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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (177681)	12/10/2005 9:07:12 AM
From: Richnorth	Respond to of 281500

Perhaps you might find the following article interesting and stimulating. Bush - Constitution 'Just A Goddamned Piece Of Paper' By Doug Thompson Capitol Hill Blue 12-9-5 rense.com Last month, Republican Congressional leaders filed into the Oval Office to meet with President George W. Bush and talk about renewing the controversial USA Patriot Act. Several provisions of the act, passed in the shell shocked period immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, caused enough anger that liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union had joined forces with prominent conservatives like Phyllis Schlafly and Bob Barr to oppose renewal. GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. "I don't give a goddamn," Bush retorted. "I'm the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way." "Mr. President," one aide in the meeting said. "There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution." "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face," Bush screamed back. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!" I've talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution "a goddamned piece of paper." And, to the Bush Administration, the Constitution of the United States is little more than toilet paper stained from all the shit that this group of power-mad despots have dumped on the freedoms that "goddamned piece of paper" used to guarantee. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, while still White House counsel, wrote that the "Constitution is an outdated document." Put aside, for a moment, political affiliation or personal beliefs. It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent. It doesn't matter if you support the invasion or Iraq or not. Despite our differences, the Constitution has stood for two centuries as the defining document of our government, the final source to determine in the end if something is legal or right. Every federal official including the President who takes an oath of office swears to "uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States." Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says he cringes when someone calls the Constitution a "living document." ""Oh, how I hate the phrase we have-a 'living document,'" Scalia says. "We now have a Constitution that means whatever we want it to mean. The Constitution is not a living organism, for Pete's sake." As a judge, Scalia says, "I don't have to prove that the Constitution is perfect; I just have to prove that it's better than anything else." President Bush has proposed seven amendments to the Constitution over the last five years, including a controversial amendment to define marriage as a "union between a man and woman." Members of Congress have proposed some 11,000 amendments over the last decade, ranging from repeal of the right to bear arms to a Constitutional ban on abortion. Scalia says the danger of tinkering with the Constitution comes from a loss of rights. "We can take away rights just as we can grant new ones," Scalia warns. "Don't think that it's a one-way street." And don't buy the White House hype that the USA Patriot Act is a necessary tool to fight terrorism. It is a dangerous law that infringes on the rights of every American citizen and, as one brave aide told President Bush, something that undermines the Constitution of the United States. But why should Bush care? After all, the Constitution is just "a goddamned piece of paper." capitolhillblue.com

To: greenspirit who wrote (177681)	12/10/2005 2:16:50 PM
From: paret	Respond to of 281500

Gay cowboys hit U.S. screen, but no rings just yet Reuters ^ \| 12-9-05 \| Claudia Parsons NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gay cowboy movie won rave reviews on Friday as mainstream Hollywood embraced the tale of Marlboro men in love, but for most gay Americans the acceptance symbolized by marriage remains a distant dream. Based on an Annie Proulx's short story, "Brokeback Mountain" is about two cowboys who meet and fall in love while wrangling sheep in Wyoming in 1963. Their love lasts through two decades as they each get married to women and live "normal" lives. "Moving and majestic," said The New York Times; "An American masterpiece" said the New York Observer; "Unmissable and unforgettable" said Rolling Stone. But The Wall Street Journal asked, "Is America ready for Marlboro men who love men?" One answer delivered by a New York state court this week was "No" -- at least when it comes to marriage. A lower New York court had ruled in February the rights of five same-sex couples were violated when they were denied marriage licenses. But in a 4-1 ruling on Thursday, the state appellate court said it was not for judges to redefine the terms "husband" and "wife," which the lower court judge had said should be construed to apply equally between men and women. Janice Crouse, senior fellow of Concerned Women for America, said the latest court ruling was a victory for common sense despite a powerful and orchestrated campaign to "normalize homosexual behavior," in which entertainment was a powerful weapon. FROM MASSACHUSETTS TO NEBRASKA Gay marriage was a big issue in 2004 elections when voters in 11 states overwhelmingly backed state constitutional amendments to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. David Buckel, senior counsel for gay rights group Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund that is fighting gay marriage cases in at least six states, describes that campaign as a complicated patchwork from state to state. Legal status for gay couples varies widely -- Massachusetts is the only state to allow gay marriages, while Nebraska passed a constitutional amendment in 2000 blocking any same-sex civil union, domestic partnership or marriage from being recognized. "As with all civil rights movements there's an enormous amount of flux. ... It's familiar, it's dispiriting at times, it's very encouraging at times," Buckel said. The makers of "Brokeback Mountain" will be hoping the political backlash in some states won't scuttle the $12.5 million movie, which is being rolled out gradually, starting in the liberal cities of New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. A recent Pew Research Center poll showed 53 percent of Americans supported gay civil unions, up from 48 percent one year earlier. But "Brokeback Mountain" still faces a struggle. Rolling Stone reviewer Peter Travers called it a "a landmark film" but said "with the rise of homophobia as church and state shout down gay marriage, the film is up against it." Although "Brokeback Mountain" is restricted to audiences 17 or older, Crouse said it was part of a broad campaign to use entertainment to promote a homosexual lifestyle to children. "Their major agenda is to make this normal," she said. "They know cowboys have this macho image, cowboys are particularly admired by children, cowboys are heroes." But she said the film would not have broad appeal. "Most parents don't want their children indoctrinated," she said. Damon Romine, a spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation, compared the film to "Philadelphia," the 1993 film about a gay AIDS sufferer played by Tom Hanks. "In today's climate, a sweeping romantic epic about two men in love is historic, but when we look back in 20 or 30 years 'Brokeback Mountain' will simply be considered a classic, timeless love story," he said