An ideology of lawlessness

[phantom power]

What we have in our Federal Government are not individual acts of law-breaking or isolated scandals of illegality, but instead, a culture and an ideology of lawlessness. It cannot be emphasized enough that since September 11, the Bush Administration has claimed the power to act without any constraints of law or checks from the Congress or the courts.

(...)

Isn’t it rather extraordinary to observe the Congress pass a much-debated bill which the Administration vigorously opposed, and watch the President sign it into law, only for the Administration, on the very same day, to actually come right out and say that the President "may have to waive the law’s restrictions"?

Since when do we have a system of Government where the President can simply "waive" away laws? This law was enacted specifically to prohibit acts of torture which the Administration has engaged in, and the President is openly telling us that he may have to unilaterally "waive" the law. Generously, we hear that he hopes not to have to break the law, "but it’s possible" that he will.

The NSA law-breaking scandal cannot be seen as some isolated act. It is merely the most flagrant symptom (thus far) of the fact that we have a President -- with three full years left in office -- who has claimed for himself the right to ignore Congressional law and who believes that virtually all decisions of any real significance in our country are his "alone to make." FISA. The National Security Act of 1947. The McCain Amendment. These are all federal laws -- laws -- which the Administration is openly claiming it has the right to violate.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_digbysblog_archive.html#113654818959158899

[reichstag911]

1. If you ask me...

...it all goes back to Ford's pardon of Nixon. While he stated at the time that "our long national nightmare (was) over," it seems to me that it was just beginning. It set the precedent for a total lack of accountability by criminals in high government office.

[phantom power]

2. Could be....

the theory at the time seemed to be something like "Well, Nixon has been permanently shamed, and that is punishment enough." But these days I think that these people have no shame. If they get caught, but get off, they don't say "wow, I was so wrong." They say "ha, suckers, just wait til my next scam."

Another reason that this is poisonous, is that it sucks the life-force out of the citizens. I know that when I see these crooks like Ken Lay, or Bush, or Abramoff, etc, my first reaction is simply "oh well, they'll get off." In a sane world, my reaction would be "Outrage! Lock them up and bury the key!" In my gut, I don't really hold any hope for justice. I imagine many other people feel the same way. And most people don't appear to be aware of what's going on at all.