Posted on 05/01/2007 12:47:00 PM PDT by Carry_Okie
BELLEVUE, WA Attorney General Alberto Gonzales troubling support of legislation that would allow him and future attorneys general the arbitrary power to block firearms purchases without due process is cause for him to step down as the nations highest ranking law enforcement officer, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
The bill, S. 1237, was introduced last week at the Justice Departments request by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), one of the most extreme anti-gunners in Congress. Called the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007, this legislation would give the Attorney General discretionary authority to deny the purchase of a firearm or the issuance of a firearm license or permit because of some vague suspicion that an American citizen may be up to no good.
This bill, said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, raises serious concerns about how someone becomes a suspected terrorist. Nobody has explained how one gets their name on such a list, and worse, nobody knows how to get ones name off such a list.
The process by which someone may appeal the Attorney Generals arbitrary denial seems weak at best, Gottlieb suggested, and there is a greater concern. When did we decide as a nation that it is a good idea to give a cabinet member the power to deny someones constitutional right simply on suspicion, without a trial or anything approaching due process?
Were not surprised that General Gonzales has found an agreeable sponsor in Frank Lautenberg, Gottlieb observed. The senator from New Jersey has never seen a restrictive gun control scheme he did not immediately embrace, and S. 1237 is loaded with red flags. It would allow an appointed bureaucrat the authority to suspend or cancel someones Second Amendment right without even being charged with a crime.
Attorney General Gonzales has no business asking for that kind of power over any tenet in the Bill of Rights, Gottlieb said. He took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not trample it. Perhaps it is time for him to go.
Do you think this should be breaking news?
Absolutely!
Apparently he should be fired after all.
Who’d a thunk it? The dems are right.
Yep. Keep your powder dry...
B U M P
Well if the Bush administration keeps this up, conservatives are going to be asking to impeach Bush.
Boy howdy! I was just about to post that myself!
Well, the dems and a clock twice a day, you know.
I tried to watch his testimony last week. I could only arrive at the idea that he has such a "I'm untouchable" attitude.
And then what if we wind up with another nut Dem AG like Janet Reno. Giving this power to any AG is not wise. Dems think anyone who owns a gun is a terrorist.
You're probably correct about his motivation, but I expect the US Attorney General to understand both the probable effect and the blatant disregard this shows for the US Constitution.
I just called the White House comment line 202-456-1111 and let them know that Gonzales must go.
No.
Alberto had a record of being anti-gun, pro-”choice”, pro-illegal alien before he was appointed by Bush II.
His chief qualification for office, like Harriet Miers’ was being a friend of the Bush family. Unfortunately, political correctness trumped mediocrity and his ethnic background assured a smooth appointment.
I have that t-shirt.
You know, must people think the screen name anonymity is some protection, but if you mount a concerted effort, you can often find the identity of a poster even if the forum administrator won't reveal it. That is particularly true if you post to more than one forum. I know my identity could be ferreted out, although I have removed the most conspicuous clues.
One case I can think of is where former FReeper Sinkspur was outed to prove he was misrepresenting his status with the Catholic Church, by other current and former FReepers. I don't believe it even took extraordinary effort, just putting 2 plus 2 together from various places.
Cheney would have made a great President.
But then he fooled us. His First term wasn’t bad and he looked promising for another term. But once he was reelected he felt free to implement his “compassionate conservative” agenda by opening the floodgates from Mexico and acting out in other strange ways which become increasingly more bizarre - by Republican standards - as his last term draws to a miserable conclusion. But then McCain-Feingold should have been a warning in his first term that all was not well with this individual.
Its almost as if he was trying to assure a Democrat victory in 2008 as he did in 2006 by alienating more and more of the Republican base - PLUS a sizable number of independents.
These gutter-snipes are really trampling on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights!!
Keep it - you’ll need it.
I picked it up from a bumper sticker I bought from the Lithuanian Liberation Army during the Soviet occupation.
Crossed that bridge when I joined the forum.
#4 uses the word “unreasonable.” It depends on what the meaning of “unreasonable” is. Heck the govt has been searching and seizing willy nilly for decades. Bit by bit.
If Bush passes amnesty, I will join them!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.