the penalty for treason is DEATH

For the nerds out there, the title wouldn’t be quite as dramatic if it read, “the penalty for treason is life imprisonment with parole,” now would it?

The penalty for treason is Death, well at least it was until the 1990s. Now that treason just means life imprisonment, the word is tossed around like a two dollar whore. What is treason? It’s a strong word of dissent against opposing political views and the word is quickly losing meaning the way “un-American” did in 2006.

The GOP neo-conservative movement has bullied its way to the top and their most successful maneuver for retaining power and popularity has traditionally been by employing tactics of emotional abuse and psychological warfare. One thought comes to mind when I see and hear accounts of people suffering through the abuse that comes from the Bush gestapo:

Idiots. All of you! Before I rage, here is a story that illustrates just how ridiculous our country has become:

A team of women who represented the United States at the world bridge championships in Shanghai last month is facing sanctions, including a yearlong ban from competition, for a spur-of-the-moment protest.

At issue is a crudely lettered sign, scribbled on the back of a menu, that was held up at an awards dinner and read, “We did not vote for Bush.”

By e-mail, angry bridge players have accused the women of “treason” and “sedition.”

“This isn’t a free-speech issue,” said Jan Martel, president of the United States Bridge Federation, the nonprofit group that selects teams for international tournaments. “There isn’t any question that private organizations can control the speech of people who represent them.”

Not so, said Danny Kleinman, a professional bridge player, teacher and columnist. “If the U.S.B.F. wants to impose conditions of membership that involve curtailment of free speech, then it cannot claim to represent our country in international competition,” he said by e-mail.

Ms. Greenberg said she decided to put up the sign in response to questions from players from other countries about American interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and other foreign policy issues.

I won’t give a pass to anyone who uses these tactics every time one of their beloved policies or representatives is questioned, not even when it IS against the President of the United States. It is amazing how quick our “patriots” are to judge and scream treason at dissenters when they themselves are supporters of the biggest terrorist our nation has ever seen. President Bush is possibly guilty of ‘actual’ treason against our country. Where the hell are the “patriots” on the lies, corruption, deception and illegal activity that has plagued this administration? These “patriots” only a decade ago, were busying their talking points on why it is that President Bill Clinton was not fit to sit as President of the United States. They wanted to hang Bill Clinton for making a mistake that was human, wrong… but human.

Now, enter President Bush who has lied, encouraged and fostered deception in his administration on the Iraq War issue. He presides over an administration that has deleted e-mails, or potential evidence of illegal activity by the White House in politicizing the justice department. Four major cases against Republicans were derailed when 8 attorneys in the justice department were removed without cause. The only response the White House gave, was “these people serve at the pleasure of the President.” Well serving at the pleasure of the President, doesn’t give the President the power to simply destroy people’s lives for his enjoyment, but he does.

“There was a lot of anti-Bush feeling, questioning of our Iraq policy and about torture,” Ms. Greenberg said. “I can’t tell you it was an overwhelming amount, but there were several specific comments, and there wasn’t the same warmth you usually feel at these events.”

Ms. Rosenberg said the team members intended the sign as a personal statement that demonstrated American values and noted that it was held up at the same time some team members were singing along to “The Star-Spangled Banner” and waving small American flags.

“Freedom to express dissent against our leaders has traditionally been a core American value,” she wrote by e-mail. “Unfortunately, the Bush brand of patriotism, where criticizing Bush means you are a traitor, seems to have penetrated a significant minority of U.S. bridge players.”

I think the use of words like “patriotism” and “treason” by the right are overplayed and tired. They’ve been screaming un-American at everyone since 2001 and because it has been politically useful (until 2006) they continue to use the tactic. If you want to debate the issue, I’d say that the women who protest our idiot President are “patriots”. They do it because they love our country, they love freedom, liberty, and the Constitution. Every woman on that bridge team is a patriot, and in my mind, to love our President after all of the damage he has done to our nation is treason.

President Bush is a liar, a murderer, he puts our families and friends on the front line so that his politics and religion can be validated. The Christians that he claims to represent in this unofficial holy war can barely stand him now, but the Halliburtons and Black Waters of the world love him, as do their stockholders. The way I see it, the only people foolish enough to support President Bush’s policies at this juncture are partisan psychos and people that are too dumb to understand the ramifications of what President Bush has done. He is a disease that has quickly spread to the heart of our nation and if we don’t go out and combat the Bush plague, it will defeat us all.

So take your “treason”, stab it with an American flag and impale yourself with it, it’s the only logical thing for patriots to do at this point. You all need to just die.

Treason?

Please, you wouldn’t know treason if it shot you in the face.

Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
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