Insomnia ([info]insomnia) wrote,
2006-01-24 21:19:00
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Future American lawyers to be proud of.

... and Alberto Gonzales.

Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown today, justifying illegal, unauthorized surveilance of US citizens, but during the course of his speech the students in class did something pretty ballsy and brave. They got up from their seats and turned their backs to him.



To make matters worse for Gonzales, additional students came into the room, wearing black cowls and carrying a simple banner, written on a sheet.



Fortunately for him, it was a brief speech... followed by a panel discussion that basically ripped his argument a new asshole.

And, as one of the people on the panel said,

"When you're a law student, they tell you if say that if you can't argue the law, argue the facts. They also tell you if you can't argue the facts, argue the law. If you can't argue either, apparently, the solution is to go on a public relations offensive and make it a political issue... to say over and over again "it's lawful", and to think that the American people will somehow come to believe this if we say it often enough.

In light of this, I'm proud of the very civil civil disobedience that was shown here today."
- David Cole, Georgetown University Law Professor

It was a good day for dissent.

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[info]warsop

January 25 2006, 06:08:07 UTC 6 years ago

Wow. That's fantastic.

Anonymous

February 15 2006, 15:34:14 UTC 6 years ago

Future American Lawyers ...

I am so thankful that despite many years of brainwashing in the
NEA controlled school systems, that these young people have
come through developing their own understanding of what it is
to be an American. Yea for them!
Janet Lee Meisinger

[info]7wrc

5 years ago

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[info]nova_starr

January 25 2006, 06:11:55 UTC 6 years ago

gives me some wood. a little mahogany.

[info]flitzermusik

January 25 2006, 06:39:01 UTC 6 years ago

I'm proud of these students

This single act of protest proves yet again that the youth of America are not about to stand idly by while the fabric of their country is slowly torn apart.

2008 is going to be an election year to remember. I'm already calling the election for Democrats. The future president will undo every act of national secrecy setup by the Bush administration; I would also not be surprised to see a full and final withdrawal from the Middle East. I also hope the new president repeals both the PATRIOT act and the DMCA, but the latter probably won't happen since Clinton (a Democrat) endorsed and created it.

[info]symbioid

6 years ago

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Anonymous

6 years ago

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[info]diotalevi

6 years ago

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[info]frosch

6 years ago

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[info]naruvonwilkins

6 years ago

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[info]naruvonwilkins

6 years ago

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[info]frosch

6 years ago

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[info]naruvonwilkins

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[info]naruvonwilkins

6 years ago

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[info]ex_a517dogg70

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[info]katbiard

6 years ago

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[info]naruvonwilkins

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[info]jennybean42

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[info]naruvonwilkins

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[info]jennybean42

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[info]naruvonwilkins

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[info]fael_inis

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[info]jennybean42

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[info]pure_agnostic

January 25 2006, 06:38:41 UTC 6 years ago

Good for them. Too bad it won't convince Gonzales or his boss.

[info]fd_midori

January 25 2006, 06:40:45 UTC 6 years ago

May each and every one of them remember this when they are senior members of firms, judges and politicians themselves....

[info]insomnia

January 25 2006, 10:43:46 UTC 6 years ago

I hope they do. That said, I would've been even happier if all of the students had turned their back, rather than only about half. For all we know, a future Scalia may have been in that room too.

I'm afraid that part of the message that is being passed on to the next generation is that anything can be justified and that it is okay to defend the indefensible.

[info]dmax

6 years ago

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[info]feyandstrange

January 25 2006, 07:01:04 UTC 6 years ago

Lovely. Do you have an original source article for this?

[info]insomnia

January 25 2006, 07:28:40 UTC 6 years ago

CNN mentioned it here. It was on C-SPAN too, but the C-SPAN cameras intentionally didn't show much of the protesters, avoiding images of the protest and changing their picture and angle during the broadcast.

[info]allyn

6 years ago

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[info]feyandstrange

6 years ago

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[info]paradisacorbasi

6 years ago

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Anonymous

January 25 2006, 08:03:29 UTC 6 years ago

This is wonderful! This story made my day.

Anonymous

January 25 2006, 08:04:48 UTC 6 years ago

Misquote

Of course, that's not what Franklin said. What he actually said was:

Those who would sacrifice *essential* liberties for a *little temporary* safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

[info]insomnia

January 25 2006, 08:32:40 UTC 6 years ago

Re: Misquote

Or even...

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

That said, the student's version got the point across succinctly and arguably fits better on a bedsheet. ;-)

Anonymous

6 years ago

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[info]frosch

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[info]srattus

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[info]symbioid

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[info]insomnia

6 years ago

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[info]insomnia

6 years ago

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[info]hopita

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[info]no_brakes23

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[info]wyldraven

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[info]no_brakes23

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[info]paradisacorbasi

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[info]dulcinbradbury

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[info]stone_

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[info]delayra

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[info]stone_

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[info]delayra

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[info]stone_

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[info]stone_

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[info]delayra

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[info]no_brakes23

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[info]haineux

January 25 2006, 08:09:55 UTC 6 years ago

You seem to have missed the word "unethical."

Remember, W ran on a a platform of "restoring ethics and dignity."

Instead, we got wiretapping, which may or may not be legal, may or may not be constitutional, but which was denied to have been done, and then, when it was shown to be happening, the response was, "hey, Clinton did it."

Where is the ethics and dignity in that?

We also got the PATRIOT act, which in case you forgot, was not only passed in the middle of the night, but which was edited AFTER its formal presentation to congress. The handful of congresspeople approved a version of the bill which NONE of them had read, for the simple reason that the words were changed after they got their copies.

And let's not forget that Gonzales and staff wrote arguments to justify the KIDNAPPING and TORTURE of US citizens with NO judicial involvement, and the long-term detention of them and the prevention of them from getting judicial scrutiny for their plight.

LEAST ETHICAL. EVER.

[info]mrz80

January 25 2006, 16:15:12 UTC 6 years ago

LEAST ETHICAL. EVER.

WRONG


Completely ethical, within their own frame of reference. The problem is that their entire frame of reference is unjust, unConstitutional and IMMORAL.

Anonymous

6 years ago

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[info]swingland

6 years ago

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Anonymous

January 25 2006, 08:11:15 UTC 6 years ago

You guys rock!

This is awesome. The students rock. i hope that it makes a difference

[info]yes_justice

January 25 2006, 08:14:13 UTC 6 years ago

That is a heartwarming sight.

Anonymous

January 25 2006, 08:25:07 UTC 6 years ago

high res photos

Do you have high-resolution photos available? jtl@bothan.net

[info]insomnia

January 25 2006, 08:53:05 UTC 6 years ago

Re: high res photos

They were taken by Charles Dharapak, a photographer for Associated Press.

Check out this page for photos from the event.

[info]drown_in_sound

January 25 2006, 08:32:07 UTC 6 years ago

Well...how 'bout that. Always love seeing democracy in action. Rock & roll...
And...you've been BoingBoinged!

[info]insomnia

January 25 2006, 08:47:11 UTC 6 years ago

I've been BoingBoinged before, but it's nice to have them back again.

Welcome BoingBoing! Glad to see you posting about this and not about the latest iPod widget for a change... !

[info]d4b

6 years ago

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[info]brbrbrad

January 25 2006, 08:33:33 UTC 6 years ago

Wow. Excellent.

[info]graymalkn

January 25 2006, 08:45:57 UTC 6 years ago

And I love the fact that these aren't hippies and punks here - these are neatly dressed, well-mannered students with a future in law. Good for them, and good for America.

[info]symbioid

January 25 2006, 08:47:33 UTC 6 years ago

I dunno, those two girls on top look like they're wearing pretty hippie clothes. :P

[info]insomnia

6 years ago

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[info]novachild

6 years ago

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[info]outtajo

6 years ago

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[info]outtajo

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[info]graymalkn

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[info]graymalkn

3 years ago

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[info]dreamflower02

January 25 2006, 09:27:04 UTC 6 years ago

This gives one a bit of actual hope for the future of the legal profession. I just hope they still feel this way when some of them finally make it to the benches of the Federal courts.

That's assuming, of course, that the country lasts long enough for that to happen...

[info]kallisti

January 25 2006, 10:07:08 UTC 6 years ago

You missed one of the better photos...



[info]naruvonwilkins

January 25 2006, 14:59:12 UTC 6 years ago

Re: You missed one of the better photos...

That's quite beautiful. :)

Anonymous

January 25 2006, 10:34:02 UTC 6 years ago

Europe salutes you

Here in the UK, the vast majority of us have been despairing of American domestic and foreign policy for some time, and the seeming lack of any kind of visible protest from the American people about the erosion of their civil liberties. Our UK politicians often blindly follow your precedents, so your country's continuing, and all but unhindered, stampede towards an unquestionable dictatorship is somewhat un-nerving for us.

This kind of civil disobedience against the worst kind of steamroller politics ('Say it loud enough and often enough and it becomes true') gives us hope that the tide could still turn.

They should all be VERY proud.

Anonymous

January 25 2006, 12:40:10 UTC 6 years ago

Re: Europe salutes you

The reason you don't hear about the protesting is that the Corporation now owns the newspapers and the networks...they control what news you hear...and they are in bed with the neocons...we are so screwed!

[info]elfwreck

6 years ago

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Anonymous

6 years ago

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[info]see_tree_me

6 years ago

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[info]greyladybast

6 years ago

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[info]glitter_ninja

6 years ago

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[info]mixcoatl77

January 25 2006, 11:04:41 UTC 6 years ago

Woowoo! Go them!

Anonymous

January 25 2006, 12:18:14 UTC 6 years ago

Respect

This is what America should always be.

[info]drugaddict

January 25 2006, 13:18:54 UTC 6 years ago

rock n roll
thank God for the Youth of Amerika

I saw your post on Boing Boing
even hough I friended you some time back on LJ

This just makes me want to run in the streets and protest
too bad Hillary hasnt done squat
DEAN rocks

thanks for you post and enlightening all of us

listening to democracy now
Gonzales fled the scene like a wimp
he needs to be jailed

[info]snolan

January 25 2006, 13:25:39 UTC 6 years ago

NPR on the corporate media bandwagon?

What is disgusting is that Tuesday evening's NPR coverage, at least on WAMU (88.5 in the DC area) did NOT mention the additional students and the banner, only the "few" students who stood and turned their backs to him... then they proceeded to allow him several minutes of air time to talk his B.S. and lies about how the administration justifies it's spying.

Has NPR joined the corporate owned media mis-information scene?

[info]novachild

January 25 2006, 15:04:35 UTC 6 years ago

Re: NPR on the corporate media bandwagon?

It's been years since NPR did the kind of reporting they used to. And they seem to get more conservative every day. It would be nice to have the old NPR back.

Anonymous

6 years ago

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[info]kteix9669

6 years ago

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[info]txfeminist

6 years ago

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Anonymous

January 25 2006, 13:39:43 UTC 6 years ago

But it doesn't ...

>> Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown today, justifying
>>illegal, unauthorized surveilance of US citizens,

appear to be illegal, despite the rhetoric. Where was the same hand-wringing over Clinton doing this?

[info]hiddenriver

January 25 2006, 20:54:59 UTC 6 years ago

Re: But it doesn't ...

One of the lamest right-wing talking-points ever, and that's saying something. (Almost as bad as the non-existent Democrats who "took money from Jack Abramoff".)

Clinton didn't do this. The example case that Gonzales pulled out of his ass to "justify" this outrage on the basis of "...but Bubba did it too!" was surveillance conducted on a CIA official who signed away his right to privacy when he accepted the job. Slight difference between that and spying on ordinary Americans - and make no mistake, that's what's happened. Even the vaguest, flimsiest suspicion of terrorist activity would be enough to easily secure a FISA warrant, even days after the fact. The ONLY reason they would need to avoid the FISA system is if they knew damn well that national security was not the reason for the spying. Hence, what this guy is spewing is complete, unadulterated B.S.

Bush LIED directly to the American public about the fact that they were doing this at all - and now we're supposed to just take his word that he's been breaking the law unnecessarily only to spy on "terrorists"? You must be joking.

[info]outtajo

6 years ago

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[info]contrafrutexus

6 years ago

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Anonymous

January 25 2006, 13:51:48 UTC 6 years ago

Classy

These students really accomplished a lot! Good for them!

[info]jmae

January 25 2006, 14:17:18 UTC 6 years ago

Hopped through off of Mangoat.com.

And... *APPLAUSE*

Deleted comment

Anonymous

January 25 2006, 14:57:27 UTC 6 years ago

I support them and am glad they did it, but how was this ballsy?
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