Frustration with FISA and Generally

[johnlal]

I think the attention on FISA, and generally, is just a part of the overall frustration we have felt for over thirty years.
Americans WANT their system to work.
They desperately want to see good guys get rewarded and bad guys go to jail. That's why we like coyboy movies and action adventure flicks so much.

Our sense of right and wrong was forever shaken by Watergate. That scandal has cast a shadow over everything that has happened since. And we thought we had Nixon. We forced him to resign. But when Ford pardoned Nixon, every hope we had for normalcy was taken away, and we were left numb.

Iran Contra was a watered-down rematch. We wanted Poindexter and Oliver North to go down for their crimes, but also as surrogates for Nixon. We wanted them to be squeezed, and we wanted it all to come back to Reagan. It didn't happen. Both have been rewarded, not punished, for their actions.

Now with BUSH, II. We wanted parity in the way the impeachment process was used. Surely everything Bush and Cheney has done to this country was worse than the Clenis. Lying us into an unprovoked war against Iraq. Granting no-bid contracts to companies in which the VP has invested, allowing them to steal billions of dollars, with no repercussions. Politicizing the Justice Department, so that they could be used against Democrats in elections. Ignoring Congressional subpoenas. Destroying millions of documents after being told not to do so. Implementing a policy of torture. Revoking habeas corpus. Wiretapping millions of US citizens without a warrant.

As humans we have a need for people who have done wrong to pay for their crimes. Scooter Libby was set free after lying to the Grand Jury. Harriet Myers and Josh Bolten haven't had any negative consequences for their refusal to appear in Congress.

People wonder, "Where's the outrage?"
Brother, if we had to be outraged every time we were fucked over, we would go insane by now. The fact is that for the past three decades plus, everything we stand for has been taken apart. With every new example of people getting away scot free for commiting crimes against us, we get closer and closer to the inevitable fact that our elected officials won't help us, the opposition party won't help us, the press won't help us, the church won't help us, the police won't help us, the Supreme Court won't help us... and what are we left with?

A day will come, and maybe it's not here yet, that the only reliable law that governs this country is "Might Makes Right". When that day comes, there's no more Mr. Nice Guy.

[Mojorabbit]

1. Great post. n/t

[BuyingThyme]

2. We don't know shit about FISA.

For all we know, the pre-9/11 wiretapping was implemented to assure a successful attack on the Towers.

But with the help of criminals like Tom Daschle, we may never know what really happened.

People are generally stupid; including many of the people here. We have to let them know.