While we're occupied with another mindless distraction - Sarah Palin - the endless war machine cranks inexorably forward

as much as i'd LIKE to believe that the up-coming election matters and that, if barack obama is our presidential choice, things might REALLY change, i can't read news like this without being smacked in the head with the reality that all the levers of unfettered executive power will remain in place, the stage will continue to be solidly set for endless war, and our united states constitution will still lie in tatters on the floor of the oval office as the next president takes the oath of office on 20 january 2009...

As the nation focuses on Sen. John McCain's choice of running mate, President Bush has quietly moved to expand the reach of presidential power by ensuring that America remains in a state of permanent war.

Buried in a recent proposal by the Administration is a sentence that has received scant attention -- and was buried itself in the very newspaper that exposed it Saturday. It is an affirmation that the United States remains at war with al Qaeda, the Taliban and "associated organizations."

Part of a proposal for Guantanamo Bay legal detainees, the provision before Congress seeks to “acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us and who are dedicated to the slaughter of Americans.”

The New York Times page 8 placement of the article in its Saturday edition seems to downplay its importance. Such a re-affirmation of war carries broad legal implications that could imperil Americans' civil liberties and the rights of foreign nationals for decades to come.

It was under the guise of war that President Bush claimed a legal mandate for his warrantless wiretapping program, giving the National Security Agency power to intercept calls Americans made abroad. More of this program has emerged in recent years, and it includes the surveillance of Americans' information and exchanges online.

"War powers" have also given President Bush cover to hold Americans without habeas corpus -- detainment without explanation or charge. Jose Padilla, a Chicago resident arrested in 2002, was held without trial for five years before being convicted of conspiring to kill individuals abroad and provide support for terrorism.

funny just how little of this evolving horror story surfaces in our national discourse... by all rights, the deliberate, creeping destruction of everything the united states stands for should be the lead story in every news outlet in the country and the number one issue on the lips of every candidate for public office, national, state and local... our future as a nation hangs in the balance and what are we talking about...? why, hockey mom, sarah palin, of course... how pathetic is THAT...?

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