Welcome to FR.
Hastert's a jackass! Member's of Congress are NOT above the law. Period.
Didn't the House's lawyers try to keep the Feebies from getting their hands on the docs in the first place?
Just heard on CNN News that Jefferson's lawyer's are going to court to get the FBI to return the materials they took under the separation of powers argument...........
Sounds like they're all terrified that their crimes will be discovered.
Art 1 Sec 6 says there is no such protection for a Felony.
http://www.therealitycheck.org/StaffWriter/erush052206.htm
Go Ahead! Throw Your Vote Away!
by Erik Rush
Kodos (a space alien): It’s true, we are aliens. But what are you going to do about it? It’s a two-party system; you have to vote for one of us.
Man: He’s right; this is a two-party system.
Homer: Well, I believe I’ll vote for a third-party candidate
Kang (also a space alien): Go ahead! Throw your vote away!
- From The Simpsons
All right - here’s the deal: One of the things the puerile and power-mad on the far Left did right was in taking over the Democrat Party. They didn’t start the PPM (Puerile and Power-mad) Party – unless you count the Greens, by whom we don’t seem to be in any immediate danger of being taken over. From the entrenched elites (like Ted Kennedy), to ego-driven international socialists (like the Clintons), to the commie pinko you-know-whats old White guys used to go on about, they knew they were not going to conquer America via socialist revolution, as did some in the ‘Sixties and in Jack Reed’s day. It took them awhile to do it, but strategy and patience finally paid off.
We could take a lesson from this, but to my distress I hear more and more of this “let’s send a message to the Republicans” by voting for Democrats, third parties or not voting dreck amongst Independent conservatives and even some of the GOP base. And what message might that be - “I’m an impatient, immature idiot who’d rather shoot a hole in the bottom of the boat in order to drown my enemy therein and make some sort of point to those who can’t agree upon which direction to row”?
Yes, the GOP leadership (like much of America) needs to wake up. Yes, the Bush administration should be exponentially more aggressive on just about every front. Yes, we have to many consummate political whores and RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) in the party, and hypocrites who are no better than the Democrat hypocrites whose egos and pocketbooks come ahead of their constituents.
The problem is that we want everything too damn fast. Of course there are cowards within the ranks, but there are also conservative politicians who realize that what American conservatives want can’t be accomplished overnight. Too many of us don’t have the patience for that. The Soviet Union was prepared to go on forever, even if it came down to the Politburo collectively whipping a days’ work out of the last starving slave. Strategy and patience on America’s part saw to it that this did not occur. Think about the patience of radical Islam. They didn’t subjugate the world 1,000 years ago – but they were prepared to wait until now.
Republicans are not going to reform the party by scuttling it. Nor are frustrated conservatives going to put across the sane message of America as a constitutional republic by trying to win votes for the SMACR (Sane Message for America as a Constitutional Republic) Party. It can be accomplished through the election of fearless conservatives. These are generally identified by the fact that they speak their minds and don’t give a rip who becomes incensed, how much bad press they get, or how many puerile, power-mad far-Lefters call them Nazis, homophobes, theocrats, Oreos, or the rest of the standard schoolyard invective. They also don’t pay much attention to the snivelers in their own party. Among these are people like Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Steve King, Marilyn Musgrave, Wayne Allard, Rick Santorum and Jeff Sessions. These and others of promise like them should be rewarded with support – the rest should be shot out of the nearest cannon.
The reward could (someday) be a Congress and an administration that actually puts the American people first. No, it won’t be easy for loyal Republican conservatives to shoot their snivelers out of a cannon; every vote on Capitol Hill counts, of course. But better that than having cowards in the foxholes with them. It will require vertebral fortitude to cull their own weak whilst also attempting to shake America awake - as the enemy waits, slavering at the door.
When I sent an e-mail and in my voicemail message I said that Hastert is wrong about how it's unconstitutional to search a Congressman's office.
I referred him to this link which states:
In U.S. v. Nixon, the court held that executive privilege did not extend to preventing criminal investigations. The court said:
We conclude that when the ground for asserting privilege as to subpoenaed materials sought for use in a criminal trial is based only on the generalized interest in confidentiality, it cannot prevail over the fundamental demands of due process of law in the fair administration of criminal justice. The generalized assertion of privilege must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a pending criminal trial.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=418&page=683
Credit Dirtboy for finding that link.
US Constitution, Article ISection. 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
There's nothing in there that prevents searches or other criminal investigations, nor anything that prevents criminal indictment. The language doesn't even make it clear whether Members have protection from arrest when not in the Capitol buildings or traveling to or from same.
Well, Hastret is merely protecting Congresses right to be free from intimidation from the Executive. Can you imagine if Clinton's justice department had used bogus investigations to intimidate congress? Hell, look at what they did with FBI files.
Still, Hastret's concerns are misplaced in this instance since the FBI obtained a lawful warrant from the JUDICIARY. Honestly, lets have this out in court. I am sick of congress trampling over separation of powers and then expecting the principle to apply to them.
My email to Speaker Hastert:
Speaker Hastert: It is with great dismay that I read your comments regarding the FBI search of Rep. William Jefferson's Congressional office. As a former attorney, I can comfortably say that your citation of the Separartion of Powers principle is misplaced, as the clauses in the Constitution regarding that principle have to do with governance, legislation and official powers and limits of each branch. No Constitutional clause or line of interpretive cases insulates a man from criminal investigation and all the law enforcement powers that are duly granted to the executive branch. In short, no man is above the law.
On a more practical level, it is this sense of entitlement and privilege exercised by members of both houses of Congress that have turned off voters of all political persuasions. Although I am a registered Republican, my disguest with the Republican Congress and its deaf ear towards the party rank and file grows every day. It is almost enough to make a voter want to stay home in November.
Doug Freret
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
I Wonder what Fat Hasert is hiding?
Demands? Cracks me up. Now they have jurisdiction over the FBI? Hastert better keep his freezer clean.
What does Denny Hastert have in his freezer and when did he get it?
now you know how I felt when I voted for Perot.
A lot of people here put you down for saying that- but "give 'em what they want' Gearge Bush (the elder) was NOT going to get my vote after saying "read my lips- no new taxes" and then signing the biggest tax hike in HISTORY, and not voting for democraps goes without saying...
So... the large number voting for Perot scared the GOP (for a time) and although we got Clintoon - we also got a Republican Congress the next time around.
Once he refused did Hastert expect the feds to say....Oh, okay! Forget it, never mind!
This crap finally broke me as well. It's too bad the democrats are trying just as hard as Hastert to lose votes.
I probably just won't vote this cycle. And then when the RATS go through impeachment of Bush, I'll just remind the RINOs that they caused this by not doing what they were voted to do.
Just sent a heated email to Ken Mehlman... and a SCATHING email to Hastert.
http://www.house.gov/hastert/contact.shtml
Ken.Mehlman@rncchairman.org
Make sure you put the zip code for Batavia, IL on the zipcode form for Hastert's email... It's right on his website, and it's the only way he'll respond to (or maybe even read) your message.
Rush led with this story at the top of his show. Pelosi and Reid have been bashing the GOP over corruption in its ranks and now a Democrat gets busted for crimes and Hestert attacks the FBA and Bush for searching the accused office. You would think the House leadership would be out there bashing the Democrats and their corrupt politicians. Sometimes you wonder if the GOP does not have a death wish. I guess this is what happens when your in power for a long time.