The 7 New Deadly Sins

In 1997; as an Art Director for Planetary Mysteries, I suggested we put up a page that spoke to the need for NEW Wonders Of The World, or Worlds. I immediately nominated the Face On Mars, The Internet, and Roger Water's performance of The Wall; LIVE in Berlin.

Ten years later, Yahoo! made it official with a list of 7 new wonders of the world.

Seven years into the Bush Administration, I now suggest that there are 7 new Deadly Sins. Not nouns; abstract actions to be avoided, but verbs - things that have already been done - acts already committed by those who ignored the original seven to their, and our peril.

Special thanks to Prof. Rodrigue Tremblay who first brought them to my attention.

1/ Pre-emptive war. The 2002 'Bush Doctrine', in asserting the right for the U.S. to invade other nations for vague reasons of social engineering, nation building or regime change, represents a repudiation of the Nuremberg Principles and the United Nations Charter's ban on wars of aggression, both strongly supported by American leaders sixty years ago. For example, the Nuremberg Charter stipulates that “To initiate a war of aggression… is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime." As for the U.N. Charter, its Preamble says that it has been established "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war", not to guarantee it.

2/ The March 15, 2004 National Security Agency's wire-tapping and domestic spying program was authorized by the Bush-Cheney White House, without Justice Department approval and over the objections of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. This was an illegal program of domestic spying, because it violated the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which established a panel of judges to hear wiretap requests in secret. When a government begins to violate the law, there is no way of knowing in advance where this will lead and how far it will go. It makes everyone guilty until proven innocent.

3/ The Defense Authorization Act of 2006 (H.R. 1815), passed by Congress on September 30 2006, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006, empowers the president to impose martial law in the event of a terrorist “incident,” if he or other federal officials perceive a shortfall of “public order”. The resort to martial law could come, for example, as a response to a terrorist attack, but it is not excluded that it could be imposed if some antiwar protests were to get unruly or after any major political disturbance. As the current Bush-Cheney administration got away with declared a war abroad on a manufactured pretext, they can now impose martial law at home in the same way.

4/ October 17, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law S.3930, the Military Commissions Act, a law that cancels the right of habeas corpus for foreigners accused of terrorism and for both Americans and foreigners who have been designated as “enemy combatants” by the Executive branch. Under this law, any individual, citizen or non-citizen, can be deprived of the protection of due process at the whim of the Executive branch, and be imprisoned indefinitely without legal recourse. —The United States may be the only country in the world where the right of habeas corpus has been suspended and yet is still being called a 'democratic' country.

5/ The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (H.R. 5122) changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from “Insurrection Act” to “Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act.” While the U.S. Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the president could deploy troops within the United States only “to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy”, the new law allows the president not only to declare martial law and rule by decree, but it also gives the president the power to take charge of United States National Guard troops without the states’ governors’ authorization. The law also expands the list of such permissible cases for martial law to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition.” Such “condition” is not defined or limited in scope. All the safeguards against the use of the military at home have been removed in favor of new powers being given to the president to do so nearly at his whim.

6/ The practice of submitting detainees to torture and to other degrading treatments despite the clear obligation not to do so under international law and under U.S. law. It is truly amazing that the Bush-Cheney White House had to be reminded by the Supreme Court, in June 2006, that it had to abide by the Geneva Conventions.

7/ The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, signed by President George W. Bush on May 4, 2007 - an event that was generally not covered by U.S. mainstream media or discussed by the U.S. Congress - goes even further and declares that in the event of an undefined “catastrophic event”, either here or abroad - the president can become what is best described as a de facto dictator: "The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government."

From a stolen election, to the latest signing statement. For inaction, and complicity in the deadly events of September 11, 2001 - the uncontested justification which allowed all these new sins to be committed - George W. Bush, his administration, and all who voted for them, must atone or face their just reward. The true terror that no Soul can fight.

DO IT NOW, before the United States ends up face down with BUSH carved into it's back. Rodrigue already has.



TOO LATE...

8/ As of 7(7)/17(8)/2007(9): "...any (citizen) person who undermines efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq."

The LRAD meter maids - backed up by urban-armored HUMMER's - are on their way to Telluride, with BLACKWATER trained up and waiting for things to get out of hand.

My Name is Michael Sterling, and they're talking about me.