Supreme Court
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Sundays I wait patiently for the start of the "60 minutes" program which is one of the last vestiges of television journalism. It is almost invariably time-shifted by a sports program, which undoubtedly keeps viewership down. "60 minutes" like other corporate conglomerate broadcasts, is increasingly undisguised right-wing propaganda.
For example, Supreme Court Justice Scalia was profiled on 60 minutes recently. He spoke on varied subjects, but on Bush v Gore, which selected Bush as President in 2000, he said simply "Get over it." Thanks to Greg Palast, writing for the British press, we now know that there was wholesale election rigging in Florida that year. An honest recount of the votes would likely have made Gore President. Scalia is unrepentant. Seven years later the whole world can see that the Court's decision was likely the worst one ever made. Bush has proved it. It does not take a Supreme Court Judge to know we shouldn't get over the idea that elections no longer have meaning. www.seconnecticut.com/elections.htm.
Scalia claims to be an 'originalist', which he explained is the idea that the Constitution should be interpreted as the framers intended. However, when V.P. Cheney met with people to decide energy policy and kept it secret, Scalia, Cheney's good friend, ruled that Congress could not know details of those meetings. The Constitution clearly intended that Congress should have oversight powers because, without that, there can be no 'checks and balances'. Given two new Bush additions to the Court, it is unlikely that the Bush administration's concept of the imperial Presidency will be overturned. This Scalia decision wiped out Congressional oversight, checks and balances, and certainly crippled the Constitution. In the interview Scalia, like many Republicans, just couldn't seem to figure out what torture is either.
After Scalia's profile, there followed exciting pictures of the Israeli air force preparing for action against Iran. Such pictures are reminiscent of propaganda leading to the War with Iraq: If the President wants to go to war with Iran, is anyone in position to stop him ? The Constitution gives the power to make war to the Congress because the framers knew the danger. Does it matter what the Constitution says ?
None of the Presidential candidates have rejected Bush's aggressive power grab, nor have they rejected his secretiveness, his signing statements, or his refusal to be accountable. It is questionable whether we can have a meaningful Constitution if Bush is not held accountable. Scalia's hypocrisy is evident for anyone that cares to look.
Media had a large role in (s)electing Bush, cheerled his wars, broadcast his propaganda, and are continuing to consolidate their oligopoly and are largely responsible for our path to fascism. http://www.seconnecticut.com/fascism.htm
Bibliography
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court: Jeffrey Toobin
Vincent Bugliosi, The Betrayal of America: How the Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Chose Our President, (2001) ISBN 1-56025-355-X
Supreme Injustice: How the High Court Hijacked Election 2000, (2001) Alan M. Dershowitz, ISBN 0-19-514827-4