Lieberman Aims for 2010 Crystal Douchebag

Stinque’s 2009 Golden Anal Pear Asshole of the Year and runner-up for 2009’s Crystal Douchebag for Lifetime Achievement, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, is introducing legislation today (co-sponsored by Senator Centerfold of Massachusetts) that would give the State Department the power to strip citizenship from any American that the department thinks has ties to a terrorist organization.

This patently unconstitutional bill flies in the face of decades of 14th Amendment jurisprudence and would allow the State Department to designate groups as supporting terrorism, US citizens linked to the groups would face the loss of their citizenship, rendering them “stateless.”  Any American citizen, even if they have not been charged with or convicted of a crime, could lose their citizenship.

Given the not-so-great success the TSA’s security alert list has been, with stories of 7 year old kids being tagged as terrorist suspects, the promise that there would be “administrative safeguards” at the State Department that would allow a citizen to challenge his or her loss of citizenship is of little use, especially with the Department’s use of so-called secret evidence.  In addition, the list of terrorist organizations isn’t exactly posted on the State Department’s website, nor is the criteria used to make such a designation or the criteria used to evaluate the degree of involvement or connection needed to be “tied” to an organization.

What has Lieberman’s panties in a wad is that accused Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad was “Mirandized” by the FBI and NYPD, and he (and McCain and others) want to be able to have Shahzad and other American citizens tossed in military tribunals and tortured.  Lieberman seems to have a great misunderstanding about what it means to advise a criminal suspect of his or her rights.  The Miranda advisement is not a get-out-of-jail free card – it means that what the suspect says to police after the advisement will be admissible at a criminal trial.  Not Mirandizing Shahzad would have made it that much more likely that everything he has told investigators to date would not be used against him.

Lieberman’s attempt to score cheap political points should send a chill down the spine of every person in this country, regardless of political or ideological affiliation or the political party controlling the Administration.  Who is to decide what a terrorist organization is?  Some consider the Ku Klux Klan a terrorist organization; others feel the same way about the ACLU.  When Bush 43 Administration attorneys are attacking the bill, you know there’s a problem with it.

Citizenship is a birthright; it is not something that can be taken away with the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen.

In our country the people are sovereign and the Government cannot sever its relationship to the people by taking away their citizenship. Our Constitution governs us and we must never forget that our Constitution limits the Government to those powers specifically granted or those that are necessary and proper to carry out the specifically granted ones. The Constitution, of course, grants Congress no express power to strip people of their citizenship, whether, in the exercise of the implied power to regulate foreign affairs or in the exercise of any specifically granted power.

Afroyim v. Rusk, 387 U.S. 253, 257 (1967)

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On a MUCH lighter note, look at Shelley O all dressed up for Cinco de Mayo!

Fashionistas, what say you about the outfit? I think it looks hawt and I was thrilled that she didn’t wear the weight-lifting belt OR the cardigan. Strappy sandals are cute, too.

21 Comments

I’m always amazed that people get shocked over anything Lieberman says anymore. It’s all grandstanding. He’d read The Story of O out loud on the senate floor if he thought it would get him votes or attention.

This legislation will die a parliamentary death, mark my words. This is so stupid nobody is even going to want to debate it.

Very well done piece.

Had this been law when I was a registered sex offender alien, that time I got grilled for a very long time in TO airport or that other time my card was taken from me and I was ordered to report to Immigration might have ended very differently.

BTW. The TO incident did not involve strip-searching. Unfortunately.

Breaking news in Miami. HOORAY!!!!!!

@Benedick:

We should take up a collection and send that kid to college. That isn’t easy to do, ‘fess up to being a sex worker.

you know, Im not a lawyer but isnt there this thing called “due process” once you are a citizen if not before.

ps
love the psychedelic dress.

@SanFranLefty: The demon sheep with the tri-cornered hat was a stroke of genius.

You all don’t think that look is a little casual standing next to the POTUS in the power suit?

@Tommmcat Still Gets Carly Confused With Meg: I often think that, and I often think that she must be freezing cold. Now that it is May in DC, however, she’s probably cool as a cucumber.

P.S. Love your new name.

@mellbell: Agree that it’s perfect for the teabagger candidate, though Carly’s blue hat and pearls were pretty hilarious too. It reminds me of the spoof trailers that were featured in Tropic Thunder – I think they have the same guy doing the voice overs.

@Tommmcat Still Gets Carly Confused With Meg: In his (her?) defense, he can’t help but wear a suit. Just imagine the outrage had he worn a guayabera.

@mellbell:

I would love to see him in a white ice-cream suit with a black tie and a straw hat. You would be able to hear the gnashing of teeth in Alabama from right here in Burbank.

@mellbell: It’s hard to tell from this pic and I’m too lazy to go find a larger version, but it looks like Barry’s tie may fall into the “whimsical pattern” category, which–as you pointed out–is about as much wardrobe freedom as he’s allowed. And First Girlfriend looks hott!

@flippin eckand mellbell: Don’t you think that some of these photos will fuel the “Michelle has a baby bump” rumors in the tabloids?

@SanFranLefty: For sure. The second one reminds me of the time someone asked whether I was pregnant because I had a stomach ache and was rubbing my tummy.

@Tommmcat Still Gets Carly Confused With Meg: It’s hard to tell from the photo, but it’s Thakoon, it’s silk, and it cost more than my monthly wages. @SanFranLefty: @mellbell: That is a problem. But overall I like the look. And speaking as another “woman of a certain age,” sometimes we’re burning up when everyone else is cold. Girlfriend’s go-to sheath and cardigan look gets my total sympathy.
More controversy: TLo is taking bets on how long it will be before someone goes berserk that she showed her knees.

@Mistress Cynica: Finally TLo put something up on that dress! Having looked at more photos, I so want that dress. The blouse version of that dress (or wait, did she wear a blouse as a dress?? double scandal) is $955. Oy vey.

ADD: Found the dress. That’s more than my share of the mortgage!

But again, they call it a “T-Shirt Dress” – was Shelly O not just showing her knees but wearing a shirt as a dress??

Scott Brown’s office tells me this is “just an update of a law stripping American citizenship of people who supported the Nazis in WWII.”

I guess we should breath a sigh of relief that no one ever found out about Prescott Bush or we wouldn’t have had the honor of having his grandson drive the country into a ditch.

I think Michele rocks in that dress or whatever it is. And her posture and expression — it’s like she’s the hottest back-up singer ever (not that I remotely question her talent and ability to be the lead singer, it’s just the situation).

We need more color at the White House. And why do girls get all the fun? Barry should totally be sporting a dashiki in that photo, or a kilt, or really, anything other than the standard blue suit (which, I admit, he is dashing in). Perhaps madras shorts, short-sleeved polo to show off the biceps, and a carefully loosened school tie? Really don’t know, I’m not the fashion expert, but he needs a smidge of Help. Wouldn’t it be totally fab if the Queer Guys donated an episode for the makeover of the POTUS?

@karen marie: Scott Brown’s office tells me this is “just an update of a law stripping American citizenship of people who supported the Nazis in WWII.”

Did they say that as a Good Thing? What next — if I support Oprah over Martha, will they find cause to de-citizenify me?

@PedonatorUSA: There would be the sound of a million teabagger heads exploding if he sported a dashiki.

And could you imagine if Barry rocked a polo shirt like this with these cargo shorts? He’s sort of rocking that look here but I wouldn’t put him in such a loose tshirt. Not with those arms.

As long as he doesn’t look like Urkle. Maybe he should just go shirtless more often.

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