Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution doesn'’t explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.Where this idiot thinks the right came from in order that it could be taken away is a mystery.
"There is no expressed grant of habeas in the Constitution; there's a prohibition against taking it away,"” Gonzales said.
Still, why the hell not amputate another obsolete legal appendage from another time? We can toss it into the dumpster of history with all the other useless relics.
After all, there's no First Amendment any more, what with "Campaign Finance Reform," FCC censorship, proposals to force political commentators to register with the government they're supposed to be critical of, censorship of "adult content" (and lest you think the people of the Founding era only meant to protect political and religious freedom, follow the link on my Jan. 19 "This Day in History" post), "hate speech" edicts, restrictions on freedom of assembly, laws forbidding the public expression of religion, etc.
And it's not like there's any recognized Second Amendment. Hell, the Bush administration just issued new FAA regs where they openly declare it to be a "collective right," and federal prosecutors are doing their utmost to destroy Wayne Fincher, while a federal judge greases the skids. Hell, according to him, there's not even a Constitution--at least one you can mention in his courtroom.
It's not like there's any Fourth Amendment, what with warrantless searches--yeah, they're just against "terrorists," that is, until We the People who believe in the Citizen Militia of the Constitution are classified as such, as an Arizona representathing is proposing. Besides, who needs a warrant when you can simply phone in an anonymous tip to a snitch line claiming an enemy has a gun and the authorities need to respond NOW!
It's not like there's a Sixth Amendment, what with the trial by jury subverted via judicial instructions that the judge, not the jury, is the most powerful authority in the court. Oh, and the anonymous tipsters mentioned above? So much for your right to face your accuser.
The Fifth and Eighth Amendments? Don't worry, "waterboarding" and other delights are just for terrorists. You know, like those militia freaks I mentioned a couple paragraphs back. Now wear your dog collar, get back in that pyramid and smile...
Ninth and Tenth Amendments? Ha. The whole damned country is ramped up for the War on Drugs with federal authority nowhere delegated in the Constitution, along with the federal hand in everything from education to health care to labor laws to environmentalcase activism to...besides which, all the neocon establishment opinionmakers will tell you there is no right to privacy (back to Amendment IV, I see)...
The evisceration of the Bill of Rights is damned near complete. Rulers so treasonous they behave as if following a demonic playbook are so blatant in their tyranny it's a wonder their horns aren't visible.
Hush now. Nothing to see here. There will be no war, even though one has been declared on us that would have spurred our forebears to storm the citadel in fury. Most of our countrymen will never miss what they never knew they had--until, of course, it's too late.
Honey, get me a beer? Hey--it's Saturday. Is there anything good on tonight?
[Via John Perna. Also thanks to US Citizen for calling my attention to the "Minuteman" story]