Security?

With all that happened on 9/11 and all the chest pounding over 9/11 and the 9/11 Commission, one would think that the republicans would be eager to pass the recommendations of the commission regarding security. One would think that but one would be wrong.

When will the people learn that with the band of thugs now controlling the republican party, nothing will get done that will not bring in the majority of the party into play. Dennis Hastert has said that he would not offer the bill up because too many democrats would vote for it and, in fact, would be required in order to pass the measure. To be sure he did not use those exact words but can anyone doubt that was his meaning in saying that he will not bring to a vote anything that republicans cannot pass on their own?

So the measure languishes in the bowels of the speaker's office, never meant to see the light of day. Once again the republicans show their disdain for those who lost family and friends on that fateful day, and that they are not impressed with the need for making us more secure. They are, as always, concerned first and formost with the party and in that, they are acting like fascists and despotic regimes throughout history. With them party trumps everything. Friends, family, country, everything!

What I do not understand, however, is why the democrats don't use a discharge petition to force the security bill to a vote in the House. This would place both republicans and democrats on the record as to where they stand concerning security. This would also send the signal that the democrats will no longer roll over and play nice while being mugged by republican thugs.

How about it democrats?

Eternal truth

Conservatives were the Loyalists in 1776.
They were wrong then.
They are wrong now.
Liberals won our freedom from the tryanny of King George in 1776.
They can win it back from the tyranny of Gerge W. Bush and the right wing now.

Vote Democrat.

Say What???

Colin Powell, on the recent election in Ukraine, says the United States does not accept the results and will not accept them until the many reports of fraudulent counts and voter intimidation are addressed by an international investigative body. Were there a just God, Powell would have been smoked by the biggest lightening bolt ever seen.

There is no confirmation that the Ukraine government, in response to Powell's assertions, reportedly said, "We were having the same thoughts about YOUR election!

Unpatriotic?

Perhaps the case was best made by a Republican president -- Theodore Roosevelt -- who said, "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official."

Roosevelt expanded on that theme when he wrote in an editorial for the "Kansas City Star" newspaper on May 7, 1918 -- while World War I raged -- that:

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

What he said!

"If by 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal,' then I am proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'"

John F. Kennedy, Democrat.

Democrats

Do Americans know, or care, how the 40 hour work week came about?
Do Americans know, or care, how the Social Security safety net came about?
Do Americans know, or care, how workplace safety standards came about?
Do Americans know, or care, how child labor laws came about?
Do Americans know, or care, how the middle class grew so rapidly?
Do Americans know, or care, how every beneficial act and program for the people came about?

Given the result of the late election, it would seem not. For those who would like to know the answers, the republican party in general and conservatives, in particular, had virtually nothing to do with it. Go to a library, get on the internet and read the history of the gains made in America, for the people, during the 20th century. When you finish, read the manifesto of the conservative republican and decide for yourself whether they are trying to repeal everything that liberals/progressives, Democrats, brought into being for the people's benefit during the last century. I suspect you will agree that theirs is a desire to go back to the "golden"days of the robber barons of the late 19th century.

The "values" of the "Christian" right are another source of amazement. To listen to the likes of Falwell and Robertson, Jesus didn't say "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" but rather, "Give me a few big ones so I can kill the sinner." They are adept at picking and choosing which parts of scripture with which to sway their followers. Perhaps that what is meant by, "The devil can quote scripture..."

When the draft is reinstituted, as it will be, I will not abide anyone who voted for "values" decrying that their son or daughter will be drafted. I will not offer sympathy when they are sent off to Iraq, or Iran, or Syria, or Korea, I shall merely remind them that they have no room to complain because they are getting the values they voted for. It is sad to consider that 57% of the people think America is headed in the wrong direction and then those people go and vote for the "leadership" that is taking us toward the brick wall because of "values" and morals.

Much more to come later but for now, it is time to reflect just how far down the rabbit hole most Americans seem to have gone.

Moral Majority?

Is anyone truly surprised over Oklahoma's Republican Rep. Istook inserting a last minute, stealth amendment into the omnibus spending bill that was to be passed yesterday? The Istook Amendment was worded as follows:

"Hereinafter, notwithstanding any other provision of law governing the disclosure of income tax returns or return information, upon written request of the Chairman of the House or Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service shall allow agents designated by such Chairman access to Internal Revenue Service facilities and any tax returns or return information contained therein."

This wouldn't have anything to do with Texas D.A. Ronnie Earl who is currently prosecuting three of Tom DeLay's cronies for their part in the Texas redistricting debacle, would it? Neither would the republican caucus voice vote to rescind the long standing measure that forced indicted house members to give up their leadership positions, right? Remember that these were the same measures that were passed by the republicans in the wake of Dan Rostenkowski being indicted before he voluntarily stepped down as the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee after being asked by democrats to do so in 1994. The republicans wanted to show how much more moral they were by making it mandatory for their leadership and they played it up mightily during the off year elections in November of that year.

What will we tell the children?

I suspect that DeLay is obviously worried that one of the Texas Three will decide to flip on him and bring his filthy, corrupt house of cards down around his head. One can only hope to see that sorry example of humanity making his "perp walk" in the very near future.

Once again the republicans prove themselves to be the party of hypocrisy. Moral majority my arse!

What have we become?

So now we are attacking hospitals first, because "the insurgents treat their wounded there." Are we to accept that medical facilities are no longer off limits as targets for our, increasingly Wafen SS like, military? What will be our response when the insurgents target our medical personnel in retaliation? Will we decry the "barbarism" of the insurgency, or will we look into the mirror and, at long last, recognize what we have become under this filthy, criminal and anti-american regime?

Does the rationalization over the video taping of a Marine shooting the captured and wounded prisoner in the mosque in Falujah change our perception of what the Wafen SS did to our troops at Malmedy, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, December 17, 1944? It should, for if it was somehow OK for the young Marine to kill a wounded, unarmed prisoner then it was fine for our prisoners (some wounded) to have been summarily executed by the Germans 60 years ago.

Is this the kind of country we have become, to act like the monsters of the NAZI regime? Are these the "moral values" that the CINO (Christians In Name Only) bandied about during the last election? What will it take for these people, as well as the rest of America, to wake up and understand what is happening here.

I recently spoke with a gentleman who was a teenager in Germany during the war and he asked me why the American people cannot recognize that what happened to his native land (he lives here since 1948 and is a naturalized citizen) under Hilter and the NAZIs is happening here and now under Bush and the ultra right wing Neocons? I had no answer for him.

Do you?

Salem witch trials ahead?

Last week, on ABC News This Week with George Stephanopoulos, James Dobson was asked about his comment to an Oklahoma City newspaper that "Patrick Leahy is a 'God's people-hater.' I don't know if he hates God, but he hates God's people," when Stephanopoulos remarked that it seemingly was not a Christian thing to say about the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Dobson questioned whether Stephanopoulos should "lecture me on what a Christian is all about?"

It is fairly obvious that someone needs to lecture Dobson on what it means to be a Christian, for it is more than obvious that, if he ever knew what it meant, his recent words and deeds indicate he has lost the knowledge. They shall have much to answer for when they stand before the Lord on judgment day and I, for one, would not wish to be in their shoes.

While the Christian in me hopes that those on the right, who proclaim a belief in Christ, yet ignore his teachings with their words and deeds, will mend their ways before it is too late, the realist in me senses that these people are no more Christian than The Renegade, my pet cat.
They are CINOs, Christian In Name Only.

We have John Ashcroft prancing around saying that judges, and everyone else, should not take issue with any decisions made by C-plus Augustus because in doing so, one detracts from the "war" on terror and, in fact aids and abets terrorism. My God, where do these people come from? How can people so ignorant of the basic tenets of our republic ever ascend to high office? Have the American people become so disinterested in facts, that they willingly believe conjecture, innuendo and outright lies told to them by men in power?

The sad truth is that if the people of this once great nation don't soon wake up, come to their senses and realize what is happening to our republic, it will be too late to stop the slide into fascism that is currently taking place.