Ian S. Thompson – 1/15/06

This page was last updated on January 15, 2006.

Bush is not above the law; Ian S. Thompson; Beaver County Times; January 15, 2006.

As background, Mr. Thompson is/was a Penn State student whose fields of study are/were English and international politics. When he “signed” an anti-landmine “treaty” on the web, Mr. Thompson indicated he was a member of Amnesty International. If you’ve read Mr. Thompson’s letters since at least mid-2004, you know he’s a full-blown socialist who tends to resort to name-calling and unsupported talking points.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“After reading that President Bush again attempted to downplay/dismiss his warrantless and unlawful wiretap program and the administration’s general disregard of basic constitutional liberties, I felt compelled to respond.”

[RWC] I wonder if Mr. Thompson has added courses in law to his curriculum. I ask because he claims the wiretaps of phone calls to/from suspected international terrorist phone numbers are “unlawful.” While most liberal partisans make this assertion, legal experts of both parties from both Democrat and Republican administrations have claimed such actions were legal.

“Confronted with upcoming congressional hearings into the now infamous ‘Spygate,’ Bush remarked that he wasn’t bothered by the upcoming battles.

“He even said that the hearings could in fact be ‘good for democracy,’ provided, of course, that they don’t ‘tell the enemy what we’re doing.’”

[RWC] President Bush shouldn’t be bothered and polls indicate this. Regardless of the polling organization, results indicate most Americans support the program as we understand it.

“Perhaps not surprisingly, I see the problem slightly differently. I think the real problem is a president and an administration that see themselves as being above the law, while at the same time viewing others as not worthy of its most basic and fundamental protections.”

[RWC] If President Bush saw his administration above the law, why did he make sure Congressional leaders of both parties were briefed multiple times about the program going all the way back to 2001 or 2002? In both houses, the majority and minority leaders were briefed, as were the Democrat and Republican leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

“If I remember correctly, it wasn’t that long ago that this president was making comments about how those who would like to attack this country ‘hate us because of our freedoms.’

“What a joke.

“Bush and his cronies in Washington have done more to weaken our rights and liberties than al-Qaeda or its supporters could have ever dreamed to. If Bush is looking for an ‘enemy,’ he can start with himself and the administration he heads that has trampled all over our Constitution.”

[RWC] Anyone who believes we need to look for an enemy is living in another world. Does Mr. Thompson really believe President Bush is more of a threat than terrorists? Given his liberal positions, I can only assume Mr. Thompson is serious. Of course, this belief is also what makes it impossible to take Mr. Thompson’s letters – and those of his fellow travelers – seriously.