You don't see any elephants, do you?

One of the arguments I'm hearing in support of President Bush having ignored the law to eavesdrop on US citizens is thanks to such measures by our president, there have been no more terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11. This argument reminds me of an old commercial I saw when I was a kid.

The commercial was aimed at farmers, and was for an herbicide, Treflan, if I recall correctly. Two farmers are leaning on a fence, and one is extolling the benefits of Treflan to the other while they look over his beautiful weed-free field. He concludes his presentation of the wonders of Treflan by adding "and it keeps elephants away." The other farmer, surprised and confused, asks him what he means. "Well," replies the first farmer, "you don't see any elephants, do you?"

I'm thankful there have been no more terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11. I'm also thankful we have a Bill of Rights in our Constitution, and I expect my government to abide by them.

The Imperial Presidency

Less than a year ago, George W. Bush took the following oath for the second time:

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Has he, or any of his advisors, actually read the document he swore to uphold? In particular, the Fourth Amendment? Or is the Second Amendment the only part of the Bill of Rights they care about? I suppose it is the amendment that generates the most political donations, and that seems to be the raison d'etre for this administration.

The first presidency I remember was Nixon's; I was six years old when he was inaugurated. I remember watching the Watergate hearings on television. In high school, I saw a gubernatorial inauguration be suddenly moved up to prevent the out-going governor from selling any more pardons. That former governor eventually went to jail. You'd think all this would have inoculated me from any shock and surprise concerning elected officials and what they are capable of. Yet I am still surprised. I'm surprised at what this administration is willing to do to US citizens. I'm surprised that the New York Times sat on this story for a year, because the administration didn't want them to run it. (I guess the Pentagon Papers are officially a distant memory.)

I'm even more surprised that President Bush actually admitted that he had authorized the NSA to spy on American citizens. This is the same man who repeatedly said that we don't torture, even as it was increasingly obvious that we had done exactly that.

President Bush said in his radio address that the American people expect him to do everything in his power "under the laws and the Constitution to protect them and their civil liberties." Might I suggest he start by reading the Constitution?