Thursday, November 02, 2006

Bush: Soft on Democracy

In another bush league move, Der Decider has signed into law (PL 109-36, 2007 Defense Appropriations Act) a provision which makes it easier for him to invoke the Insurrection Act and federalize the National Guard. The change allows the President to put down public disturbances using the Guard without the consent of state governors. It is in effect, a de facto repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 which prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. He did this on the same day he signed the odious "Torture Bill", the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that did away with writs of habeas corpus for detainees and allows their torture.
This one, two punch to democracy is without precedent in this country and extremely dangerous. Even the normally reserved Senator Leahy (D-VT) expressed his reservations on the record. It is clear Der Decider must be stopped before we are all required to shout, "SIEG HIEL". The parallels to the German Enabling Act of 1933 and the Reichstag Fire Decree are positively eerie.

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