Illegal Wiretaps to be Made "Legal"
...In defiance of rulings by the US Supreme Court and several lower courts, the Executive Branch of government is asking the Legislative branch to pass a bill to make illegal wiretaps "legal." The bill is sponsored by Arlen Specter who wants just a voice vote, so there won't be any record of how the congressmen voted on the issue (cowards)!
...First let me say that I am a registered Republican and voted for George W. Bush both times,...but I was also a resident of Texas when he was Governor and I am alarmed by one area of weakness in his governing style. He suggests that the Legislature pass laws that have already been ruled to be unconstitutional or are already considered illegal. He believes that his Executive powers supersede those of the Courts, and he states that he will see you in court to challenge the validity of the legislative acts that he proposes.
...It was reprehensible when I lived in Texas, and also now as I live in the US in general. Now he is wanting to adjust the statements of the Geneva Convention to allow our professionals (called FBI and CIA) to interrogate prisoners using methods that the Geneva Convention implies would violate prisoner's rights. He seems fine with the concept that our own military personnel may one day be subjected to similar techniques if they are captured.
...Thankfully, even some of his own party are taking a stand against such blatant abuse of power. I wondered what a second-term president could do, knowing that he cannot lose the next election. It is time for those of both parties in the Legislature to exercise their obligation to provide checks and balances in our US Government. They are not to be the puppets of the Executive Branch or the Judicial Branch.
...The last term of a President is usually spent doing things to leave a lasting legacy. I can already see that the current President will not need to build a memorial building; it already exists, the Cowboy Hall of Fame.