Get real. Read a little history. Did Bush lock up 200,000 Japanese and German Americans like FDR did? How is that for executive abuse of power? My mother tells a story about a Japanese American she went to school with. His family owned a nursery and when FDR ordered him and his family into a consentration camp she walked through the nursery and was sickened to see the thousands of hours of work on plants dead. These people weren't compensated until most were dead in the 1980s. How is that for civil rights? Tell me when you get out of the concentration camp.
Gitmo? They didn't even bat an eye at harsh treatment of POWs in past wars. News reporters didn't give a sh*t about POWs in those days.
I used to have a school songbook from the Wilson WWI era. Every German song was cut from the book. How is that for censorship?
I had an Aunt that spoke out against WWII and she was investigated and had a file on her at the FBI. That file was still there 40 years later when her nephew tried to get a passport to go to the middle east.
Pre-emptive war? What do you think US joining WWI was. The war to end all wars? A few more than 4000 americans died in that war.
The govenment told you what you could buy and how much during WWII. How is that for civil rights and the power of the government?
FDR ordered all gold mines closed during WWII. Most never recovered afterwards nor were they compensated. How is that for executive power?
FDR confuscated all privately owned gold and was paid with dollars. How is that for freedom of ownership? Go back a read what kind of civil rights were violated in past American wars. It used to be an acceptable way of runing things during wars.
Bush was a lousy President but was nowhere near the worst.
I agree that if we were in a World War, the atrocities would be worse. That is what is so scary, is that all of these civil rights liberties violations were done outside a major war, unless you consider the War on Terror to be completely legit.
Also, everything that Bush has done, is not out yet, as the stench under the floor is just creeping out, but the door has not been opened up yet. Sometimes, it takes years for the full truth to come out.
How many Muslims disappeared after 911? There were some articles that I have read that said thousands were kidnapped in NYC, and never to be heard from again. Nobody knows how many people have been kidnapped and thrown into secret prisons since 911, but the number is likely staggering. Gitmo, is just a red herring compared to extraordinary rendition.
Also, there is reputable sources that say we tortured and raped children in front of their parents. This satanic deed that was likely authorized from high up may be a new low for us. I believe the reports, because it is always much worst than originally thought, and this is coming from the same guy who originally broke the Abu Graib story.
How many people are surveilled now and have files on them? Probably every single one of us judging by the criteria on the MIAC reports. We know our emails are read, our websurfing tracked, etc. Look at how many are on the no fly list? We now have troops on the street, in violation of Posse Commatatus. Antiwar groups, and other peacful groups are routinely surveiled and infiltrated, etc. I can go on, and on.
Was Bush the worst ever? I guess we'll know at some point, but I do agree with you that Wilson and FDR were tyrants, and may be worse depending on what all come out. What happened to the Japanese was beyond atrocious, but this took a while to come out too, and the gvt took forever to own up to it.
By the way, I never said Bush was the worst, just that he gave Obma a huge assist if he gets out of control with his new found executive power. I am quite well read on history, and was aware of the civil rights violations you wrote about it including the gold confiscation. I still have grandparents alive.
Also, Gitmo prisoners are not PWOs, they are enemy combatitants and are not even afforded basic rights that a PWO is supposed to have. Most were drug out in the middle of the night from their homes.
