The President's staff will not recommend a veto, according to the White House.
End of an Age
This legislation pretty much ends the constitutional framework that took more than 200 years to fashion. In that time, countless precedents were established, all of them in direct opposition to the language found in the National Defense Authorization Act 2012. There are many scenarios that could result. What will happen when the first dozen or so are arrested, then imprisoned in another country? Will they be put in box cars for dramatic effect? Will the media pay any attention, or will we see another demonstration of their lapdog tendencies? The legislation has made it this far, with little attention and no doubt will become law, (Forget about the alleged veto threat. Turns out that was all a ruse. The provision to jail American citizens without a trial or charges was included at the behest of Mr. Obama).
Lionel tells the story of the NDAA, and like most people that understand the implications of this nefarious legislation, he is not amused. But somehow, we have found common ground with Alan Keyes, something that seemed impossible on October 1, 2001:
Update
The House on Wednesday afternoon approved the rule for the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) The House will vote on the legislation later this afternoon.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/199389-house-advances-defense-spending-bill
"It's something so radical that it would have been considered crazy had it been pushed by the Bush administration," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch. "It establishes precisely the kind of system that the United States has consistently urged other countries not to adopt. At a time when the United States is urging Egypt, for example, to scrap its emergency law and military courts, this is not consistent."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/15/americans-face-guantanamo-detention-obama
For the record, these comments from Carl Levin:
“'The language which precluded the application of Section 1031 to American citizens was in the bill that we originally approved…and the administration asked us to remove the language which says that U.S. citizens and lawful residents would not be subject to this section,' said Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee.”
http://www.infowars.com/indefinite-detention-bill-heads-to-obamas-desk/
Bob Barr in the Daily Caller:
"Its congressional supporters justify this radical and dramatic departure from more than two centuries of American jurisprudence by citing the 2001 Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which Congress passed in the days following the attacks of 9/11 and the Bush administration used as a justification to expand its surveillance of U.S. Citizens."
The NDAA 2012 has passed and await the President's signature (283-136 with a 90-90 split among Democrats)
http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/9202-ndaa-cracking-freedom-s-found...
More competitive shopping at Wal-Mart?
Probably not this time, but whatever you see while shopping there, don't let it distract you from your primary mission which is buying low-quality imports for less:
“But as shoppers looked on in horror, store management roped off the area for homicide investigators and continued to operate as usual.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073810/Holiday-shoppers-horror-...
Occupy social services department:
Many occupiers have had difficulty readapting to life off-site and have asked for help soliciting donations of food and amenities. Now that an encampment featuring a Food Tent, Welcome Tent, Medical Tent and so on are no longer available, the following link is provided:
Roadkill Recipes: Raccoon Kabobs (Also known as "Ringtail Surprise")
“Place raccoon cubes in a ceramic bowl and pour dressing over cubes. Let marinate two or more hours. Remove cubes, reserving marinade. Alternate raccoon cubes with pepper squares, onion pieces and mushroom caps on skewers. Brush all with reserved marinade and broil over hot coals until done to desired degree. Turn frequently and baste with marinade as needed.”
http://www.globe-guardian.com/archives/twisted/tl0004.htm
Progress where you find it:
“We have succeeded in bringing this terrible injustice to the awareness of a large portion of the population, and in framing the fact in relation to the structure of corporate power.”
http://www.truth-out.org/not-revolution/1323801994
Symbolic gesture?
“Moreover, the abbey wants Massachusetts residents who supported Occupy Boston to put tents on their front lawns as a symbol, said founding director Lewis Randa.
“The goal is to have as many tents in front yards as the number of tents that have come down,' in Dewey Square, Randa said. 'A reminder of this important movement.'”
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/12/15/occup...
So there you have it. The perfect way to show your support for those that have spent the last few months doing all they can to spread the message of socio-economic equality. Put up a tent. It's easy to do, and could become quite fashionable. And if you decide to have some fun with this, submit photos of your tent along with why you support the movement and this could turn into a great contest. Coming up with a prize will be more difficult, but you can count on at least a stew prepared by our staff using only the highest quality ingredients plucked from the finest local pavement.
More Politics
If there is such a thing as agreement on anything to do with Occupy Wall Street, it lies in the acknowledgement of the political implications in next year's election. The winter will pass, but the election won't.
“But experts say that as the presidential campaign season heats up, Occupy could become a powerful force at political conventions if it got on the same page and pushed key issues. Time magazine named 'The Protester' its Person of the year on Wednesday, citing Occupy Wall Street as one of many movements 'redefining people power' around the world.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/occupy-wall-streets-center-shows-...
The field opposing the President is not formidable. In fact, the Republicans appear to be grasping for a candidate that doesn't exist. They would like it very much if one of the ones that do exist would emerge as a clear front-runner, but the two candidates that could do that (Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul) have been shunned by significant blocs of their own party. The President is in a good position to be re-elected, but it remains to be seen how much of the support he enjoyed in the last election will be inclined, and motivated, to vote for him again.
A significant percentage of Democrats feel betrayed. Campaign promises like closing Gitmo, scaling back intrusive investigative tactics, promoting a civil rights agenda, have all become classic flip-flops. Mitt Romney has collected almost twice as much in campaign contributions as has Obama from Wall Street sources. But the President still has strong ties to Wall Street, and now he also faces the questions surrounding Solyndra, persistently high unemployment, problems at the Department of Justice, and an unpopular war in Afghanistan; even less popular due to the enormous cost of carrying it out.
The people that have asked for some sort of voice in their own affairs, if not control over them, are average Americans doing the best they can to improve the lives of their families. They are not radicals, nor are they especially partisan. Often, they identify themselves as independents, but the Democrats know that their message this election season has to include this vast segment of the population. They are union members, working parents, small business owners, the middle class. The poor have suffered more since the Bush era, but the middle class has more to lose if the pandemic of bank failures continues. Citigroup recently announced the layoff of 4,500 employees.. No one is immune from the residual effects of fraudulent lending practices, currency manipulation, artificial valuations, and the potential for collapse that these flawed practices have wrought.
This movement is not accidental. It is organic. It is hard to imagine the entire effort disappearing without a whimper or a trace prior to the next election. There are too many people organizing, marching, writing and tweeting, determined to make a difference. This experience, the path that led to Zuccotti Park and City Hall, has been something to behold. Many stories, events, surprises and the future is bright but sometimes difficult to interpret. Such is the nature of politics, and so this movement was, is and will continue to be political because all of the proposals, suggestions, ideas and causes have political solutions that have stalled due to resistance from corporate lobbies or others with a vested interest in preventing it.
Politicians simply can't afford to do the right thing anymore. Their constituents can't afford to be represented. With help from responsible news outlets like 60 Minutes that has recently aired several excellent pieces about banking, lending and the role of government regulators, the Occupy Wall Street message will become clear to those that don't yet understand it. In the meantime, there are many alternative news sources that in many cases do a better job of reporting than their mainstream rivals who continue to ignore the issues presented here and wherever occupiers put up their tents; the symbols of the movement.
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