Feingold – “…stain on our nation’s history” Do we care?

Here is Feingold’s statement:

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
On the President Signing the Military Commissions Act

October 17, 2006

“The legislation signed by the President today violates basic principles and values of our constitutional system of government. It allows the government to seize individuals on American soil and detain them indefinitely with no opportunity to challenge their detention in court. And the new law would permit an individual to be convicted on the basis of coerced testimony and even allow someone convicted under these rules to be put to death.

The checks and balances of our system of government and the fundamental fairness of the American people and legal system are among our greatest strengths in the fight against terrorism. I am deeply disappointed that Congress enacted this law. We will look back on this day as a stain on our nation’s history.”

As the following points out in a recent Columbian letter to the editor, I guess we are supposed to wait until we are wiretapped, tortured, lose our job and/or our home before we point out that “we no longer have a democracy”. As long as we can pay our bills and the government hasn’t decided to take us away yet, we should be HAPPY! Life is good in the US of A! After all, we are doing better than the people around us (other countries).

Battle Ground

Consider other countries

Almost on a daily basis I read letters to the editor railing about all the freedoms we are losing and we no longer have a democracy. Do these people live in the same state and country that I do?

I wish just once they would give an example of the ways in which their lives have been changed by the horrible conditions we now live under. How many of these folks have been wiretapped and are under suspicion by the government. Have they lost their jobs? Their homes? Been tortured?

What has happened to make them think we have lost our freedoms?

I read the same old talking points over and over.

I am not a huge fan of George Bush, but I just don’t think that things are that bad. For me, things have gotten better these last few years, maybe because I work hard and do not listen to the doomsday talking points of the Democrats.

We live in the richest country in the world. Even our poor are richer than in most countries. If these people think things are bad here maybe they should go see how other countries are doing.

Great post by Cenk Uygur on this disgrace.