I am posting a response to this latest call to action, quoted below.
Subject: CALL MCMAHON TODAY ABOUT THIS
718-351-1062/202-225-3371
Dear Members,
Today Liz Cheney, the chairman of Keep America Safe, released the following
statement in response to a late-night provision added to the House of
Representatives' intelligence authorization bill that will be voted on later
this afternoon. We urge all Keep America Safe members to contact their House of
Representatives member and tell him or her to vote against the intelligence
authorization bill.
"Late last night, Democrats in the House of Representatives inserted a provision
dubbed 'The Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Interrogation Act of 2010' into the
intelligence authorization bill. This new language targets the US intelligence
community with criminal penalties for using methods they have deemed necessary
for keeping America safe. These methods have further been found by the
Department of Justice to be both legal and in keeping with our international
obligations.
"American intelligence officers do not deserve this kind of treatment from the
government they honorably serve. Day in and day out, they protect our country
and make difficult decisions--at times in matters of life and death. In return
for their service the government rewards them with little pay and no
acknowledgement of their heroic actions. Democrats in Congress now want to
threaten them with criminal prosecutions and deprive them of valuable tactics
that protect America.
"We urge the Congress to vote against the intelligence authorization bill in its
current form."
Liz Cheney
Chairman
Keep America Safe
In response, I must disagree with Liz Cheny, and perhaps all Chenys walking the Earth. Protections against torture and cruel/unusual punishments are built right into our Constitution's Bill of Rights. Our founder's put this provision in, not because they read George Orwell's 1984, but because they lived in a reality where this was regular business.
Equal application of law and of the Constitution apply to all, or in spirit, should. Any attempt to exclude a select group from laws - especially to grant extraordinary powers to an arm of government - especially a secretive, shadow government-type agency such as the CIA - is triple disasterous and an affront to Liberty and rule of law.
I am curious as to why one should support, and call on tea party members to support, a subversion of the rule of law on behalf of government. What about equal application of the law and the Constitution? Exempting Federal Agents from the law will only serve to further undermine the civil liberties we still have left in this country, and to further make a mockery of our so called "justice" system.
I am more afraid of my own government than I am of foreignors. Giving the stamp of approval of the American people to commit acts prohibited by our Bill of Rights, is the last thing they need. As an American who believes in the rights of man, I demand our government stop torturing for my own good and stop violating the liberties of all in the name of my "safety".
Does the Tea Party stand for Liberty, or does it stand for turture? This call to action seems to imply it stands for torture.
Sincerely,
Tom V
Staten Island
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Civilian Trial of 9/11 Suspects
I would like to state a brief position and inquire about the position of others
on this issue.
I feel that our civilian courts are a very appropriate place for the trial of
suspected terrorists. There are obviously laws on the books, as part of
established city, state and federal codes, that address issues of conspiracy and
mass murder. Seeing as the crimes were committed against individuals, should not
the people's court see justice is served? While the nation was damaged as a
whole on 9/11, it is our brothers and sisters in the Tri-State area that were
lost that day. I want for us to bring those responsible to justice, rather than
an arbitrary tribunal. We are a nation of laws. A tribunal, in my mind, conjures
images of bending the law, as if our laws were not good enough to establish
these tragic crimes as wrong and provable.
Please share your opinions, thanks.
on this issue.
I feel that our civilian courts are a very appropriate place for the trial of
suspected terrorists. There are obviously laws on the books, as part of
established city, state and federal codes, that address issues of conspiracy and
mass murder. Seeing as the crimes were committed against individuals, should not
the people's court see justice is served? While the nation was damaged as a
whole on 9/11, it is our brothers and sisters in the Tri-State area that were
lost that day. I want for us to bring those responsible to justice, rather than
an arbitrary tribunal. We are a nation of laws. A tribunal, in my mind, conjures
images of bending the law, as if our laws were not good enough to establish
these tragic crimes as wrong and provable.
Please share your opinions, thanks.
Monday, January 25, 2010
MTA Service Cuts - yet again
The following is a brief letter I sent to Councilman Jim Oddo this morning. This doesn't nearly capture my absolute fury over the issue and the surrounding issues - a pathetic city bureaucracy that does nothing but increase taxes and decrease services, WHILE managing to somehow take away our liberties in a methodical and incremental manner. This mostly just concerns the MTA.
Dear Mr. Oddo
Let me start by wishing you good day. Hope all is well.
I live in Grant City. To get to work in the morning the X9 was the ideal bus, X1 was the backup bus. To hear that they will be slashing our x9 and x1 is purely unacceptable. Look at all of these cuts. It is a crime. Why does Staten Island float the bills for all of these bloated bureaucracies, and then bear the brunt of service cuts which devastate our abilities to commute to work in an acceptable time frame? Bad enough that the poor and disgraceful lack of infrastructure on the Island scares decent jobs away like a rabid dog chasing the mailman.
Why do the taxes of Staten Islanders, who must on the whole commute to Manhattan or New Jersey for any hope of a well paying job, continue to support this nonsense?
Mr. Oddo, you have been a faithful representative on the Council, and I shudder to think of what we may have had if not you in there. BUT - it is LONG past the time to take on the MTA, to get Staten Island's fair share, to improve our infrastructure with a train into Manhattan. No more promises, no more status-quo. Why do you remain oddly silent on such matters when we are getting shanghaied more and more each year by these clowns? It is an all out assault on this borough. Why do we need to pay a toll to get into Brooklyn that costs well over AN HOURS WAGES? How can that be justified?
This city grows more and more tyrannical as the years wear on. And as the years wear on, our patience is wearing thin. In fact, mine is gone.
Sincerely,
Thomas Vendittelli - free citizen of the United States of taxation
Dear Mr. Oddo
Let me start by wishing you good day. Hope all is well.
I live in Grant City. To get to work in the morning the X9 was the ideal bus, X1 was the backup bus. To hear that they will be slashing our x9 and x1 is purely unacceptable. Look at all of these cuts. It is a crime. Why does Staten Island float the bills for all of these bloated bureaucracies, and then bear the brunt of service cuts which devastate our abilities to commute to work in an acceptable time frame? Bad enough that the poor and disgraceful lack of infrastructure on the Island scares decent jobs away like a rabid dog chasing the mailman.
Why do the taxes of Staten Islanders, who must on the whole commute to Manhattan or New Jersey for any hope of a well paying job, continue to support this nonsense?
Mr. Oddo, you have been a faithful representative on the Council, and I shudder to think of what we may have had if not you in there. BUT - it is LONG past the time to take on the MTA, to get Staten Island's fair share, to improve our infrastructure with a train into Manhattan. No more promises, no more status-quo. Why do you remain oddly silent on such matters when we are getting shanghaied more and more each year by these clowns? It is an all out assault on this borough. Why do we need to pay a toll to get into Brooklyn that costs well over AN HOURS WAGES? How can that be justified?
This city grows more and more tyrannical as the years wear on. And as the years wear on, our patience is wearing thin. In fact, mine is gone.
Sincerely,
Thomas Vendittelli - free citizen of the United States of taxation
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
State Controlled Media
The US Senate is ramming through the Health Care bill, having scheduled a Christmas Eve vote, and the top headlines of the day are the "Cat in the Jacket", Brittany Murphy OD's and Brazil to Return Boy to Father. Welcome to state controlled media. This must be what it feels like to be a Chinese national.
When everyone complains "And the media isn't even reporting it!", perhaps we should all come to realize we are living in the United States, where the media is very much under state control. Need proof? No you don't. Do you really?
Aside from the lack of real reporting being done on any side of the issues, how about the wave of new legislation being crafted to "bailout" the media? (Media Bailout)
Imagine, a "market failure" in the news industry? How could that occur? Well, I don't believe in a market failure in any context. You see, the market dictates demand, and apparently there is a shrinking demand for lapdog media parroting the official line. Truly independent media is thriving right now. At threat level red are the larger news players, who have long been partners of the establishment.
What happened to real journalism in the United States? Perhaps JFK knew more than he let on when he lectured to the American Newspaper Publishers Association (JFK Speech Transcription).
It seems that the media establishment has moved beyond just mere omissions of important truths and facts, and has evolved into an elaborate instrument of distraction. Everyday, the trivial and the unimportant are emphasized. The public, trying to "keep informed", does what they can to stay abreast of current issues. In their trying to be informed they face roadblocks of mind-retarding non-news.
So now the health care overhaul, which liberals lambaste as a "hollow, shell of a bill", is about to pass on to the desk of the president, where it will become law. Too bad this bill isn't a hollow shell. It is a cleverly designed tax scheme which will further devastate our economy and stifle innovation in one of the few industries Americans still lead in - health care.
Give up on the state controlled media. There are no answers for you there.
When everyone complains "And the media isn't even reporting it!", perhaps we should all come to realize we are living in the United States, where the media is very much under state control. Need proof? No you don't. Do you really?
Aside from the lack of real reporting being done on any side of the issues, how about the wave of new legislation being crafted to "bailout" the media? (Media Bailout)
Imagine, a "market failure" in the news industry? How could that occur? Well, I don't believe in a market failure in any context. You see, the market dictates demand, and apparently there is a shrinking demand for lapdog media parroting the official line. Truly independent media is thriving right now. At threat level red are the larger news players, who have long been partners of the establishment.
What happened to real journalism in the United States? Perhaps JFK knew more than he let on when he lectured to the American Newspaper Publishers Association (JFK Speech Transcription).
It seems that the media establishment has moved beyond just mere omissions of important truths and facts, and has evolved into an elaborate instrument of distraction. Everyday, the trivial and the unimportant are emphasized. The public, trying to "keep informed", does what they can to stay abreast of current issues. In their trying to be informed they face roadblocks of mind-retarding non-news.
So now the health care overhaul, which liberals lambaste as a "hollow, shell of a bill", is about to pass on to the desk of the president, where it will become law. Too bad this bill isn't a hollow shell. It is a cleverly designed tax scheme which will further devastate our economy and stifle innovation in one of the few industries Americans still lead in - health care.
Give up on the state controlled media. There are no answers for you there.
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