By Jim Hightower & r & & r & 2006, George, not 1706 & r & & r & & lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & H & lt;/span & ere's today's phrase: "habeas corpus." This phrase embodies the democratic principle -- enshrined in our Constitution -- that government officials cannot arbitrarily arrest you, lock you up, and throw away the key. Habeas corpus -- which literally means "produce the body" -- is an essential safeguard against a police state.
The founders insisted that there be legal checks on our officials (even the president) to prevent them from the exercise of naked governmental power. Habeas corpus is the legal procedure requiring government officials to present evidence that there is a reason to imprison someone. They can't just do it on executive whim.
Until now, that is. George W asserts that, as a "war president," he is not bound by such constitutional niceties as habeas corpus. Not only is he claiming that he can grab anyone off our streets and even have them tortured -- he has been doing it.
The shameful case of Maher Arar is one glaring example. He was seized by federal agents in New York in 2002 and -- denied the right to habeas corpus -- was zipped away to Syria, where he was tortured for a year before it finally dawned on his brutal inquisitors that he was innocent.
Far from acknowledging their horrific error, much less apologizing to Arar and to our nation's founders, the Bushites have tried to brush off their responsibility. "We were not responsible for [Arar's] removal to Syria," lied Bush's boneheaded attorney general, Alberto "See No Evil" Gonzales. When the media caught him in this lie, Gonzales' spokesman blamed his comment on a bureaucratic misunderstanding, saying: "He had his timeline mixed up."
This is Jim Hightower saying ... Damn right, he did. The Bushites think this is 1706, not 2006, and that George is the royal highness -- not merely a president who is required to honor the people's Constitutional protections, including habeas corpus.
& r &
& & For more nuggets of wisdom from America's No. 1 populist, check out & lt;a href="http://www.jimhightower.com" & his website & lt;/a & & & .
The founders insisted that there be legal checks on our officials (even the president) to prevent them from the exercise of naked governmental power. Habeas corpus is the legal procedure requiring government officials to present evidence that there is a reason to imprison someone. They can't just do it on executive whim.
Until now, that is. George W asserts that, as a "war president," he is not bound by such constitutional niceties as habeas corpus. Not only is he claiming that he can grab anyone off our streets and even have them tortured -- he has been doing it.
The shameful case of Maher Arar is one glaring example. He was seized by federal agents in New York in 2002 and -- denied the right to habeas corpus -- was zipped away to Syria, where he was tortured for a year before it finally dawned on his brutal inquisitors that he was innocent.
Far from acknowledging their horrific error, much less apologizing to Arar and to our nation's founders, the Bushites have tried to brush off their responsibility. "We were not responsible for [Arar's] removal to Syria," lied Bush's boneheaded attorney general, Alberto "See No Evil" Gonzales. When the media caught him in this lie, Gonzales' spokesman blamed his comment on a bureaucratic misunderstanding, saying: "He had his timeline mixed up."
This is Jim Hightower saying ... Damn right, he did. The Bushites think this is 1706, not 2006, and that George is the royal highness -- not merely a president who is required to honor the people's Constitutional protections, including habeas corpus.
& r &
& & For more nuggets of wisdom from America's No. 1 populist, check out & lt;a href="http://www.jimhightower.com" & his website & lt;/a & & & .
