From the letter drafted by Tom Hayden: "The conflicts in the Middle East are only the foreign policy focal point of this debate over democracy and security. At home the shadow of a new Imperial Presidency has arisen in response to the militarized foreign policy crisis. The drone wars have escalated behind a curtain of secrecy. CIA secret operations proliferate. Our government is launching offensive and defensive cyber war operations. Big Data has enabled Big Brother spying on a scale unimagined. Whistleblowers are hounded. None of this has occurred with proper Congressional debate, decision and concurrence. Instead the public sphere meant for democratic dialogue is left to the underwhelming oversight of secret courts and intelligence committees who are bound not to speak of what they know. [...] Congress was never meant to be a junior partner in collaboration with the executive, but an independent check on the excessive power of the state. The battle to stop an escalation over Syria is only the next chapter of the longer struggle to enrich democracy in America."
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 03:55:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015