One Step Closer to Tyranny

[chequita guevara]

Interrogation and detention bill passes in House

The House voted today to pass President Bush's interrogation and detention bill. The roll-call vote is here. Democrats voted against the bill by a vote of 160-34. Republicans voted in favor of the bill by a vote of 219-7. Of the 34 Democrats voting in favor of the bill, two are currently in close races for the Senate: Reps. Harold Ford of Tennessee and Sherwood Brown of Ohio. House Democrats acquitted themselves reasonably well on this issue. Several House members gave very stirring and passionate speeches about defending core American values. It remains to been seen whether Democratic opposition to the bill in the Senate will be anywhere near as overwhelming.

[Nubclear]

Tyranny? What do you mean? The American democracy, perpetual unto eternity, is protected by God.
Hence, given this, anything the US does must be liberal and democratic.

[chequita guevara]

I've already e-mailed both Senators to vote against the bill, but one is Martinez, so I doubt he will listen to me, though I told him voting for it is what Castro would do. Bill Nelson is a bit of a conservative, so he may vote for it. Reid is saying the Democrats will vote for the Legal Torture and and Disappearing bill.

[GePap]

It would be nice for a couple of Senators to have the guts to filibuster the bill simply on the basic moral grounds of this idiocy.

[chequita guevara]

This bill doesn't distinguish between citizens and non-citizens. It gives the executive the power to decide what legally meets the definition of torture. It gives the executive broad authority to decide who is a terrorist or supporter of terrorist. It allows kangaroo trials, not that they're needed, since without habeus corpus, the disappeared have no legal recourse to their abduction. It is, simply, the most un-American bill ever put before Congress, and the chances are very good it will be law, since the Senate Democrats lack the balls to stand up to it fearing that they will be tarred as weak on terror. They're gonna be tarred that way anyway, so they might as well try and stand up for our rights.

[SlowwHand]

Guess it's a trade. They didn't pass the anti-flag burning bill.

[chequita guevara]

[Whoha]

why is it always just one step? the waiting is the worst part. well, slightly less worse then the mandatory torture.

[Jon Miller]

These things scare me. Many in the SDA church have said that the USA would end up taking the side of the Anti-Christ (whatever that is symbolic of) in the last days (which are coming Soon). I could never see it before, surely our media, rights, constitution, etc. would protect us against the government turning against us.

But now I see our rights erode. And people seem OK with this. So now I am seeing that the US is going to be capable of doing great evil against it's citizens (by labeling them enemies of the state). Which coincides with traditional Adventist thought about what will go on at the end of the world.

I haven't given this this much thought recently.. I do believe in the Soon return of Jesus Christ, but think that it is as (more?) likely 100 years from now as a couple years from now.

Basically, with America (and some other first world countries) being beacons of liberty and freedom, how could things go to hell so badly that it would require Jesus to step in? But with laws like this, we are heading towards the point where the lovers of freedom and liberty won't be able to do anything to stop it.

Jon Miller

[SlowwHand]

Noah and I used to talk about similar things while we were on the ark.

[Jon Miller]

BTW, for those not familiar with tradition Adventist thought. Adventism has as one of the basic ideas, that of the soon return of Jesus Christ and the last days of the world (that is where Advent comes from). (Make a guess why the rest of the name is Seventh-Day)

It is that governments of the world (with the US leading the way) will turn against their citizens, in particular against their citizens freedom of conscience. This will cause/be during a terrible period for people, and there will be a lot of suffering. Then Christ will have to step in, and end it, with the end of the world.

I haven't given this much thought in over a decade. So I might not be remembering right. It isn't a doctrine as such, as it isn't tied to hard things in the Bible (more interpreations of Revelations and Daniel).

Jon Miller

[Donegeal]

Re: One Step Closer to Tyranny

Careful Che, your getting closer to being another one-trick-pony in the OT...

[SlowwHand]

He thrives on it.

[Elok]

One small step for a tyrant...

One giant leap for tyranny!

Or something like that.

[Victor Galis]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Guess it's a trade. They didn't pass the anti-flag burning bill.

I suppose now I could burn a flag in protest of this bill then. Clearly this makes everything totally ok

Although, I suppose leaving the country is a better protest gesture.