In honor of the July 4th Independence Day holiday, one of only four existing copies of the Magna Carta is on display at the National Constitution Center here in Philadelphia. Actor James Earl Jones was on hand yesterday for the official unveiling. Great fanfare. Great press.
But I cannot escape the irony.
After all, it's been less than a year since Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which rendered impotent the great writ of habeas corpus that was such a key component of the Magna Carta and in the foundation of American democracy.
So now we have ceremonies to celebrate the great democratic principles that we used to live by.
Happy Independence Day. Enjoy what's left of your freedom while you still have it.
No comments:
Post a Comment