George’s Coronation Delayed

It’s not just his glutting of the nation’s treasury to furnish his illegal, immoral war in Iraq or all the corporate welfare he is doling out through tax breaks for the super-rich. Those are bad enough.

(George Bush, not yet quite King…)

So, U.S. District Court Judge Anna Diggs-Taylor has issued a ruling saying what was obvious to us all along, that the president’s circumventing of the FISA Court to conduct his wiretapping program is illegal and unconstitutional. “It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control, particularly when such actions blatantly disregard the parameters clearly enumerated in the Bill of Rights,� said Judge Diggs-Taylor, referring to the U.S. Constitution. Amen.

The president and his minions have argued that the secret program is needed to fight the war on terror. However, the FISA Court established in 1978 was designed as a secret court to authorize wiretaps for programs relating to national security concerns. Is the Administration saying that this court isn’t secret enough for them? Or is it that these people feel that they shouldn’t have to answer to anyone?

The judge astutely noted that “there are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created in the Constitution.� It’s good to know that there are still some folks in positions of power willing to stand up to this thuggish president. And Judge Diggs-Taylor hit the nail squarely on the head. Because this president by his unilateral, “go-it-alone, you are either with us or against us� policy has postured just like a despotic king, instead of a president.

And the far-reaching implications of his illegal policies remain to be seen. It’s not just his glutting of the nation’s treasury to furnish his illegal, immoral war in Iraq or all the corporate welfare he is doling out through tax breaks for the super-rich. Those are bad enough. But this president has set a bone-chilling precedence for presidential abuse of power. And to the extent that we have not drafted articles of impeachment against him, what will deter the next president who wants more power than the Constitution mandates?

This courageous ruling will surely be challenged. The president already made that very clear by whining that the judge’s decision “was a terrible opinion.� Tell us mister president, just who is it terrible for? This case may well be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. And if it does go that far, with a Court now firmly stacked after his appointments of Chief Judge John Roberts and Samuel Alito, our would be King George will continue to have his way.

To subscribe to New York’s favorite Pan-African weekly investigative newspaper please click on “subscribeâ€? on the homepage or call (212) 481-7745. For advertisements or to send us a news tip contact [email protected] “Speaking Truth To Empower,â€? is our motto.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *