Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The 4th Amendment

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. "

The foregoing is the text of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. So when one of your wingnut conspecifics recites the right wing talking point that the 4th Amendment standard is “reasonableness” alone, you can confront him with his ignorance. It won’t help the wingnut as he will still be stupid, but you’ll feel better watching him sputter and try to call up some other inane talking point. Let’s make the wingnuts work a little.

The Bush regime is evidently relying on the people to ignore the illegality of the domestic spying program and to let them get away with assuming increasingly dictatorial powers. This is not unprecedented in history. The Roman Republic became the Roman Empire in a similar manner. The forms of the Republic were maintained, but their substance was perverted. The “people” were largely complacent about this, and your typical US subject is just as apt to acquiesce in a dictatorship as any people.

1 comment:

Doc said...

it is entirely too easy to put the wingnuts on the defensive, since most of them make it up as they go along. I am not a libertarian, i am an independent. I dislike the statist government form, but if you give me a reboot to the organic constitution, i could handle the concept of the federal government. I'd almost suggest going back to the articles of confederation, but that would be such a hard sell to the american people, whereas reselling the constitution still has merit and half a chance.
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