Goodbye Habeus Corpus (in the US) [UPDATED]
This is very, very scary.
[UPDATE] – Further commentary from Olbermann – RIP Habeas corpus. Chilling.
Olbermann‘s report. Watch it. Choice quotes:
Turley: “People have no idea how significant this is. Really a time of shame this is for the American system.�The strange thing is that we have become sort of constitutional couch potatoes. The Congress just gave the President despotic powers and you could hear the yawn across the country as people turned to Dancing With the Stars. It’s otherworldly..People clearly don’t realize what a fundamental change it is about who we are as a country. What happened today changed us. And I’m not too sure we’re gonna change back anytime soon.”
An interesting viewpoint on the Give Up Blog – George Bush states that this new law is a necessary tool in the epic struggle between good and evil — you know, like in Star Wars, a tale every good American knows. But where does that example lead?
Choice quote:
We know that Darth Vader is a villain because [...] Darth Vader tortures people [...]. Vader’s torture of Princess Leia is not only one of the darkest scenes of the original trilogy, it is also completely ineffectual – the only information that Leia gives is false. Chewy also withstands torture and even manages to repair C3PO while in a secret detention center. However, the United States remains convinced that the torture of suspected members of rebel alliances will enable us to learn where their rebel bases are.
It would be funny if it wasn’t so depressing. I don’t think I’ll be going to the US any time soon. Does anyone think this poem is appropriate?
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
after all I was not a communist.When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
after all I was not a social democrat.When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
after all I was not a trade unionist.When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
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