Last semester, John Ashcroft spoke at Denison U (my school)--he was the former Attourney General under President Junior, and a big supporter of the War on Terror, warrantless wiretapping, torture, etc. He spoke the typical rhetoric of spreading "freedom" and protecting Americans at whatever cost. I found him to be naive in his assumptions, and heartless in his justifications for revoking civil liberties. A Jordanian classmate of mine asked him what "freedom" truly meant, and if it was indeed democratic to impose our values on another people. He dodged the question.And of course, our next AG was Alberto "I cannot recall" Gonzales--and because my words can hardly do these guys justice, I'll hand over the reigns to the Daily Show team:It will be vital for the integrity of the nation that President Obama restore the justice to the Justice Department by appointing a passionate, honest, and talented Attourney General. One that will restore law and order, and resurrect Habeas Corpus. One who will lead the charge for human rights and end torture. One who will hold our leadership accountable. Eric Holder is the man President-Elect Obama has chosen, and I think he could be the man for the job--though I shall reserve my judgment until he proves himself as the nation's lawyer. There are critics of the man--in particular, Progressive critics on the left--but I'd like to show you an excerpt from Glenn Greenwald's reaction to the nomination:
The bulk of what I've read about and from Holder suggests, with a couple of ultimately marginal exceptions, that this appointment would be a very positive step. Digby yesterday quoted at length from an impassioned speech Holder gave in June of this year in which he condemned Guantanamo as an "international embarrassment"; charged that "for the last 6 years the position of leader of the Free World has been largely vacant"; complained that "we authorized torture and we let fear take precedence over the rule of law"; and called for an absolute end both to rendition and warrantless eavesdropping. He proclaimed that "the next president must move immediately to reclaim America's standing in the world as a nation that cherishes and protects individual freedom and basic human rights."What's notable about this speech, in my view, is that the points he's making go well beyond standard Democratic Party boilerplate on these issues. More revealingly, the rhetoric he used is rather unconstrained for Washington, suggestive of actual passion and conviction on these matters.
Sound promising to me. But we shall see.For more on Holder (positive and negative reactions) see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/19/reaction-round-up-eric-ho_n_144996.html
finally someone who is actually qualified, experienced and well-versed in the Constitution of the USA and not of the alternate constitution our former pres. supported.
I am Hopeful and also praying (just in case) for things to go as we all think they should.
"A person doesn't die when he should but when he can."
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
"close your eyes, clear your heart..." A Muslim Girl's Plight<
His role in the pardon of the tax dodger, arms dealer and fugitive from justice Marc Rich are pretty suspect. And I think he also played a role in the pardons of the Puerto Rican vote terrorist group FALN.
Both pardons were for the most disgusting political purposes that had nothing to do with justice. Denise Rich was a major campaign donator to Bill Clinton.. And Hillary needed the Puerto Rican vote for her Senate race in New York..
Holder has the right professional qualifications for the Attorney General Job. But the Attorney General is supposed to be above partisan politics and indeed is supposed to make sure that the Administration operates within the law. I really question whether Holder has the right moral temperment. I think he is kind of a piece of excrement.
I can't help but feel that what we have in store is a much better AG than the past 8 years but then again, that's me.
I know we should not compare him to people that are (in my opinion) so below him in their qualifications/intentions but what can I do?
That's what I (a 21 year old) know of and have lived through
"A person doesn't die when he should but when he can."
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
"close your eyes, clear your heart..." A Muslim Girl's Plight<
I'm not very enthusiastic about an AG that would sell his office for campaign contributions for his boss alla Mark Rich or free terrorists to get votes for his boss's wife. I think those things qualify him as a corrupt piece of excrement. Other then those (minor?) lapses, I agree that he is qualified. If that is "change we can believe in" then color me less than impressed.
I think John Ashcroft did a good job at a very tough moment in our country's history. I know the left didn't like him and the biggest rap against him was that he was overly religious. I'm pretty suspicious of religious zeal too but I did not see him turn it into policy except covering up a naked statue so I fail to see how any harm was done. He did write the Patriot Act. A majority of Democrats voted for it originally and then voted a couple years later to re-authorize it. It would have gone nowhere without those Democrat votes so Jon Ashcroft was in good company.
It is hard for me to imagine a stupider AG then Alberto Gonzalez. He was a complete moron and a hack. I think we agree at least on that. From time to time Bush floated his name as a possible Supreme Court Nominee. Thank god that didn't happen!
It has been a long time since we have had a really good AG. Janet Reno wasn't much to brag about. I'll never forgive her for sending that baby back to Communist Cuba after her mother died trying to bring it to freedom. And then their was the Waco incident where she caused a bunch of Americans who really were kooky and breaking some laws but were really not bothering much of anybody to be murdered. That was shameful and beyond incompetent. It could have been handled much differently and so much better. Neither Ashcroft or Gonzlez did anything close to as bad.
every life is precious But.....Janet Reno's hand in the Waco incident is incomparable to how big of a hand Ashcroft had in the Patriot Act (with unlimited number of injustices incurred on who knows how many individuals?)
you're not going to agree with me on this and that's quite all right because these are my views and not just spur of the moment or uninformed views
We can agree that we each see these things differently, and that is an undeniable truth :)
"A person doesn't die when he should but when he can."
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
"close your eyes, clear your heart..." A Muslim Girl's Plight<
Everybody looks at the world through their own prizm, I'm sure we both see reality very different and somewhat distorted.
I do think that saying that the needless deaths of quite a few innocent people is less serious then some of the unjustices done to Muslims is heartless and cruel and reflects some badly distorted priorities. Dead people vs people that were asked to show up and be questioned? A few jailed? A few perhaps abused? How does that compare to dead children?
But your welcome to you own opinion. At least we agree on Alberto Gonzalez so there is hope for us.
Janet Reno had in causing their deaths.......
I only apologized or said it felt heartless because I feel guilty even saying that the part she had wasn't that great...truthfully, her role in Waco, was not as great as Ashcroft's in Patriot Act.
And you are letting your prejudices and hate show when you mentioned that all those detained, questioned and tortured, are without a doubt, Muslims.
I understand that why you would have these prejudices, I just think you need to get a better handle on all of this because the true extent of how many civil rights and human rights violations were and might be still, carried out under Patriot Act is unknown to us civilians.
but then....
"A person doesn't die when he should but when he can."
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
"close your eyes, clear your heart..." A Muslim Girl's Plight<
Janet Reno was supervising the WACO operation very closely. She admitted that. She gave the order to attack. People died. It all never should have happened.
To my knowledge it was only Muslims that were detained and questioned and what not by John Ashcroft's Justice Department using the authority of the Patriot Act.. That made sense because it was right after 911. My statement had nothing to do with hatred but just my understanding of the facts.
Congress has oversight authority. The Congress has been controlled by Democrats for the past two years and it has been almost four since John Ashcroft was AG. If there are ongoing abuses or anything the public should know about, then the Democrats in Congress are not doing their job.
It's always gotta come back to Democrats and that's all right.
I am okay with you bringing it back...as I specifically said that our knowledge is limited on what actually went on under the Patriot Act, so what you and I know is always just what they want us to know.
If you're content with that then...there's nothing more for me to say on this topic.
"A person doesn't die when he should but when he can."
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
"close your eyes, clear your heart..." A Muslim Girl's Plight<
I came upon other personal views and already covered territory...
Again I contend that she did what she had to because of what she was told to, and with information that was given to her...but this is not going to satisfy you...
Yet I bothered to type all this because there are connections and parallels I hope you make...but then it is heartless because the lives lost by what you say were Reno's words are more precious than the lives lost by our bloodied I-raq hands.
I await the reply that these apples and oranges, they should not be mixed
"A person doesn't die when he should but when he can."
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
"close your eyes, clear your heart..." A Muslim Girl's Plight<