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November 11, 2010
America's Devolution Into Dictatorship
Licensed to Kill
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
The United States Department of Justice (sic) routinely charges and convicts innocents with bogus and concocted crimes that are not even on the statutes book. The distinguished defense attorney and civil libertarian, Harvey A. Silverglate, published a book last year, “Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent,” which conclusively proves that today in “freedom and democracy” America we have punishment without crime.
This same Justice (sic) Department, which routinely frames and railroads the innocent, argued in Federal Court on November 8 that the US government, if approved by the president, could murder anyone it wishes, citizens or noncitizens, at will. All that is required is that the government declare, without evidence, charges, trial, jury conviction or any of the due process required by the US Constitution, that the government suspects the murdered person or persons to be a “threat.”
The US Justice (sic) Department even told US Federal District Court Judge John Bates that the US judiciary, formerly a co-equal branch of government, has absolutely no legal authority whatsoever to stick its nose into President “Change” Obama’s decision to assassinate Americans. The unaccountability of the president’s decision to murder people is, the US Justice (sic) Department declared, one of “the very core powers of the president as commander in chief.”
The argument by the Justice (sic) Department that the executive branch has unreviewable authority to kill Americans, whom the executive branch has unilaterally, without presenting evidence, determined to pose a threat, was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center For Constitutional Rights.
The outcome of the case will determine whether president George W. Bush, was correct when he said that the US Constitution was nothing but a “scrap of paper.”
It is my opinion that the American people and the US Constitution haven’t much chance of winning this case. The Republican Federalist Society has succeeded in appointing many federal district, appeals and supreme court judges, who believe that the powers of the executive branch are superior to the powers of the legislature and judiciary. The Founding Fathers of our country declared unequivocally that the executive, legislative, and judicial branches were co-equal, However, the Republican brownshirts who comprise the Federalist Society have implanted the society’s demonic ideology in the federal bench and Justice (sic) Department. Today the erroneous belief is widespread that the executive branch is supreme and that the other branches of government are less than equal.
If Americans have a greater enemy than neoconservatives, that enemy is the Federalist Society.
Disagree with me as you will, but now let’s look at this development from another perspective. I am old enough to remember the Nixon years, and I was a presidential appointee, confirmed by the US senate, in the Reagan administration. For those of you too young to know and those who are to old to remember, President Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment simply because Nixon lied about when he learned about the burglary of the Watergate office of the Democratic party.
Nixon lied about when he learned of the burglary, because he knew that the Washington Post would make an issue of the burglary, if he launched an investigation, to defeat his re-election. The military/security complex and the black ops groups in the US government were angry at Nixon for smoothing US-China relations. The Washington Post, long regarded as a CIA asset, hid behind its “liberal” image to bring Nixon down. Woodward and Bernstein wrote thriller-type reports of midnight meetings with “Deep Throat” in parking garages to get the scoop on the date of Nixon’s knowledge of the meaningless burglary.
Let’s assume that I have it all wrong. The fact remains that Nixon was driven from office because of the Watergate burglary. No one was harmed. Nixon did not kill anyone or claim the right to kill, without proof or accountability, American citizens. If the dastardly President Nixon had a Justice (sic) Department like the present one, he simply would have declared Woodward, Bernstein, and the Washington Post to be a threat and murdered them by merely exercising the power that the Obama administration is claiming.
Nixon might be too far in the past for most Americans, so let’s look at Ronald Reagan.
The neoconservatives’ Iran/Contra scandal almost brought down President Reagan. It is unclear whether President Reagan knew about the neocon operation and, if he did, whether he was kept in the loop. But all of this aside, what do you think would have been President Reagan’s fate if he, or his Justice (sic) Department, had declared that Reagan had the power as commander in chief to murder anyone he considered to be a threat?
Instantly, the media would have been in an uproar, law schools and university faculties would have been in an uproar, the Democrats would have been demanding Reagan’s impeachment, and his impeachment would have occurred with the speed of light.
Today in Amerika, approximately 25 years later, the ACLU has to go to federal court in order to attempt to affirm that “if the Constitution means anything, it surely means that the president does not have unreviewable authority to summarily execute any American whom he concludes is an enemy of the state.”
In reply, the Justice (sic) Department told the court that murdering American citizens is a “political question” that is not subject to judicial review. The “freedom and democracy” government then invoked the “state secrets privilege” and declared that the case against the government’s power to commit murder must be dismissed in order to avoid “the disclosure of sensitive information”
If the Obama Regime wins this case, the US will have become a dictatorship.
As far as I can tell, the “liberal media” and most Americans do not care. Indeed, conservative Republicans are cheering it on.
Paul Craig Roberts was an editor of the Wall Street Journal and an Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. His latest book, HOW THE ECONOMY WAS LOST, has just been published by CounterPunch/AK Press. He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com
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http://www.twf.org/News/Y2005/1007-Democracy.html
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October 6, 2005The Associated Press
'American Democracy is in Grave Danger'
by Vice President Al GoreSpeech at Media Conference
I came here today because I believe that American democracy is in grave danger. It is no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public discourse . I know that I am not the only one who feels that something has gone basically and badly wrong in the way America's fabled "marketplace of ideas" now functions.
How many of you, I wonder, have heard a friend or a family member in the last few years remark that it's almost as if America has entered "an alternate universe"?
I thought maybe it was an aberration when three-quarters of Americans said they believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for attacking us on September 11, 2001. But more than four years later, between a third and a half still believe Saddam was personally responsible for planning and supporting the attack.
At first I thought the exhaustive, non-stop coverage of the O.J. trial was just an unfortunate excess that marked an unwelcome departure from the normal good sense and judgment of our television news media. But now we know that it was merely an early example of a new pattern of serial obsessions that periodically take over the airwaves for weeks at a time.
Are we still routinely torturing helpless prisoners, and if so, does it feel right that we as American citizens are not outraged by the practice? And does it feel right to have no ongoing discussion of whether or not this abhorrent, medieval behavior is being carried out in the name of the American people? If the gap between rich and poor is widening steadily and economic stress is mounting for low-income families, why do we seem increasingly apathetic and lethargic in our role as citizens?
On the eve of the nation's decision to invade Iraq, our longest serving senator, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, stood on the Senate floor asked: "Why is this chamber empty? Why are these halls silent?"
The decision that was then being considered by the Senate with virtually no meaningful debate turned out to be a fateful one. A few days ago, the former head of the National Security Agency, Retired Lt. General William Odom, said, "The invasion of Iraq, I believe, will turn out to be the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history."
But whether you agree with his assessment or not, Senator Byrd's question is like the others that I have just posed here: he was saying, in effect, this is strange, isn't it? Aren't we supposed to have full and vigorous debates about questions as important as the choice between war and peace?
Those of us who have served in the Senate and watched it change over time, could volunteer an answer to Senator Byrd's two questions: the Senate was silent on the eve of war because Senators don't feel that what they say on the floor of the Senate really matters that much any more. And the chamber was empty because the Senators were somewhere else: they were in fundraisers collecting money from special interests in order to buy 30-second TVcommercials for their next re-election campaign.
. . . The US Press was recently found in a comprehensive international study to be only the 27th freest press in the world. And that too seems strange to me. . . .
The greatest source of hope for reestablishing a vigorous and accessible marketplace for ideas is the Internet. Indeed, Current TV relies on video streaming over the Internet as the means by which individuals send us what we call viewer-created content or VC squared. . . .
---
Enver Masud, "Broadcasting
Fairness
Doctrine Promised Balanced Coverage," The Wisdom Fund, July 25,
1997
Jennifer Van
Bergen, "The Twilight of Democracy:
The Bush Plan for America," Common Courage Press (September 15,
2004)
Arianna Huffington, "Kafka Does Iraq: The Disturbing Case of Abdul Amir Younes Hussein," The Wisdom Fund, September 24, 2005
Robert Pear, "Buying of News by Bush's Aides Is Ruled Illegal," New York Times, October 1, 2005
Jennifer Van Bergen, "The Case of Dr. Dhafir," CounterPunch, October 7, 2005
Paul Craig Roberts, "The Police State Is Closer Than You Think," Antiwar.com, October 8, 2005
Norman Dombey, "Tell us who fabricated the Iraq evidence," Independent, October 9, 2005
Si Kahn, Elizabeth Minnich, "The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy," Berrett-Koehler Publishers (October 10, 2005)
Dana Milbank, "Colonel Finally Saw Whites of Their Eyes," Washington Post, October 20, 2005
"Canada, U.S. slip in Press Freedom Index," Associated Press, October 20, 2005
Lev Menand, "Leading Historian Says U.S. 'Empire' To Fail," Harvard Crimson, October 20, 2005
AUDIO/VIDEO: Robert Fisk, "War is the Total Failure of the Human Spirit," DemocracyNow, October 20, 2005
Lewis H. Lapham, "We Now Live in a Fascist State," Harper's Magazine, October 21, 2005
James Risen and Eric Lichtblau, "Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts," New York Times, December 16, 2005
Eric Margolis, "Bush Promises Victory in Iraq - But for Whom?," lewrockwell.com, December 26, 2005
Ruth Conniff, "Impeachment Buzz," The Progressive, December 27, 2005
Paul Craig Roberts, "America's Moral Crisis, a History of Hitler's Secret Prisons and a Brief on the Illegality of Bush's War," CounterPunch.org, December 28, 2005
Editorial: "The Imperial Presidency at Work," New York Times, January 15, 2006
[Hitler used the Reichstag fire to create an atmosphere of crisis. Both the judicial and legislative branches of government collapsed, and Hitler's decrees became law. . . .
In this first decade of the 21st century the United States regards itself as a land of democracy and civil liberty but, in fact, is an incipient dictatorship. . . .
It is paradoxical that American democracy is the likely casualty of a "war on terror" that is being justified in the name of the expansion of democracy.--Paul Craig Smith "Tyrant in the White House," CounterPunch, January 16, 2006]
[A special counsel should immediately be appointed by the Attorney General to remedy the obvious conflict of interest that prevents him from investigating what many believe are serious violations of law by the President.--Al Gore, " America's Constitution is in grave danger," Salon.com, January 16, 2006]
[Two years ago, in a report entitled Democracy in an Age of Rising Inequality, the American Political Science Association concluded that progress toward realizing American deals of democracy "may have stalled, and even, in some areas, reversed." . . .
The following year, on the eve of President George W. Bush's second inauguration, the editors of The Economist, reporting on inequality in America, concluded that the United States "risks calcifying into a European-style, class-based society." . . .
But this crowd in charge has a vision sharply at odds with the American people. They would arrange Washington and the world for the convenience of themselves and the transnational corporations that pay for their elections. . . .
Until we offer qualified candidates a different source of funding for their campaigns - "clean," disinterested, accountable public money - the selling of America will go on.--Bill Moyers, "Restoring the Public Trust," tompaine.com, February 24, 2006]
[Sandra Day O'Connor, a Republican-appointed judge who retired last month after 24 years on the supreme court, has said the US is in danger of edging towards dictatorship if the party's rightwingers continue to attack the judiciary.--Julian Borger, "Former top judge says US risks edging near to dictatorship," Guardian, March 13, 2006]
[President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.--Charlie Savage, "Bush challenges hundreds of laws," Boston Globe, April 30, 2006]
VIDEO: Aaron Russo, "AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM," May 31, 2006
Editorial: "Block the Vote," New York Times, May 30, 2006
Greg Palast, "How They Stole Ohio," buzzflash.com, June 1, 2006
[There are now 37 million Americans living in poverty, and at 12.7 percent of the population, it is the highest percentage in the developed world.--Paul Harris, "Wake up: the American Dream is over," Observer, June 8, 2006]
VIDEO: Alan Russo, "America - From Freedom to Fascism," 2006
Charlie Savage, "Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the
Subversion of American Democracy:
The Bush Plan for America," Little, Brown and Company (September 5,
2007)
[Every day that the conservatives in Congress, the right-wing talking heads, and their noisy minions are allowed to hold up our ability to govern the country is another day we're slowly creeping across the final line beyond which, history tells us, no country has ever been able to return.--Sara Robinson, "Is the U.S. on the Brink of Fascism?," alternet.org, August 7, 2009]
[Corporate forces, long before the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, carried out a coup d'etat in slow motion. The coup is over. We lost. The ruling is one more judicial effort to streamline mechanisms for corporate control. It exposes the myth of a functioning democracy and the triumph of corporate power.--Chris Hedges, "Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction," truthdig.com, January 25, 2010]
Noam Chomsky, "The Corporate Takeover of U.S. Democracy," inthesetimes.com, February 3, 2010
[Our government is not broken; it's been bought out from under us, and on the right and the left and smack across the vast middle, more and more Americans doubt representative democracy can survive the corruption of money.--Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, "What Are We Bid for American Justice?," huffingtonpost.com, February 20, 2010]
[The Garani massacre, which we are still working on, killed over 100 people, mostly children.--David Heath, "WikiLeaks is asking for urgent help," itwire.com, June 15, 2010]
[The richest 2% own more than half the household wealth in the world. The richest 10% hold 85% of total global assets and the bottom half of humanity owns less than 1% of the wealth in the world.--Maude Barlow, "The World Has Divided into Rich and Poor as at No Time in History," democracynow.org, July 2, 2010]
EDITORIAL: "The Secret Election," nytimes.com, September 18, 2010
Hope Yen, "Census finds record gap between rich and poor," washingtonpost.com, September 28, 2010
[We will blunt these rising anti-democratic forces only when we organize outside conventional systems of power. It means dismantling the permanent war economy and the corporate state. It means an end to foreclosures and bank repossessions. It means a functional health care system for all Americans. It means taking care of our poor and unemployed. And it means a system of government that is freed from corporate interests.--Chris Hedges, "March to Nowhere," truthdig.com, October 5, 2010]
[ . . . the Justice (sic) Department told the court that murdering American citizens is a "political question" that is not subject to judicial review. The "freedom and democracy" government then invoked the "state secrets privilege" and declared that the case against the government's power to commit murder must be dismissed in order to avoid "the disclosure of sensitive information"--Paul Craig Roberts, "America's Devolution Into Dictatorship --Licensed to Kill," counterpunch.org, November 11, 2010]
---
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
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Note: We are watching the continued downfall of the U.S. as Queen Liliuokalani had prophesied.............
Americans/Amerikkkans need to take back their nation charge their leaders with treason, etc. see John Nelson's article at http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/GORA8037
aloha.
Replies
I'm so enjoying the music.
Thanks for the string of songs, as I am listening it make's it is easier to read your postings.
I didn't know that at the Ahu on Nov 11, 2010 we had a show down, at least the children did with the grown ups. Often times, when I was little we had those intermitten moments when we would be listening and disagree with the grown ups. And it happened at the Ahu which I didn't know for it happened before I got there. Interesting, huh?
It was about Ha'aheo. The missionary mind set in the past was trying to preserve what little dignity they had in the overthrow. Also too, it was Napua Stevens that brought this to the forfront--but she was preserving sewing, quilting, and women's talk story groups. Which was full of Salem witchery stuff from my recollection of Ha'aheo. Women talking stupid and ignorant stuff, but not really getting anywhere with their talk because only a hand full of women were participating.
This is what they were ignorant off!!! That makes no sense to the children!!!
"The Hawaiian Flag is part French, part English, part American, and is Hawaiian in general." p 25 Honolulu, March, 1866 titled Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii and edited by A. Grove Day
He goes on to say the "union is the English cross; the remainder of the flag (horizontal stripes) looks American, but has a blue French stripe in addition to our red and white ones. The flag was gotten up by foreighn legations in council with the Hawaiian government. The eight stripes refer to the eight islands which are inhabited; the other four are barren rocks incapable of supporting a population." p 25-6
The children at the ahu are from 1845 Maunawili Road.
At the ahu they wanted to remember the Queens beauty and spread their arms to embrass her love. The grown-ups wanted to stand like a flag pole and shout their loss, or memory of Ha'aheo and talk about things they don't know about. Why? cause like Dr. Kekuni says they weren't allowed to talk! So now that the grown ups are talking, it's in support of American, France and Britian mother country and the children are trying to say to these grown up that they love the aina! There own mother country-- not America, France and Britian!!! These children are telling this loss of memory, foolish egos and slavery women that they are not prisoner commodity for a privately owned entity.
Pervert that Mark Twain words runs deep and wide among Flag runners.
The Na Kanaka women was acting out the white women desires and they were nothing but slaves to the white women sewing their fricken flags on quilt's to cover their beds. The red color is blood, the "blood of Jesus." Keep in mind I am a cut off the missionary cloth. So this crap does not run pass me.
Our na kanaka children have to follow the leader to their death like with what is happening in the global bankers capitalistic violent wars all for a profit gain. The bed of blood are the foundation of these Christian minded followers.
off tract:
Talk about piracy, did you know the Cleopatra ship owned by Kam II was dredge from a watery grave and stolen by archealogist and sent back to Salem.
In general, this speaks to the stealing and usurping the Na Kanaka identity, their implements, and their children. But, the children spoke this is who we are and what we want to do with our lives. We don't want to fill your hole with what you think had happened and your voicless words. The children at the Ahu is saying we want to speak, think, and do the things that are healthy and much rewarding for our future generations to come. So, do not create a watery grave of some kine for us to fight for when it is filled with stupid lies shrouded in Red for blood of Christian Crusade, Blue for France, Union Jack for Britian and stripes.
Over history slaves wore the American stripes across their backs, local Hawaiian prisoners wear strips across their buttocks, the Iraq's wore stripes across their penis.
Our children don't want stripes sewn across their mouths--Haaheo is unexceptible at the AHU near the mound our ancient bones. The color guards need to wake up! Liliu's children have spoken!!!