So this is the new America.

President Bush has now defended the cruel and humiliating treatment of detainees on national television.

Instead of accepting constitutional role of the judgment of the Supreme Court, he has proposed legislation that would retroactively legalize the sham military commissions that the Supreme Court has repudiated.

Bush wants legislation passed that would grant immunity from prosecution to administration officials who sanctioned (and possibly encouraged, codified, ordered) the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment – and would keep the Federal courts from intervening!

Are you awake YET America? Does this sound like YOUR America?

My America doesn’t use or try to legitimize torture, and would never hide people in secret prisons.
My America is a beacon to the rest of the world on human rights and liberties.

Torture. Secrecy. Legal Whitewash.

This President wants to see a lot of new laws written, but not everyone is convinced he will succeed in that. After all, he needs Congress to rubberstamp write the laws and vote the laws into being.

Take a good look. The methods and policies of this administration are increasing the power and heft of terrorism. The war metaphor is itself destructive, and we’ve bound our adversaries together more sucessfully than they ever could have done themselves.

We’ve given away more of our own freedoms and rights than terrorists ever could have taken from us.

We have made a terrible mistake by allowing these people to take power.

America is better than this.

Write, call or e-mail your representatives to let them know that you do not approve of the sidestepping of the Supreme court, the use of torture and other violations of the Geneva conventions or the the secret CIA prisons.

Point out their own role in enabling all of this to have happened, and remind them of the upcoming election (we must assume for sanity’s sake that the elections will take place and that majorities will prevail).

Keep an eye out for actions to take, solutions to offer, discussions for participation. Write a letter to the editor. And please – VOTE in November. The republican campaigns budget is being invested in local smear campaigns and the like. Go to events. Ask about the issues. Participate in your democracy. Insist on public debate on issues of concern to you.

Without an informed and active citizenry, things will only get worse.