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A DISTURBING PARALLEL
(MAY, 2006) A Washington Post editorial last Thursday, apparently without regard to the irony, noted that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent President Bush a letter suggesting "that the West give up on liberal democracy and join those who 'are turning to the teachings of religion.'"
Post Associate Editor David Ignatius, a metaphorical talisman for our times, recently wrote about Iran, "For a theocratic regime that enjoys a mandate from God," also apparently oblivious to the Irony.
With respect to the teachings of religion, on April 13, 2004, and earlier, our current President told the world that he believes that freedom is God's gift to the world:
"Freedom is the Almighty's
gift to every man and woman in this world. [Just not freedom from
unchecked, warrantless, clandestinely authorized NSA wiretapping --
or our executive branch deciding, rather than the people through our
duly elected Congress as the Constitution expressly dicates, what to
do to combat international terrorism, and even if it involves violating
citizens' rights and liberties. And even if granted and carried out
secretly, at that. ]
And as the greatest power on the face of the Earth, we have an
obligation to help the spread of freedom."
Whether liberty is an inherent right, as part of life, and life is
God's gift -- or however one wants to phrase it -- is not really the
critical issue that was raised.
With respect to the idea of Western
liberal democracy (meaning freedom, not "liberal" politics), I have
argued with Ignatius, mainly one sided of course, that even if
Congress had originally approved the clandestine program, it is
cowardly to want to grant our government the unchecked power
to spy on us in order to "protect us." But, more importantly, since
Congress expressly forbid it, it was also a
flagrant violation of the separation of powers clauses of the
Constitution. Ignatius,
curiously, though Harvard educated and a democrat,
did not agree. This is why
-- given that the issue,
as noted in this link above,
is clear cut and unambiguous -- I suggested that Ignatius is a metaphorical
talisman for our times. That is, when the seemingly intelligent, and
educated, among us start drinking the lame; "we need to
ignore the most fundamental provisions of our Constitution and their
check upon government power, and undermine our free and openl democracy
therein, to
protect ourselves" Kool-Aid.
A rather candid draft letter to Ignatius:
"Dear Mr. Ignatius:
Does this also makes you feel secure?:
'A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources.
"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.
ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.
Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation'
Isn't this awful close to spying on reporters? ...Never considered reporters al Qaeda members, did you?
Let's see, the last leak disclosed a government program that was unconstitutional, and in flagrant violation of federal law.
Maybe you have grown on the issue? Or do you still believe that under the separation of powers clauses the Executive Branch can pick and choose which laws in war time apply and which don't, even if the laws written were specifically applicable to war time (as is FISA both by its own provisions and as amended by the current war time statute, the Patriot Act) despite that fact that the very miniscule handful of constitutional scholars who do "agree" with you all happen to be far right wing?
That also does not address the potential 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendment issues, nor the issue of wholly unchecked government power over the same citizenry from which under our founding documents it derives its sole power. That was the kind of "leak" we are talking about, yet now the government, if the above report is correct, is semi spying on reporters to follow-up on this and related "leaks" of its potentially illegal and unconstitutional activities?
As you are probably aware, A recent Post editorial noted that the Iranian President sent President Bush a letter "suggesting that the West give up on liberal democracy and join those who 'are turning to the teachings of religion.'"
Aren't we, to some extent, already doing so under the current fundamentalist administration? The conservative Cato Institute certainly thinks so.
I imagine you wouldn't, because, as noted previously, you did not seem to note the irony when you yourself pejoratively wrote, on April 28 with respect to Iran, "For a theocratic regime that enjoys a mandate from God." And, as with most communications that challenge your "view" of the Constitution, as opposed to agree with you, you did not respond when this was pointed out.
Our current President has frequently told us, and thus the world, that he believes that freedom is God's gift to the world, and that as the world's greatest power we had an obligation to help spread it. As I wrote elsewhere, in an attempt to make a critical point through satire that I believe your newspaper has systematically overlooked:
"the rest of the world, you know, could have seen this as a sign that we were just like them, forcibly exporting our beliefs, if we had not made sure to clarify this for them. Good thing knowing that we are right makes all the difference in the world. Good thing that our enemies, and a good portion of the rest of the world that misperceives America and believes otherwise, understand this distinction."
You understand of course that the
point is that much of the rest of the world does not,
thereby rendering their perception of us, very much like our
perception of them.
......I don't know, it just seems, maybe more even than the sad and compelling disappearance, of, say, Natalee Holloway, that the above types of issues -- the Constitution, spying, reporters, media freedom, separation of powers, government secrecy, etc., -- these types of issues sort of matter to a democracy, and that the proper attention to them is how great and free nations stay great and free? I don't know, just a crazy hunch......."
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