John Dean on Censure

Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, making a forceful call for censure of President Bush over his illegal wiretapping. Excerpts:

No presidency that I can find in history has adopted a policy of expanding presidential powers merely for the sake of expanding presidential powers.... It has been the announced policy of the Bush/Cheney presidency, however, from its outset, to expand presidential power for its own sake, and it continually searched for avenues to do just that, while constantly testing to see how far it can push the limits. I must add that never before have I felt the slightest reason to fear our government. Nor do I frighten easily. But I do fear the Bush/Cheney government (and the precedents they are creating) because this administration is caught up in the rectitude of its own self-righteousness, and for all practical purposes this presidency has remained largely unchecked by its constitutional coequals....

Congress is now confronted with executive branch attorneys who take the most aggressive reading possible in all situations that favor executive power.... If this committee does not believe this Administration is hell bent on expanding its powers ... you have been looking the other way for some five years of this presidency.... That is why censure might be the only way for the Senate to avoid acquiescing in what is clearly a blatant violation of the 1978 FISA stature, not to mention the Fourth Amendment.

I implore the Senate to undertake not a partisan action, but a strong institutional action. I recall a morning -- March 21, 1973 -- that I tried to warn a president of the consequences of staying his course. I failed to convince President Nixon that morning, and the rest, as they say, is history. I certainly do not claim to be prescient. Then or now. But actions have consequences, and to ignore them is merely denial. Today, it is very obvious that history is repeating itself.... I hope that the collective wisdom of this committee will prevail, and you will not place the president above the law by inaction.... Hopefully the Senate will not sit by while even more serious abuses unfold before it.

First they come for the Pornographers

LEXINGTON, KY - I just read an interview with Milos Forman, the director of "The People vs. Larry Flynt." That movie should be required viewing for EVERY American. If you don't own it, click here.

Forman said that he admires Flynt as a person, which even I admit might be a stretch. The movie has many omissions, inaccuracies, and it definitely sugar-coats the details of Flynt's life. Do a google search for the movie title, and you'll find dozens of "feminist critiques" and crap like that regarding the movie. It washes over or ignores a horde of negative facts about Flynt. Big deal. The point of the movie is NOT that Flynt was a saint. The point is that even a scumbag (I think that is how Flynt describes himself in the movie) can be an unlikely champion of ALL of our rights. Like him or not, Flynt suffered a lot so that the rest of us could be free. When the fuck did Jerry Falwell, George Bush, (or any other motherfucker who claims to want to protect our freedom) do that?

The rest of this is pretty much lifted from here.

Milos Forman said that the movie was about Flynt's public struggle for freedom. "It was my own life experience that told me I should make this movie,' says the Czech-born filmmaker. I've lived in two societies where it was the pornographers and perverts who were publicly attacked and censored first -- the Nazis and the Communists. We all applauded -- who wants perverts running through the streets, after all?

"It's the easiest thing for the government to find support for censorship of pornography. But they are smart; they have ways of formulating the laws, so that you suddenly learn that Shakespeare was a pervert, Jesus was a pervert ... that, in fact, eveyone who does not conform with the government is a super-pervert.

"That is, of course, devastating for creativity, and for the quality of life -- for everything." continues Forman. "Now these regimes have stagnated and disappeared. They may rise up from the ashes under different names. But you will know, because the first thing they will attack will be the pornographers."

Ok, the rest of this is mine....

Tell me.... Doesn't Milos Forman's evaluation of the Nazis and the Communists just smack a little bit of today's Bush administration? Take a look at the Justice Department's "priority" -- prosecuting obscenity. OBSCENITY! Here is a good article about this foolishness.

Better yet... look at the sneaky shit creeping up under Section 2257. Free Speech Coalition. And, other regulations that are supposedly to "protect us."

Fuck these christian/republican assholes. Fuck them in the ass. Don't say I didn't warn you. I've got somewhere to go when its time to flee this country. Do you?

An Open letter to Producer David Kelly (subtitle, I censor myself)

BOSTON - One of my earliest posts was slamming producer David Kelly because all of his shows take place in Boston, yet not a single Masshole or Masshole type appears in his shows.

I take it all back.

I apologize.

I deleted the post.

Did he sue me? No. Did he send me a nasty letter? No... My reaction to that would have been to bash him again.

No... David Kelly was responsible for the following clip from Boston Legal. This clip shows that SOMEONE gets it.

STICK IT!!!!

Mr. Kelly probably never saw my original post and probably never will. But anyone who is responsible for that content being broadcast on the American airwaves gets a pass, deserves my respect, and has my humble apologies.

If you dont want to download the clip, or if it ever moves... here is the transcript of this part of the episode.

Alan Shore's closing argument


Alan Shore: When the weapons of mass destruction thing turned out to be not true, I expected the American people to rise up. Ha! They didn't.

Then, when the Abu Ghraib torture thing surfaced and it was revealed that our government participated in rendition, a practice where we kidnap people and turn them over to regimes who specialize in torture, I was sure then the American people would be heard from. We stood mute.

Then came the news that we jailed thousands of so-called terrorists suspects, locked them up without the right to a trial or even the right to confront their accusers. Certainly, we would never stand for that. We did.

And now, it's been discovered the executive branch has been conducting massive, illegal, domestic surveillance on its own citizens. You and me. And I at least consoled myself that finally, finally the American people will have had enough. Evidentially, we haven't.

In fact, if the people of this country have spoken, the message is we're okay with it all. Torture, warrantless search and seizure, illegal wiretappings, prison without a fair trial - or any trial, war on false pretenses. We, as a citizenry, are apparently not offended.

There are no demonstrations on college campuses. In fact, there's no clear indication that young people seem to notice.

Well, Melissa Hughes noticed. Now, you might think, instead of withholding her taxes, she could have protested the old fashioned way. Made a placard and demonstrated at a Presidential or Vice-Presidential appearance, but we've lost the right to that as well. The Secret Service can now declare free speech zones to contain, control and, in effect, criminalize protest.

Stop for a second and try to fathom that.

At a presidential rally, parade or appearance, if you have on a supportive t-shirt, you can be there. If you are wearing or carrying something in protest, you can be removed.

This, in the United States of America. This in the United States of America. Is Melissa Hughes the only one embarrassed?

*Alan sits down abruptly in the witness chair next to the judge*

Judge Robert Sanders: Mr. Shore. That's a chair for witnesses only.

Really long speeches make me so tired sometimes.

Judge Sanders: Please get out of the chair.

Alan: Actually, I'm sick and tired.

Judge Sanders: Get out of the chair!

Alan: And what I'm most sick and tired of is how every time somebody disagrees with how the government is running things, he or she is labeled unAmerican.

U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Evidentally, it's speech time.

Alan: And speech in this country is free, you hack! Free for me, free for you. Free for Melissa Hughes to stand up to her government and say "Stick it"!

U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Objection!

Alan: I object to government abusing its power to squash the constitutional freedoms of its citizenry. And, God forbid, anybody challenge it. They're smeared as being a heretic. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American!

Judge Sanders: Mr. Shore. Unless you have anything new and fresh to say, please sit down. You've breached the decorum of my courtroom with all this hooting.

Alan: Last night, I went to bed with a book. Not as much fun as a 29 year old, but the book contained a speech by Adlai Stevenson. The year was 1952. He said, "The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism."

Today, it's the cloak of anti-terrorism. Stevenson also remarked, "It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them."

I know we are all afraid, but the Bill of Rights - we have to live up to that. We simply must. That's all Melissa Hughes was trying to say. She was speaking for you. I would ask you now to go back to that room and speak for her.

Have a Banana you Fucking Slut!

Yeah.... that's a good girl. You eat it. All of it. And once you're done with that one, there's a whole bunch more for you to take.... mmmm.... mmmmm .... good.