The American people have witnessed another great Democratic rollover. The Senate almost unanimously voted to confirm Michael Chertoff as Secretary of Homeland Security (two Senators didn’t bother to vote).
In confirming Chertoff, the Senate Democrats looked over some truly horrid items in Chertoff’s record. Chertoff orchestrated mass detentions of muslims in the United States – detentions lasting for months without any criminal charge. The prisoners under Chertoff’s control were not allowed to see lawyers and were routinely beaten and humiliated before being released.
Chertoff took the expertise in torture and illegal imprisonment that he gained with these prisoners and became an inside consultant to the Bush Administration’s plans to detain and torture foreign muslims as well. Chertoff gave specific advice to the Bush Administration about how to torture prisoners while creating a thin veneer of legal justification for the torture.
Not content to crush habeas corpus and inflict pain on prisoners, Michael Chertoff was also instrumental in creating the Patriot Act, which gives federal government agents the right to gather information on Americans’ private lives, including everything from our personal reading habits to the diseases of our dogs to the most sensitive information about our medical histories. Chertoff now supports efforts to expand the powers given under the Patriot Act to give the Bush Administration even more power to spy on law-abiding citizens.
So, now that this man has been given power over the Department of Homeland Security, I think it’s an appropriate time to ask a very basic question: What the hell is the Homeland anyway? The fact is, the federal government has never bothered to define the “Homeland” that it is always talking about. I never once heard anyone talk about any Homeland in the United States of America before George W. Bush announced that the Homeland existed in the autumn of 2001. Apparently, I’ve been living in something called “the Homeland” without ever knowing it, and I still have no idea what this Homeland thing is.
Well, to be more accurate, I had no idea of what the Homeland is until this morning, when a mysterious package arrived on my front doorstep. Its return address was the Department of Homeland Security, 111 Homeland Lane, South Homeland, Homeland, 38104.
Inside the package was a map of the Homeland! Well, now I could understand what all the hoopla was all about. Looking at the borders of the Homeland, I could see that it pretty much coincided with all the states that voted for Bush/Cheney in the 2004 election. Well, no wonder – would you dare vote against a man who knows that you checked out 20 V.C. Andrews books from the library over the last 9 months, and who has given himself the power to lock you and throw away the key for as long as he is fighting “terror”? That’s a pretty scary combination.
Go ahead and take a look at the map yourself: We’re printing out our own copies for distribution at our Center for Orange Alert Memorabilia – for as long as the Orange Alert system is in place… so, come to think of it, this is definitely NOT a limited-time offer.
I’m pretty sure the color-coded alert system is no longer in place; if I recall correctly, it was abandoned sometime last year, with the explanation that it was too vague and confusing. Of course, the replacement system, where they just talk about “elevated risk”, is no less vague. My bet is that they were tired of hearing people make fun of it.
Actually, John, they just said that they were considering replacing the system. They never actually did so. Now there’s talk about abandoning the system again, but no one has truly followed through on it.
I haven’t heard of any alerts of any color lately, so maybe the gov’t. is quietly letting this one die. Ahh, it was fun while it lasted…
“the homland”
“the fatherland”
“zieg heil”
they take page after page
out of himmler’s book
i’m sure we’ll all be speaking german before bush leaves office
sprec en ze duetch?
Yeah Randy, and we’re in the same class of bovine population that didn’t do anything about Hitler when they could have. Once in power, it was too late. Wait a while – it’s only gonna get worse until people stop being so cowardly in today’s Amerika. Where’s the protesting on the street? Where’s the outrage? All i hear is rhetoric which Bush an company can just ignore as harmless blithering. No actions, just words. Everyone’s afraid they’ll be put in jail and forgotten under Bush’s new idea that everyone who disagrees with his “mandate” is a terrorist.
Tom,
What “actions” did you have in mind?
To try to convince those of you who are so convinced that we are headed to a Nazi state is an exercise in futility, but one that needs to be addressed.
It amazes me that some people have come to that conclusion. Well, at least the educated people seem to be able to think a tad more rationally and are not accusing Bush of ordering any “Heil Bush”‘s to be chanted any time soon. Portions of the Patriot Act concern me, as well. But I’ll be damned if I believe I’ll be addressed as Herr (my last name) any time soon.
By the way, Bush doesn’t speak German; he speaks Spanish. Also, one doesn’t “sprech en ze deutch.” One should “sprechen sie Deutsch.” Picky, yes, but I’m in a picky mood.
Actually, to be even more picky, one doesn’t “sprechen sie Deutsch,” since “sprechen Sie Deutsch” is in the form of a question.
Look, I don’t think that Bush qualifies as a Nazi right now. But the Bush is very clearly changing the American system in the direction of fascism. Horrific things are being done in America’s name right now, and Bush is making it easier for the next steps to be taken. People who give half a poo about democracy, civil liberty, the rule of law and the maintenance of moral standards have a lot to worry about.
Thanks for the German lesson. The Germans make the strangest grammar accomodations for their language… But I digress.
After listening to the Tony Snow show Tuesday night- actually Judge Napolitano from Fox News was sitting in for him that night- and hearing interpretation of the Patriot Act from a judicial standpoint gave me a feeling of unease. He is a Republican, but he is very concerned about the provisions that would allow the government to arrest anyone for any reason.
Concerns me, too.
“Look, I don’t think that Bush qualifies as a Nazi right now.”
J. Matthew: I included you in the educated populace of which I spoke. Hope you didn’t think I was insinuating you think that Bush is a Nazi at this point in time.