WE THE PEOPLE CUT THE HEART OUT OF THE LIEBERMAN-KYL AMENDMENT

[and-justice-for-all]

--Just got this in my mail box.
--- www.usalone.com

It has taken a couple days for the actual disposition of the Lieberman-Kyl amendment to leak out, but in FACT, the two most offensive paragraphs (3 and 4), which we were objecting to so strenuously as amounting to a declaration of war on Iran, were REMOVED IN THEIR ENTIRELY prior to the vote. Which means we WON. Yes, you did it, with your TENS of thousands of emails and phone calls to Congress this last Monday and Tuesday. We are so proud of our participants on this one. Claim your win.

What was left was not great, but ultimately it means nothing with the actual teeth of the amendment extracted, not that that's any excuse for those who voted yes (or did not vote at all). So the Senate called some people a terrorist organization. Big deal, it's not binding anyway, no more than their groundless and hypocritical condemnation of MoveOn a week ago. And for those who may say this gives Cheney and Bush an excuse to do anything, this White House doesn't think it needs an excuse to do anything, that's the whole POINT of impeachment.

Once again this PROVES that activism works. We beat them back this time in a major way, folks, and why? Because we actually spoke out, that's why! We dismissed the voices of defeatism and took action. Fancy that, participatory democracy works. Are the evil ones going to give up? Of course not, and that's why we're not going to give up either. Let's say it together, we're going to keep ON speaking out in even greater numbers. T

here are many dirty secrets in Washington, but the biggest one of all they are trying to keep may be that when you write and call in mass numbers, members of Congress tremble, shaking in their socks, especially in the House where they have to get reelected every two years. Oh, sure, sometimes they send us their form letter responses trying to sluff us off, trying to con us into thinking we are not having an impact. But we know the truth, which is that they work for us, and we do have the POWER with our personal messages to enforce that.

[MadHound]

1. Another person who doesn't get it

By declaring the legitimate military force of a sovereign government to be a terrorist organization, Congress has opened up a hole big enough for Bush to drive his war through. Remember all those executive orders and laws Bush signed that outlined specific powers Bush had against terrorist groups? Well, those didn't apply to to just domestic terror groups, but to ones abroad as well.

Not to mention the fact that never has a legitimate military force been labeled a terrorist group before.

Oh, and this is already being put to use <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1943512>

Once again the Congressional Dems have given Bushboy the keys to the car, and once again he's going to drive it over the cliff.

[zeemike]

4. I agree with you

Once they have been labeled a terrorist he has a blank check to do what he will, and the Geneva convention be damned

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

5. Thank you. You replied better than I could have. Just calling them terrorists gives

Shrub Carte Blanche through his "war on terror".

Those who voted for this misbegotten resolution are either fools or complicit.

[MadHound]

6. And yet over in GD Politics, there are those avid partisans who are defending this insanity of hers

I suppose they will defend anything she does. I really think that part of the problems with this country come from blind, slavish loyalty, which allows people like Bush and Hillary to do anything they want without having to suffer the consequences.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

7. When Hillary stated her reasons to vote Aye for this amendment, I time warped

back to the IWR, when she spouted the same administration bullshit. I vowed never to vote for her again back then (she is my state Senator) and I didn't pull the lever for her in November. I will not vote for her if she's in the general election. I don't even trust her with a Supreme Court choice.

Meanwhile, MSM has assisted the corporatists in selecting her as our candidate. There is something so wrong about this and I cannot understand the support she's getting here at DU. It boggles the mind.

[AuntPatsy]

12. And the truth shall not free some...what have we become

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. I agree with you, and voiced the same opinions when it passed

I didn't really reply to just make a "me too" post. I also wanted to than you for the link to the thread by bigtree that I had missed.

[annabanana]

2. Well. . before we break our arms patting ourselves on the back,

We have to consider Webb's objection to what was left IN the amendment. For the first time in history, America declared an branch of the armed forces of a sovereign nation. . a terrorist organization.

Given the bits and pieces of the infamous Patriot Act that let the administration do anything at anytime to anyone they consider a "terrorist"..plenty of trucks can drive though that hole.

Also one might note recent reports that Cheney's "attack Iran" groups who have given up on nuclear strikes as un-sellable, now favor the excuse that Iran is interfering in Iraq to the extent that we must engage Iran to "save" Iraq. . .

[Windy]

9. Bravo Jim Webb, for pointing out what should be obvious

to those of us who still think for themselves!

[Warren Stupidity]

3. YOU THE POSTER HAVE BOUGHT THEIR NONSENSE NT

[and-justice-for-all]

10. Ok thanks..nt

[Windy]

8. My God, quit posting the same article over and over...

It must be Hillbots trying to somehow mitigate the potential fallout from their candidates bad decision to support Lieberman/Kyl!

[and-justice-for-all]

11. I do not post the same article over and over..nt