Dan wrote: > In conclusion, when I was talking about precedents, I was not thinking > about justifying Bush's actions. They were so ham-handed that even > someone who > would support similar powers for the Commander-in-Chief would tend to > oppose what Bush actually did. What I was talking about was the legal > framework in which the other two branches of government were operating > in...and why > simple condemnation of their actions as weak and unprecedented doesn't > really fit our history...and does not provide a good understanding of the > dynamics.
I simply disagree. Our government was designed to separate powers. In this instance not only are they not separate, they augment the power of the president. If we were threatened as we were during the Civil War and to a lesser extent WWII, there might be some justification for these extraordinary measures, but we have not had this kind of emergency. A large number of people died on 911, but neither our government nor our way of life was threatened. By the way, Padilla was arrested in Chicago and has been in prison much longer than anyone was during the civil war. Far from being someone that could carry out a plot to detonate a "dirty" bomb, he's an ex gang banger and taco bell employee that probably has problems with the logistics of putting his pants on. It's really difficult to understand why the Bush administration held this guy as an "enemy combatant" unless it was to serve as some sort of test case to see if they could get away with this kind of detention. One other thing. I desperately hope I'm wrong about this, but I'm not so sure that those now in power in the White House are willing to give it up. It wouldn't surprise me at all if very little changes after the next presidential election; I'm not sure how they'll do it, but I'm certain that they have a very low regard for the political ideals most of us hold dear, and that maintenance of their hold on power is desperately important to them. With luck, I'm way off track here, and you'll be able to forget this post altogether, but I'm very fearful that I am not. Doug "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
