PRESIDENT BUSH: I AM THE LAW!

By Richard Reeves

PRESIDENT BUSH: I AM THE LAW!

Tue Dec 27, 2005 16:49

PRESIDENT BUSH: I AM THE LAW!

By Richard Reeves Fri Dec 23, 8:12 PM ET

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- This is where I grew up, and this is where I learned about politicians and the law, so nothing surprises me in
President Bush's declarations that he has the right and duty to ignore laws about spying on his fellow citizens.

Frank Hague was the mayor here when I was in grammar school. He was the mayor for 30 years but, good or bad as he was, mostly bad, he will always be remembered for one thing. It happened when he wanted to get working papers for a couple of 14-year-olds, and an official told him that was not legal. You had to be 16. Said Hague: "Listen, here is the law: I am the law!"

President Nixon said the same thing about secret bombings and burglaries: "It's legal if the president says it's legal."

Now George W. Bush is saying he is the law because he is the only president we have. He has, in fact, become a Nixonian figure, alone in the White House talking to the same people day after day, and fewer and fewer of them. He does not like to talk to members of Congress because he might let slip what he is actually doing in
Iraq or listening in on phone calls. He likes to appoint judges, but he does not want to listen to them because they might make him stop doing things he wants to do.

What, then, is the purpose of having judges forbidden to judge? That was the question raised by the resignation of federal Judge James Robertson from the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, the body charged with issuing warrants for electronic eavesdropping on the domestic calls and messages of Americans. He quit after it was revealed, by The New York Times, that wiretapping and other surveillance was going ahead, by order of the president, without warrants of any kind. Robertson's role, unwittingly, was a cover for breaking the law.

All administrations, in my experience, lie on some matters of national security. Then they lie about the lying, as President Bush did a year ago when he said: "Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretaps, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so."

Not true. Like Nixon, who preferred to be in a circle of one, Bush can't stand the idea of governance slowed and scrutinized by checks and balances. This president has now broken the silence and some of the deception by announcing that he authorized warrantless eavesdropping -- and claims that his deception saved the lives of thousands of American lives threatened by new acts of terrorism.

That may be true. These are times that try men's souls -- and times that are changing at exponential speed. Terrorism is real and frightening, and the president is charged with the responsibility of protecting his people. This is a different kind of war and has to be fought in different ways, particularly when it is waged, on both sides, by exploiting quantum leaps in communication technology.

But the United States cannot win (and preserve the individual freedoms that made this a great nation) by relying on one man or a few dozen. These latest revelations of technique, danger and deception show that the time has come for national debate and dialogue about many dangers, not on more secrecy and lying. The White House, I assume, is doing what it thinks necessary -- legal or not -- but the Congress is not, either because it is being lied to or is derelict in its duties.

The times call for a robust debate by elected officials everywhere, particularly in the Senate and House, on the checks and balances necessary to fight this war without giving up the freedoms we are trying to protect. Otherwise, the United States will continue its drift toward becoming a lawless police state with regular elections.

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Articles, government corruption, freedom of speech, truth
Address:http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/article/1518131/37992.htm

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Guest Host for last week of 2005

7am - 10am

Marc J. Victor

http://www.attorneyforfreedom.com/

Marc J. Victor is an accomplished attorney who is often invited to speak to audiences across Arizona. He has recently adressed the Freedom Summit, the Eris Society, the AZ Libertarian Party Convention and other events aimed at protecting your rights.

In studio with Marc is a Law School classmate and criminal defense attorney Jerry Schreck

8am - 10am

John Buttrick - Superior Court Judge in Maricopa County, Arizona.

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/judicialbios/judicialBio.asp?jdgID=8&jdgUSID=110

John Buttrick is currently the highest-ranking Libertarian in Arizona state government. A graduate of Harvard Law, he has been a member of the bar of Arizona, California, the federal Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court. In May of 2001, he was elevated to a judgeship on the Maricopa County Superior Court by Governor Jane Hull.

Before being appointed to the court, John litigated for Brown & Bain in a variety of areas including antitrust, product liability, contract, environmental torts and intellectual property, for clients such as IBM, Intel, Dupont, and Mcdonald's.

John has campaigned in previous years for the offices of state representative and governor as a Libertarian, and has served on the Libertarian National Committee and National Platform Committee.

Judge Buttrick was asked if he could/would allow Jury Nullification in his courtroom.

Does Judge John Buttrick have future political ambitions?

9:15am - 10am

Scott Victor is Marc's brother in Boston and is also a criminal attorney attyscottvictor@aol.com 781 961 3000 and tells us about the crazy laws in Boston.

Guest: Marc J Victor, John Buttrick, Scott Victor, Jerry Schreck

Subject: Guest Hosts For Charles Goyette, Criminal Justice System, Superior Court Judge, Freedom, Jury Nulification, Fully Informed Jury

* Listen to the MP3 Audio - Segment 1 (9.52 MB)
http://www.charlesgoyette.com/archive/media/2005-12-27-Charles-01.mp3

* Listen to the MP3 Audio - Segment 2 (9.41 MB)
http://www.charlesgoyette.com/archive/media/2005-12-27-Charles-02.mp3

* Listen to the MP3 Audio - Segment 3 (9.53 MB)
http://www.charlesgoyette.com/archive/media/2005-12-27-Charles-03.mp3

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Dear Friend of Liberty:

Thank you for your interest in the American Jury Institute. This information will give you an overview of our purpose and projects. I hope that when you have finished exploring this site, you will decide to become a supporter. As I am sure you know, the highest and best function of the jury is not, as many think, to dispense punishment to fellow citizens guilty of breaking the law, but rather to protect fellow citizens from tyrannical prosecutions and bad laws imposed by a power-hungry government.
http://www.fija.org/

Bush's 'evil' little twin — Salah O. Ahmed, Tue Dec 27 17:14