Hey everybody, I need some help with my Letter to the Editor.
I love constructive criticism, be as harsh as necessary.
I do feel like I'm all over the place though, and would like help clarifying and editing.
Good Republicans, the Founding Fathers, and Alito's Confirmation
Right now in the Senate they are discussing whether to confirm Sam Alito to the Supreme Court, if confirmed he will be on the Supreme Court for life.
Recently Americans have discovered that our own government has gone around the law and wiretapped it's own citizens without due process, without warrants. This is a clear violation of the Forth Amendment to the Constitution, the right to privacy. Pro-peace groups, anti-poverty groups, the Quakers, and military families have all had their rights violated by this illegal spying. The talking heads would have us believe that in a time of war such actions are forgivable, that our executive branch MUST have these powers to protect us from terrorism. The fact that not one talking head has reminded its viewers of founding father Benjamin Franklin's words on the subject of liberty and security concerns me about the health of, not only the forth estate, but the health of our democracy.
Benjamin Franklin said and I quote:
"Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."
In 1974, when it was discovered that Nixon had illegally spied on Americans, his own Republican Party forced him to resign.
Word is that "9/11 changed everything." We were told by our government that they "hated us for our freedoms" only to them watch them pass the Patriot Act, which took those freedoms away and gave us the most powerful executive branch this country has ever known. We were told by John Ashcroft to watch what we say. We were told by the President, "you are either with us or against us." Those that questioned rational for the Iraq War were dubbed by the likes of O'Rielly and Limbaugh as traitors. Obviously they have forgotten the immortal words of the Super Patriotic Republican President Teddy "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt said in 1918 during WWI:
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
To Teddy Roosevelt dissent was the highest form of Patriotism and war profiteering was the highest form of treason, how times and political parties do change.
Our Country was built on the right to disagree and that no one is above the law. Sam Alito has not answered questions on his feelings of Supreme Executive Power. Considering his decisions in numerous cases, one involving the strip search of a 10 year old girl and virtually all of his cases of a consumer vs a corporation, if confirmed I have a feeling that America will soon be seeing yet another King George.