Andrew Greeley in today's Chicago Sun Times:
The United States is caught up in a new campaign for a military dictatorship -- rule by a military chief with absolute power. The White House, inspired by Vice President Dick Cheney, has argued that in time of great danger, the president has unlimited powers as commander in chief. ... Many, perhaps most Americans, don't mind. The president is "tough on terrorists" and that's all that matters. What is the Bill of Rights anyway? George W. Bush, his supporters will argue, is a good man, even a godly man. He won't misuse the powers, even if the power he claims is no less than Don Hugo Chavez exercises in Venezuela
The Supreme Court in its ruling about a Guantanamo detainee just before Independence Day was a sharp rebuke to Cheneyism. It dealt with only one case and left the president wiggle room. ... Republicans who will seek re-election in November already suggest they will run against the court's decision. The court, they will tell the American people who want the detainees to be shot at sunrise tomorrow, is soft on terror, just like Democrats in Congress. They could probably get away with this nonsense because fear will cause the voters to forget that this is the Republican court that elected Bush.
Richard Cheney is a vile, indeed evil, influence in American political life. He is a very dangerous person who would if he could destroy American freedom about which he and his mentor prate hypocritically. His long years in Washington have caused him to lose faith in the legislative and judicial processes of the government. The country, he believes, requires a much stronger executive. Such concentrated power would have been necessary even if the World Trade Center attack had not occurred. He uses the fear of terrorists as a pretext to advance his agenda of an all powerful president, a military dictator. So long, of course, as he is a Republican.
Discuss.
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In this time of great need for the republic, he is the only one who can lead us. Let us dispense with this unpatriotic bickering and vote him Magister Populi, Praetor Maximus, Dictator for life. It is his destinytude.
You speak with much truthiness, Marcus Parisiorum!
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Terrorism is serious, sure, but it still is true that you are more likely to get killed by a drunk driver than by a terrorist. So let's declare war on drunk drivers. It will do more for national security, and it probably won't cost a trillion dollars.
But the danger to America is Bush/Cheney.
White House kept "major program" secret
No it hasn't.
Nor did the Supreme Court "elect Bush". The electoral college elected Bush, because he got the majority of votes in enough states. The Supreme Court just said, correctly, that the vote counts and recounts which had been done in accordance with election law should stand as required by law, and that Florida should stop jacking around with even further recounts that were being done unlawfully selectively and/or would extend beyond the lawful deadlines. You "selected not elected" loonies crack me up -- you've got the same kind of "I'll believe what I want to believe no matter how much the plain facts contradict my hallucinations" mindset on this and other issues that the creationists have on *their* pet fantasies. Same nuttiness, different topic.
And your final paragraph is mostly pure (paranoid) fantasy as well. How about sticking to topics you can discuss while adhering to something that actually resembles reality?