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pecuniumThat's the number of the beasts.
The number of those senators who voted to repeal habeas corpus, to make the president (and the president alone; though he can delegate it) capable of deep-sixing anyone in the United States, or abroad, for as long as he likes.
Those are the number who recreated the Star Chamber, only this time it's allowed to kill it's victims, not merely break them.
Those are the lawmakers who think torture is an acceptable means of treating the accused, and the merely imprisioned.
Those are the legislators who think more power to the executive is, if not a good idea, an acceptable one.
Here are the names.
Ben Nelson was kind enough to make it possible to avoid having the Vice President break the tie.
The other 49, who voted against it, are no better. A filibuster ought to have been possible. the could have said this was a principle on which they were willing to stand, or fall. They could (rightly) cavil, saying, this was too important to be rushed in the last minutes of the legislative posturing which is an election year.
But they didn't.
So they deserve plaudits and brickbats.
The others, they deserve more, but they need to be turned out of office, and not elected to anything, ever again, not so muh as crossing guard.
The number of those senators who voted to repeal habeas corpus, to make the president (and the president alone; though he can delegate it) capable of deep-sixing anyone in the United States, or abroad, for as long as he likes.
Those are the number who recreated the Star Chamber, only this time it's allowed to kill it's victims, not merely break them.
Those are the lawmakers who think torture is an acceptable means of treating the accused, and the merely imprisioned.
Those are the legislators who think more power to the executive is, if not a good idea, an acceptable one.
Here are the names.
Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Allen (R-VA) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burns (R-MT) Burr (R-NC) 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) Lott (R-MS) |
Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE) Roberts (R-KS) Santorum (R-PA) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Stevens (R-AK) Talent (R-MO) Thomas (R-WY) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA) |
Ben Nelson was kind enough to make it possible to avoid having the Vice President break the tie.
The other 49, who voted against it, are no better. A filibuster ought to have been possible. the could have said this was a principle on which they were willing to stand, or fall. They could (rightly) cavil, saying, this was too important to be rushed in the last minutes of the legislative posturing which is an election year.
But they didn't.
So they deserve plaudits and brickbats.
The others, they deserve more, but they need to be turned out of office, and not elected to anything, ever again, not so muh as crossing guard.
