Pardon me, what the hell?

"This week, the Senate is planning to quietly hold a vote that would pardon President Bush for breaking the law by illegally wiretapping innocent Americans. So far, Democrats and some Republicans are holding strong against the bill, and there are good chances to stop it if enough of us speak up."

It's bad enough that S. 2453 (pdf) would extent the the president's already outrageous ability to spy on citizens, but to excuse his blatant and unconstitutional past violations of our civil liberties is unconscionable.

Civil disobedience is a great tool for protesting unjust laws, and it makes little sense to continue to punish convicts for infractions that are no longer illegal, but regardless of the fact that this isn't such a law, this needs to be punished whether the law is changed or not. Sit-ins never violated the rights of anyone; Bush's illegal wiretaps have violated the rights of everyone. This was not civil disobedience. He was entrusted with the single most powerful political office in the world, and along with that, he gave up the right to any disobedience. The simple act of using his power to violate a law, unjust or otherwise, proves a disrespect for the law that is entirely unacceptable for someone with that kind of power, and he needs to be removed from office immediately.

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