The next time that President Bush or someone in his administration passive agressively suggests that some reporter or newspaper has committed treason could a reporter maybe ask the President if he believes that whoever he just made the charge against is actually guilty of or should be prosecuted for treason, a crime punishable by death. That way the President will have to take some responsiblity for casually accusing people of the most serious crime an American citizen can commit against his country.
And to go a step further, perhaps someone in the press could then point out that such charges of treason are exactly what the Founders thought would be subversive to democratic society.
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This isn't particularly relevant to the comment, but I'd just like to say that it's been a great pleasure reading you over at Unclaimed Territory. Your posts were interesting and thought provoking; with a little bit of bit, of course. Keep up the excellent work!
Now, with regard to the comment: aint it sad? Sometimes I get so angry at how the media portrayed Democrats and liberals, how they play into frames that benefit the GOP, etc ... and sometimes I just say "well, they've proven they have no limits - so why should I continue being surprised?"
And THAT is why it's been so great reading your work!
What I MEANT to say was: a little bit of "bite."
The fact that the framers saw fit to define treason just points to what a powerful weapon the charge is. Reading the Federalists reveals that they knew exactly that the dangers to the Republic's success were due to the failings of human nature when faced with the opportunity to seize power.
If Jefferson and Hamilton were alive today, they'd be pointing at us and saying "I told you so!"
It's a little scary to think of how little respect the right has for the core Democratic principles this nation was founded on. It's also amusing/uttery frightening (a dichotomy with which we've all become accustomed when dealing with the right) to imagine what Hannity, et al. would say to Jefferson, were he alive today.
Actually, it's not always punished by the death penalty, that's just the most severe penalty.
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