Lessig

America is over. The ruling clique is squabbling among themselves, the economy is rotting, and people are now noticing that what America exports is mostly weaponry, porn, lies and lawsuits. It won't be long now before Spanish speaking people realize that they could organize a far better country in parts South, and up North they realize that they'd be better off as part of Canada. Even Texas seems to have its separatist elements. The USA will go like the USSR, and it's about time. No one needs it, it's a positive danger with its gene hacking, bombing from 30,000 feet, and general idiocy.

"It will not be one man going to the Moon. It will be a whole nation." - JFK

So true. USA Off Earth! Let the flag fly on OTHER planets, where there is nothing natural to destroy, and where corporate capitalism can run rampant. And where the corporations that rule, can charge even for the air that you breathe.

"hello, this is paul o'neill"

"paul, john ashcroft here. how are you?"

"well..."

"paul, let me get right to the point, this book of yours.... why are you trying to make the president look bad? pablo's real grumpy over this."

"it's like this paul. that secret document you leaked... you're looking at 20 years in the federal pen... maybe the death penalty... we'll put your wife and your kids in camp x-ray."

"and we'll get that little dog of yours."

"hey, wait a minute, everything i have was cleared by white house counsel...."

silence

"if anything was leaked to the press it wasn't my fault."

more silence and then

"paul, you've got 24 hours to recant, make a full confession, admit everything you said about the president's planning to attack iraq was a misunderstanding on your part, and i'll talk to the president and see what i can do about those felony treason charges we are ready to file against you."

"24 hours paul. and we want it to be sincere. real sincere."

"yes, mr. secretary."

"there's a good boy, now get to work and clean up the mess you made and maybe you'll get to enjoy your retirement....

and paul, don't make me call you a second time. we're watching you."

click.

Analysis anyone? All the bloggers I usually track are posting short sharp comments on the O'Neill situation, with no detailed analysis. In office, O'Neill stuck me as a pretty sharp guy with a habit of being a bit too truthful for a Cabinet secretary in the television age. He wrote (or managed the writing of) a book published in his name with some fairly pointed observations and criticisms of the Bush Administration.

Now - backtracking. Why would he do that unless pressured? And how is he being pressured? Would the Justice Dept that doesn't even acknowledge a crime occured in the Plame situation actually prosecute someone because Karl Rove ordered them to? Because that person was causing Bush embarassment? I truely want to think that isn't the case - but what is the alternative explanation?

Cranky

And about those nicknames--how about one for GWB hisself.
I propose 'Sonny'

I just heard on my local NPR station (KALW) that today (15 January) is the anniversary of the Eldred ruling.

O'neill on 60 minutes:

"I don't think I'll be attacked for telling the truth."

The next day the inquest began. Now he's backtracking. Someone got to him. Big surprise.

O’Neill stuck me as a pretty sharp guy with a habit of being a bit too truthful for a Cabinet secretary in the television age.

I agree. It's unfortunate that he is now distancing himself from his original comments. It's even more unfortunate that he feels the need to do so.

A transparent government is vital to the success of this country. If the tragic events of 9/11 force our government to seclude itself from its citizens, then the terrorists effectively accomplished their goal of disrupting our way of life.

The saddest thing, IMHO, is that our enemies know more about our Constitution than we do. They knew exactly what to attack (our economic trophy, our military headquarters, and presumably the headquarters of the executive branch of our government) and when to attack (surely the digits 911 were not unknown to them). And, as they probably expected, our government reacted by clamping down on the freedoms that our Founding Fathers implicitly wrote into our Constitution.

I don't fault our elected representatives for their knee-jerk reaction; indeed, at the time, I was all for their "anti-terrorism" legislation. But, as the saying goes, "hindsight is 20-20" and I've come to realize that Ben Franklin was right when he said: "Those who give up liberty for the sake of security deserve neither liberty nor security."

The problem now becomes one of legal inertia. It takes an incredible amount of public support to overturn overreaching laws. And in that arena, the most lethal enemies that America is facing are our own apathy and lethargy.

IMO, Mr. O'Neill took one step forward, but two steps back.

--Jason

...I’ve come to realize that Ben Franklin was right when he said: “Those who give up liberty for the sake of security deserve neither liberty nor security.”

jason, the actual quote is "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"

this statement first appeared in 1756 on the title page of franklin’s work entitled, An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania, from its Origin; so far as regards the several Points of Controversy, which have, from Time to Time, arisen Between the several Governors of that Province and Their several Assemblies, Founded on authentic Documents.

this is one of the most powerful statements which franklin ever wrote, but when used for polemical purposes it obscures the complexities of the world in which we live and that in which franklin lived.

it is a misrepresentation of history, rather than an argument of first principle.

the fact is that every modern western liberal has been willing to cede some degree of individual liberty to society in exchange for some degree of perceived equality, well-being, or security. 31 years after publishing this quote, franklin himself participated in the constitutional convention in which an enormous number of individual and state liberties were ceded to the new federal government.

the debate is therefore not if liberties shall be ceded to secure safety, but to what degree and decided by whom.

the threat to liberty is when this is decided by a cabal of criminals and their marionette president.

In other words, thank God we don't live in America.

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