Torture is not an American value.
I cannot tell you how much I resent even having to type that sentence.
Because of the rules of the Senate, there will be no filibuster. I know there are many Democrats who fought, and must feel very much like the gentleman Steph Dray talked to in Harry Reid's office (on the flip):
I asked if there was a chance of a filibuster.
The staffer let out a long sigh. "We can't," he said, explaining some complicated stuff about unanimous consent and amendments. Essentially, it boiled down to the fact that the Democrats thought they would have the numbers to pass amendments to fix this bill, so due to Senate rules, the filibuster is now not possible.
The gist of the conversation was that they believed they had the votes for the Amendments but it sounds as if someone got punked.
I asked "Why didn't you filibuster this bill instead?"
He told me flat out, that Harry Reid could not find the votes for a filibuster of this bill. Then he told me that the habeas corpus and torture issues were poison, but there were large parts of the bill that "needed" to be passed and that's why there weren't the votes for a filibuster.
I asked him, "It needed to be passed at this cost?"
He sighed again. And it was not a condescending sigh. It was a sigh of utter defeat. As I went on to lecture him about how this was the big issue, this was everything, this was the constitution, the moral question of our age, he did not argue.
When I told him that history was going to look back on this day unkindly, and that Harry Reid especially would not look good, he didn't argue with that either. And it wasn't a matter of disloyalty, I think. It seemed to me that Mr. Reid's office may be well aware that this is a very dark day.
He essentially said, "We tried."
This is why you fight, even when you're in the minority. Because every capitulation, from the bankruptcy bill, to Alito's confirmation, to the hedging of bets in the CT Senate race by Democratic leaders weakened our ability to find a victory at the crucial moment.
So, what do we do now? Capitulate again to a criminal executive branch that has learned the lessons of Watergate and the Iran Contra scandal that the best pardon is the one which precedes not only the conviction, but the investigation of the crimes committed.
I say NO!
Because torture is not an American value. It cannot be made so by a cringing Congress eager to cover up the war crimes that they and we have now been made complicit in.
Unquestionably, this is a body blow to the foundation of American democracy. Habeas corpus was literally one of the founding values of this republic.
Habeas Corpus
habeas corpus n. Law A writ issued to bring a party before a court to prevent unlawful restraint. [<Med. Lat., you should have the body] Source: AHD</p>
The basic premise behind habeas corpus is that you cannot be held against your will without just cause. To put it another way, you cannot be jailed if there are no charges against you. If you are being held, and you demand it, the courts must issue a writ or habeas corpus, which forces those holding you to answer as to why. If there is no good or compelling reason, the court must set you free. It is important to note that of all the civil liberties we take for granted today as a part of the Bill of Rights, the importance of habeas corpus is illustrated by the fact that it was the sole liberty thought important enough to be included in the original text of the Constitution.
However, the obituaries being posted are premature.
We need to mobilize to win this election, now even more than ever. A couple of months ago, someone said to me "This is the most important election of our lifetime. If we don't win this time, there may not be a next."
At the time, I thought, "yeah, yeah, that's what we say every time. Sell the red meat elsewhere."
I've changed my tune.
This capitulation by the Republican controlled Congress, in a nation with an authoritarian class indulging the madness and greed of Republicans in every state of this great nation, is the Rubicon. In crossing it, like Julius Caesar, they have declared themselves above laws both national and moral.
Congress made me cry today, and I will not forgive them for it.
I thought this post would be much harsher in its language, because I promise you I want every one of the traitors who voted for this bill to roast in the hell of their nightmares. Preferably with occasional turns in a cold hell in eternal stress positions with the devils in charge taking turns just short of the point of penetration with a pitchfork and an kidney punch from sensory deprivation in the mix for variety's sake.
Torture being the Devil's value, so to speak, but not an American value.
Hmmm, guess there was a little harsh leaking out after all.
But that's for Judgement Day, and right now, I'm looking at Election Day.
If we do not challenge them now, with everything we can muster, and win back our Congress, then the obituary will be written, and there is no reason to expect the demise of American influence to be any gentler than the fall of Rome was.
Look to no one else for our defense, if we will not fight ourselves.
To that end, I have a modest proposal, and an urgent exhortation to issue to you all.
The modest proposal is to request you to sign this petition to be sent to Congress on November 1. It's very brief, and contains a vow to act as well as sign:
Torture is not an American value. We call on the next Congress to repudiate it without equivocation as its earliest order of business.
And we will vote accordingly in November.
So say we all.
The urgent exhortation is this. This campaign, do more than vote.
Do everything you can to make sure these incumbents are held accountable for this vote. Punish every capitulator, and protect every patriot who stood up to say NO to this outrageous indulgence of a sadistic potentate.
If you can blockwalk, do that.
If you can write a check, do that.
If you can phone bank, do that.
Don't mourn, organize. There is time, but there is none to waste.
Because torture is NOT an American value.
So say we all.