Glibbertysmidgeon

In an attempt to resurrect the Online Child Protection Act, which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court two years ago, Alberto Gonzales has picked a fight with Google.

Gonzales has subpoenaed Google’s search records, along with those of the other major U.S. search engines. AOL, Yahoo, and MSN gave Gonzales their data, but Google is resisting.

Google co-founder Larry Page reiterated the company’s opposition Friday in an interview with ABC News.

“Our company relies on having the trust of our users,” Page told the network. “That’s a very strong motivation for us. … I think instead we should have laws that protect the privacy of data, for example, from government requests and other kinds of requests.”

USA Today

First, they asked for our library records.
Then they opened and read our mail.
After that, they wiretapped us without getting any warrants.
Now they want to know what we’re searching for on the Internet.

Thank you, Google, for standing up for our privacy.
I wish our elected officials would join you in protecting us from… themselves.

So… after bending to the enormous pressure from Congress, and from the American people, President Bush finally signed McKain’s anti torture legislation into law.

Then, without any fanfare, he quietly jerked the teeth out of the new law.

After approving the bill last Friday, Bush issued a ‘’signing statement” — an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law — declaring that he will view the interrogation limits in the context of his broader powers to protect national security. This means Bush believes he can waive the restrictions, the White House and legal specialists said.

…

David Golove, a New York University law professor who specializes in executive power issues, said that the signing statement means that Bush believes he can still authorize harsh interrogation tactics when he sees fit.

”The signing statement is saying ‘I will only comply with this law when I want to, and if something arises in the war on terrorism where I think it’s important to torture or engage in cruel, inhuman, and degrading conduct, I have the authority to do so and nothing in this law is going to stop me,’ ” he said. ”They don’t want to come out and say it directly because it doesn’t sound very nice, but it’s unmistakable to anyone who has been following what’s going on.”

Boston Globe

Not only is the President reserving the right to torture prisoners at his own discretion, but he’s thumbing his nose at our country’s longstanding belief in due process.

The signing statement also advanced the administration’s view that the McCain amendment does not provide for any court review of a prisoner’s claim of cruel treatment, and that all appeals by foreign prisoners before the courts should be dismissed.

Washington Post

If there was ever any doubt that this president wants to torture people, this lays that to rest once and for all.

If there was ever any doubt that this president is willing to decieve the American people in order to do whatever he wants, even if the majority of the country disagrees with him…

Well there’s no doubt about that now either.

Click here to listen to an interview with political scientist Andy Rudalevige about the use of the signing statement.

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

~Benjamin Franklin, 1755