and abuse inflicted on detainees. Judges would not be allowed to see evidence of torture and abuse and would instead simply have to trust that a president is holding the right people as terrorists.

My concern lies in the "terrorism suspects" and how these suspects are determined. Giving the president the right to determine such things is simply irresponsible and given the current situation regarding the department of justice (being in the president’s pocket), I don't really feel comfortable giving them the sole responsibility either. I guess what I'm saying is "what exactly is protecting u.s. citizens from the president". Could He not have someone accused of being a terrorist or enemy combatant, put them behind bars, and suspend habeas corpus without declaring martial law? A U.S. Citizen would no longer even have the ability to prove that they are a citizen. We simply can not just trust that this president would do the right thing… after all, Bush has a terrible reputation regarding people with opposing views.

You can sign this petition at www.ACLU.com