What Roman power slowly built, an unarmed traitor instantly overthrew.

What Roman power slowly built, an unarmed traitor instantly overthrew.
Author: Claudian (Claudianus)
Source: In Rufinum (II, 52)

I am at once proud to be a trial lawyer and yet ashamed of it due to the eve increasing bad reputation we have allowed to be assigned to the profession. Over the past several years I have been asked about, and sometimes attacked for, representing criminals and getting them off on a mere technicality. Now bear in mind that the mere technicality is normally a violation of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights – most notably the 4th through the 8th amendments. (did you know you can hit someone in the back of the head with a phonebook and not leave a bruise? A favorite tactic to get a confession). Most people do not see such violations as a problem as long as the bad guys are caught. That tune changes when all of a sudden it is the good guy in the cross hairs.

But as of late my statements about the value of the U.S. Constitution have become meaningless, even to me – a person who believes that this document is the most important thing there is in our government. I saw a cartoon in the op-ed section of my paper that sums it all up for me. The Constitution was drawn as a doormat for the White House.

I do not care what your political affiliation is – the current occupant of White House has betrayed the power given to him by the voters (or U.S. Supreme Court). We have been a nation of laws with three branches of government – administrative, legislative and judicial. Each branch is to act as a check and/or balance to the other. In the last 7 years that has not been the case.

Yes I said seven, even though Bush has only been president for 6 1/2 years. See regardless of your political affiliation the U.S. Supreme Court usurped the power of the electorate to appoint Bush president. Understand, much to my own disgust I did in fact vote for him in 2000, but still disagreed with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Since then he has lied to us, the people of his nation as well as to the rest of the world. He has overseen the systematic dismantling of your civil liberties piece by piece. The cry that it is to protect us from terrorists is a weak one. The "Terrorists" have always been here. The Klan, the Militia, skin heads, weathermen – the unibomber and McViegh were all home ground. Islamic terrorists are new to our soil. But to dismantle out way of life, our cherished freedoms is to do the terrorists job for them and is an insult to all of those men and women, husbands and mothers, children that have EVER fought for this nation. I could not imagine "fighting to protect our American way of life" as this President has said only to see that while I am fighting the jackass who couldn't be bothered to show up for drill in the national guard was taking those freedoms away.

But the President and his lap dogs are not the only ones to blame. Where the hell has Congress been? Both parties – Republican or Democrat. YOUR FUCKING MISSION IS TO BE A CHECK ON HIS POWER! Yet there has been no check or balance. Even today, everyone is more worried about winning election than actually doing anything. If I were as incompetent as almost evyer single member of Congress has been I would be fired and lose my license. It is unreal. The Vice-President says he is not part of any branch of government and you fucks let it slide? Why? Does he have 8x10 glossies of you sodomizing a goat? The President openly states you can pass a law but he doesn't have to obey it. Show me where a signing statement is authorized in the Constitution. I seem to recall the line item veto was actually passed, signed into law and then declared unconstitutional.

This jackass has openly challenged Congress and they have done nothing except talk and bitch only to quietly rubber stamp everything.

It makes me sick to watch how we have let our government begin the decline into failure.