Gore: Bush Has Failed to Make U.S. Safer(war pretext to consolidate power)

[papau]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GORE_CIVIL_LIBERTIES?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Gore: Bush Has Failed to Make U.S. Safer
By JENNIFER C. KERR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Vice President Al Gore accused President Bush on Sunday of failing to make the country safer after the Sept. 11 attacks and using the war against terrorism as a pretext to consolidate power. "They have taken us much farther down the road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style government - toward the dangers prophesied by George Orwell in his book '1984' - than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America," Gore charged in a speech.<snip>

He brought many the crowd of 3,000 to their feet when he called for a repeal of the Patriot Act, which expanded government's surveillance and detention power, allowing authorities to monitor books people read and conduct secret searches. Gore chided the administration for what he said was its "implicit assumption" that Americans must give up traditional freedoms in order to be safe from terrorists. "In my opinion, it makes no more sense to launch an assault on our civil liberties as the best way to get at terrorists than it did to launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to get at Osama bin Laden ..(In both cases the administration has) "recklessly put our country in grave and unnecessary danger."<snip>

[LeftCoast]

1. Nice to hear Al saying what every Dem should be saying...

the TRUTH!

[proud patriot]

2. Yes

love the headline

[PartyPooper]

3. How ironic is this?

To think that our real president is speaking the truth like this...whilst the faux pResident is hiding out somewhere...or, raising money to run yet again to 'rule' Amerika!

[papau]

6. Why is our media so blind to this - even true GOP'ers like Snowcroft

and Hagel have asked questions about this.

I remember the old GOP that was into protecting the Constitution so as to protect our liberties.

Now it is a sale on liberties as Bush buys a bit more fear via the media refusing to be more than Rove reprint machines.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Absolutely right

I still wish he'd throw his hat in the ring.

[alfredo]

5. His speech was our marching orders.

We need to hit Bush on his dictatorial ways. Remember his "dictator" quote?

[papau]

7. He is a destroyer - "sells" F16's to Poland that screw up Nato & we pay

All those great arms sales to other countries where the US actually pays for the goods via aid - not that Daddy Bush's Carlyle Corps focus on investment in "defense industries" had anything to do with this theft of taxpayer money.

Lobbying now does not give information - it buys GOP veto of whatever is disliked - and demands passage of welfare for favored firms - and with GOP control everywhere, you need only buy a Pres and a Committee chairmen - campaign contributions anyone?

I love the GOP low average size contribution bullshit. One of my corporate chores at one time was to get GOP contributions - checks - from every person paid more than minimum wage and called a manager - and I actually told folks $5 was fine because we only needed a check mark to run up the number of contributors so as decrease the average size reported in the media. I understand that today the CEO feels he has more power and is demanding 100 and $200 from most higher level folks - but that the $5 con is still occuring.

[TAH6988]

10. How does F-16

sales to Poland (part of NATO) screw up NATO?

[Paschall]

8. Here's Al's speech, for those who haven't read it

http://www.moveon.org/gore/speech.html (as prepared)

There's also a video link at the MoveOn homepage.

It's great! I'm particularly pleased he spoke at such length, and repeatedly, about mistreatment of immigrants and aliens.

[anakie]

9. i've just read it

and wow I'm gobsmacked. What a speech. How widely would this have been heard? Where is the uproar about Bush and Sept 11th? About what this usurper is doing to your freedoms? How does he get away with it

[Bridget Burke]

11. My cat made me watch the speech.

I fell asleep in front of the TV & on awaking, decided to read a bit ("Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone: The Carter Family & Their Legacy In American Music"). Meanwhile, HGTV played on at a low volume since the remote was not visible.

Suddenly, the channel changed to C-SPAN. The remote had been hidden under a rather large cat--they're sticking close now that the weather's turned cool--who'd become restless. I grabbed it (the remote, not the cat), turned up the volume & got to hear most of the speech.

It was a great one & everybody in the USA should have been able to see it. Make that everybody in the rest of the world.