This is not a LiveJournal.

Abuses of Power

It's funny when Dave Chappelle jokes about George Bush doing whatever he wants and shouts "Mars, bitches!". It's not funny when George Bush actually does whatever he wants and doesn't think that he has to explain himself. He clearly didn't feel that spying on American citizens was a problem until the media said he was doing it. And when he was confronted about it at a press conference, he said he did it and that he'd keep doing it. Wiretaps, bitches!

The fact is, the President of the United States can authorize secret wiretaps, even on American citizens under certain circumstances. All the president has to do is explain the need for the wiretap to a secret court within 72 hours of initiating the wiretap. If the wiretap is legal, the court approves it. If not, the evidence obtained is tainted and must be destroyed. Now, I don't know how to feel about a "secret court", but I am glad that the president has to answer to someone when he taps someone's phone. My question is, if this check on executive power is in place, why didn't Mr. Bush use it? I find it hard to believe that he just forgot to tell someone to make sure he wasn't breaking the law. No, Mr. Bush doesn't care about the law, he's going to do whatever he wants to whomever he wants, and you're either with him or against him.

Well, Mr. Bush must have had a good reason to spy on these people. I mean, there's terrorists and people who want to kill us, right? There could be a bomb set to go off in New York City in 24 hours, and only Jack Bauer can save us, but not unless he violates all of our civil liberties!

No, it turns out that the government is still worried about communism and leftists. They're so worried that the FBI are tracking the borrowing of Mao's Little Red Book via interlibrary loan. Because clearly the real enemy is an idea that threatens the state-capitalist way of life that we have in America, and people that would read that book without paying for it like a real American are also sending resumes to al Qaeda just hoping that Osama bin Laden himself will fund their research into making dirtier bombs.

But I digress. I could just as easily have mentioned the Quaker meetings or the bike rallies that have been monitored by the government, but the fact that the US government is so threatened by a book about an idea really bothers me. I'd have more sympathy for Mr. Bush's dilemma between civil liberties and protecting America if he actually spent his time monitoring people who were actually dangerous. Don't get me wrong, I'd still disagree with his decision, but the fact that he's using all the rope we're giving him to hang American citizens instead of these mythical hordes of terrorists that slaver and howl for the blood of Americans (even though we've never, ever given them any reason to hate us) really just makes me hope that he resigns in disgrace like Nixon. He won't, because then his daddy will never love him, but I really just can't generate any sympathy for that right now, either.

UPDATE: The Little Red Book story is a hoax. That's what I get for trusting newspapers. Like I said, I could have just as easily ranted about government surveillance of a Quaker meeting.

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