The Hightower Report

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'STATE SECRETS'

In repressive regimes, it's common for the authorities to run closed governments – and it's also common for them to crack down hard on people who dare try shining a little light on the government's actions.

Take China. On May 28, it was reported that authorities there were prosecuting a newspaper researcher for revealing in a published report that a certain Chinese official was about to resign as chief of the military. The researcher's crime? Divulging "state secrets."

Thank goodness we don't live in such a repressive state, right? Yet, on this same day, it was also reported that the Bushites were trying to prevent two civil liberties groups from challenging the legality of Bush's ongoing program of spying on millions of Americans. In an extraordinary move, the government asked two federal judges to block these watchdog groups from exercising their constitutional right to go to court. Why? The Bushites claimed that merely defending the legality of their sweeping spy program could divulge "state secrets."

Then, the next day, it was reported that Bush's lapdog-of-an-Attorney General Alberto "See No Evil" Gonzales, was warning journalists that they could be prosecuted just for reporting on big stories, such as Bush's secret spy program. Gonzales menacingly declared, "There are some statutes on the books which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that [prosecution] is a possibility." What would be the charge against reporters? Divulging "state secrets."

So, let's review: The Bushites secretly run an illegal and unconstitutional spy program against their own people. Then, when it's uncovered by reporters and challenged in court, the Bush-Cheney regime goes after the challengers, trying to hide its autocratic act behind the curtain of "state secrets." How different is our regime from China's repressive regime?

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THE GOP'S XENOPHOBIC GOOFINESS

Did you see that picture of George W. riding around in circles in a decked-out red-white-and-blue dune buggy down on the Mexican border? Apparently, he was trying to look like a tough-guy border defender, protecting us from illegal immigrants. Instead, he looked like some goofy cartoon character out of the "Flintstones."

It was perfect symbolism, though, for the Republican leadership has been running around in circles on the immigration issue – clownishly trying to juggle right-wing, lock-'em-out, anti-immigrant absolutism, while also trying to dance the two-step with big business backers who happen to profit from the cheap labor of destitute Latino laborers. So, on the one hand, these clowns want to militarize the Mexican border (including erecting a monstrous, three-tiered fence to keep Mexicans out), but on the other hand they want a bracero-style program to keep the cheap labor flowing into our country.

Then, just when you thought the Republican leadership's political posturing couldn't get any goofier, members came up with a truly silly act of hyperactive xenophobia: They passed a resolution declaring that English is the "national language" of the USA. Wow – that'll show those immigrants! Not since the House decreed in 2003 that french fries should be renamed "freedom fries" has our Congress demonstrated such ludicrous loopiness and embarrassing ineptness.

The "speak English" bill is a hoot, for it requires more thorough testing to prove English-language proficiency. Yet, the very goofballs pushing this wouldn't know proper English if it smacked 'em in the mouth – have you ever heard George W. talk? This is the mumble mouth who routinely says things like: "Rarely is the question asked – is our children learning?"

Forget remembering the Alamo – with this new law, our Texas war cry will have to be: "Remember the Cottonwood!"