From a speech delivered at a meeting of Americans for Democratic Action in Los Angeles on February 17.
I offer these brief remarks today as a prayer for our country…, [in]
the belief that a free people cannot walk in fear and faith at the same
time….
How can we justify, in effect, canceling the First Amendment - the
right of free speech, the right to peaceably assemble? How can we
justify canceling the Fourth Amendment - probable cause, the
prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure? How can we
justify canceling the Fifth Amendment - nullifying due process and
allowing for indefinite incarceration without a trial? How can we
justify canceling the Sixth Amendment - the right to prompt and public
trial?
We cannot justify widespread wiretaps and Internet surveillance
without judicial supervision. We cannot justify secret searches without
a warrant. We cannot justify giving the Attorney General the ability to
designate domestic terror groups. We cannot justify giving the FBI
total access to any type of data which may exist in any system anywhere
- such as medical records and financial records.
The trappings of a state-of-siege trap us in a state of fear,
ill-equipped to deal with the Patriot Games, the Mind Games, the War
Games of an unelected president and his unelected vice president.
Let us pray that our country will stop this war. We licensed a
response to those who helped bring the terror of September 11. But we
the people and our elected representatives must reserve the right to
measure the response, to challenge the response, and to correct the
response.
We did not authorize the invasion of Iraq.
We did not authorize the invasion of Iran.
We did not authorize the invasion of North Korea.
We did not authorize the bombing of civilians in Afghanistan.
We did not authorize military tribunals suspending due process and habeas corpus.
We did not authorize assassination squads.
We did not authorize the resurrection of COINTELPRO.
We did not authorize the repeal of the Bill of Rights or the revocation of the Constitution.
We did not authorize the eye of Big Brother to peer from cameras throughout our cities.
We did not authorize the administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases.
We did not authorize war without end.
We are upon the threshold of a permanent war economy. The
president has requested a $45.6 billion increase in military spending.
All defense-related programs will cost close to $400 billion.
This has nothing to do with fighting terror. This has everything
to do with fueling a military industrial machine with the treasure of
our nation, risking democracy itself with the militarization of
thought.
Our children deserve a world without end, not a war without end.
Let us defend our country not only from the threats without but from
the threats within. Crown thy good, America - with brotherhood and
sisterhood [and] with… a commitment to peace, to democracy, to
economic justice at home and throughout the world. Crown thy good,
America.
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