Curiouser and Curiouser!

Curiouser and Curiouser! on america http://matt.blogs.it/ RSS feed for topic america Copyright 2006 Matt Mower Squib/0.1 self@mattmower.com self@mattmower.com en-gb Why it doesn't matter Tue, 17 Feb 2004 20:14:49 +0000 <blockquote><a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/02/17/records">New Bush records, same old questions</a>. Why did the "outstanding young pilot" stop flying? Why dont the records document his time in Alabama? And what about the missing physical? The 400-page document dump has no answers. [<a href="http://www.salon.com">Salon.com</a>]</blockquote> Until you make it possible for an ordinary person, without oil money or dynstasty backgrounds, to run for president you are never going to have an honest man in the Whitehouse. It's too much of a magnet for the power hungry or the friends of the power hungry. I hold out little hope for Kerry, Edwards, or Dean. They aren't Bush but what are they exactly? What an interesting race it would be to have a dozen, non party, ordinary, smart, Joe's running. People who don't realise their entire life has been leading to this momement until they're actually there and doing it. Right now I think America would be better off with a lottery. Just pick someone at random every 4 years. You couldn't do any worse than you are now. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001898.html No interest Sun, 07 Mar 2004 12:20:46 +0000 <blockquote><a href="http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2004/03/05/open_letter">President Bush: Don't use my husband as your mascot</a>. A 9/11 widow's open letter to Bush about his new ad campaign. [<a href="http://www.salon.com">Salon.com</a>]</blockquote> I'm trying not to post about US politics these days. It's not my country and I'm afraid I come across as whiny, preachy, and repetitive. Nevertheless what I've seen about the recent Bush 9/11 based campaigning is pretty gross and utterly contemptible. I'm not sure if he's actually wrapped himself in the flag yet but it can only be a matter ot time. I find it depressing to consider that a large chunk of America is probably going to willingly swallow this horse pill, that they seem to think it's in their best interest to have Bush in charge. The same argument could be applied here, there, and everywhere. I certainly don't think Blair == Bush, but I can't, in conscience, vote for Blairs Labour party. I'll have to come up with another option. I'm looking for a movement that asks people to consider what is in their own long term best interests. I feel sure that if more people were to consider this we could begin to make some progress. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001970.html Worlds greatest democracy Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:32:26 +0100 <blockquote>The text of the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/military_0604.pdf">White House legal finding</a> (PDF -- WSJ) that agreements against torture don't apply to the US. [<a href="http://jrobb.mindplex.org/">John Robb's Weblog</a>] </blockquote> That's the worlds greatest democracy for you folks! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002310.html Two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch Mon, 14 Jun 2004 07:11:54 +0100 <blockquote>And is voting something to be desired, when the choice is between Tweedledum and Tweedledee? I am an old man, yet I cannot recall an election when anything of importance hinged on the election of candidate A over candidate B. The trend toward ever larger, more tyrannical government proceeds smoothly, regardless of elections. And why should that be surprising? Government is a big business, probably the biggest. Is it going to throw up for grabs its important executive positions every few years? Does any business operate that way? The drug store on the corner does not allow strangers to pick its top management positions bi-annually. If it were forced to do so, it would obviously offer, as candidates, good "company men" who could be trusted to continue running things in the old familiar way. Anything else would be madness. Recall the elections in the Soviet Union, when 90% of the people voted. A triumph of democracy! [<a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/hein/hein65.html">Dr. Paul Hein</a>] </blockquote> http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002312.html "I'm a tenth level vice president!" Sat, 26 Jun 2004 15:01:33 +0100 Al Gore, the president who never was, appeared twice in my favourite TV show Futurama so I have a soft spot for him.  Apparently he's also talking a lot of sense.  I'm quoting from an article by Thomas J.DiLorenzo about a recent Gore speech at the Georgetown University Law Center ("<a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0624-15.htm">Democracy Itself is in Grave Danger</a>," June 24, 2004): <blockquote>For example, he posed the rhetorical question of what George Washington would think of the fact that "our current president claims the unilateral right to arrest and imprison American citizens indefinitely without giving them the right to see a lawyer or inform their families of their whereabouts, and without the necessity of even charging them with any crime"? What would Washington think, asked Gore, of our presidents contention that he can "label any citizen an unlawful enemy combatant and that will be sufficient to justify taking away that citizens liberty even for the rest of his life, if the president chooses. And there is no appeal"? "What would Thomas Jefferson think," said Gore, "of the curious and discredited argument from our Justice Department that the president may authorize what plainly amounts to the torture of prisoners. . .?" What would Benjamin Franklin think, Vice President Gore rhetorically asked, "of President Bushs assertion that he has the inherent power even without a declaration of war by the Congress to launch an invasion of any nation on Earth, at any time he chooses, for any reason he wishes . . ."? "How long would it take James Madison to dispose of our current presidents recent claim, in Department of Justice legal opinions, that he is no longer subject to the rule of law so long as he is acting in his role as Commander in Chief?" asked Gore. As Vice President Gore explained, "President Bush has been attempting to conflate his commander-in-chief role and his head of government role to maximize . . . power . . ." President Bush has "declared that our nation is now in a permanent state of war," Gore pointed out, "which he says justifies his reinterpretation of the Constitution in ways that increase his personal power at the expense of Congress, the courts, and every individual citizen." The presidents lawyers, Gore further noted, have "concluded that the president, whenever he is acting in his role as commander in chief, is above and immune from the rule of law." </blockquote> When I think of all the American's I have known the actions of President Bush & his administration do seem "bizarre and un-American."  My American friends, you can do better.  I hope you agree in November. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002362.html