This is a Moderated Forum for a small group of Democrats who have been unable to express political or economic opinion without harassment from bullies on open threads.
References: SHRUB by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, Random House, Copyright 2000
Back Ground: Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, The Press & Project Truth by Robert Parry, The Media Consortium, Arlington, Virginia, Copyright 1999 by Robert Perry.
PARRY ASKS:
>How did the vaunted Watergate press corps of the 70s become the Monica Lewinsky press corps of the 90s?
>What's real and what's not about cocaine trafficking by President Reagan's Nicaraguan contras?
( For opinion see Message 16706547 )
Taliban Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid, published in the United States by Yale University Press. Copyright 2000 by Ahmed Rashid. The author covered Afghanistan as a reporter for approximately 21 years.
ucomics.com
Political Commentary:
democrats.org
AND
democrats.com
democrats.com
us.net
October 1, 2001
Statement by Chairman Terry McAuliffe on the Importance of Democracy
"Through many tests the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, the Great Depression and Vietnam our country has endured crisis and emerged stronger. Each time, we were emboldened by our shared values and sought comfort in the rituals of American life.
Even as we continue to honor the victims, console their families, thank the relief crews and prosecute the perpetrators, the time is also right for the exercise of democracy and civic activism."
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Arctic Oil: A Distraction, Not a Solution
Oil companies are after Alaska's Arctic Refuge, but drilling would deeply scar this majestic wilderness without solving our country's energy problems.
Spread the word: Send (a) letter from Robert Redford to friends and family.
nrdc.org
For additional information:
Message 16662802
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President Bush's energy plan won't work, because it makes the wrong choices. The Bush Administration energy plan ignores high-tech, energy-efficient solutions in favor of increased oil, gas, coal, and nuclear production, while his budget proposal slashes funding for renewable energy and efficiency by a third.
The Sierra Club realizes that we can't drill, dig or destroy our way out of our energy problems. That's why we're pushing for a more honest, balanced policy that promotes energy efficiency, uses clean renewable energy like wind and solar power, and emphasizes responsible production. Americans need an energy policy that provides quicker, cleaner, cheaper, and safer solutions. See what America would look like under the Bush energy plan. Where does he plan to put those 1,300 new power plants?
sierraclub.org
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Justice Deformed: War and the Constitution
"Americans must speak up . We do not want history to record this as one of those mixed moments in which the behavior of our government failed to live up to the performance of our troops in the field. We do not want to remember this as a time when the nations of the world united in a campaign against terrorists, and then backed away when America attempted to prosecute foreign nationals in secret trials conducted according to unfair rules. "
New York Times Editorial, December 2, 2001
Message 16735016
USA: Presidential order on military tribunals threatens fundamental principles of justice
-- AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
November 15, 2001
Amnesty International is deeply troubled by the Military Order signed by President
George W. BUSH on 13 November allowing for the trial by special military
commissions of non-US citizens suspected of involvement in "international terrorism."
Since the attacks in the USA on 11 September, Amnesty International has been
calling for anyone suspected of involvement in these crimes to be brought to justice in
accordance with international standards for a fair trial. This sweeping presidential
order bypasses those fundamental principles, in contravention of US obligations under
international law, specifically the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
ratified by the USA in 1992. As such it is unacceptable and should be revoked.
Amnesty International is particularly concerned that the Military Order:
- is discriminatory by affording foreign nationals a lower standard of justice than US
nationals;
- gives unfettered and unchangeable discretionary power to the executive to decide
whom will be prosecuted and under what rules, as well as to review convictions and
sentences. This is inconsistent with the principle of the separation of the executive
and the judiciary;
- expressly bypasses the normal principles of law and rules of evidence applied in the
trials of people charged with criminal offenses in the US courts;
- provides no right of appeal against conviction or sentence to a higher court, or
access to redress for any human rights violations that may occur during arrest,
detention or prosecution;
Amnesty International believes that the Military Order creates a parallel system which
violates fundamental principles of justice in any circumstances, including in times of
war. For example, the 1949 Geneva Conventions, ratified by the USA in 1955, require
that prisoners of war must be tried in courts which guarantee fundamental rights of
fairness, including the right of appeal.
Amnesty International is particularly alarmed that the death penalty may be imposed
by such a tribunal. International standards require that the legal process in any capital
proceedings provide "all possible safeguards" to ensure a fair trial, including the right
to appeal.
The Military Order creates the risk that people may be executed after a trial
conducted by a court whose decision cannot be appealed but only reviewed by the
executive who selected the individual for prosecution in the first place.
Amnesty International believes that the Military Order threatens to severely
undermine, rather than reinforce, confidence in the administration of justice and
maintenance of the rule of law. The organization considers that in proceedings
undertaken pursuant to this order, justice will neither be done, nor seen to be done.
Times of crisis pose particular challenges to governments. It is precisely in such
times that the principles of fair justice must be scrupulously upheld. The suffering of
the victims of the attacks of 11 September, their families, and the public at large,
deserves no less.
amnesty.org
Last updated : November 15
For opinion see:http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=16716460
Message 16705404
Message 16685494
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.......................................THE PATRIOT ACT ..........................
house.gov
Acrobat viewer needed.
eff.org HTML the Act
eff.org
EFF Analysis (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
EFF Analysis Of The Provisions Of The USA PATRIOT Act
That Relate To Online Activities (Oct 31, 2001)
Introduction
On October 26, 2001, President BUSH signed the USA Patriot Act (USAPA) into law. With this
law we have given sweeping new powers to both domestic law enforcement and international
intelligence agencies and have eliminated the checks and balances that previously gave courts the
opportunity to ensure that these powers were not abused. Most of these checks and balances
were put into place after previous misuse of surveillance powers by these agencies, including the
revelation in 1974 that the FBI and foreign intelligence agencies had spied on over 10,000 U.S.
citizens, including Martin Luther King.
A Rush Job
The bill is 342 pages long and makes changes, some large and some small, to over 15 different
statutes. This document provides explanation and some analysis to the sections of the bill relating
to online activities and surveillance. Other sections, including those devoted to money laundering,
immigration and providing for the victims of terrorism, are not discussed here.
Yet even just considering the surveillance and online provisions of the USAPA, it is a large and
complex law that had over four different names and several versions in the five weeks between the
introduction of its first predecessor and its final passage into law. While containing some sections
that seem appropriate -- providing for victims of the September 11 attacks, increasing translation
facilities and increasing forensic cybercrime capabilities -- it seems clear that the vast majority of
the sections included have not been carefully studied by Congress, nor was sufficient time taken to
debate it or to hear testimony from experts outside of law enforcement in the fields where it makes
major changes. This concern is amplified because several of the key procedural processes
applicable to any other proposed laws, including inter-agency review, the normal committee and
hearing processes and thorough voting, were suspended for this bill.
Were our Freedoms the Problem?
The civil liberties of ordinary Americans have taken a tremendous blow with this law, especially
the right to privacy in our online communications and activities. Yet there is no evidence that our
previous civil liberties posed a barrier to the effective tracking or prosecution of terrorists. In fact,
in asking for these broad new powers, the government made no showing that the previous powers
of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to spy on US citizens were insufficient to allow them
to investigate and prosecute acts of terrorism. The process leading to the passage of the bill did
little to ease these concerns. To the contrary, they are amplified by the inclusion of so many
provisions that, instead of aimed at terrorism, are aimed at nonviolent, domestic computer crime.
In addition, although many of the provisions facially appear aimed at terrorism, the Government
made no showing that the reasons they failed to detect the planning of the recent attacks or any
other terrorist attacks were the civil liberties compromised with the passage of USAPA.
(See EFF SIite for a continuation of the analysis. You may be surprised to learn that the Bush Administration may spy on your Google or other internet searches) |
