Round the Horn and Back Again

Hey. McIckleson is not available today, as he is on an ocean liner to europe - hopefully we can recalibrate the time communication device so as to have him next week.

This is kind of good though, because it gives me a chance to do something different. As many of you know, the military tribunals bill passed yesterday. This bill preserve the CIAs power to torture without fear of legal sanctions, and it enables the President or his administration to lock up anybody deeemed an enemy combatent and to try them without providing them wth the information that the prosocution and judge can see. But don't worry, I'm sure these special commissions will only be around as long as we are in this War on Terror. Once we defeat all the terrorists, we'll go back to being a constitutional Democracy.

As you can tell this has me a bit agitated - but lets see what other members of the Liberal Coalition think about it.

So Let's get started.

On Losing Habeas Corpus

The people who fail to preserve habeas corpus are not the ones you can count on to protect the nation and preserve liberties.

Collective Sigh, "What the Great Writ wrote"

I need something...stronger than you, my dear habeas. I need tribality and violence. Yes, that's the ticket. You see, we have this new enemy, and it is so barbarian! We can't beat it unless we show that we are barbarians, too. You are many things, my sweetheart, but you are not a barbarian. You would look weak and effeminate to the terrorists, and then they would crawl under my bed. And I can't bear that idea.

Echidne of the Snakes, A "Dear Habeas Corpus" Letter

ironically, insisting that they do something as constitutionally dubious as suspend habeas corpus virtually guarantees more federal court challenges. and i thought the whole idea was to avoid those so-called endless federal appeals.

Rubber Hose, "The Face of Moderation"

Habeas Corpus has been a legal cornerstone since the year 1305. Habeas Corpus "is a legal proceeding in which an individual held in custody can challenge the propriety of that custody under the law." This bill would give the President the right to take it away

Scrutiny Hooligans, "Charles Taylor Votes For Torture, Against Habeas Corpus"

On Continuing Torture

President Bush is trying to pardon himself. Here’s the deal: Under the War Crimes Act, violations of the Geneva Conventions are felonies, in some cases punishable by death. When the Supreme Court ruled that the Geneva Convention applied to al Qaeda and Taliban detainees, President Bush and his boys were suddenly in big trouble.

Sooner Thought (quoting Cafferty), "Cafferty: “What Are We Becoming?”

On Democrat "Opposition" to this Bill

Traitors. To you. To the Constitution. Democrats you must never grant that name nor trust not to sell you out for a handful of silver include , , ,

Chicago Dyke at Correntewire, "The List" (Lists those senators who voted for this bill)

Have we really come to this, where the opposition party will fight no more forever? Is America now the land of aggressive warfare, indefinite detention without charge, tortu...er, aggressive interrogation with alternative techniques?

Dohiyi Mir, "American Exceptionalism"

The Democrats' excuse for letting themselves get railroaded is that the law will never stand a court challenge. Sorry, but passing the buck to the Supreme Court is a rotten idea, . . .

Bark Bark Woof Woof, "A Bad Law"

Really, there's no other rational conclusion you can come to, other than that the Democrats are deliberately sabotaging their own opposition to the legislation; they want it to pass.

Liberty Street, "Detainee Legislation Likely To Be Approved by House Tomorrow"

. . . it's impossible without leverage. You can't get politicians to vote your way unless they fear you. Making threats you will not carry out makes you look weak and ineffective. And you will not carry them out because no matter how disgusted you, more is at stake. And everyone knows it.

THE NEWS BLOG, "Impotence vs. Power"

On America the Day After

As you know, today the United States of America just dropped down a huge moral ravine when our beloved government legalized torture and unconstitutional detention.

LEFT is RIGHT

September 28, 2006 is the day our country died.

Rook's Rant, "Remember"

If this bill passes, George W. Bush will have powers greater than the infamous George III against whom we rebelled over two centuries ago: Bush will effectively become a monarch, a despotic monarch, not a figurehead. If this bill passes, America will not be America any more.

Steve Bates, The Yellow Doggerel Democrat, "The Prez Can Do Anything"

On What's We Should Do

Take a moment, feel the weight of it. It's a terrible day. You should feel like hell. I feel like hell. I know, even if we repeal this thing in six months or two years, there's prisoners between now and then who we can't un-torture. There are "detainees" waiting for justice to whom one more day in America's secret prisons is a lifetime.

But this country, once upon a time, voted to deny women the right to vote. We approved of slavery, we declared segregation legal, we marched Native Americans hundreds of miles just because we wanted to and we could. This is not the first time we have made a tragic mistake.

It would be an even more tragic mistake to allow this to stand because of our own disgust and inaction.

Athenae at First Draft, "Take A Breath, Take A Drink, And Then Get Off Your Ass"

I've got a brand-new mantra:

If we have a spine, so will the Democratic Party.

It really is that simple. The biggest reason we've seen so many wishy-washy-wimpy Democrats these last few years? Because Democrats as a whole have been far too busy pursuing other agendas and being wishy-washy-wimpy themselves to force our representatives in Congress, in government, and in the Democratic Party itself, to stand up to their opponents (who are also our opponents).

Musing's musings, "Mehr Licht!"

Anyway, I don't know how to end this. I'll note I don't necessarily agree or disagree with all of these responses.

Have a nice day.