" Honor is like an island, rugged and without a beach; once we have left it, we can never return."
Samuel Adams :
" The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men."
Samuel Adams :
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
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Anyway here is another example of more Injustice In the Bush/Cheney/ Rove Regime-
- here's a quote from Paul Craig Roberts' article Going to Jail for Being a Democrat: How Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman Got Roved
" The Siegelman case makes it clear exactly what Bush, Rove, and the disgraced Bush flunky Alberto Gonzales intended by firing the eight Republican US Attorneys. These eight refused to politicize their office by falsely prosecuting Democrats in order to achieve a Rovian political agenda. Apparently, there were only eight honest persons among the 1,200 Republican US Attorneys. Bush, Rove, and Gonzales had no problem with the other 1,192. Professors Donald Shields and John Cragan report that the Bush Justice Department has investigated seven times more Democratic than Republican officials."
Besides the injustice done to Siegleman himself what is more troublesome is the damage done to the American system of justice. Bush and Co. are of course are mostly responsible for this state of affairs. But at the same time we should not let those 1,192 lawyers off the hook who did not stand up to defend the ideals of justice and fair trials They too bare a great responsibility for what has gone wrong under the Bush Tyranny. As I have mentioned before in other countries when such things have taken place the lawyers were willing to stand up against such tyranny, to speak out , to demonstrate, to march in the streets , to dare the government to arrest them and to continue to do so after hundreds were imprisoned or beaten and torture or killed or disappeared - such so called backward nations like Burma , Pakistan and others have witnessed such events where individuals showed their courage and defended their own integrity and human dignity rather than be bought of by a few pieces of silver.
The question Roberts asks at the end of the article is " Is a justice system that functions in this way worthy of respect? Can we believe any convictions obtained by federal prosecutors?"
(Note: see CBS 60 minutes video report on the case below)
All the usual tricks were used in the case of former Democratic Governor of Alabama Siegleman to have him charged and then convicted on various trumped up charges. Individuals were ordered to find some dirt that could be used against him. There were false accusations made and never retracted. The media was pressured or used by Bush and Karl Rove's people to spin their own propaganda. They pressured prosecutor's and judges and even witnesses and jurors to do their bidding. They also when other methods failed committed voter fraud to steal the election from Siegelman.After being sentenced to seven years in prison and then having the whole case against him overturned Siegleman still remains in prison.The American system of justice under Bush, Cheney and Karl Rove etc. has become a farce. But this is what the Neoconservatives and their toadies have worked for since day one.
It used to be said that it is better to allow a hundred guilty men to go free than to keep one innocent man in prison . The Neoconservative view is that it is better to lock up a hundred innocent man rather than allow one guilty man go free. This is all part of the New Society in the New American Century - Heaven help us all !!!
In order to understand the beliefs , policies and actions of those in the Bush Regime it is helpful, if not essential, to understand how as Neoconsrvatives they are influenced by the political philosophy of Leo Strauss. Though the Neoconservatives publicly claim to believe in democracy and equality and make claims concerning rights of individuals as proclaimed in the United States Constitution and The Bill of Rights this is not supported by their ideology. If anything they seem to be anti-democratic and see ' human rights' as an unnecessary luxury. Leo Strauss adhered to Plato's view of humankind that people can be divided up into three distinct types . They form a natural hierarchy . These include the 'Wise ', the 'gentlemen' and the vulgar or masses . only the Wise and the gentlemen as a superior few an elite have the right to govern and their policies are by their very nature akin to being divinely inspired and therefore beyond question. This also means by implication that how they succeed to positions of power and maintain their hold on power is also beyond questioning by the so-called " vulgar " masses, the unwashed , the unenlightened and the ill-informed .
The so-called ' Wise ' are those who are the real power behind the throne as it were advising and manipulating those who are the more visible heads of state who Strauss refers to as the ' gentlemen '.
According to scholar Shadia Drury ,Leo Strauss believed that:
" the real solution is for the wise to rule behind the scene. They must draft laws; and they must pose as prophets so that people will believe that their laws are divinely inspired. But the wise must also be free to ignore the laws whenever they find it advantageous to do so. Classic natural right is characterized by its ' flexibility ' and its unwillingness to recognize any categorical imperatives In short, the real Platonic solution as understood by Strauss is the covert tyranny of the wise "
...The wise are the lovers of the harsh unadulterated truth. They are capable of looking into the abyss without fear and trembling ; for they recognize neither God nor moral imperatives."
"The covert rule of the philosophers is facilitated by the overwhelming credulity of the gentlemen. For all his nobility ,the gentleman is more gullible and unworldly And the more gullible and unperceptive he is, the easier it is for the wise to control and manipulate him . The philosopher must impart to him the harsh truths about the world and about his inferiors without destroying his ideals . The message is this . You are noble and honest ; and the world is bound to be a better place if noble men such as yourself reign supreme. But virtue is bound to be defeated if she is naive enough to play by the rules. If you want success, you have to rely on deception , guile and fraud...( as for the ignorant masses ) If you wish to move them to acts of courage and self-sacrifice, you must make them believe that their very existence is under threat. "
from: ( p. xv The Political Ideas of Leo Strauss by Shadia B. Drury 2005 ed.)
Among the Neoconservatives we can include Karl Rove , Paul Wolfowitz , Cheney , William Kristol, & President George W. Bush and others are the so-called ' gentlemen ' Our own Prime Minister Stephen Harper I imagine and Britain's Tony Blair are themselves among the group of these so-called 'gentlemen '. These days I would include Hillary Clinton in this group as she is always making excuses for the policies of the Bush Regime. Though she claims she would create a more universal health care program and more money for educations yet she defends torture and foreign wars while claiming America's superiority and exceptionalism which for her all divinely ordained . To put the case another way Hillary Clinton believes that America is beyond reproach among the world's nations. She also believes that America's enemies which are everywhere are planning to destroy America and Western Civilization. Her solution like that of Bush and Cheney and Senator John McCain is to use the military and even nuclear weapons or the threat of these rather than diplomacy. Hillary Clinton seems to have little interest in the United Nations except when it can be used to promote America's interest and agenda. Hillary also has little respect for International Law or the International Court. For instance Hillary Clinton has also rarely if ever mentioned what she would do about the over 100,000 private contractors/ mercenaries in Iraq .Is she as craven as Bush & co.
Even Hillary Clinton's ' tearing up ' in front of cameras seemed all in all calculated as she moved from the tough Margaret Thatcher 'Iron Lady ' style to the caring and compassionate woman who just by being a woman is more compassionate than any man could be. It is hard to believe but there are some women who still believe this sort of rot . Surely no one would consider Margaret Thatcher or Condoleeza Rice as the paragons of compassion. Condoleeza Rice was more concerned about shopping for the season's latest in Prada shoes than to fly down to Louisiana to check on the victims of Katrina. Margaret Thatcher in order to insure victory in the next election started her unnecessary and pointless war in the Falklands It also remind one of George Bush's campaign persona of the caring compassionate conservative. There is nothing caring or compassionate about his Neoconservative policies and his chuckling every time someone ask him about torture or about the victims of Katrina etc. This is odd since Hillary Clinton also seems to have some sort of nervous laugh is this to hide something or does it let us know she's just bluffing her way through or is it a signal that the subject is not one she cares about or thinks as being important.
For example the former Democratic Governor Siegelman case illustrates the unethical and illegal lengths to which Bush and Cheney and Karl Rove are willing to go to get rid of someone they don't like. Someone like Siegelman represents to them the enemy within who are seen as being as dangerous as the enemy without. According to the Bushites Democrats who are seen as 'too liberal ' along with all those labeled as 'liberals ' must be removed from positions of power and authority. They are willing to tolerate Democrats who know how to behave themselves when it comes to the important issues as defined by the Neoconservatives.The neoconservatives are not shy about using whatever tactics they need to push their agenda forward. As we see in the United States the mainstream media to a great extent has been co-opted by the Neoconservatives . To use a sexist phrase the media has been emasculated and neutralized. Sometimes it is difficult to know if the article on so-called Islamofascism is from the Washington Post , The New York Times or The New Republic or The Aryan Nation . I've actually had this happen several times; I just couldn't believe that a mainstream or liberal newspaper would approve of such a racist diatribe. . Even the word 'liberal' has now become a pejorative term and is used as an insult or a slur and can destroy the career of someone in politics or the media.
In the case against Siegelman the Bush Regime once again politicized the Attorney Generals Department . By using intimidation, a bit of blackmail, some coercion putting pressure on the Judge, on the prosecutors on witnesses , on the jurors and on the media they managed to scuttle the man's career and are keeping in prison for crimes for which he has now been absolved. So even having one sentencing over-turned doesn't count for much even if the person had been a state governor. If this is the case what can or have these people who are working for Bush and Cheney or Karl Rove or Alberto Gonzales been told that they are permitted to do in the case of average American citizens.
And at the end of the day all these thugs , sycophants, toadies , quizzlings from Bush and Cheney on down will get away with whatever they have done wrong. For when you can claim that you are committing crimes for the sake of the nation or the sake of national security and then plead executive privilege then no one is made accountable. But of course this is not completely true since sooner or later a few unimportant people will get thrown to the wolves to make it look as if the American system of justice and its government are still in working order.
This is why Hillary Clinton rarely talks about specific abuses of power by the Bush Regime since the electorate might start questioning whether former president Bill Clinton had abused his position that is besides committing the odd and unimportant indiscretion such as a little sex on the side. The other reason Hillary doesn't talk about this matter is that if she did then people would expect her to do something concrete about once she got into power. But this is why the Republicans and Neoconservatives don't really fear having Hillary as president . They know she knows how the game is played and so will ruffle as few feathers as possible.
CBS 60 Minutes - Bush/ Cheney/ Rove Frame Democrat Don Siegelman
And the following is the article mentioned above by Paul Craig Roberts on the injustices of the Siegleman case explaining as best he can the complexity of the case. But the conclusion is rather straightforward as Siegelman was and is innocent and that the whole thing was a witch-hunt on the part of Karl Rove and Company.
From AlterNet.org
Going to Jail for Being a Democrat: How Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman Got Roved
By Paul Craig Roberts, CounterPunch. March 3, 2008.
Don Siegelman, a popular Democratic governor of Alabama, a Republican state, was framed in a crooked trial, convicted on June 29, 2006, and sent to Federal prison by the corrupt and immoral Bush administration.
and :
52 former state attorney generals from across America, both Republicans and Democrats, have urged the US Congress to investigate the Bush administration's use of the US Department of Justice to rid themselves of a Democratic governor who "they could not beat fair and square," according to Grant Woods, former Republican Attorney General of Arizona and co-chair of the McCain for President leadership committee. Woods says that he has never seen a case with so "many red flags pointing to injustice."
It is a crime for prosecutors to withhold exculpatory evidence. The Washington Post reported on February 26 that Siegelman's attorneys have called for a special prosecutor after CBS quoted prosecution witness Bailey "as saying prosecutors met with him about 70 times. He said they had him regularly write out his testimony because they were frustrated with his recollection of events. The written notes, if they existed, could have damaged the credibility of Bailey's story, but no such notes were turned over to the defense, as would have been required by law."
The prosecutors also had help from some jurors. On a WOTM Special Report hosted by former US Attorney Raymond Johnson, Alabama lawyer Julian McPhillips produced emails from two jurors about influencing other jurors in order to achieve a conviction.
However, Federal District Judge, Mark Fuller, a George W. Bush appointee, ignored the tainted jury. Fuller's handling of the case suspiciously favored the prosecution. He bore a strong grudge against Siegelman. Fuller had been an Alabama district attorney before Bush made him a federal judge. Fuller's successor as district attorney was appointed by Siegelman and produced evidence that suggested that Fuller had connived with his former senior assistant in a "pension spiking" scheme, which some viewed as a fraud or attempted fraud against the state retirement system.
Horton reports that career prosecutors advised against the case, concluded it was a political vendetta and walked away from it. Canary's "girls" were "flailing about trying to find loyal troopers who would shut up and do what is expected of them," a category into which Scott Horton says Louis Franklin and his deputy Stephen Feaga fell. The jurors were presented with what Bailey's and Methvin's testimony indicates to be Bailey's perjury suborned by the US Attorney's office and misled about what the testimony actually meant.
...Unable to defeat Siegelman even with leaks from a phony investigation designed to smear him, the Republicans decided to steal the election. After all districts had reported the vote count, Siegelman thanked the voters for reelecting him and went to bed. During the night the Republicans, with no Democratic voting officials present, "recounted" the ballots in Baldwin County. Six thousand Siegelman votes that had been reported disappeared in the recount. The next morning Republican Bob Riley declared himself the winner.
The theft was so hastily arranged that the thieves forgot to change any of the other vote outcomes on the ballots. All other races had the same totals as originally reported, a statistical impossibility had there actually been a computer glitch as the election thieves claimed.
The Republican attorney general Pryor refused a recount.
For which : President Bush rewarded William Pryor for his service by making him a federal judge ...
... a prosecution witness against Siegelman also made charges against Pryor and US Senator Jeff Sessions (R, AL), but neither of the Republicans were investigated.
... When Leura Canary's false case was finally brought to court, Federal District Judge U.W. Clemon threw it out of court. Clemon cited an assistant US Attorney and an assistant state attorney general for contempt of court. All charges against Siegelman and his co-defendants were dropped on October 5, 2004.
Vindicated, Siegelman began his campaign for recovering the governorship in 2006. The word came from Washington to "take another look at the case," a phrase that could well be understood as "get Siegelman at all costs." Siegelman was indicted a second time on October 26, 2005, costing him the Democratic primary. The jury twice deadlocked and was twice sent back by Siegelman's adversary, Judge Fuller. With charges of jury-tampering in the air, Siegelman was acquitted of 25 counts and found guilty of "pay for play." Judge Fuller had Siegelman handcuffed and manacled and immediately whisked off to prison for a seven-year sentence. Normally a non-dangerous person is left at liberty while the case is being appealed.
Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Terry Butts said that justice in America today is about political agendas, "not about convicting real criminals." Butts said that Siegelman's attorneys and allies expect reprisals from the US Attorney's office and Alabama's Republican establishment.
Siegelman has been in prison for over a year. His appeal cannot move forward, because Judge Fuller's court has not produced a transcript of the trial needed for appeal. In other words, Republicans are preventing Siegelman from being released on appeal by a higher court.
Karl Rove refused to testify about the case before Congress.
The Department of Justice refuses to release Siegelman trial documents to Congress. It won't even let Congress see what Leura Canary had to say to her bosses about the ethics challenges brought against her, which they swept under the carpet."
and so it goes,
GORD.
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