A Victory for Liberty

Sami Al-Arian, a Florida ex-Professor accused of aiding terrorism, was cleared of over half the charges against him and deadlocked on the remaining charges. He was accused of a number of crimes but the important victory is the defeat of the Patriot Act and the evidence it allows the Amerikan Secret Police to present in court. Noteworthy, according to a report on NPR, is that al-Arian's defense attorney presented no defense, merely called the jurors' attention to his violated First Amendment rights. By the way, the First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to assemble....

The Government presented no evidence that al-Arian was involved in or knew of any plans of violence. Ashkroft's Amerikische geheime Staatspolizei didn't come through, instead, the American principle of free association and free speech shone through. The Republican disregard for Constitutional liberties as evidenced by the Patriot Act is well documented.

In other news, Condi signed an agreement with Romania today for use of an air base. According to many sources, we've already been using it. The Bushies continue to use the Clintonesque tactic of "defining terror" to defend themselves for having used it and if you don't call it torture, I'll see you on the waterboard. So far, she's used the Administration tactic of evading for as long as possible then attacking, this time "reminding" the Europeans that they've benefited from American-0btained intelligence. I rather think they wouldn't have accepted the intelligence had they known its sources. Condi denied rendition in Germany, home of a man we know was rendered from Macedonia, where he was apprehended, to Afghanistan, where he was tortured. You deny something you haven't done, Condi. You refuse to speak about what you're guilty of. Good little Republican! Not to mentioning trivializing it as a mistake and euphemistically referring to waterboarding as rough tactics....

If we don't torture, why does Bush object to an anti-torture provision in a defense authorization bill? Could it be a provable high crime and misdemeanor?

Theft is, and Bush continues to advocate stealing from us to give to the rich. He credits the robust economy to the tax cuts while refusing to believe unspun numbers: We are poorer now than when he took office, more of us are without medical insurance, our pensions are vanishing, interest rates are rising and debt is at record levels. The Shrub's tax cuts have benefitted those who don't need benefiting and to balance them, the Republicans want to reduce student loans and Medicare. A poor family can't afford the University of Colorado so that a rich family can have more money for Harvard? Seems wrong to me, hence the "W".