[Peace-discuss] Fake democracy

[C. G. Estabrook]

Although a growing majority of Americans are opposed to Obama's illegal foreign 
wars, the US House of Representatives passed today the "Defense Authorization" 
bill, HR1540, which gives the president authority to wage war wherever he wishes 
in the world and to imprison people indefinitely without trial. (See "The Worst 
Bill Ever in Congress" 
<http://warisacrime.org/content/worst-bill-ever-congress-0>.)

The House also unanimously created a new national holiday to celebrate the Iraq 
and Afghanistan Wars - and defunded the US Institute for Peace (saving the cost 
of 5 hours in Afghanistan).  And it required that all suspected terrorists be 
tried by the military and not in courts (unless the president orders them to be 
murdered first).

A majority of the Democrats in the House voted for this bill. The opposition was 
expressed by Rep. Ron Paul. (See his speech here: 
<http://www.ronpaul.com/2011-05-25/ron-paul-is-this-the-end-of-the-american-republic/>. 
)

Unfortunately, our representative, Timothy Johnson, went back on his promise to 
vote against more money for war in the Mideast, and voted for this bill (while 
six other Republicans manged to vote against it).

Meanwhile, the Democrats in the Senate reauthorized the Patriot Act. Here the 
opposition against the Democrat majority leader, Harry Reid, was led by Senator 
Rand Paul 
(<http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/05/24/harry-reid-pushes-patriot-act-past-rand-paul>.)

Illinois Sen. Durbin, normally a toady to the administration, in fact voted 
against the extension of the Patriot Act.