Voter Fraud Hypocrisy

The following is taken from the January 9, 2008, Supreme Court Hearing on voter fraud.

There is no requirement that the State show evidence of past in-person voter impersonation for the State’s interest in preventing such fraud to qualify as important. A State need not wait to suffer a harm; it can adopt prophylactic measures to prevent it from occurring in the first place. That is particularly true in a situation, like voter fraud, where the temptation is obvious and the consequences of undeterred and undetected violations are enormous.

Brief for the United States as amicus curiae, Paul D. Clement, Solicitor General

I suppose. I don't know if I can say significant. The situation has existed for now a number of years, and the salient fact here is that there's not a single recorded example of voter impersonation fraud.

Paul M. Smith, Esq.; on behalf of the Petitioners

... if there were that kind of as-applied challenge, one of the virtues of it would be that the remedy at the end of the day would not be to strike the statute down on its face, ...

Paul D. Clement, Esq., Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.; on behalf of the United States, as amicus curiae, supporting the Respondents

Note: An as-applied challenge means you can't go to court until after after you have been affected. A facial challenge means you can go to court because you expect to be affected.

Mr. Clement is arguing that the state has the right to be pre-emptive by passing a law to prevent people from committing a crime, even though there are no cases where the crime has been committed. However, citizens do not have the right to be pre-emptive by questioning a law, even though it is obvious that they will be affected if the law stands.

In other words, it is better to prevent a few people from voting because they might vote fraudulently, than to stop a law that will definitely prevent citizens from legally voting. This whole problem could be solved by putting a little purple stamp on voter's hands. Then everyone would have one, and only one, vote.

http://www.brennancenter.org/dynamic/subpages/download_file_51017.pdf
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/07-21.pdf

First they came for

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Martin Niemoeller

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
-Bishop Desmond Tutu

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
-Dr. Samuel Johnson

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-Martin Luther King

---

If anyone is subject to being unjustly arrested or imprisoned, we are all in danger.

If anyone is denied access to health care due to poverty or class, we are all in danger.

If anyone is poisoned with unsafe food, polluted water, or toxic waste, we are all in danger.

If anyone can lose their job to an underpaid replacement, just so that the ultra rich can get richer, we are all in danger.

We all need to be reminded from time to time that none of us is so rich, powerful, gifted, experienced, educated, connected, privileged, or healthy, that we are immune to injustice.

Jo Bonner: One week in votes

April 25, 2007
H.R.1591 – Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007
Bonner – no
Final vote - 218 – 208, 2 Present (Roll no.265)
This was the emergency supplemental for Iraq war bill that Bush vetoed. Either Jo didn't want to fund the troops or he believes that accountability is only for school teachers.

H.R.1332 - To improve the access to capital programs of the Small Business Administration
Bonner – yes
Final vote - 380 – 45 (Roll no.263)
Jo supports the Small Business Administration.

H.R. 493 – Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
Bonner – yes
Final vote - 420 - 3 (Roll no. 261)
It's about time this bill got passed.

H.R.1678 – Reauthorize the Torture Victims Relief Act of 2007
Bonner - yes
Final vote - 418 - 7 (Roll no. 260)
Note that this bill is intended for people tortured by OTHER governments.

H.Con.Res.7 - Calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur
Bonner – yes
Final vote - 425 – 1 (Roll no. 259)
Always easy to tell someone else to do the right thing. The nay was Rep. Ronald Paul [R, TX-14] (a libertarian)

Apr 26, 2007

H.Res.320 - Congratulating the University of Tennessee women's basketball team for winning the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.
Bonner - yes
Final vote - 415 - 0 (Roll no. 266)
Who wouldn't congratulate winners?

Apr 27, 2007

H.R.249 – To restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros
Bonner – no
Final vote - 277 - 137 (Roll no. 269)
Why does Jo hate wild horses?

May 01, 2007

H.Res.298: To commend the University of Florida Gators for their historic win in the 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
Bonner - yes
Final vote – 415 - 0, 4 Present (Roll no. 272)
John Barrow [D, GA-12], Jack Kingston [R, GA-1], John Linder [R, GA-7], and Zachary T. Space [D, OH-18] are sore losers.

H.Con.Res.112: Supporting the goals and ideas of a National Child Care Worthy Wage Day.
Bonner – no
Final vote - 345 - 73, 1 Present (Roll no. 271)
What is so hard about saying that child care workers OUGHT to have a decent wage?

H.Res.334 – Supporting the goals and ideals of National Community College Month
Bonner - yes
Final vote - 420 - 0 (Roll no. 270)
Jo supports education.

To sum it up; Jo likes to tell other people to behave. He supports small business, winning sports teams and community colleges. He doesn't support wild horses or child care workers. He would rather not fund the troops than set goals. Or maybe not funding the troops is his way of bringing them home now.

Dictators, Security, and Hypocrisy

The Iraqis should be grateful to us for getting rid of Sadam. They are free now. Why are they so upset about the lack of security and electricity?

I’m willing to give up a few of my civil liberties if it will keep me safer.

The Iraq War is the most important front in the War on Terror.

I have more important things to do than volunteer to fight, or pay, for the Iraq War.

How can anyone agree with all of the statements above? Yet I keep hearing these same statements from the same people.

We expect the Iraqis to live with daily bombings, kidnappings, and murder because that is the cost of freedom. But, we can’t let people board an airplane with a bottle of water because maybe, it might be dangerous. We praise the Iraqis who voted despite death threats. But, we question the patriotism of anyone who asks a question of our leaders .

The only conclusion I can make from this, is that the Iraqis are a courageous, intelligent people, while America is the land of the cowed, and the home of the timid. Does this mean that a true American patriot is an admirer of the Iraqi people?

Shelby, Sessions, and Bonner are in favor of torture

Actually only Senator Shelby is willing to admit to it. Senator Sessions and Representative Bonner can’t even trouble themselves to respond to my letters. It seems like a pretty safe assumption though.

It’s frustrating when all of your reps are hard-core Bush puppets, but I thought I found something that might get through to them about why torture is such a bad idea. I sent a copy of an article written by a reserve soldier who fought in the first Iraq War, entitled What We’ve Lost. He writes about all the American soldiers that didn’t die because we had a reputation for treating prisoners fairly.

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/09/what_weve_lost.html

This is Senator Shelby’s response.

Thank you for contacting me about methods for interrogating and trying enemy combatants. I appreciate you views on this matter.

I do not support the use of cruel, inhumane or degrading punishment against those in United States custody. However, these are not ordinary times. It is important to keep in mind that we must be able to obtain critical information from terrorists. Such information is vital to the security of our nation. Tough interrogation of ruthless terrorists is a necessity. We must never forget that terrorists do not follow the rules of engagement or the rules of the Geneva Convention.

On June 29, 2006, the Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that President Bush had overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. As a result, Congress has moved forward on legislation to define the treatment of detainees during interrogations and create military commissions to prosecute terrorist suspects.

In September 2006, Congress passed S. 3930, the “Military Commissions Act,” which authorizes trial by military commission for violations of the law of war. Pursuant to S. 3930, the War Crimes Act of 1996 criminalizes only those Common Article 3 violations labeled as “grave breaches.” Previously, any violation of Common Article 3 constituted a criminal offense under the War Crimes Act.

This agreement is an important step forward. It maintains our ability to obtain important intelligence from captured terrorists while being mindful that we are not engaged in a conventional war.

Thank you again for sharing your views. If I may be of future assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I especially noticed the paragraph that starts with him not supporting torture, and ends with him in favor of torture. The only way to fight the terrorists is to become them. How can anyone be so dense?

I’m a security mom too.

Much has been said about the security moms. They think that George W. Bush will keep them safe, and the Iraq war is a good thing. Well, I’m a mom, and I have a few opinions about keeping my children safe.

Civil Liberties
I want my children to live without fear of the government. They should be able to voice their opinions without looking over their shoulders. They should be able to read what they like without being put on a watch list.

Education
I want my children to have a solid education. I want them to think and ask questions. I don’t want religious zealots choosing their textbooks. School buildings should be clean and maintained. College should be accessible to everyone.

Health
I want my children to be healthy. I want them to have access to health care. They need immunizations and check ups.

Clean Air and Water
I want my children to breathe clean air, and drink clean water. I want them to have wilderness to hike in. I want their food to be safe to eat.

Jobs
I want my children to know that they can earn a living wage doing productive work. I want them to have a roof over their heads, and the time to enjoy friends, family, and hobbies.

War
I want my children to know that their lives won’t be thrown away for a lie. We need to defend ourselves, but war should be acknowledged for the horror it is. And it should be used as a last resort.

George W. Bush has done nothing to make any of our children safer. It’s time to kick the whole lot out.

and I did not speak out

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Martin Niemoeller wrote this warning about the consequences of not resisting tyranny after WWII. It is still an important warning in this age of Patriot Acts, warrantless wiretaps, and torture being declared legal. Here are some of the better-known examples of how our liberty is being protected by the US government.

Jose Padilla is an American citizen of Puerto Rican descent. He was accused of being a terrorist and arrested on May 8, 2002. On June 9, 2002, President Bush issued an order to Secretary Rumsfeld to detain him as an enemy combatant. Without bothering to notify his attorney or family, he was transferred to a military brig in South Carolina. He was there for three years before he was charged with a crime. He still hasn't had a trial.

Sibel Edmonds is a Turkish-American who was working for the FBI as a translator. In March 2002, she was fired after reporting security breaches and poorly translated documents related to the 9-11 attacks. Court action on her whistleblower claims have been blocked by the assertion of the State Secrets Privilege.

Maher Arar is a Canadian software engineer who was born in Syria. On September 26, 2002, while returning from Tunis with his wife and children, he was detained during a stopover in New York. The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service were acting on false and misleading information supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Despite being a Canadian citizen, he was deported to Syria under the extraordinary rendition policy. While in Syria, he was held in solitary confinement, tortured, and forced to sign a false confession. He was finally returned to Canada in October 2003. There was a public inquiry in Canada into the actions of Canadian officials.

In January 2004, Arar announced that he would be suing then Attorney-General John Ashcroft over his treatment. The US government used the State Secrets Privilege to dismiss the suit. The final report of the Canadian inquiry was released on September 18, 2006. It categorically states that there is no evidence linking Arar to any terrorist activity.

Perhaps this explains why the Hallibuton subsidiary, KBR, was awarded a contract to build detention centers for "an unexpected influx of immigrants or to house people after a natural disaster or for new programs that require additional detention space."

Read the January 24, 2006 press release at:
http://www.halliburton.com

Torture is legal now

In memoriam of the ideals that Congress has just discarded.

"No freeman shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, or exiled,... nor will we proceed against or prosecute him except by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land." ~ Magna Carta

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." ~ Declaration of Independence

"the land of the free and the home of the brave" ~ National Anthem

"with liberty and justice for all" ~ Pledge of Allegiance

"give me liberty or give me death!" ~ Patrick Henry

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~ Benjamin Franklin

"It is better to live on your feet, than to die on your knees" ~ Catch-22

"truth, justice, and the American way” ~ opener for the 1950s television show Superman

"There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand." ~ G’Kar, Babylon 5

And then, I found a number of quotes from a more recent speaker:

"our gains are not measured in the losses of others. They are counted in the conflicts we avert, the prosperity we share and the peace we extend."

"We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace."

"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."

"Free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction."

"This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we will build a more hopeful America. Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom. This is the everlasting dream of America.".

The last few quotes are from some guy named George W Bush.

Warrantless wiretaps

Warrantless wiretaps have been defended by citing wartime security measures used by previous presidents, such as Lincoln and Roosevelt. This argument is worthless.

The first problem with this argument is familiar to any child who has tried the “but everybody is doing it" ploy. If Lincoln and Roosevelt jumped off a bridge, would you jump too? During this country’s history we have gradually gotten closer to the ideal of our Founding Fathers. Should we quit improving?

The next problem is that we are not at war. Only Congress can declare war, and they haven’t done so.

Finally, if we are in some kind of undeclared war, when will it end? This War on Terrorism is also called The Long War. Estimates on its length range from years, to decades, to forever. For the duration is effectively forever.

Freedom

Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other. -- George W Bush, declaration of War on Terrorism

The US is the land of the free, home of the brave. Give me liberty or give me death. No one can take away our freedom.

To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty; my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists - for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. -- John Ashcroft, US Attorney General

I'm willing to give up a little liberty if it will stop another 9/11. If you have a problem with the government listening to your conversations, you must have something to hide.

In other words, the terrorists want to take away our freedoms, so we have to give up our freedoms in order to keep them.

Over there, Over here

We're fighting the terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them over here.

If the terrorists are all in Iraq, why do domestic calls in the US need to be monitored? Why does the government need to know what we check out of the library? Why are anti-war groups being watched?

Is the "Roach Motel" strategy working or not?