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Gonzo and the Reauthorization of the Patriot Act, Part II
Guess which beleaguered public official is poised to grab even more power—Alberto Gonzales. A hidden provision in the reauthorization of the Patriot Act allows states to opt in to a program aimed at expediting the federal appeals process for death row inmates. This provision gives the attorney general the authority to deny an appeal before it even reaches federal court for review. The attorney general's job is to present such a case before the court, not to decide it.
Sound familiar? There was another provision that was quietly slipped into the reauthorization of the Patriot Act granting Gonzales excess power. You know, the one that allowed him to appoint interim U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation? Shouldn't we be scouring that bill for more sneaky power-granting amendments?
And it's not difficult to predict what Gonzales will do with this newfound control over capital litigation. As gubernatorial counsel to Bush for three years in Texas, Gonzales advised him on 57 executions. Clemency was denied in all of them.
—Celia Perry
You know, Congress HAS the power to prevent those "quietly slipped in" provisions entirely. And WE have the power to see that they do. (do we have the WILL is another question...)
They could simply pass the "Read the Bills Act", or similar BINDING legislation, which requires each voting member to be present for a full reading of each bill. Any amendments or changes to text must also be read or heard by any member, or that member is not eligible to vote on the bill or amendment.
It would also require that the bill's text be made public, at least 7 days before any vote can take place. Which means the American PEOPLE could know Exactly what laws our representatives are proposing for US to live under. (neat idea, huh?)
If we want Congress to stop passing bills with nasty little executive powers included, and enormously wasteful spending (Bridge to Nowhere, anyone?) and members later running to the press with excuses like "NONE of us knew THAT was in the bill when we voted for it!!" then we should pressure our representatives to do the responsible thing, and pass RTBA.
Details Here:
http://www.downsizedc.org/read_the_laws.shtml
It's a simple, logical principle that we should force OUR legislators to apply: NO Legislation unless you KNOW the Legislation.
Remember, Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse..., For US!
They seem to think it should be..., for THEM.
You want to see who, BESIDES G.W.B. is responsible for ALL the provisions of the patriot act reauthorization?
You can find their names here:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2005-627
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2006-29
RTBA RIGHT ON! That should be an amendment to the constitution. It would have been if our founding fathers had envisioned congress members spending their entire lives there and having 10 or 20 or more assistants to do the reading FOR THEM and only reporting the highlights THEY deem important. Didn't any of them have parents smart enough to tell them not to sign anything they haven't READ? Maybe people in every state could start petitions to force them to pass a Read The Bill Act. No vote unless you have read the bill. No second-hand readers. You'd certainly never see another 600 page bill full of nonsense would you! Too bad it's too late for this one.
Yeah Laura, it seems like something Dem voters, Repub voters, Libertarian and Green voters (and anyone else who votes) should all be able to agree on.
Either OUR Representatives know what a bill is, what it does, and exactly what it SAYS, or they can't pass it.
That nonsense was never excuseable, and it gets even less so as bills get bigger and the "We didn't Know..." excuse for bad legislation, from those who passed it, gets more frequent.
How about the National Initiative for Democracy. A dirct initiative process whereby we the people are put back in control. And not like the buggy process in California. No corporate money can back sham initiatives. We create the laws, Congress sees they are followed through. Mike Gravel wrote it. Go to his website. You can sign the petition. If enough people sign, well, go read what it says on his site.
WE can't pass any legislation. Do you really believe that the Controlled Substances Act with no measurable standards giving huge discretionary power to political appointees to target specific user groups would have survived a referendum? Do you think a majority of Congress read that bill 36 years ago? They must have presumed - incorrectly - that they were banning drugs that had been clearly shown to be harmful if legally available with some kind of evidence. As long as financial interests can pose lesser evil campaigns with amenable candidates they will always win and no mandate will ever interfere with their agenda. It's way past time to just say no and vote Libertarian or Green [or pick the stronger of the two in your election]. Those people will read bills. They will pass a LOT less legislation and trample on a lot fewer constitutional provisions.
Well Said, JT Barrie.