In a signing statement recently, President Bush asserted the right to open any American’s mail, for any reason he choses, at any time, without a warrant.
Maybe this blog shouldn’t talk about politics. It’s about Autumn. Or about how the Buffalo Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I’ll counter with this: this is meant to capture the time Autumn is alive. And I think it’s a good time to take stock of her rights:
She doesn’t have the right to privacy in her mail.
She doesn’t have the right to Habeas Corpus. Meaning, she can be arrested and detained without hearing the charge.
She doesn’t have the right to a defined treatment. In other words, if she’s arrested, the current government says they will not torture her, but they are allowed to define what torture is. Thus, if they say it isn’t torture, it isn’t.
I should point out, Autumn is a US Citizen. Her dad isn’t. Her dad has even less freedoms, because along with all the above, he can simply be asked to leave at any time, for any reason. That's compliments of the Patriot Act.
Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday, Jan, 4. Will they muster the political will to take away some of the powers the current president enjoys? Consider this: Brian Higgins, my representative, voted to repeal Habeas Corpus. This was in a vote in which the Republican party had the votes to pass without his vote. He could have voted no and it still would have passed.
Strange days.
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