Who are The DEMbulbs Afraid of and Why?

Ah, if we only had the answer to that one question, the whole puzzle would fall together

October 11, 2007

The Allure of Cryptofascism

With respect to the Fourth Amendment hatchet known as the Protect America Act, may I ask what constituency Congressional Democrats are politically nervous about other than the cryptofascist crowd?

More than enough is never enough for the Bush administration. It has sought and received legislative approval after approval that enhance its anticonstitutional aims, yet once again, enough is not enough. Yesterday the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees crafted and approved legislation that "provides authority for the government to obtain 'basket' or 'umbrella' warrants for bundles of overseas communications" -- an unwarranted offense to the Fourth Amendment -- which prompted not smiles, but rage by the administration.

Consider the soi-disant logic behind the rage. Said the president prior to the committees' approval: "Terrorists in faraway lands are plotting and planning new ways to kill Americans. The security of our country and the safety of our citizens depend on learning about their plans. The Protect America Act is a vital tool in stopping the terrorists, and it would be a grave mistake for Congress to weaken this tool."

How is it weakened by the bill, according to White House arguments? By not immunizing telecommunications giants from prosecution for past acts -- those would be all those perfectly legal acts, says the White House -- and by extending the unconstitutionality of mass warrants for merely two years, rather than extending this Fourth Amendment killer in perpetuity.

Hence one major objection to the current bill has nothing to do with the present task of fighting terrorism, while the other objection extends beyond the White House's tenure. A three-dollar bill is less phony than the objections to this one.

And the hell of it is, the players know it -- especially Congressional Republicans, who've been handed the White House's objections to the modified Protect America Act only as a vital tool to shore up their base. After all, the White House will do whatever it wants anyway; impunity is guaranteed.

But since we've thrown logic to the specious winds, at least we can enjoy Congressional Republicans' rather paradoxical democratic dabbling in cryptofascism.

One, they have "attacked the legislation, saying it [gives] too much authority to judges who are not competent to be reviewing intelligence programs" -- oh, that one is just too easy -- and two, they say "that the failure to provide immunity to telecommunications companies would deter companies from cooperating with intelligence agencies in the future" -- even though each and every lawsuit would get automatically kicked by the state secret doctrine.

But, as stated, you can't beat anticonstitutional thugs with logic, because logic isn't what you're fighting.

So what's left of Republicans' arguments? Nothing, of course, but pure cryptofascist appeal. The only way to secure the American Way is through its destruction, step by itty-bitty step, or, by leaps and bounds, if you prefer. And there's no constituency so motivated to democratically condone its destruction like the cryptofascist crowd. It's one of the more curious manifestations of philosophical suicide known to man.

Is it really the suicidally inclined that Congressional Democrats wish to please, thereby committing the same act themselves? Sad to say, yep, which reveals the most fundamental of democracy's flaws: its willingness to reach up from its belly and throttle its own throat, all in the name of security -- the politicians', not the nation's.

It's not too much to ask that the Dems just do what's right. But it probably is too much to expect it. So we await the Senate's cave-in, which the House is likely counting on anyway. There is, after all, a freedom-loving election year coming.

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The Nazis, Fascists and Communists were political parties before they became enemies of liberty and mass murderers.