A hammering editorial? Dems Forget First Amendment

[NVMojo]

What do you think?

Sun Feb 27, 8:18 PM ET Op/Ed - The Nation

What is the issue on which Congressional Democrats least likely to take a bold -- and appropriate -- stand?

War and peace? No. More than 126 House Democrats voted against the use-of-force resolution that President Bush used as an excuse for the invasion of Iraq, as did 21 Senate Democrats. Some 118 House Democrats and a eleven their Senate colleagues had the courage to vote against the continued funding of the war -- not because they do not "support the troops" but because they want to get the troops home alive.

The Patriot Act? No. While U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, was the only Senate Democrat who opposed the Patriot Act, 62 House Democrats opposed that assault on the Constitution and the majority of House Democrats have since backed resolutions to address the law's worst excesses.

Freedom of speech? Yes. When the House voted in mid-February on the so-called Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act, only 36 Democrats took the side of the First Amendment. They were joined by one Independent, Vermont Socialist Bernie Sanders, and one Republican, Texas renegade Ron Paul.

The vast majority of House Democratic Caucus members -- they're the ones who are supposed to "get" the First Amendment at least a little bit better than their Republican colleagues -- sided with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and his merry band of crusaders for censorship.


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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2281&ncid=742&e=5&u=/thenation/20050228/cm_thenation/12223

[XOKCowboy]

1. I Don't Get It...

Yes there are a lot of Democrats that pander to their electorate (and we must remember them in 2006 and vote them out) but we need to give kudos and support to those that did stand up to Bush's hypocrisy. Why does this editorial slam Dems but not mention the overwhelming majority that is in lockstep with Bush and chastize them?

[Enquiringkitty]

2. In the past, the Demos have been against censorship and that

is what that bill adds up to. It is so loose that it can be used later for other types of censorship. A conservative trend has been rising in the Democratic Party that is making some people nervous.

[NVMojo]

3. it should make a few nervous because conservatives in the Repuke

Party are now worse than liberals for pork programs, etc.