In yet another indication of how extreme Bush officials were in their war on terrorism, the New York Times is reporting that Vice President Dick Cheney and others pushed former President George Bush to send troops into Buffalo New York to arrest a group of men accused of terrorism.
What is interesting about this story is that such use of military force was completely unnecessary and shows how Bush officials used terrorism to advance their agenda to expand the authority of the presidency. Many Bush officials like John Yoo, Viet Dinh and others had advocated radical views of presidential authority before 9-11. If true, this is the most obvious example of how 9-11 was viewed by Bush officials as an opportunity to achieve their objectives to re-structure the American presidency along the lines of what is often called an “imperial presidency.” The Bush people articulated a view that dwarfed even Richard Nixon who is most associated with the imperial presidency model.
The debate over a military intervention in the suburbs of Buffalo occurred in 2002 — precisely the time when the unlawful programs on torture and warrantless surveillance were ramping up. Indeed, the usual suspects were present in these meetings calling for extreme measures: the lawyers John C. Yoo and Robert J. Delahunty authored the primary memo supporting the move. They argued implausibly that the move would be supported by federal law since the president was recognized to have authority “to take military actions, domestic as well as foreign, if he determines such actions to be necessary to respond to the terrorist attacks upon the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and before.”
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 generally prohibits the military from acting in a law enforcement capacity, but Bush officials were highly antagonistic toward the act and its limitations. Congress allowed Bush to expand the domestic use of the military after 9-11 — part of its passive and infamous legacy in the aftermath of the attacks.
The targets were the Lackawanna Six and the Bush officials wanted them declared enemy combatants and a military intervention launched. These were relatively low-grade terrorist wannabes who were convicted of material support — a relatively easy charge for prosecutors when they cannot prove actual terror plots or conspiracies. Mukhtar Al-Bakri, Sahim Alwan, Faysal Galab, Shafal Mosed, Yaseinn Taher, and Yahya Goba all received sentences of ten years or less. The very idea of intervening with active military units for such a group is further evidence of the opportunistic conduct of Bush officials to achieve their vision of an all-powerful chief executive. To his credit, Bush refused to order the military intervention.
Notably, most of the framers opposed a standing army rather than a people’s militia because of their fear of the tendency of the military in history to exert political and social control over countries. We have seen how a domestic role of the military in other countries has produced instability and abuses.
What is truly frightening is how close we came. A single person stood in the way of tearing down one of our most important legal and political traditions. The bar on domestic law enforcement activities distinguishes this country from other countries where the military holds tremendous power like Iran. The recent military takeover in Honduras is an example of the dangers. We have long believed that people raised under our freedoms (and particularly trained in our laws) would be opposed to such attacks on our traditions and values. Yet, a vice president and top legal advisers facilitated an effort that was not just unlawful but unnecessary. It shows that, even in the most successful democracy in history, we can still stand just one vote away from a path of abuse or even tyranny. The alarm over this story is magnified by the utter failure of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to exercise checks and balances during this period. We came down to George Bush — no civil libertarian — to block this effort — though this may have been more of a political and legal calculation.
For the full story, click here.
mespo727272 1, July 28, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Patty C:
“Ayah! Your yelling AND the turlee mojo…
… You got friends in LOW places, if you know what I mean!”
************
It could happen… 😉
An open mind is a terrible price to pay.
Mike and Gyges:
I test it all the time.
And I have read Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Plato, Schopenhauer, Aristotle, Epicurus, Marx, Locke, and others.
So your point is what?
Silly me, just a nitwit how could I not be a progressive? Must be some genetic flaw that prevents me from seeing the absolute brilliance of Karl and his buddies. Sorry I cant join your club, the dues are too high.
defecate
Gyges:
If you deficate in one hand and wish in the other which fills up first?
Mike S:
“… watch that fat and cholesterol.”
***********
I can’t help but watch it, it’s all around me! 🙂
Patty C:
“Ayah! Your yelling AND the turlee mojo…
… You got friends in LOW places, if you know what I mean!”
************
Ah, you mean the plumber!
mespo727272 1, July 28, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Mike S:
“So is your refrigerator the unseen gorilla in your kitchen?”
*************
No Mike, it’s pretty visible, and will not be ignored! I’ll take Patty C up on her offer of a warlock. Better yet I need an exorcism.
BTW I learned at 7:00 p.m. that everyone – and I mean everyone – is showing up tomorrow at daybreak set appliances, install the
counter tops and repair my double oven. Guess my yelling did something!
—
Ayah! Your yelling AND the turlee mojo…
… You got friends in LOW places, if you know what I mean!
“Guess my yelling did something!”
Mespo,
Not to mention justifying the cost overruns. Good living and good cooking to you for many, many years and watch that fat and cholesterol.
Mike
“…yet I read all I can about other religious beliefs and non-beliefs”
“non-belief” is a belief system too.
Mike S:
“So is your refrigerator the unseen gorilla in your kitchen?”
*************
No Mike, it’s pretty visible, and will not be ignored! I’ll take Patty C up on her offer of a warlock. Better yet I need an exorcism.
BTW I learned at 7:00 p.m. that everyone – and I mean everyone – is showing up tomorrow at daybreak set appliances, install the counter tops and repair my double oven. Guess my yelling did something!
“I try to keep my mind in as pristine a state as possible. So I stay away from progressive philosophical works and other such intellectual pornography if at all possible.”
IS,
Gyges is correct. If you are so afraid of differing opinions then there is a weak link in your chain of belief. I’m a Jew, yet I read all I can about other religious beliefs and non-beliefs. How can one know the truth of one’s beliefs i.fs he/she is afraid to test it with different beliefs?
IS,
Do true philosophers put cream on their oats?
Personally, I’m of the opinion that if your philosophy is so weak that you’ll be “corrupted” away from it by exposure to thoughts you might disagree with, then it’s probably not worth having.
mespo,
Obviously, kitchen witches won’t do it for you
– you need a WARLOCK.. 😉
My sincerest apologies,
Patty C.
Mike Appleton:
I think I’ll pass on Merton. I have been reading some things by Thomas Aquinas and will probably stick to that for my religious philosophy. Maybe St. Augustine as well.
I try to keep my mind in as pristine a state as possible. So I stay away from progressive philosophical works and other such intellectual pornography if at all possible. There are enough real philosophers to read first before Kant, Hegel, Marx and Engels and their assorted fellow travelers such as Heidegger, Sartre and Camus.
Actually the law talks about the best interest of the child. In this case I think it safe to say Elian’s best interest would have been served by him living with his aunt in freedom. Unless of course you believe in brutal dictatorships that trounce peoples rights and freedoms. In that case you are quite right, send him back and Bon Voyage.
Mespo,
So is your refrigerator the unseen gorilla in your kitchen?
IS, if you can break away from Ayn Rand long enough, you might consider perusing a bit of Thomas Merton for an entirely differenct perspective.
“It sounds to me like you have swallowed at least a half glass of the Objectivist “Kool Aid” as well.”
IS,
If you think that because I don’t believe in altruism, you’ve got it wrong. I believe in humanism as informed by the teachings of Rabbi Hillel,The Buddha and Confucius, which is mostly the “golden rule.” Altruism is not needed to want to care well for your neighbor, common sense is though. As far as Gestalt Philosophy goes, that is merely a viewpoint for seeing oneself and the world and not at all political. To me people with logic instinctively understand that we are all part of the human race and it is in all of our best interests to take care of each other. As far as the need for shelter goes, thanks for your offer, but this “Old Tripper” is well equipped to take care of himself.
“Actually come to think of it they are all democrats now. I wonder if there is any connection, mind altering/destroying drug, life altering/destroying philosophy, hmmm it is a thought.”
bdaman,
I will agree that is a thought. Too bad you were to afraid to try it. It might have taught you a lot as it taught me and the friends you watched taking it. By the way the deal was when you tripped to always have an uptight, straight friend around who wasn’t tripping, as a safety precaution. My generation was far from stupid and there were plenty like you we could use as watchmen.
As for “life altering/destroying philosophy,” that seems right to me as a summation of what you and IS believe in. Now part of the reason that people like Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchanan hate us is because we were having all the fun and having sex with the most interesting women.
Incidentally, I chose a different path in my life, but many of my friends from back then did become Democrats and also wealthy in their various professions. I’ve done okay myself.
Sort of proves you can have your cake and eat it too.
A thanks to all of you for the kitchen empathy, and yes, my schnauzer is a miniature for those wanting to know. I literally just finished helping the two guys move the refrigerator into the space and after much sweating, grunting, and positive indicators for a lumbar MRI, I can say with absolute certainty that three guys simply cannot move a 500 pound refrigerator into my house–but somehow we did it. I agree with GW about the hassle and 1/3 cost overrun, but so what, I have renewed pride in my back’s capacity to lift. Ouch!