click here

"The fundamental source of all your errors, sophisms and false reasonings is a total ignorance of the natural rights of mankind. Were you once to become acquainted with these, you could never entertain a thought, that all men are not, by nature, entitled to a parity of privileges. You would be convinced, that natural liberty is a gift of the beneficent Creator to the whole human race, and that civil liberty is founded in that; and cannot be wrested from any people, without the most manifest violation of justice."
--Alexander Hamilton

The senate confirmed Alberto Gonzales as attorney general yesterday. Republican senators showed that party line politics ruled the day and as well as that they have no class or individuality whatsoever in how they voted. Also to a greater extent Gonzales confirmation signals a contempt for international law and human rights by the American government regardless of politcial persuasion.

Thomas Jefferson said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism". Well I don't believe it rings true with 6 Democratic senators who voice opposition to the Bush administration yet continually vote in his favor. The line that bests suits politicians like Mary Landrieu, John McCain, John Warner, Chuck Hagel, and Joseph Lieberman is "Hypocrisy is the highest form of demagoguery", and you can quote me on that. I'm dissapointed more by Republicans than Democrats for not showing any backbone or dissent against Bush in the Senate.

What is truly sickening is that the United States has an Attorney General who undermined international law and by doing so has put American military personnel as well as American citizens worldwide in danger. Worse than that is that the Senate seemingly agrees with Gonzales and has not shown respect for international law and human rights.

How so? The Geneva conventions are designed as rules in wartime without exceptions for the humane treatment of military prisoners. The United States during Vietnam War were strongly opposed to how the North Vietnamese Army treated captured military personnel, who were violently abused in direct violation of the Geneva conventions.

The Vietnamese though argued since this was an undeclared war by the US it did not apply to the legal definition, and therefore military prisoners had no rights. Nevermind that then just as now it is unconstitutional to go to war without a declaration of Congress. For any argument with that, all I can say is that yes Vietnam was a war, and so is the long Iraq War of which has never ended since the semi occupation began in 1991.

The Bush administration lead by Gonzales legal advice has gone down a similar path. By ignoring the rights of others they, our public servants have put all Americans safety in jeopardy. Americans don't want their military personnel tortured, and neither does anyone else of any other nation. Yet when the US violates international treaty and law, people will or atleast should be outraged. The same applies to any nation that does so.

Injustice has occurred by all national governments everywhere through all of history. Its natural that human beings are a violent species, but it does not excuse the fact for such disgusting behavior. People in power will always abuse the trust given them for their owns ends, due to greed, ignorance, and intolerance.

The US has though carried out outrageous acts that are not brought to light by corrupt contemptible media. Such as what has occurred with Ahmed Abu Ali, Peggy McClurg, us immigration prisons, the patriot act, homeland security, etc. All done while waving the flag of nationalism and patriotism as excuse for torturing human beings and ceasing to see them as such, as well as without any rights at all. The government does not grant rights though, they are something we must fight for as it is everyone�s birthright.
I have freedom of speech not because the constitution says so, but because I know so. The Constitution is just a legal document to protect people from the abuses of government, but which is being undermined by the Bush administration along with international and treaties such as the Geneva conventions.

It has been clear that especially since 9/11 that the military and CIA have not operating under the usual promises of warfare decency and humanity and that the decision not to do so was made at the highest levels of government.

Click here to listen to Saul Williams remix

US interrogation techniques include:

*Violently beating and truly torturing prisoners in ways inconceivable to the average American

*Urinating on prisoners

*Prisoners smeared with excrement

*Prisons smeared with menstrual blood of a female

*Practices that humiliate prisoners on religious grounds to an inhuman level

*Raping prisoners

*Psychologically toturing inmates till they went insane (such as lying on the flood wrapped in an Israeli flag slobbing on themselves and lost in their own excrement and urine, while loud offensive music played..(like out of a clockwork orange)

*Parading prisoners naked

*Performing improper medical procedures on prisoners without anyone with medical experience at the prison. Amputations were even carried out. Also medical treatment on those violently abused.

Click here to learn more about torture by the US government

I could go on and on, and this doesn�t take into many missing prisoners whom the US will not answer questions in regard to there whereabouts. By showing treatment of captured wartime enemies with such violent degradation it only points out that the cycle of violence and madness will continue. I feel that the United States in principle has truly begun to abandon the rule of law and do whatever necessary to escape accountability. These practices directly put in harms way every American worldwide and it is the duty of all human beings that it be stopped. Accountability is also an issue and that goes straight to the entire Federal government, lead by President George W Bush.

Here is an account of the Senate vote:

YEAs ---60
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---36
Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Clinton (D-NY)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 4
Baucus (D-MT)
Burns (R-MT)
Conrad (D-ND)
Inouye (D-HI)

Finally I have one more thing I would like to add:

God Bless America.
Land that I love
Stand beside her, and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America
My home sweet home.

God Bless America,
Land that I love
Stand beside her,
And guide her,
Through the night
With the light from above,
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the ocean,
White with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
God bless America,
My home sweet home.

"In the United States today, there is a pervasive tendency to treat children as adults, and adults as children. The options of children are thus steadily expanded, while those of adults are progressively constricted. The result is unruly children and childish adults."
-Thomas Szasz

Please feel free to comment...

PUBLIUS

*CLICK*