Multiple sclerosis support - OT:OT:OT:NO MS:NO HURT USA:Sometimes you gotta stand for what you feel

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OT:OT:OT:NO MS:NO HURT USA:Sometimes you gotta stand for what you feel

abdi

2006-03-26, 12:36 am

When Ralph Nader ran for presidency in 2000 and in 2004 arguably, he caused
Dubaya to steal the presidency, but at times, even you have stood up for
your principals, even though you know this is a lost cause:

Published on Saturday, March 25, 2006 by the Madison Capital Times
(Wisconsin)
Feingold Stands Alone Again When Standing on Principle
by Joel McNally

By now it's no surprise when Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold steps out
ahead of his colleagues in Washington on the most important political issues
of the day.

In the U.S. Senate, most politicians prefer to hide under their desks
during any controversy until a clear majority is formed on one side. Then
they crawl through the ankles of the crowd, stand upright and pose for
smiling pictures at the front of the pack.

Feingold is that rare politician who actually feels comfortable taking
a principled stand even if it means standing alone.

It's a leadership style that requires, well, leading. But it's
definitely not for the timid. There are no potted plants to hide behind.

The only satisfaction comes from being right from the start. Right
about the war in Iraq, right about the attack on American freedoms launched
under the cover of fighting terrorism and right about whether the president
of the United States should be required to obey the laws we pass.

Of course, if there's anything politicians are terrified to oppose it
is war. What sort of politician wants to be known as someone who is opposed
to blowing up innocent civilians and turning healthy young Americans into
cannon fodder?

That's why Feingold was one of the few Democrats who had the courage
to vote against launching a pre-emptive war in Iraq, a country that was
absolutely no threat to us since its weapons of mass destruction existed
only in the fevered imaginations of the Bush administration.

There were plenty of other Democrats (and maybe even a few intelligent
Republicans) who knew that going to war with Iraq was a total waste of U.S.
resources and a ridiculous distraction from our real priority of pursuing
Osama bin Laden and the terrorist organization that had attacked America.

The trouble was the Democrats who knew better were afraid they would
never be able to run for president unless they acted really tough by voting
to pour American lives down a rat hole in Iraq.

Ironically, by the time Senators John Kerry and John Edwards ran
against George W. Bush, the most difficult question they failed to answer
was how they could have been so dumb as to vote for Bush's unnecessary war.

It's true Iraq was run by a brutal dictator. No one misses Saddam
Hussein except cartoonists.

But three years ago if we had lined up 2,400 American soldiers and
asked the American people if they would be willing to sacrifice the lives of
those fellow citizens so Iraqis could vote for a brand-new despot of their
own choosing to run their death squads, how many Americans would have
accepted the deal?

Politicians are easily spooked even when they don't have to confront
issues of life and death. Sometimes all it takes to terrify them is putting
a really scary name on a bill.

That is why the entire U.S. Senate, except for Russ Feingold, was
absolutely petrified to vote against a bill called the USA Patriot Act. They
were horrified by the vision of Republican attack ads accusing them of
voting against a bill with such a glorious name.

Never mind that the bill was as dishonestly named as all of those Bush
administration proposals to pollute the environment and murder wildlife that
carry names such as the Sunny Skies and Happy Bunny Rabbits Act.

The USA Patriot Act should have been more appropriately titled the
Totalitarian Takeover of America to Suspend Our Laws and Promote Torture
Act.

Which brings us to Russ Feingold's latest and most controversial
solitary stand to do what's right.

President Bush now claims he didn't even need to pass that dreadful
Patriot Act. Bush's attorney general, who previously wrote an opinion giving
the president the right to violate international laws on torture, has
drafted another opinion stating the president doesn't need to obey any laws
passed by Congress either.

Recent presidents who have acted as if they were above the law have
faced impeachment. That was true of Richard Nixon, who truly committed high
crimes by covering up black bag burglaries run out of the White House. And
it was true of Bill Clinton, who committed the lowly misdemeanor of lying
about his private sex life.

Feingold has terrified his fellow politicians without even taking the
totally justified step of calling for Bush's impeachment for violating the
law and lying to the American people about it.

Feingold simply suggested the Senate "censure," in effect say "tut,
tut," to President Bush for violating an explicit law passed by Congress
requiring the government to get a warrant before wiretapping American
citizens.

Democrat and Republican politicians alike have been fleeing Feingold's
resolution like cockroaches suddenly caught in the bathroom light.

It doesn't take very much to stand out amid a swarm of politicians who
are terrified to even stand up.

Copyright ©2006, Capital Newspapers.

###

--
Quaecomque sunt vera ----

robduncan2000@hotmail.com

2006-03-27, 12:27 am

Totally off topic, but ever since Bobs comment about the prolific
amounts of
riots in regard to a cartoon, and their paucity in the face of bombings
and
murders, Ive been thinking...

What is the definition of good?

What is the definition of evil?

Love involves forgiveness.

Hate requires revenge, retaliation, and retribution. The three R's as
required by ALLAH.

ALLAH is SATAN. Allah is evil, Muhamed is evil, muslims, who do
nothing in
the face of evil, are evil themselves.

Islam worships Satan. The L-rds most beautiful angel. Intolerance is
evil.
Where are the muslims who are rioting to save this christians life...
oh,
thats right, their home, tired, after rioting over a cartoon, much too
tired
to riot to save a mans life...

All it takes for evil to prevail is for an arab to worship Allah.

Rob
..