In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Bush not satisfied with Patiot Act - Wants to do away with courts
(okay that's not the actual story title)
Bush wants three additional powers from Congress.
First, he wants to give the Justice Department the authority to confiscate records and compel testimony without review by a court or grand jury.
...
Second, Bush wants to chip away at the right to bail. Current law allows a judge to deny bond for anyone shown to be dangerous or a flight risk. And, for anyone accused of international terrorism, there is a presumption against granting bond.
Not good enough, according to the president. He wants passage of the "Pretrial Detention and Lifetime Supervision of Terrorists Act of 2003," a bill that would keep people accused of a whole range of new crimes behind bars pending trial by making those crimes presumptively "no bond" offenses.
This is an attempt to lock people up first and investigate later. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, more than 750 immigrants were jailed for months while the Justice Department looked into potential ties to terrorism. In the end not, one was charged. Now Bush wants the power to do the same thing to Americans and immigrants here legally.
And third, Bush wants to expand the reach of the federal death penalty by making it applicable to "domestic terrorism."
Under the Patriot Act, the crime of "domestic terrorism" couldn't be more broadly written. Any criminal act intended to influence the government through "intimidation or coercion" involving "dangerous acts" qualifies. Aggressive protesters of all stripes from Greenpeace activists to abortion foes could easily fall within this definition, opening the door for politically motivated executions.
Bush also wants the death penalty for those convicted of providing "material support for terrorism," a law that can be violated even when people think they are giving money to a charity and don't know the group is a designated terrorist organization.
So if you are a rapid supporter of George Bush: If you still believe we are a democratic society, you must understand that someday these laws, if passed, will be available to a President you don't like... say President Hillary Clinton or something.
If you still support these actions by Bush you:
1) Don't believe we are in a democratic society and that with these laws only people with the "correct views" will be elected President.
2) Don't like Freedom.
Those are the choices. If you don't like either one or two then you have no choice but to support anyone but Bush in 2004. Democracy is at stake.
- rob 5:11 PM - [PermaLink] -
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