thenatureofmind

The Shredding of the Constitution: The 1st Ammendment

The Bush administration would like to prosecute reporters who report any classified information leaked by government officials. Could we make this retroactive and prosecute Bush for ordering the leak of Valerie Plame's name to the press? I know he claims that he can declassify documents but it turns out that he did not declassify that information until after the leak so he is guilty of treason under the espionage laws. This group running our country are the "whitened sepulchres" of our times. They preach National Security and destroyed Valerie Plame's group which was actually doing something positive to fight terrorism. They did it to justify invading Iraq, a war which has not only not advanced US interests in the world but has made us more vulnerable. They preach moral superiority while inside they are dead and decaying. When are the American people going to wake up and repudiate these destructive people?

In Leak Cases, New Pressure on Journalists

Our President is a winner: And this years Jefferson Muzzle awards go to...

• Our esteemed President
• Our Justice (?) Dept.
• The Dept of Homeland Security (?)

The President: for authorizing the illegal wiretapping of international phone calls made by US citizens.

The Justice Dept: for demanding that Google turn over thousands of Internet records, prompting concerns that more invasive requests could follow if the government prevails.

The Dept of Homeland Security: for taking air marshal Frank Terreri off flight duty after he e-mailed colleagues expressing concerns about air-security risks.

The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, based in Charlottesville, Va., awards the Muzzles each year to mark the April 13 birthday of Thomas Jefferson, the third president and a First Amendment advocate.

Bush, Justice Dept. Among Muzzle Winners

To Light One Corner

Now and then Suzuki Roshi would make this point: "In the Lotus Sutra, Buddha says to light up one corner—not the whole world. Just make it clear where you are"

—Suzuki Roshi from "To shine One Corner of the World"

The Imperial Presidency: Bush's misuse of Presidential Powers

"And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of." - G.W. Bush

The Associated Press reports that the picture painted by the court papers is of a hesitant Mr. Libby, who had "qualms about leaking classified information to the press, but was quickly persuaded to drop them" after coming under pressure from Mr. Cheney, "who advised him that the president had authorized Libby to do so."

Did Bush misuse presidential powers?

United States sponsored Terrorism: Extraordinary Rendition

Amnesty International has published a report detailing the use of CIA planes for the purpose of kidnapping persons and transferring them to locations in the world where they can be held indefinitely and tortured or killed without the rule of International or local law. This is a practice that is wholly funded by the tax dollars of US citizens.

"Renditions involve multiple human rights violations and thrive on secrecy. Most victims have been detained illegally in the first place -- some were abducted, others were refused access to any legal process to challenge, for example, their transfer to countries where torture is rife. Many of those illegally detained in one country and illegally transported to another have subsequently “disappeared”, including in US custody. Their whereabouts remain undisclosed. Every one of the victims of rendition interviewed by Amnesty International has said they were tortured or otherwise illtreated."

Under the Radar: Secret Flights to Torture and "Disappearance".