Robert H. Bork: Civil Liberties After 9/11

Commentary ^ | July=August, 2003 | Robert H. Bork

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Valin]

You beat me to it! :-)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Bork has little to say about the RKBA.

[DB]

I agree with Bork.

BTTT.

[sauropod]

print later ping

[Wonder Warthog]

"Bork has little to say about the RKBA."

Bork is no friend of the RKBA. And this article shows he is no friend of the rest American liberty, either. I'm as much a supporter of President Bush and his efforts against terrorism, but the "Patriot Act" IS a gross (and proposed to be PERMANENT) suppression of Constitutional rights.

Terrorism is bad, but the way to act against it is to destroy it at its sources ("Islamist" countries---INCLUDING our supposed "allies" in Saudi Arabia)--NOT set up a PERMANENT legal structure that can be used as the foundation of a police state as bad or worse than Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia.

Bush and Ashcroft may have the absolute best of intentions with the Patriot Act, but "..the road to hell is paved with...".

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Bork is an elitist and no friend of the common man.
Here's one conservative who is damned glad he was kept off the Supreme Court.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Here's one conservative who is damned glad he was kept off the Supreme Court."

Well, there's at least two of us, now.

[zeugma]

Thank God this man is not on the Supreme Court.

[Wonder Warthog]

"No, it isn't gross. It only slightly changes pre-existing law. If you want to find major fault then it should be with the laws that PATRIOT updated to the computer age, ie Wiretaps and FISA.

Pre-existing law was ALREADY bad, and much of it needed to be revised or repealed/eliminated. And the ".updated to the computer age..Wiretaps and FISA" WERE part of the "Patriot Act", were they not?? Sorry, but ALL of this is a gross violation of our Constitutional rights as citizens, IMNSHO.

[inquest]

As it happens, “phantoms of lost liberty” is a perfectly apt description for much of the commentary that has been offered on the administration’s initiatives.

This statement seriously calls his credibility into question. It's one thing to argue, as he does, that military commissions have at times been part of the history of war in this country, and that technically they may be constitutional (even though nothing in the Constitution gives support to such a notion). But for him to pretend that this doesn't threaten our liberties is completely unreal. The difference between this "war" and previous conflicts is the utter lack of a clearly defined enemy, theater of operation, or final objective. The whole country effectively becomes a war zone, basically until our leaders decide otherwise. To say that freedom isn't threatened under those conditions is beyond insulting to our intelligence.

[Reactionary]

Bork is an "elitist," eh?

Does that mean that elitists stick to the Constitution?

[SJackson]

IMO, it's just as well he's not on the court, perhaps the right Bork got Borked, for the wrong reasons.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Like most elitists in the judiciary, (and journalism) Bork's readings of the Constitution have been selective.

[templar]

Thank God this man is not on the Supreme Court.

And who should we thank for this?

[VOA]

As it happens, “phantoms of lost liberty” is a perfectly apt description for much of
the commentary that has been offered on the administration’s initiatives.

As long as I keep hearing the wailing from various commentators about how
"our civil liberties are being destroyed by Ashcroft, Dubya and the Patriot Act",
I won't lose any sleep.

When those voices (however much I may agree/disagree) fall silent, then I'll one
of three things have happened:
1. The protestors were right; civil liberties have been substantively eroded/infringed
OR
2. The war on terrorism is over. The heads of Saddam, his sons and Osama
are being paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue. The Patriot Act has been repealed as it is
is no longer needed.
OR
3. A Democrat has been elected and the whiners are busy thinking how to expand/warp
The Patriot Act to serve their purposes.

[furnitureman]

a package of 34 treaties, all of which were ratified by a show of hands -- no recorded vote.http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a325b3f5d31.htm

Annan in historic meeting with Supreme Court &Congress/is believed to be unprecedented.http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b0c30a81760.htm

[secret garden]

Ping to read later.