Let's IMPEACH The President

I have to share this article from the Nation. The president is now openly breaking the law and daring us to do anything about it. THIS is something I can do. What he is doing with his cohorts is called RULING BY FIAT. . . and a danger to our representative lawful constitutional government. Read and get mad. . ..do something!. This is the e-mail address of the person at the NATION who gives permission to reprint this article. habiba@thenation.com

"LETTER FROM GROUND ZERO | posted December 20, 2005 (January 9, 2006 issue)
The Hidden State Steps Forward
JONATHAN SCHELL


PRINT THIS ARTICLE
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE
WRITE TO THE EDITORS
TAKE ACTION NOW
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NATION
When the New York Times revealed that George W. Bush had ordered the National Security Agency to wiretap the foreign calls of American citizens without seeking court permission, as is indisputably required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), passed by Congress in 1978, he faced a decision. Would he deny the practice, or would he admit it? He admitted it. But instead of expressing regret, he took full ownership of the deed, stating that his order had been entirely justified, that he had in fact renewed it thirty times, that he would continue to renew it and--going even more boldly on the offensive--that those who had made his law-breaking known had committed a "shameful act." As justification, he offered two arguments, one derisory, the other deeply alarming. The derisory one was that Congress, by authorizing him to use force after September 11, had authorized him to suspend FISA, although that law is unmentioned in the resolution. Thus has Bush informed the members of a supposedly co-equal branch of government of what, unbeknownst to themselves, they were thinking when they cast their vote. The alarming argument is that as Commander in Chief he possesses "inherent" authority to suspend laws in wartime. But if he can suspend FISA at his whim and in secret, then what law can he not suspend? What need is there, for example, to pass or not pass the Patriot Act if any or all of its provisions can be secretly exceeded by the President?
Bush's choice marks a watershed in the evolution of his Administration. Previously when it was caught engaging in disgraceful, illegal or merely mistaken or incompetent behavior, he would simply deny it. "We have found the weapons of mass destruction!" "We do not torture!" However, further developments in the torture matter revealed a shift. Even as he denied the existence of torture, he and his officials began to defend his right to order it. His Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, refused at his confirmation hearings to state that the torture called waterboarding, in which someone is brought to the edge of drowning, was prohibited. Then when Senator John McCain sponsored a bill prohibiting cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners, Bush threatened to veto the legislation to which it was attached. It was only in the face of majority votes in both houses against such treatment that he retreated from his claim.
But in the wiretapping matter, he has so far exhibited no such vacillation. Secret law-breaking has been supplanted by brazen law-breaking. The difference is critical. If abuses of power are kept secret, there is still the possibility that, when exposed, they will be stopped. But if they are exposed and still permitted to continue, then every remedy has failed, and the abuse is permanently ratified. In this case, what will be ratified is a presidency that has risen above the law."

THE IRAQ ELECTIONS . . . they've done it in SPADES.

A writer at Seniornet Round Table Discussions writes . . .

"Jerry Jennings - 07:01am Dec 16, 2005 PT (#975 of 993)
The Fallacy of Low Turnout
In the United States we calculate the voting percent using as the denominator the total age-eligible population, persons 18 and over, without regard to whether they are registered or not or whether they are citizens. Although this is the most efficient way of determining what proportion of the population participates in this important activity, it has the negative effect of making our voting rates look bad. 

In a Presidential election, turnout in recent decades has been in the 50-60 percent range using as the denominator the total age-eligible population. Were we to recalculate those percentages using the registered population as the denominator, our voting percentaqes would rise to the 80-85 percent range. This is to say that 80-85 percent of registered persons in the United States vote. 

Comparing our voting rates based on the total age-eligible population with the rates of European and other nations who use as denominator a figure more nearly comparable to our registered population, is what makes us look so bad. But this appearance is very misleading, because, as I've tried to explain, our voter turnout rates are not nearly so different from those of other democracies once we use equivalent denominators. In off-year elections, all percentages drop 30-40 points, probably we can be faulted there. Primary elections produce very low turnout rates, in the 10-20 percent range in most cases (using age-eligible population as the denominator). 

I don't how voting rates are calculated in Iraq. Before we can make a judgment as to whether turnout was good or bad, we need to know the denominator for the percentage, whether it is total age-eligible persons or registered persons (if they have a registration process--and I think they do). "

Cyber communication

What did you say??? What do you mean??? Do you know what you mean??? sometimes we don't know, but others can tell . . . ..
_______________________________________________________________________________
I've just watched Sarah Jessica Parker, our beloved Carey Bradshaw of Sex and the City do a line from her new movie, out today. . THE FAMILY STORE. She plays an uptight, defensive unlikable character, the absolute opposite of Carey Bradshaw. Her line is this.

"What did I do to you" and the emphasis she gives it is on the word do. as in
:what did I DO to you. . .saying it out loud I find that it's a sincere request for information from a personally vulnerable position. She cares and she wants to know.

All the others are different.
What did I do to YOU. sounds like an accusation.
What DID I do to you sounds like she doesn't think it's worth worrying about
WHAT did I do to you. . .could be made clearer with the addition of the word NOW and suggests impatience with a difficult person.
What did I do to you. . . the I is a bit of a whine not accepting responsibility for whatever it was
the only word that doesn't seem to carry a message, at least for me is the word TO. . .uncomfortable within the context of the others.

So, this is why I find cyber relationships so inadequate and need the use of the telephone to really begin to understand the person on the other end. This in addition to body language and appearance makes this cyber-land into a kind of fairyland, but it's still amazing. I get to talk to and with people from everywhere including YOU.

POLITE CONVERSATION

POLITE CONVERSATION: Usually starts with the weather. Here in southern California we are said not to have any. For example it's 50F here today , during the day. Now that is news to us long time residents but to the rest of the world?. I took a look here . . . .http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather. There is a nice picture of a rabbit and all sorts of things happening everywhere, even a selection of blogs about the weather.

The global warming issue makes the weather important, but that is't apt to come into polite conversation because it involves politics. Politics and religion are no no's in casual discourse. so perhaps I should discuss them later when we know each other better.

I plan to feature some writing by my friends here and THAT will be more interesting than either and still POLITE.

Another one . . .another thought or two

This one is a monday and because of the rainy season the Wild Cam at Pete's Pond in Botswanna is going to be shut down the 14th which is tomorrow? I'll miss it. I even spent an hour today watching the wind and rain play with the water there.
No one was minding the store, and the camera, on automatic was wending it's way back and forth across dirty green water which now and then added another leaf or twig to its surface. The riples reflected light. The rain splashes showed as crystals which came and went too suddenly for me to capture.
The simplicity of the scene and the mechanical bopping sound which was probibly the camera motor was hypnotic for me. I snapped captures whenever something disturbed the wateer in an interesting way. It was simple but as I looked I began to see the detail and the variations. Some were quite striking.

If I know a person long enough and let myself pay attention I begin to see the details and variations there, as well as the themes which make up a given personality. I find this fascinating. . . It's not an intellectual thing with me, I can relate this way more on an emotional level, with empathy enjoying their joys as well as comforting them with their sorrows. Intimacy is the reward. I'm an INTIMACY JUNKY. . .

The war is always on my mind

and us, you and me and all the other homo sapiens, the ""wise men" who make it happen.

It's clear that we aren't wise enough to live peacefully all the time. Some of us need excitement. Some of us are paranoid and don't feel safe with simple ordinary lives. some of us go to jail and others go into the military or law enforcement.

If you build it they will come . . . and they do.

today like another except . . .

I'm at Claissical Archives playing preludes by Procofioff if I spelled it right. It doesn't matter the one I'm playing number five and it's familiar and smoother than most of his compositions. I wish I had better speakers though. These little Yamahas were adequate for midis, but now that I have mac OSX I expect better sound.

I checked out the story in the Wash. Post on Lieberman and his Republican friends. It concerns his take on the war and I can see why they like him and I have to give up on him. He is a hawk. . ,seems to like to go to war. too bad.

How do I get comments on these posts of mine or yours. This is my second attempt at writing one so there is much t learn. enjoying the music for now.
later,

getting started

this is just like the upgrade probs I'm having after getting a new computer a mac-mini which is six inches square and two inches deep and POWERFUL. a new operating system OSX or TIGER, and it is one, and new ISP and finding my way around the new NETSCAPE which isn't as good for me as the old one so back to the ISP.

I'm asked to make a post in order to continue setting up this thing, so it has to be mine. Puulllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeze bear with me. . . .because