Ian S. Thompson – 8/23/06

This page was last updated on August 24, 2006.

Protect the rule of law; Ian S. Thompson; Beaver County Times; August 23, 2006.

As background, Mr. Thompson began writing letters as a Penn State student. His alleged fields of study were English and international politics and he graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in International Politics. In letters to the Penn State Daily Collegian, Mr. Thompson identified himself as the political director of Allies, a PSU organization now known as SpeakOut. The mission statement of SpeakOut reads, “Works to organize the family, friends, supporters and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally (LGBTA) community at PSU and is committed to a safe and social network open to all students, political and social education, and to increasing visibility and fostering a positive climate for LGBTA students at PSU.” 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 (“a proud progressive” in his own words from 2003) who tends to resort to name-calling and unsupported talking points. This letter continues that tradition.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“‘When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.’

“These infamous words of former President Richard Nixon have sadly become the basis of how the Bush administration conducts itself more than 30 years after Nixon was driven from office for his abuses of power.”

[RWC] You won’t be too surprised to learn the above quote is out of context. It came from an interview by David Frost on May 19, 1977. Read the interview and decide for yourself what Mr. Nixon meant.

On a side note, what is it with libs, Vietnam, and President Nixon? When a Republican is involved in a war, it’s always Vietnam despite the fact it was Democrats who got us into and escalated the war and a Republican got us out. When a Republican does something liberals don’t like (everything), suddenly it’s Watergate.

“For the past five years, George Bush and his administration have manipulated fear and anxiety over terrorism to pursue a power grab that is so sweeping in its scope that Americans from across the political spectrum should take grave pause.”

“Bruce Fein, former associate deputy attorney general under Ronald Reagan, has said that the Bush administration presents a ‘clear and present danger to the rule of law.’”

[RWC] You need to read the entire op-ed piece to which Mr. Thompson refers. In that column, Mr. Fein opined we should treat our president as we did the leaders of the former Soviet Union. I think that tells us where Mr. Fein stands.

“From warrantless wiretapping to indefinite detentions of American citizens without charges or access to counsel, the actions of this administration strike at the very heart of our Constitution and the ideals that have made this country such a unique and special place.”

[RWC] Regarding “warrantless wiretapping,” Mr. Thompson failed to note this is international wiretapping, not domestic. Unless you’re willing to call an airplane flight from Pittsburgh to Rome a domestic flight, you can’t call the NSA program a domestic wiretapping program.

Lest we forget, the wiretaps are only for communications into and out of the U.S. to/from specific foreign phone numbers and e-mail addresses tied to alleged terrorists. Many (most?) of these phone numbers and e-mail addresses came from documents and computers captured from known terrorists.

Regarding the “indefinite detentions of American citizens without charges of access to counsel,” Mr. Thompson failed to note the 4^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Bush administration in this case. Before the case reached the Supreme Court, however, Jose Padilla was charged.

“The administration has attempted to disguise its power grab behind the wall of national security. The choice it presents is a false one. We can be a nation that respects the rule of law and the limits on government power set forth in our Constitution as well as one that vigorously protects the safety of its citizens.”

[RWC] Folks like Mr. Thompson like to write about a “power grab,” but never seem to tell us the goal of that grab. For example, is President Bush executing a “power grab” to get a larger pension? Come on, Mr. Thompson, if you’re going to make claims about a “power grab,” tell us how President Bush will benefit.

“What we all must reject, regardless of political affiliation, is an administration that thinks its actions are above the rule of law and that it should have to answer to no one.

“Thomas Jefferson once remarked that ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.’ We, as Americans, owe it to all of those who have fought and died in defense of liberty and for the generations to come to stay vigilant and reject actions that so plainly fly in the face of who we are as a nation.”

[RWC] It may not matter much, but it’s not clear Mr. Jefferson made this comment. While a lot of people attribute the remark to Jefferson, a Google search turned up no hits that mentioned a specific letter, speech, et cetera. On the other hand, there were plenty of hits showing Wendell Phillips used this phrase in an 1852 speech to an anti-slavery group.