Sen. Byrd's Argument FOR Term Limits!

On YAHOO! NEWS Today Tue Feb 28, 2006
Associated Press

"Byrd Regrets Vote for USA Patriot Act"
By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Feb 28, 3:30 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Sen. Robert Byrd, the dean of the Senate and
its resident constitutional expert, counts only a few
regrets in his 48-year Senate career: filibustering the
1964 Civil Rights Act, voting to expand the Vietnam War,
deregulating airlines.

Add to the list a new one from this century: supporting
the anti-terror USA Patriot Act after the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks.

"The original Patriot Act is a case study in the perils
of speed, herd instinct and lack of vigilance when it
comes to legislating in times of crisis," the West
Virginia Democrat said Monday on the eve of the Senate's
final votes on its renewal. "The Congress was stampeded,
and the values of freedom, justice and equality received
a trampling in the headlong rush."

* * * * *

This is probably the best argument I have encountered
for Term Limits.

A 48 year Senate career does not make anyone's judgment
infallible when it comes to politics. And even in his
excuse for voting for the Patriot Act, Sen. Byrd trys to
evade responsibility; "The Congress was stampeded..."!
But folks, it wasn't 'stampeded' without its permission.
The arguments you use every day with your peers apply
here. There are many other arguments that parents
use everyday that could apply as well, yet we suspend
judgement when it comes to 'politicians' in 'leaders'
clothing.

True, we may not want the accounting whizkids of Enron
and Arthur Anderson to be voted into office, but at least
we could correct OUR mistake sooner should
we find that we have indeed voted such errors into office.

Term Limits is not the end of civilization as we know it.

It could be the beginning of civilizations as we would
like for it to be.