First session - Wither our Democracy?

Panel session: Topic: Wither our Democracy? Two Views on Protecting our Civil Liberties
Moderator: Mark Green (moderating all events)
Panelists: Lionel with Jim Hightower

It's too hard to write everything down. Hopefully they are recording these sessions for podcasts. Here are some notes as I went along:

Mark Green is funny. He has introduced himself as Captain America. J This session is “off the record” and suggests using terms like “pimped out” and “lynched” are ok here. ;-)
Lionel is leading this session. Starts off with some references to digestive system issues. ;-) Running gag throughout..

He’s talking in his own inimitable way about our Constitution and how it’s been destroyed, especially with executive signing statements. Why didn’t Bush veto anything? Ah, signing statements! He compares them to a marriage vow that has “except if she gets fat” implied.

When the Ann Coulters of this world suggest “there’s nothing in the Constitution that says… (whatever), it doesn’t mean we have to endorse it.

Lionel loves the applause after he says “the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional”. Wishes they hadn’t gotten an atheist to challenge the school’s use of it. He wants the government OUT of the religion world. One way or the other. No teacher should say “there is a God” OR “there is no God”.

Suggests that the insistence of putting religion (God) as a government force gives ammunition to those who agree, but happen to call God “Allah”.

2nd Amendment – doesn’t mean you have the right to an ouzi. The gun-crazy people (like AC, the counterfeit conservative) and Michelle Malkin (the Phillipiness??) are constitutional experts, of course.
This is not a liberal or conservative case. It’s a rules case.

14th Amendment – equal protection clause – does not allow separate treatment for gays (cannot get married) simply because it’s not – traditional. Mentions the laws. That got changed.

The Constitution is OURS.

Jim Hightower

Bush won’t change – where the hell are the Democrats? Weaker than Canadian hot sauce on all the issues at hand. (He says he got an email from one of his listeners saying he hoped Bush would get caught smoking pot, because then Congress would legalize pot).

Dems in Congress are cowering. Mark Twain “loyalty to the government when it deserves it”.

Mark - Jim was too kind when he called this an “Imperial Presidency”. It’s far more radical – when Bush took the oath to “execute” the Constitution, he took that word literally.

Discussed torture. Illegal and immoral and if we do it, they do it.

FISA – after Nixon did it, Congress said let’s stop it. But there are legitimate reasons – so the Fisa court was created. 5000 requests and only 10 rejected. But inconvenient for Bush. When disclosed, prosecute the NYTimes! Bush said law was “out of date”. This, from an administration that constantly uses “founding fathers” to explain what they do, but FISA is “out of date”.

Record of this administration – twice the SC has ruled against them. But when they don't like the laws, they just don't enforce and business takes notice. Lack of enforcement – SEC, etc.
Golden rule – he who has the gold, rules.

Broadcast licenses – you must give equal access to bonafide candidates. Yeah Mark!

Private “always good”, public “always bad” – ugh!

Questions:
Lionel – free thought vs free speech?
All – comments on “Cheney administration”. What recourse? International court of law? Jim supported impeaching Cheney. Congress has the “inherent contempt” power. Mark – too many things to add here.

Lots of talk about Nancy Pelosi – more to come this afternoon.
Mark is great at giving insights into the politics of things, including Pelosi, Bloomberg, Nader and Schumer.

One question about getting Air America to motivate political activity. Mark gave a good answer about the raison d'être of Air America. He says that AA is not a political party and it’s not AA’s job to incite the masses to activity. He also commented that people just don’t do marches and protests anymore the way they did in the ‘60s and ‘70s. This activity is found on the internet, in “signing” petitions online, etc. In my view AA provides an outlet for progressive discussion, a way to hear the correct side of issues. By presenting those that do wish to motivate us to action, it helps many of our causes.

Ran out of time.
Really great session.