Read Mark LeVine’s essay and while you’re there, drop a few bucks in the cup to keep truthout solvent…
The American republic died last week…. Is there any other way to understand the meaning of the Military Commissions Law passed by the Congress and soon to be signed by President Bush? Without any serious opposition from Democrats (twelve of whom actually voted for the bill, while none offered a serious threat to fillibuster it), President Bush has signed into a law a bill that guts the right of habeas corpus, legalizes the use of secret and coerced evidence, “clarifies” the Geneva Conventions to allow torture on the his command, prevents future war crimes prosecutions, and arrogates to himself the right to declare anyone - including American citizens - enemy combatants who can be dragged from their families, thrown in any prison he chooses, anywhere on earth, for however long he chooses.
By the way, any conspiracy theorist with a hair on his ass knows that outing Foley’s pedophilia now was the Cheney/Rumsfeld post-modern Nazi end-run around popular opposition to the elimination of habeus corpus.
The junta doesn’t need a three day a week do nothing congress in these last few years of democracy before martial law. It’s time for them to ditch “the base,” the know nothing christian fundies who so faithfully voted them in… yes, sweep away the base and reveal the corporate foundation. Foley’s just another media event covering up the news. The same could be said about the wave of school shooting tragedies, but even I’m not willing to point an accusatory finger at Rumsfeld and the looney-toons American christian madrassa movement for these sad events. Not yet.
