Some recent arguments and my responses.

[groovychk]

Originally published at Twixel.net. You can comment here or there.

“If you don’t like what’s going on in America then why don’t you get out.”
STFU about leaving America.  That is the single stupidest repeated comment I see.  Bitching about politics is a right/responsibility and at least it shows SOME thought about what is going on.  Agreeing with someone all the time because they are the same party as you is a major part of what’s killing the country.  It also shows a severe lack of critical thinking.  Telling people that disagree with you to leave their country is moronic.
Being concerned about a bill that removes Habeas Corpus for “alien” people UNDER SUSPICION of being terrorist is an atrocity.  So let’s say - for the sake of argument - that your average Joe Non-American is arrested on suspicion of terrorism because of erroneous info or having the wrong name.  That average Joe is now TOAST.  No passing go - no collecting $200.  Innocent until proven guilty - ever hear of it?  You probably think that’s inconvenient.  Well so does the current administration.  Now you’re not even Guilty till proven Innocent - you’re just Guilty.  That’s why Habeas Corpus is there. What is so difficult to understand?  Habeas Corpus applies to everyone.  Why do you think they specifically removed it in the new law?  This has nothing to do with partisan politics.  This has to do with power.

“Sit down and shut up - we won the election.”  & “The terrorists aren’t winning.”
Is that right?  A new law that gives terrible new power to the Executive Branch comes out and everyone is expected to STFU because Bush won.  Baloney.  It is the duty of every American to defend their country from this kind of crap.  We must always maintain vigilance.  Why do you implicitly trust your team to do the right thing?  The rule of law is there to make it so that you don’t have to wonder whether they are going to be fascists or not.  The terrorist are winning because we have become horrified that they are gonna get us - so we give up our freedom and fundamentally change to protect ourselves.  We deserve neither freedom nor security.

“Giving Habeas Corpus to terrorists.  Great idea.  Terrorists don’t have rights.”
How does one determine who is a terrorist? Just because someone says so? Someone is mistakenly arrested/declared a terrorist… that’s it. They are done.  Whether or not it is a mistake doesn’t matter because you’ll never find out.  It’s not about giving Habeas Corpus to terrorist - it is about protecting the rights of the innocent.

“They’re terrorists.  They should all be fried.”
According to the new law all non-American, non-citizens are now able to be branded terrorist with no recourse. Why do you implicitly trust the powers that be to do the right thing with this kind of power? The reason the system “as it was” came into being was to provide protection from this kind of thing happening. The problem is that we don’t know who the terrorist are. Do we only arrest/detain people that we are certain have committed terrorist acts? No. We arrest/detain lots of folks on suspicion.  Well guess what - now it doesn’t matter whether they are guilty or not.  We can just arrest everyone we think might be a terrorist and that’s it.  Game over.
And before you think I’m soft on these folks - I’m not.  For a proven terrorist I want death.