President Bush’s clandestine domestic surveillance-`A rot’ on national psyche

Impeach him now. Enough already. Unlike former President Bill Clinton’s simplistic dalliances, President Bush has consistently and maliciously acted outside the laws of this country.

The revelation that he has personally authorized domestic spying in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 clearly rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. Not since the darkest days of the Nixon administration have we been treated to such a level of imperious behavior, a president acting as the law unto himself.

Osama bin Laden or any other terrorist could only hope to be so lucky as to cause this much damage to our country and to our most cherished ideals. Bin Laden is a real danger that must be kept at bay. Bush, his actions and the actions of his minions are a rot on our national psyche and must be excised before it eats into the very core of our principles. Impeach him.
PHIL DANCER

Nothing to hide' Apparently, some people are upset that after 9/11, President Bush authorized limited surveillance of people with connections with known terrorist networks. I will be quick to say that I am not among them. The attacks of Sept. 11 were unparalleled in the history of the United States. They did not occur in some country thousands of miles away, but in our own back yard. It was not one random act but was multiple planned attacks at key strategic U.S. targets. Thousands of Americans died at the hands of these terrorists. At the time, one could only guess what the next U.S. targets would be. When you are under attack, quick decisions are crucial. I am glad we had a person in the White House with the courage to make those decisions. I am a U.S. citizen who is very proud of all the freedoms that I have. I am so proud of these freedoms that in a time like 9/11, I will gladly give President Bush the right to monitor all my international communications because I have nothing to hide. I would like to end by saying: Thank you, President Bush, for looking out for my freedoms and the safety of my family and me. PAUL RAAKE Our libertiesthreatened’

Torture has been a policy of governments since time immemorial. So has spying on citizens by a country’s own government. One of the most recent examples of such a regime is, of course, Saddam Hussein’s nightmare in Iraq. Go back further and you’ll see the exact same policies being carried out by the Romans in Judea 2,000 years ago.

But I never thought I’d see the day when America took a cue from the Butcher of Baghdad or the Emperor Tiberius and instituted similar policies. I never thought I’d hear a vice president advocating torture as an official governmental policy or a president defending domestic spying without court order - a clear violation of the Constitution he swore to uphold....

Until recently, our national policy always was that our strongest defense is our freedoms and liberties. That’s what I swore to defend when I entered the military. But with our freedoms and liberties threatened by our own government, how can we pretend that our only interest is spreading the same freedoms to the rest of the world?

Far from protecting us from our enemies, this administration’s policies may easily end up causing the demise of the greatest democracy the world has ever known. Unless we as good-hearted American citizens stop them, in the end we will have only ourselves to blame.

DAVID WILLIAMS

Constitutional dictatorship' History tells us that the day following the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the internment of 110,000 mainland Americans of Japanese ancestry in guarded relocation camps.... The two men widely considered our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Roosevelt, instituted "constitutional dictatorship" in wartime. Both used their constitutional prerogatives, even when it meant skirting the laws of Congress, to get things done in time of peril. Both saved the nation in its critical moments and managed to do so while still presiding over free and fair elections that could have brought their opponents to office. LORINE GRUNERAbuses of power’

It is a stunning irony that the least qualified president in U.S. history is so very highhanded in claiming unprecedented presidential powers. The secret and illegal spying on American citizens is the latest in a long list of abuses of power. As usual, President Bush uses fear to justify his actions: He is only "saving American lives" and "fighting terrorism."

This man’s tunnel vision and grandiosity have cost thousands of American lives already and have disrupted the lives of many thousands more - families who are mourning their dead soldiers or caring for their injured ones, and soldiers who face a lifetime of disability. Bush’s failures range from deception concerning the reasons for launching his war to inadequate planning and resources for fighting it. Our troops deserve better.

While the President vows to establish democracy in the Middle East, he tramples on civil rights at home. His culture of cronyism makes a mockery of a free press, free market and free elections. It is up to American voters to hold this administration accountable. His brand of democracy is far too costly, in dollars, in lives, and in simple human decency.

MARY ELLEN PEACOCK

`Domestic spying’

In order to understand the uproar over the recent revelations regarding domestic spying and the attempt to renew the so-called Patriot Act, President Bush needs to access an American history textbook and carefully examine two items.

First, look in the appendix for a copy of the Constitution and read its first ten amendments. For those not in the know, these amendments are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.

Next, go to the index and look up "Franklin, Benjamin." Take a look at all the references to this great Founding Father. If you’re lucky, you’ll find one of his most famous comments (and I paraphrase): Those who would exchange liberty for security deserve neither.

President Bush will probably need someone to explain the meanings and significance of these two philosophical underpinnings of what America is truly about, and after a simplistic explanation, he might (hopefully!) begin to understand.

But I doubt it!

LEWIS LINDLE
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051226/OPINION02/51225003

Louisville 40208