It's official. One-President-one-vote. Granting immunity to telephone companies illegally spying on Americans is far worse than business-as-usual, which is that corporations win. In this legislation (FISA), the U.S. Congress, with obscene complicity of majority Democrats, has effectively elevated the U.S. President to absolute Monarch. Magna Carta itself is defiled. If the president says it's legal, it's legal. Shame.
You remember Magna Carta. It's the one Winston Churchill called "...a law which is above the King and which even he must not break." In yielding sole authority to a single person (aka "the president") to determine what is lawful, these ersatz representatives of the sovereign American people have effectively said that the President above the law. Indeed, he makes the law. And is beyond the reach of our Constitutionally enshrined freedoms.
With this Congressional absolution of corporate crimes, Congress has inflicted a terrible wound to our most cherished freedoms. It doesn't even have the excuse that it's controlled by the sitting president's political party. Democrats and Republicans alike have egregiously violated The People's trust with this abomination.
Every member Congress who voted to give the telephone companies a free pass on illegally invading the privacy of the American people needs to take a long hard look in the mirror. I want to say, "Check in with your very guilty conscience, question the condition of your soul." But I know better. That's not what really counts here. So let's put it this way. "Look in that mirror and ask, 'What do I want to happen the next time I stand for election?'"
Fall elections cannot come soon enough for me to put my outrage to work in active response to this double betrayal. Large corporations -- once again -- can celebrate the fact that they have so flagrantly abused us as citizens and freedom-loving people. It's well past time to demonstrate who is sovereign in this nation.
History tells us that Federalist control of the executive branch ended with Adams' defeat by Jefferson in 1800, that the "high" or "ultra"-Federalists lost their struggle to keep us from ruling ourselves. But these monarchists never went away. Today's ultra-Federalists talk about the "Unitary Executive" who can do what he will. A majority in Congress seem to agree, especially when amply rewarded to do so. And, the third branch? Beware of the judiciary as well. The four "Originalists" on today's Supreme Court walk, talk and quack like high federalist.
Though not quite as effective as advertised, I still think Magna Carta was a step forward. Restricting the power of kings was a good idea 800 years ago. It still is. Better yet, how about a Constitution which assigns sovereignty to the people?
When justifying the sacrifice of lives at Gettysburg and in the entire American Civil War, Lincoln eloquently stated that the essential point: the key American experiment is that government of, by and for the people shall NOT perish from the earth. Isn't it long past time to honor the United States' Constitution which explicitly assigns sovereignty to the people, not to an individual nor to corporations?
You'll find many important voices speaking up in defense of democracy on our "Paula Gordon Show" website
Edward J. Larson, whose Magnificent Catastrophe documents the ceaseless struggle in America to protect ourselves from closet-monarchists;
Robert A.G. Monks describes the damage "Corpocracy" is doing to our economy and our democracy;
Doris Kearns Goodwin tells of that rare combination among American presidents of a deep commitment to democracy allied with integrity and great political skill;
John Dean is deeply informed and pungently damning in his critiques of his former party, its betrayal of democracy's most sacred principles, and it's magical thinking about "originalism" and a "Unitary Presidency." Mr. Dean puts it this way: American don't like being suckered. Giving a "pass" to corporations who knowingly break the law, and to a President who prompts them to do so then covers for them because he puts himself ABOVE the law is a sucker deal.