Bush says, "I can't fight terrorism without tearing up the Constitution."

Overheard at John Cole's Balloon Juice:

tbrosz says:

Does anyone honestly think that Sheehan was just going to sit there quietly in her chair with her anti-war shirt through the whole speech?

Yeah, they should have left her there. Then when she pulled off whatever crackpot thing she had in mind, stand up screaming, throw herself off the balcony, whatever, everyone would see the new face of the Democratic Party.

That's one heckuva parlour game talent tbroz has - reading people's minds and guessing their intent.

By tbroz' reckoning, every time that one of the "Brooks Brothers Rioters" opens his mouth in a government building, he should be arrested for being "disruptive."

But to let tbroz' libel of Cindy Sheehan, as a "screaming crackpot" who would "throw herself off the balcony" stand unchallenged, marginalizes all Americans who demand that this President and our government obey the law.

What separates separated America from totalitarian fascist regimes was that in America, people were arrested, tried, convicted and sent to prison for acts that they actually committed, not for what acts that others believe they might commit. We have come a long way from the founders' America to BushAmerica.

It's real easy to police the country if you remove all constitutional rights from the people, set up cameras and listening posts everywhere, monitor and control their movement. It's easier still if you put the people in prison before they even think about thinking about commiting a crime. Don't think that probably hasn't occurred to the architects behind "The Lazy Presidency of George W. Bush." The Constitutional restraints led them to invent gated communities with privatized police forces, using public resources.

The challenge of America has always been balancing the individual's rights of freedom (of thought, speech, expression, movement) with the overall collective individuals' rights to practice their freedoms in a safe and stable democracy.

George W. Bush is saying that he can't do it. He is saying that the only way that he can try to keep the people and the country safe from terrorist attacks (no guarantees) is to remove Americans' rights as granted in the Constitution.

Wow.

So when they say "Everything changed on 9/11," and "pre-9/11 versus post-9/11 world," what they really mean is that on September 11, 2001 the American Constitution was destroyed.

GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the Patriot Act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.
“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”
“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”
“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush snapped back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

Filed under: Patriot Act