Here’s an example of real corruption, not the cheap exaggerations popularized with Kohring, Anderson, Kott and Cowdery.

Congress just passed a revised Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which the President signed into law. This revision specifically provides retroactive immunity from legal prosecution for telecom companies that helped the Bush Administration’s warrant-less surveillance following Sept. 11, 2001. Our delegation all voted “yea.”

This legislation was driven by hypocritical propaganda that the threat of modern Islamic fanaticism — which America itself verifiably funded development of against Russia in the ‘80s — justifies unfettered action by the executive branch. This constitutes philosophical treason. First, nobody needs retroactive immunity from legal prosecution if no laws were ever broken. So Congress is publicly admitting that the Bush Administration directed lawbreaking, but is immune from accountability.

Second, this legislation sets the precedent that the executive branch can ignore law and deal with emergencies, even if its own incompetence or immorality encouraged them. This degrades U. S. government into the Rule of Men — or government by executive judgment. The Constitution, and it’s supporting laws, will come to mean what the executive branch wants them to mean in support of its conduct.

Third, our Constitution directly forbids Congress passing ex-post-facto law. Anybody can verify this means Congress can’t pass law making a hereto lawful act legal. Yet the very words “retroactive immunity from legal prosecution” help explain this ex-post-facto law!

Furthermore, history testifies that injustice breeds terrorism, insurrection and rebellion. Ex-post-facto law; denial of Habeus Corpus; guilt established by mere official accusation; denial of being faced with accusers and their evidence; and denial of trial by jury are the historic breeders of injustice.

The new FISA law, the Military Commissions Act, the USA Patriot Act, Presidential Executive Orders on the Geneva Conventions on torture, etc. all have elements of these breeders of injustice. Worse, there are those who condone perverting the meaning of justice to be revenge or retribution based on the prejudices and opinions of leaders and officials, rather than impartially verified truth.

Terrorists can only kill individuals, in hundreds or thousands. U.S. government officials, who support laws and measures that breed injustice and therefore terrorism and insurrection, kill the awesome marriage of justice and liberty that has always permitted American success, both foreign and domestic. Do you care?

Stuart Thompson

Wasilla