In an interview with Raw Story, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) denounced President Barack Obama for blocking any investigation or prosecution of torture under the Bush Administration as inviting ‘tyranny.”
Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. correctly said that the Obama Administration had endangered the very premise of the “supremacy of laws” in its refusal to prosecute Bush officials.
The Obama Administration could not risk a full investigation because the evidence of torture would likely have resulted in indictments of former officials, including President George Bush and Dick Cheney. Instead, President Obama decided to ignore our clear international obligations to investigate and prosecute torture — which allowed Bush officials to go public with boasts of how they waterboarded suspects and would do it again.
Source: Rawstory
CCD: Bob, Esq. give us more than the Brooklyn Bus Driver one liner.
10 points for the Chapin selection.
The only reason you’re asking me to elaborate is because you know exactly what I’m thinking.
To wit: “AMPLIFICATION: Politicizing crime, as a defense, is in fact legalizing crime; i.e. tyranny”
So, let’s review the definition:
“AS usurpation is the exercise of power, which another hath a right to; so tyranny is the exercise of power beyond right, which no body can have a right to. And this is making use of the power any one has in his hands, not for the good of those who are under it, but for his own private separate advantage. When the governor, however intitled, makes not the law, but his will, the rule; and his commands and actions are not directed to the preservation of the properties of his people, but the satisfaction of his own ambition, revenge, covetousness, or any other irregular passion.”
http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr18.htm
Thus, since we live in a time when politicizing crime isn’t ‘the exercise of power beyond right, which no body can have a right to,’ then we’re truly in the ‘Dance Band on the Titanic.’
QED.
You’re missing the irony. You are claiming that Obama is playing 12 dimension chess, (an oldie in the excuse tool box) and plans to prosecute bush and cheney after the 2010 election. If this is true, how do you explain Obama’s own continuation of torture right now and his grab for executive power which exceeds that even of Bushcheney?
Jill
“Exactly Buckeye. And that is why Obama has his own torture program and has expanded executive power beyond even Bushcheney. These are all parts of his plan to prosecute Bush and Cheney.”
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What am I missing? How would Obama’s actions of a continuing torture program and expanding exec. power lead AG Holder to prosecute Bush and Cheney and not prosecute Obama? Seems like neither the country nor congress would go along with that.
Totalitarianism of Jesus Christ?
Well, that’s a new one on me.
Democrats would only wish Christianity taught such things because it would make their Marxist schemes much more easier to accomplish.
One has a personal (individual)relationship with Christ who is the sole authority. The emphasis (from top down) is on the individual. With totalitarianism the emphasis (from the top down) is on the group.
With Christianity the individual submits first to God. With totalitarianism the individual must submit first to the state, and never to God (God is a threat to the totalitarian).
With a totalitarian framework there is no private judgment allowed to be expressed publicly (or else). Christianity is based on open expression of private judgment. It is requisite.
The New Testament has, for 2000 years, taught the concept of freedom and liberty. In other words it has enshrined freedom liberty (despite the errors of believers and others). This is one reason why Marxists like Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Mao, Stalin, Chavez, and Castro hate Christianity and true believers. On the other hand they love liars like Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Obama who claim to be Christians but are not. Exceptions are people like Bush whose also claims to be a Christian but is not. And since he is a republican, he must be hated by them.
If he became a democrat then he would be redeemed and saved by the god of the democrats. Democrats worship a political party, not the true God.
Freedom cannot exist without rules.
Free:
Galations 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us FREE, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you FREE, ye shall be free indeed.
Liberty:
Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto LIBERTY; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of LIBERTY, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Romans 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious LIBERTY of the children of God.
Each of us individually stands before God to account for ourselves. In totalitarian systems, groups are punished.
Like, say, businessmen. Or the rich.
Exactly Buckeye. And that is why Obama has his own torture program and has expanded executive power beyond even Bushcheney. These are all parts of his plan to prosecute Bush and Cheney. The enemy of the good is the bad.
Mike A. and Blouise,
Please let me know why you disagree with me. I like both of you a great deal and truly respect what you say. If I don’t know what I’m saying that’s incorrect I can’t correct myself.
If it’s because I said the Family recruits the ruthless powerful from any religion it may be that I have added information from Jeff’s interviews that wasn’t in the book. I don’t have the book now. Just let me know what’s going on.
Here is just a short piece from one of several interviews Rachael Maddow did with Jeff: “the group’s leader {spoke} regarding the its philosophy of “the totalitarianism of Christ”:
He said to Tiahrt what you need to do is form a covenant with your brothers in Christ,… He says when you do this, when you commit total loyalty to each other, and you vow to keep up each others secrets, you can accomplish much more. And he gave to Congressman Tiahrt examples of guys who had done this very well, he thought. Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama bin Laden, and Lenin,…” The Family really does recruit/support powerful people of any religion.
I can see a scenario that may have happened.
President Obama calls DOJ chief Holder in and says:
“Heres the deal. You do what must be done to prosecute the illegalities of the last administration. I don’t want to know what’s in progress. My stated position is going to be I’m looking forward not backward. You know why I picked you for AG – in part to get that job done. Now, if indictments can be held off until after Nov. 2010, great. If it can’t – so be it. Just as long as it gets done before 2012, cause I may be a one-term Prez.
Maybe wishful thinking, but does anyone really think what’s best for the country right now is to wallow in another Watergate type prosecution considering the economy and 2 wars still raging?
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” – Voltaire
Jill: great comments @ July 14 4:41
Oh goody. Then we get to go after Clinton and Albright for starving 500,000 children to death in Iraq?
The question is why haven’t the majority of Americans also joined to call their Rep’s and complain about not prosecuting Bush & his gang?
FFLEO, thank you for your kind words.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/sigh-game-on-inevitable-naacp-tea-party-war-a-nasty-one-audio.php?ref=fpb There is a battle going on between the NAACP and the tea party. One prominent tea party leader escalated it today.
Death of a Salesman
A slew of new polls suggest Obama is not a great pitchman for his policies.
By John Dickerson
Posted Tuesday, July 13, 2010, at 8:09 PM ET
President ObamaOn Thursday, the president will travel to Holland, Mich., to tout investments created by the Recovery Act. Several other administration officials, including the vice president, will hit the road, too. These periodic jaunts are part of “Recovery Summer,” a months-long enterprise that, like the summer trips everyone else takes, will be punctuated by a single question: “Are we there yet?”
http://www.slate.com/id/2260359/
This may put it all into perspective.
Buddha, it may be that or may be because I said religion doesn’t matter, just power and the willingness to do anything. Elaine was kind enough to provide the quote to address that issue:
“From Amy Goodman’s interview with Jeff Sharlet on Democracy Now last August:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/8/12/sharlet
AMY GOODMAN: But you’re Jewish. How did you fit in?
JEFF SHARLET: In fact, that was part of what was interesting about me to them. They do believe only in sort of recruiting an elite. They’re not interested the masses. They think that Christianity has been misunderstood, that Jesus only wanted to select a few key people. You can only get in by invitation. I was invited. But they also liked the idea of having Jews, of having Muslims around, because they believe that inasmuch as a Jew or a Muslim is willing to bow before Jesus, he is proving what they call the “universal inevitable” of Jesus’ power.
psst! . . . I think it’s semantics. 😀
Mike A. and Blouise,
I agree with you. I’m not certain where we are at a disagreement.
Mike Appleton @ 1, July 14, 2010 at 5:27 pm
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Exceptionally well-stated Mike A; however, I could say that about most of your posts regarding a myriad of subjects discussed herein. Thanks for your contributions.
Blouise,
I hope you’re right, but my gut tells me that she hasn’t ruled out running for the presidency (you know, if God tells her to…). While I agree with you about other Palinesque candidates, I think she is the only Palinesque candidate that has a shot at the Presidency anytime soon (I don’t think anyone like Michelle Bachman can make the jump).
Slartibartfast
Blouise,
You don’t think there is any chance of the former half-term governor of Alaska being elected president in 2012?
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In my opinion, Sarah Palin looked around from her perch as VP candidate (a position she campaigned for heavily within the party) and asked herself one question: “Who is making the most money and how are they doing it?” She then used her position as candidate to put herself squarely in the marketplace. Will she run in 2012? Only if her financial schemes have failed … which I don’t think they will.
Now, will there be other Palinesque candidates in 2012? … you betcha. She’s opened up a whole new industry.
Mike Appleton
Jill, I have to disagree somewhat with your interpretation of the theology of the Family. My reading of the book convinces me that they adhere to a form of repackaged Calvinism where the elect are recognized by their wealth and political prominence. They are historically anti-semitic. But they are also anti-Catholic because the hierarchical, authoritarian structure of the Catholic Church presents a competing power. They are anti-democratic because they do not believe the world should operate through the will of voters. Instead, they are attempting to build a government in which highly selective principles of fundamentalist Christianity are used to wed economic power with political power to create an elite governing class.
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Jill, My take on Sharlet’s book is similar to Mike A’s … a Calvinistic, almost predestination, religious philosophy that was part of the “reform” of the Church of England that still managed to justify an elite royalty without actually calling it that. That philosophy did not hold up well back then due to many weak points of theology and won’t hold up well now. This is evidenced by Sharlet’s book and other fallen away disciples.
For the founders of this cult it is nothing more than an ego trip that makes money … very pedestrian.