Pax Nortona – A Blog by Joel Sax
From the Land of the Lost Blunderbuss
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Totalitarianism in Texas
Posted on May 15, 2003 in Social Justice
Twenty three years ago, when Reagan assumed office, I jeered: “Jail to the chief!” “Oh give him a chance,” said a member of the crowd that I watche it with.
Twenty three years later, one chance after another has been given to the Right. And they’ve greased the slope well and shoved the American people down it. Texas is a fine example of how the Right works.
Mary Beth Williams has been following the Ardmore Exodus most closely. The latest principle of justice to be thrown aside in Speaker Craddick’s desparate attempt to push through a Congressional redistricting effort that will win House Republicans “5 to 7 seats in the U.S. House… with no voters’ minds being changed” is that families are not responsible for the crimes of their fathers, spouses, or children. But even though Texas Rangers know precisely where the dissidents are holing up, they persist in harassing and intimidating their family members. For example, a Ranger showed up at the hospital where the premature twins of one representative are recovering, then paid a visit to the representative’s house where his sick wife is recuperating. Other spouses report being tailed and having their children questioned without their consent or presence!
These are human rights violations. It will behoove the next free administration to pursue the Texas Rangers and Speaker Craddick as felons in federal court. When the People regain power, they must not close their eyes and put this all behind them. They must make it clear to everyone — from the resident in the White House on down — that you cannot deny another American his civil rights without paying for it.
The position that I take is akin to that of Amnesty International, which bases its claims on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These men are criminals of the worst kind and they belong in prison. We must not let Speaker Craddick and George W. Bush age into senility like General Pinochet has been allowed to do in Chile. We, the People of the United States, must show that our laws on respecting civil rights are to be respected by law enforcement officers and politicians. There can be and should not be immunity from prosecution for these.
Right Wing Terrorism is at play in the wanted posters being distributed on various web sites for members of the Texas Democratic dissidents. Kill a Democrat today?
Get these Republicans out of power.
It’s well and good that the Democrats are showing a little backbone in stopping the advances of the Randenoid Religious Right (RRR) by refusing to make quorum in Texas and, now, in the Senate by making regular reports on how Republicans are driving up the national debt — mortgaging our children for the sake of enriching the Bush cabal.
It’s well and good, as I said, that you’re trying to stand up to evil and insanity, but what Good are you going to work to undo it? We cannot afford to do what we have in the past, which is to say “Let bygones be bygones”. This crowd has gone way over the line. I cannot in good conscience vote for you if you’re going to close your eyes and let the infrastructure that the evil used to propel itself into unjust power stand. They’ll just do it again. And we can’t afford to let that happen.
