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Obama Leaves Bush-Cheney Repressive Apparatus Standing
Civil libertarians cheered the election of Barack Obama, and with good reason.
Bush and Cheney had trampled all over our rights and liberties.
And as someone who taught constitutional law, Obama denounced the Presidential power grabs and pledged to address them.
But he hasn't followed through on that pledge.
This week, the Senate is holding a hearing on the reauthorization of some expiring-and troubling--sections of the Patriot Act. The Obama Administration wants to reauthorize them nonetheless.
One of these is Section 215, which allows the FBI to slap National Security Letters on bookstores and libraries and thereby find out who has been checking out or buying which book. This is a violation of our right to privacy and to Free Speech, and Obama should know better.
Obama's Administration is also making the outrageous claim that it can detain anyone it wants at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, and then deny that person all access to due process and habeas corpus.
Nor has Obama made any move to rectify the blatant denial of due process that is embedded in the Military Commissions Act, which allows the President to designate anyone an enemy combatant and jail you. If you're not a U.S. citizen, he can jail you as an "alien enemy combatant," and you may never see a judge or a lawyer for the rest of your life.
Nor has Obama withdrawn National Security Presidential Directive 51, which gives to the President extraordinary powers over the other branches of government at every level in times of an emergency that he himself declares.
These examples strongly suggest that Obama doesn't have the will to tear down the edifice of oppression that Bush and Cheney constructed.
As a result, we remain today a much less free country than we were eight years ago. And it looks like we'll remain that way tomorrow.
Even if Obama doesn't use these powers against us, a rightwing successor like Sarah Palin sure might.
This is one issue where libertarians and progressive need to get together on, in a hurry.
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Show AllLibertarians and progressives are unlikely to get together because most libertarians are not true libertarians, they're right wingers.
1. It's not all-or-nothing. Any unity between Libertarians and Progressives is helpful on this issue.
2. Even Libertarian right-wingers might unite with progressives on this issue. The traditional conservative interest in a small federal government is well served by preserving the constitutional rights to privacy and a fair trial. Those interested in a small federal government as an excuse to repress those of another race and/or class will be unlikely to join this cause.
There is agreement between progressives and Libertarians on some issues. An issue by issue approach, each with a somewhat different coalition is not a bad idea.
Joe
"These examples strongly suggest that Obama doesn't have the will to tear down the edifice of oppression that Bush and Cheney constructed."
_______________________________________
"[D]oesn't have the will to tear down the edifice"?
He's SOAKING in it!
Obama has not shirked from accepting the Warlord-in-Chief's Mace, vulgarly known as the War Boner, from his nefarious predecessor; nor has he scrupled to ascend the throne of the monarchical Unitary Executive arising from the ashes of the US Constitution.
Gee whiz, and so many were so sure that removing that throne from the Oval Office would be Obama's first order of business! But getting the banksters settled and comfy turned out to be a pragmatic priority. Maybe next term...
"Even if Obama doesn't use these powers against us..."
To paraphrase the great Eugene V. Debs: “While there is a citizen subject to warrantless wiretap, Obama is using these powers; while there is a blind eye turned toward heinous criminals, Obama is using these powers; while there is a detainee in prison at the State's whim, Obama is using these powers.”
Meanwhile, the Palin comparison has spread like kudzu to the status of "cliché".
I was struck by the the hysterical demonization of Sarah Palin by moderate leftists and progressives, and have been mistaken for a Palin supporter merely for noting that it evidenced an animus beyond the reasons expressed for it.
I find it mordantly amusing that invoking Palin has become shorthand for "the (political) Worst of the Worst", and that it remains necessary to persuade simple-minded moderates with an appeal to fear over how a Calamity Sarah (or Maverick McCain) MIGHT abuse their authority and discretion, when there is abundant evidence for any discerning person to see that Obama IS abusing his authority and discretion.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Yes please. Libertarians and Progressives unite for a real change.
We need to put up a contender to Obama in the next Democratic primary. Can the libertarians please register Democratic?
Do what I do. I register Democratic and vote in the Dem primaries for the lesser evil. Then I vote my conscience in the general election and vote for a 3rd party candidate. In my case it is Ralph Nader. But the libertarians could make it Bob Barr or whomever they have next.
If we are in a 3rd Bush term, it unfortunately looks like there really is a shadow government that cannot be unseated with Obama.
Reminds me of the very old Ron Paul video talking about the trilateral commission and Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Bilderbergs running the banking establishment and pretty much the US government. Check out the 1988 video and see how relevant it is today: http://media.abovetopsecret.com/media/3400/Ron_Paul_The_American_Power_Elite_-_Vintage_Video_from_1988/
You're on to something, but I doubt Libertarians registering Democratic is the way. First of all, they won't. But then, if they did, the Dems would surely elect another monster anyway.
It's time to go after the monster-making machine.
2010 and 2012 need be third-party years. To generalize, not even the Republicrats are nostalgic for Cheney, and the Demoplicans are getting ready to shoot themselves in the other foot by not giving their constituency any one single thing that they thought they voted for.
Libertarians and progressives have some chance of uniting outside the Demoplican and Republicrat parties. As another post points out, they have a lot more chance to unite over specific issues than candidates.
One of the issues libertarians and progressives share is campaign reform. I don't just mean stopping the Republicans from jimmying the ballots or barring people from voting again, though that would be nice. I mean the entire lobbyi$t --> media --> public --> purchased politician thing.
0 corporate contributions. Equal time in debates.