This is not the constitutionalist you're looking for.
After two days of political theater, the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to delay the vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court for a week. In that time, the FBI will conduct an investigation surrounding the allegations made against him by Christine Blasey Ford.
And the real losers, unfortunately, are the American people, who are being diligently distracted from Kavanaughs actual policy record.
By now, no one is a stranger to the claims of sexual assault that have been levied against Judge Kavanaugh. In fact, the entire country has been so wrapped up in this case, it is hard to determine what is fact and what is simply partisan politics rearing its ugly head. And between Cory Bookers lengthy monologue that sounded more like a campaign stump speech than anything else and Lindsey Grahams unexpected passionate rant, it is clear that both sides are putting way too much stake on the outcome of these hearings.
To be sure, claims of sexual misconduct should certainly be brought to the publics attention, especially when they involve a nominee for a position as powerful as a Supreme Court Justice. And in the #metoo era, failing to take these allegations seriously would be most unwise. But losing ourselves in this political circus and the subsequent media frenzy surrounding Kavanaughs sexual past glosses over another aspect of his professional career that should concern every single individual: his promotion of the national security state.
The PATRIOT Act
The years of 2001-2003 were confusing for Americans as many tried to grapple with the fact that living in the greatest country on earth did not make us immune to large-scale terrorist attacks. These were also the years that Brett Kavanaugh served as associate White House Counsel for then-President George W. Bush.
This fear gave birth to the monstrous national security state we live in today, where without just cause, civilians began being treated like criminals in our own country.
In the aftermath of 9/11, many people began to believe that the government not only had a right to take drastic security measures against its own people but that our livelihoods actually depended on it. This fear gave birth to the monstrous national security state we live in today, where without just cause, civilians began being treated like criminals in our own country.
One of the most egregious acts perpetrated against the American people at this time was the PATRIOT Act. And one of its greatest supporters was Brett Kavanaugh.
According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), which filed a Freedom of Information Act Request for Kavanaughs official government correspondence records from this era, the Supreme Court Justice nominee referred to the PATRIOT Act as a "measured, careful, responsible, and constitutional approach in an email sent to a colleague. Anyone who knows anything about the PATRIOT Act knows that constitutional and careful are by no means accurate descriptions. The PATRIOT Act obliterated the Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights to privacy and due process by giving the federal government sweeping new powers to conduct surveillance on the American people.
If he is the constitutionalist he has claimed to be on several occasions, then he would know that the Constitution already prohibits the government from broad, warrantless searches of this nature.
But his support of the legislation that signaled the downfall of American rule of law does not simply end with his favorable comments. Kavanaugh was also one of the individuals tasked with its drafting. He has been definitively credited with the line, the new law will update laws authorizing government surveillance. And just this one line is rather problematic in itself. If he is the constitutionalist he has claimed to be on several occasions, then he would know that the Constitution already prohibits the government from broad, warrantless searches of this nature. This is not a protection that can simply be updated. And yet, his nonchalance over abolishing certain constitutional protections without a discussion of adopting an actual amendment is disconcerting.
The Torture Memos
The publics discovery of the torture memos was a dark time in modern American history. We had been riding our moral high horse during the early years of the War on Terror, pretending that America was the global beacon of moral and ethical treatment. But when the memos, which were originally composed while Kavanaugh served the Bush Administration, were released in 2004, the entire world caught a glimpse of just how ugly military interventions really were.
The memos told a story of members of the Bush Administration attempting to broadly expand the legal definition of torture to justify such horrific acts as waterboarding and sleep deprivation as permissible. They also told of the administrations quest to seek the authority to label anyone of their choosing an enemy combatant, thus, subjecting them to the possibility of indefinite detention in awful facilities like Guantanamo Bay. Their publication also added fuel to the already growing fire of animosity against George W. Bush who, at the time of the memos creation, was the employer of Judge Kavanaugh.
In 2006, when Judge Kavanaugh was being questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee as he waited to be confirmed to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, he went on the record stating that he knew nothing of these memos before their public release. At several points during his hearing, he denied having anything to do with these memos specifically stating that he was not involved in any conversations regarding the rules governing the detention of combatants He also denied ever having seen the correspondence at all. He even told Senator Leahy:
I think with respect to the legal justifications or the policies relating to the treatment of detainees, I was not aware of any issues on that or the legal memos that subsequently came out. This was not part of my docket, either in the counsels office or as staff secretary.
The reason this has raised red flags for those already skeptical about Kavanaugh is that his position at the time dictated that memos and other written correspondence would have passed by his desk at some point before reaching their end recipient.
Enemy Combatants
Additionally, a year after the 2006 hearing, the Washington Post reported on a contentious meeting that had occurred in the White House in 2002. The conversation was centered on speculation as to whether or not the Supreme Court would accept the Bush Administrations assertion that they could label an American citizen an enemy combatant at their discretion, allowing the person in question to be locked up for an indefinite amount of time.
As per the Washington Posts reporting, Judge Kavanaugh was not only present at this meeting but was specifically summoned to weigh in on the matter since he was himself a former clerk for swing vote judge, Justice Kennedy. At the meeting, he voiced his concerns that Justice Kennedy and other swing voters on the Supreme Court would never side with the administrations controversial decision. This meeting was brought up again just a couple of weeks ago, addressing the concerns some Senators still have over Kavanaughs insistence that he had no role in such conversations when it appears that he did.
As the New Yorker points out:
First, attending this meeting or even just contributing a reading of Justice Kennedys likely view would seem to constitute taking part in a discussion on detention policies, and thus to contradict Kavanaughs sworn testimony.
Senator Durbin, who sat on the Senate Judicial committee in 2006 sent Kavanaugh a letter in which he states, it appears that you misled me, but he never received a response, even after he followed up with Kavanaugh recently after he had received the Supreme Court nomination.
Metadata: Due Process for Me, Not for Thee
The 2013 Edward Snowden leaks were arguably one of the most significant events to occur over the last decade. For those who thought the government wasnt capable of this magnitude of corruption, the blindfold was removed and the governments true intentions were revealed. For those already skeptical, the leaks had confirmed preexisting suspicions.
In many ways, the Snowden situation drew a line in the political sand. Those who stood for freedom believed in the peoples inherent right to privacy and in upholding the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. But those who supported and sustained the governments mass surveillance of its own people made their views on individual liberty very clear. And Judge Kavanaugh was not on the right side of history.
At the heart of the Snowden situation was the question of whether or not metadata counted as government surveillance. The government, frantically scrambling to justify its actions, insisted that it was not actually data collection, since metadata did not technically provide any raw data. But metadata still gives very specific information about the type of data collected and therefore is still a violation of constitutional protections.
Kavanaugh also later stated that that critical national security need outweighs the impact on privacy occasioned by this program.
However, in a ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Kavanaugh ruled that the Governments metadata collection program is entirely consistent with the Fourth Amendment. He also later stated that that critical national security need outweighs the impact on privacy occasioned by this program. Again, a rather odd conclusion for a staunch constitutionalist to support.
Congressman Amash expressed his concerns with Kavanaughs ruling, tweeting:
Future decisions on the constitutionality of government surveillance of Americans will be huge. We cant afford a rubber stamp for the executive branch.
This mass surveillance of the American people not only violated the specific statutes in the Fourth Amendment that specified how individuals could be searched by the state, but it also violated the right of due process the same due process that Kavanaugh has asked be upheld while he undergoes the confirmation process.
If the government would like to gain access to the private communications of American citizens, it must do so by going to a judge and obtaining a warrant.
Due process is a staple of our American legal system. And while the allegations made by victims of sexual assault should be listened to and investigated, there is more to due process than allowing Judge Kavanaugh to have his day in court. If the government would like to gain access to the private communications of American citizens, it must do so by going to a judge and obtaining a warrant. This warrant must specifically state what property is being searched and what is being searched for, as is specified by the Fourth Amendment.
Requiring law enforcement to go through the proper channels to secure a warrant before violating the privacy of American citizens is part of due process. You cannot support some due process while blatantly abolishing certain safeguards that guarantee this right to Americans.
To be sure, accusers of sexual assault deserve to be heard, but before we pass judgment, due process needs to occur. But due process is not meant for one class of people; it is meant for every American citizen whether they are nominated for the Supreme Court like Kavanaugh, or happen to have a radicalized parent like sixteen-year-old Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, who was targeted and killed by the U.S. Military without any semblance of due process.
Whats at Stake
But even if the allegations prove to be false, there are still serious concerns surrounding Kavanaughs confirmation on the Supreme Court that should not be ignored.
Currently, the entire country is obsessed with focusing on one very narrow aspect of Judge Kavanaughs life. True, if these claims turn out to be correct, there is a legitimate cause for alarm. But even if the allegations prove to be false, there are still serious concerns surrounding Kavanaughs confirmation on the Supreme Court that should not be ignored.
Most of our lives are now digital, which makes our information extremely vulnerable to hackers both private and government-sanctioned. We cannot afford to put ourselves at risk by empowering judicial candidates who have a proven record of trampling on Fourth Amendment rights.
Additionally, if there is ever a day when it is possible for Edward Snowden to return to the U.S. and receive a fair trial before the Supreme Court, it is hoped that our justices will be up to the task. And given Kavanaughs record of upholding the surveillance state in favor of national security, that future is highly unlikely.
#1: Vicomte13 To: Deckard (#0)
Those are the two choices. There is not a third.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-10-04 08:46:25 Reply Private Reply
#2: Justified To: Deckard (#0)
You have to stop the train before you can turn it around.
Justified posted on 2018-10-04 08:52:06 Reply Private Reply
#3: Justified To: Vicomte13 (#1)
Justified posted on 2018-10-04 08:53:04 Reply Private Reply
#4: Deckard To: Justified (#2)
Once - you clowns are being distracted by a laughable soap opera.
By clowns I mean both Dems and Reps.
After this staged carnival is over, Kavanaugh will still get the job because both parties want a Big Brother, surveillance State apologist on the SCOTUS.
Deckard posted on 2018-10-04 08:56:55 Reply Private Reply
#5: Vicomte13 To: Deckard (#4)
Ok. If that's what we get, then that's what we get.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-10-04 09:00:06 Reply Private Reply
#6: Justified To: Deckard (#4)
This all or nothing is getting old! Its the reason libertarians dont have any power.
Justified posted on 2018-10-04 09:07:21 Reply Private Reply
#7: Vicomte13 To: Justified (#6)
It's also the reason that Democrats have so much more power than their numbers in the general population warrant.
Libertarians are all-or-nothing on principles that do not work to organize people, and that most people don't want or need or much care about.
Democrats are all-or-nothing on principles that appeal to a great number of people.
Republicans are secretly all-or-nothing on a small set of very unpopular principles, but to win they make a big tent of people they're willing to throw under the bus when expedient.
The Kavanaugh/2018 elections game is different, because it's a test of raw power. For the Republicans to survive, they actually have to compromise on part of their all-or-nothing set, which permanently weakens their traditional internal power hierarchy by abandoning a portion of its orthodoxy.
But if they won't compromise, they will lose the chance to seat a Supreme Court justice, then they will lose the election, and then they will lose everything.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-10-04 09:20:39 Reply Private Reply
#8: nolu chan To: Deckard (#0)
[Brittany Hunter/Foundation For Economic Education]
This is but a retread of the Matt Agorist bullshit previously posted. My response to that steaming pantsload is just applicable to this steaming pantsload. Posting the same bullshit from a different source does not un-bullshit the mindless unsourced nonsense.
The gross distorting horsecrap of both authors when comparing the truncated quote used by both dishonest yellow typists, and comparing to what Judge Kavanaugh wrote in the uncited Klayman v. Obama, 15-5307 (20 Nov 2015):
From the prior thread:
https://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=57366&Disp=0#C0
Title: MSM Using Kavanaugh Sex Scandal to Distract You From Real Reason He Shouldnt Be Appointed
Source: Free Thought Project
URL Source: https://thefreethoughtproject.com/msm-using-kavanaugh-sex-scandal-to-distract-you-from-real-reason-he-shouldnt-be-appointed/
Published: Sep 27, 2018
Author: Matt Agorist
Post Date: 2018-09-28 09:11:05 by Deckard
[excerpt]
https://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=57366&Disp=10#C10
nolu chan #10
Put down the yellow rag and read the court opinions.
Kavanaugh's opinion was in Klayman v. Obama, 15-5307 (20 Nov 2015).
Kavanaugh cited binding Supreme Court precedent from Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735 (20 Jun 1979). Being required to follow binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, Kavanaugh followed the binding precedent from 1979.
The binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent was a 1979 opinion by Blackmun, joined by Burger, White, Rehquist, and Stevens. (5-3).
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https://www.scribd.com/document/389796661/Klayman-v-Obama-15-5307-DC-Cir-20-Nov-2015-Kavanaugh-Pen-Register
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https://www.scribd.com/document/389796720/Smith-v-Maryland-4442-US-735-1979-Pen-Register-Data-Collection
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And, as I wrote in my #30 that previous posting of this nonsense,
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-04 12:05:48 Reply Private Reply
#9: Hondo68 To: nolu chan, repeat the lies, maybe the rubes will beleive them, this time, *Bill of Rights-Constitution* (#8)
The truth is the truth, no matter who states it.
And Nolu's lies are lies, no matter how many times he quotes lying activist judges.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-10-04 15:03:10 Reply Private Reply
#10: nolu chan To: hondo68, repeat the liies, more lies, nothing but lies (#9)
My, that was a fact free rebuttal of the actual court documents. Typical bullshit.
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-04 15:09:51 Reply Private Reply
#11: Hondo68 To: nolu chan (#10)
Kavanaugh at the George W. Bush white hut.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-10-04 16:30:29 Reply Private Reply
#12: GrandIsland To: Deckard (#4)
GO FUCK YOURSELF. If the Dems controlled shit, wed get some man hating cunt that not only would allow big brother surveillance but tree hugging, gun hating... fag loving, shit.
If you cant support this nomination while knowing your presidential choice CANT nominate SHIT... because your presidential choice IS A LITTLE PERSON, like you. Unimportant because UNVIABLE... then you need some smarts BEAT into you.
GrandIsland posted on 2018-10-04 19:12:22 Reply Private Reply
#13: nolu chan To: hondo68 (#11)
I see that you are butthurt. Maybe you should put some ice on that. Keep up the good work in your pursuit of intellectual excellence and you may even get an internship at the Free From Thought Project.
What Judge Kavanaugh wrote in the uncited Klayman v. Obama, 15-5307 (20 Nov 2015). It gets better each time you read it.
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-04 19:48:09 Reply Private Reply
#14: Hondo68 To: nolu chan, enemy of the 4th amedment (#13)
Hondo68 posted on 2018-10-04 23:04:10 Reply Private Reply
#15: nolu chan To: hondo68, hondope, enemy of truth, enemy of logic, butthurt baby (#14)
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-04 23:26:24 Reply Private Reply
#16: Hondo68 To: nolu chan, Slick Willies fixer (#15)
Thanks Brett, for covering up Hillary's murder of Vince Foster.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-10-05 01:01:09 Reply Private Reply
#17: nolu chan To: hondo68, Slick Willie's Fluffer, Rape fixer, Bimbo Eruptin Control (#16)
This is what liberal Dem leaders look and sound like after seeing the FBI report. Criminals and trapped rats.
Feinswine looks like she ust came from the doctor's office where she was told her condition was terminal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqY-UsS2mr4
Body Language: FBI Report Dianne Feinstein & Chuck Schumer Press Conference
Body Language Ghost
Published on Oct 4, 2018
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-05 02:08:49 Reply Private Reply
#18: Hondo68 To: Deckard, Susan Collins seal of approval, BobCeleste (#0)
Senator Susan Collins will vote for Kavanaugh because, he upholds same sex marriage, and Masterpiece Cakeshop, BAKE THE GAY WEDDING CAKE!
Hondo68 posted on 2018-10-05 18:23:10 Reply Private Reply
#19: nolu chan To: hondo68 (#18)
Whack jobs will protest because Roe v. Wade and "defend abortion."
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-05 19:45:59 Reply Private Reply
#20: goldilucky To: nolu chan (#8)
I am not so much caught up on the sexual misconduct cases against Kavanaugh. I really want to know more about where this guy stands on the issues concerning the Third and Fourth Amendments.
goldilucky posted on 2018-10-05 21:08:27 Reply Private Reply
#21: A K A Stone To: nolu chan, Jameson (#19)
We will go after the senators for murder. We will go after their staff too for accessory to murder. We will go after the janitor at planned parenthood because he gets blood money too.
That is where it is going. Especially after Ginsburg departs earth to hell. Jamesons future home for his role in the murders of American children.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-10-05 21:21:31 Reply Private Reply
#22: nolu chan To: goldilucky (#20)
I'm not sure if you mistakenly cited the 3rd Amendment.
I don't know if there has ever been a case on the 3rd Amendment.
Judge Kavanaugh's record on the 4th Amendment is pretty thin as a lower court judge, which is typical as they generally follow existing Supreme Court precedent. ScotusBlog from before the insanity is a good source, but there just is not much to be had.
http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/07/judge-kavanaugh-on-the-fourth-amendment/
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-06 14:45:07 Reply Private Reply
#23: Liberator To: nolu chan (#19)
Whack Jobs gonna be Whack Jobs.
The optics as a result of this ongoing insanity will cost the Democrats dearly. I hope they keep on showcasing their insanity.
(Irony Alert: "Defend Abortion" mantra on that sign nearby a 6 year old girl)
Liberator posted on 2018-10-06 16:42:13 Reply Private Reply
#24: Liberator To: nolu chan, goldilucky (#22)
My impassioned support of Kavanaugh (and yours respectively I suspect as well) was less about ideology and far more about repelling this insane unanimous demand by the Democrat Party (and vast majority of the Left) to indict then convict based solely on the identity of both The Accuser and Accused.
It was a full frontal assault in Macy's front window in broad daylight and conspiracy to crush the US Constitution. The conspiracy *should* have been overwhelmingly crushed. Instead it was a relative squeaker. That bodes ill for the future of Late Great USA.
When interviewed by Laura Ingraham last evening, Mitch McConnell indicted he would refuse to take Senate coup leaders Feinstein and Schumer and the rest of the (D) conspirators to task -- despite their blatant mockery and affront to the process and potential constitutional rights violations against Judge Kav.
I suspect McConnell is blackmailed to push any harder as a result of his shipping/monkey business with the ChiComs, over which he and his wife, Elaine Chao share guilt. (In exchange for Trump NOT pressing the issue and for B-Slapping Flake, McConnell feigned outrage over the Hearings.)
Feinstein of course is also involved in her own ChiCom monkey business. We are told her driver has been a Chinese "spy" for 20 years (without her knowledge ;-)
Final Observation: We see exactly why McConnell (and other mercs like Ryan and anti-Trumpers) are compromised. They're filthy.
Liberator posted on 2018-10-06 17:06:18 Reply Private Reply
#25: nolu chan To: Liberator (#23)
Spot on. I believe it will result in a GOP pickup of a few seats in the Senate. They can thank their own stupidity, with an assist from Creepy Porn Lawyer, for their frustration when Amy Coney Barrett is nominated to replace the Notorious RBG.
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-06 20:07:04 Reply Private Reply
#26: nolu chan To: Liberator (#24)
I was originally lukewarm about Kavanaugh because of the Bush connection. I reject utterly the attempt at character assassination having nothing to do with qualifications. This actually outdid the Clarence Thomas fiasco. The protesters are either flat out nuts or paid protesters.
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-06 20:24:34 Reply Private Reply
#27: nolu chan To: Liberator (#24)
Not to worry. It is time for Turtle to step aside and let The Donald do his thing.
Jeanine Pirro telephone interview with President Donald Trump, 10/6/2018:
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Just speculation, but have you considered that she may have been put under surveillance after the spy was discovered? In that case, there is no telling what advance confidential information the President was playing with.
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-06 22:36:15 Reply Private Reply
#28: goldilucky To: nolu chan (#22)
Nope, no mistake on my part. I intended to cite it because of its relevance to the 4th Amendment.
goldilucky posted on 2018-10-06 23:04:22 Reply Private Reply
#29: nolu chan To: goldilucky (#28)
[goldilucky #28] Nope, no mistake on my part. I intended to cite it because of its relevance to the 4th Amendment.
Ok. I am fairly certain that, in Kavanaugh's lifetime, there has never been any instance, brought before the courts or not, where any soldier, in time of peace or war, was quartered in any house with or without the consent of the owner. I can assure you that no 3rd Amendment case has ever reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
I am unaware of any such case brought before any court in American history.
I am unaware of anybody ever expressing an opinion on the 3rd Amendment.
There is no way to know where anybody stands on the 3rd Amendment. I do not see anything there to take a position on.
If I had to conjecture on Brett Kavanaugh's position, I would suppose it to be, "no soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."
nolu chan posted on 2018-10-07 00:09:38 Reply Private Reply