I just looked at that http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/

Sorry, I can’t read it. I do not go back to a site with white lettering on a black background. One try and not only are they off my list, I advise others not to go there.

As I am doing now. Don’t bother. Whatever they write isn’t worth the hassle of their unreadability.

Nixon’s endowment/support was from the heydays of SOCAL. Standard Petroleum now runs foreign policy through Condi. Bastard children of Rockefeller republicans. The same money ran the Arkansas machine that Clinton eventually was successor of…

Not to say Bill did not have merit, but everything has to be seen in context.

As for the Unitary Executive, it’s shaped around the Vice President, whose limitations are not expressly stated and some of whose duties border Legislative territory. The original POTUS often had a Vice President who placed second on the vote count and was his main rival. There’s perhaps long standing precedent to their vision, though it is overshadowed by Amendments Nine and Fourteen in real practice.

Powers not granted by word lie in the domain of the States, or persons. Individuals hold rights past that, to the extent an officeholder has rights he so cedes some of those to his Oath to serve, most notably to uphold the Constitution on behalf of others.

Michael Sheldon Cheney was the first ever director of PR for ARAMCO. The Arabian-American Oil Co. was a partnership nonprofit comprised of SOCAL and Standard New Jersey(Exxon) it worked to secure western capital to secure resources on the Arab peninsula. Cheney petitioned Roosevelt to set the forebear of the Trans Arabian Pipeline, the Trans Arabian Railroad. This during the second world war Lend Lease era.

Richard Halliburton lived near Memphis, flew bombers for RAF from Cyprus to protect English oil interests, and gave Iraq’s first King Faisal aerial tours to view surface topography and likely future oil claims.

He also toured Mesopotamia. He was a celebrated icon in social circuit who died before his time.

His next door neighbors growing up were the Tutwilers. Thomas Tutwiler was a revolutionary figure in the oil industry, and the Halliburtons helped develop a cement process used to increase flow pressure from oil wells commonly known as ‘mudholing.’

The Tutwiler family developed patented slant drill head technology that was the motivator for Saddam’s original invasion of Kuwait. Kuwait tapped oil fields in Iraq whilst Saddam was enamored with the Iran/Iraq war.

At the time Marge Tutwiler was Undersec. of State for James Baker. She went on to be the director of communications for Iraq’s provisional authority. She went on to become Vice President of the NYSE. A family member of hers is named as one of the Vice President’s Staff at the Senate office of the Vice President.

Halliburton is headquartered in Dubai now? What of the Bahamas and Cayman Islands? Cheney going to Dubai seals the ports deal, no doubt. For tax reasons he has not been technically headquartered anywhere near an American tax bracket.

The Cheney name is no stranger to Saud policy. Michael Sheldon Cheney lived in Saudi Arabia for years directing ARAMCO PR whilst setting up a small city for oil workers to populate, until the Sauds could maintain infrastructure in their own right.

The King of Arabia met Richard Halliburton outside Mecca. He was the closest non muslim to ever get within 20 miles of the city. The King hosted him there with a royal attachment of servants.

Now their money moves back to Dubai. A country ceded from Iran illegally. This is symbolic because it is an affront to the sensitivities of both Persian and Arab sovereignty. It foreshadows the much anticipated Iran war.

Nixon didn’t have Diebold to win his wars, he had a compliant media and did dirty work to undermine the Democrats. McGovern remains an American Profile in Courage, in comparison.

As for the church issue, the PR engines that move their votes and mindset and generate tax shelters is an affront to the establishment clause.

There’s a solution. Establish your own religion. Claim your property as worship place and render it nontaxable. If they don’t have to pay taxes you don’t. Sue the IRS in class actions. Claim equal protection. Something will have to give. Pay your taxes then sue for the difference, plus interest.

There’s no limit to religion. Worship the moment. Worship human rights. Worship free speech. Thomas Paine did.

Hitler was just some clownish buffoon. Who could ever imagine that he would be such a megalomaniacal threat to freedom and peace and, well, life itself?

Hitler… there was a painter! He could paint an entire apartment in ONE afternoon! TWO coats!

Forget the name of the book, but someone wrote a sci-fi alternative history in which Hitler immigrated to America in the early 20s and became a house painter. But this Hitler also write sci-fi. And all the sick stuff that the real Hitler projected onto Jews, the house painter immigrant Hitler spewed out through sci-fi stories (Sigourney Weaver/Alien type stuff). The really bizarre part is that the sci-fi Hitler wrote in the book is pretty recognizable as normal space monster sci-fi.

I’m sorry. I had to say that.

What is important with Joe’s book is what Buckeye mentioned about Germany. Hitler wasn’t Hitler, the one we now know, at the beginning (at least to others). Hitler was first elected then acquired more power as he went. It’s important to stop these things early.

Hitler first came to prominence at the head of group well-known (in those days) to be associated with the Frei Korp, soldiers released from the German military who served as counter-revolutionary death squads. For years, before Hitler became chancellor Nazis marched regularly in the streets publically beating up their enemies. They were worse than the KKK in the South in the 60s. Much worse.
Yes, Hitler came to power through (barely) constitutional means, but it was no great surprise what came next. There was no great effort to hide it. And when they abolished the Weimar Republic, they were pretty out front and in your face about it.

Authoritarianism in the US would proclaim itself pro-democracy and pro-liberty.

If it comes to America, it will be brought to us by the authoritarians and the hate-mongering Ann Coulters, sold under the pretext of national security and religious fundamentalism and the theory of the unitary executive.

The lesson that Germans learned the hard way is that when the threat is looming, we all have to fight against it early before it becomes impossible to stop. For us Americans today, this means right now.

Thanks Buckeye. Those are my sentiments exactly — and the reason I wrote this book.

Actually, I suspect that if it comes to America, it will look very American. Very slick. Multi-layered defense in depth against truth. It won’t look ominous. It will look cool. The ominousness will be between the lines and shimmering at the edges.

tatere @ 96

I think the real danger point is this next Presidential election. Clinton has been making noises that she’s not averse to laying hands on all the power that Bush has consolidated into the Executive. Others might feel the same once they get in there. If the withered condition of the other branches becomes a permanent norm – detached from BushCo – that’s the end of the story.

A very important point — we must bear in mind that no one can be trusted with the kind of power that Bush/Gonzo/Yoo have claimed for the presidency, not even someone we think might be inclined to use it “reasonably”. Hell, back in 2000 not even Bush looked like he would turn out to be the torturing tyrant that he’s become. Frankly, I think he’s stumbled into that role, not due to any grand design, but basically because of his emotional insecurity.

For my signature over at the Daily Kos, I chose the phrase “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” (a line attributed to Lord Acton, although I think I first heard it from Captain Kirk while he was overthrowing some galactic despot). Bush/Cheney have made a bid for absolute power, and the result has been torture, war-mongering, indefinite detentions without trial or attorneys — utter corruption almost everywhere you look. Frankly, I think that any of the Democratic candidates would succumb to the temptations of absolute power if they had it.

Has anyone asked Clinton, Obama, Edwards and the rest about their view of the unitary executive? Shouldn’t this be one of the most important issues of the 2008 election?

A very important question. With respect to the last question, Chris Dodd is about the only candidate who has made restoring the US Constitution a top priority.

Bob in HI

How can we deal with that?

Bob in HI

Eli @ 204

fourlegsgood @ 199

Well, yeah. Me too. But you already knew that.

So do you believe that the rocket to shoot the Bushies into the sun should be privately or publicly financed? I’m certainly willing to chip in.

Privately funded. Your donations are welcome.

If a whole bunch of people chip in, isn’t that public funding?