7 posts tagged “politics”

We got the Democratic National Convention. It was between us and NYC, and thankfully Howard Dean loves Colorado.  This will be really good news for our economy (I HOPE) as all those convention dollars roll into the city.
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So, while we were walking the dogs Sunday, Wolfie and I started having a discussion about government, politics and such (quel suprirse!) and the subject of anarchy came up. 

Not having reference books to hand, I claimed that true anarchy could succeed, much like true socialism, but it was unlikely we'd ever get the chance to find out, as personal responsiblity has been all but wiped out of the minds of people, and Americans in particular.

He maintained he could NOT work, no matter what, because what was to stop someone from killing another and taking what they had, then moving on and when they needed something else, killing someone else, etc. 

I'm pretty sure Anarchy doesn't mean that there is no punishment for crimes, but now I really need to go back and read Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Anarchy... and find out what they have to say about it.

Anyone else read or know how crime and punishment would be handled in an Anarchist society?

Column here:

May I remind you what this election is about? Abu Ghraib,
Guantanamo, unprecedented presidential powers, unmatched incompetence,
unparalleled corruption, unwarranted eavesdropping, Katrina, Enron,
Halliburton, global warming, Cheney's secret energy task force, record
oil company profits, $3 gasoline, FEMA, the Supreme Court, Diebold,
Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004, Terri Schiavo, stem cell research,
golden parachutes, shrunken pensions, unavailable and expensive health
care, habeas corpus, no weapons of mass destruction, sacrificed
soldiers and Iraqi civilians, wasted billions, Taliban resurgence,
expiration of the assault weapons ban, North Korea, Iran, intelligent
design, swift boat hit squads, and on and on.

This election is about that, but much more -- it's about honor,
dignity and comity in this country. It's about the Constitution, which
gives us this great nation. Bush ran on a pledge of "restoring honor
and integrity" to the White House. Instead, he brought us Tom DeLay,
Roy Blunt, Katherine Harris, John Doolittle, Jerry Lewis, Richard
Pombo, Mark Foley, Dennis Hastert, David Safavian, Jack Abramoff,
Ralph Reed, Karl Rove and an illegal and immoral war in Iraq. People,
it's up to you.

And...it seems I might be an enemy combatant.

According to the Military Commision Rules:

• The system would apply to "unlawful enemy combatants" selected by the government for prosecution. Such a combatant is a person "who has engaged in hostilities or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States or its co-belligerents."

• The court would not be used to prosecute U.S. citizens or individuals who fight in foreign forces on behalf of a sovereign state.

• The phrase "purposefully and materially" is intended to clarify that a person must knowingly support terrorist networks to be deemed an unlawful enemy combatant.

Defendants would be barred from protesting their detention or treatment in civilian courts.

Lucikly, this is not retroactive to say, oh... three years ago with I was actively supporting Sinn Fein on a regular basis. However, if I now choose to continue my financial support, I suppose I could be accused of knowingly supporting an organization (some people believe) that attacks a US co-belligerent (Britain). 

• The president could "interpret the meaning and application" of Geneva Convention standards applied to less severe interrogation procedures. Such a provision is intended to allow him to authorize methods that might otherwise be seen as illegal by international courts.

Shame on you Dubya! Shame!

ETA:  LInks a friend sent me with details of the bill and a discussion of what construes an enemy combatant:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6161223

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6167856

So, Howard Dean has been avoiding Colorado (along with other states contending for the DNC in 08) so it won't look like he has a favorite. Although we all know how much he loves us. :)  But, that's now why I'm here. I found this so incredibly funny (probably way funnier than it was meant to me or you will find it), since I had the misfortune to live on the Western Slope for the most excruciating four months of my life.  They really should be totally cut off from the rest of Colorado and just form their own nice little in-bred colony.

" Convincing Dean that the Western Slope might as well be another state has not been successful."

HINT: you probably need to read the very short aritcle I linked to up there to get the full effect.

Denver has a really good shot at the Democratic convention for 2008 and how cool will that be to live less than five minutes from the downtown convention center?  There should be lots of excitement, not to mention the boost it will give the city's economy. 

Now, if the Libertarians can just get their shit together, my world would be honky dory.  Oh, and if Dubya would develop an incurable, itchy fatal disease.