Yikes!

Very interesting scenario:

After getting convicted, DeLay could manage to stay free on bail for some time pending appeal -- probably multiple appeals. And while his appeals are dragging out month after month, or even year after year, what's to stop him from getting his enforcers in Texas to get the elected DA, Ronnie Earle, redistricted out of office?

Read the whole post here.

Very interesting indeed.

Breakin' all the rules

My vacations over

So the last couple of days have yielded quite a bounty of information that's pushing me toward a total freak-out!! So, let's go through the list shall we?

1) Bush's cabinet changes equal an even slicker, faster, more delirious Bush regime. You see, no longer will he have to deal with those annoying elder-statesmen his Dad made him hire. No, now it's all Texas buddies, all the time.

2) The total disaster waiting to happen in the CIA. With Porter Goss allowing the resignation of "Bush disloyalists" (that's my wording, not an actual quote), they're losing some of their most experienced clandestine intel officers. All in the name of streamlining the Bush war machine. Think you'll ever hear dissenting intelligence now?

3) The House Republicans have changed the rules so that Tom "The Hammer" DeLay will get to break the rules even more, and not fear any consequence (other than jail time of course). Funny that the Republicans created the rule ten years ago only to screw House Democrats, but now somehow, it doesn't apply.

4) Their next move? Try and eliminate the narrow margin Dems need to keep their filibuster power.

5) Privatizing social security. Turns out, they actually did want to privatize it after all. Funny, I coulda sworn Bush said...

Now, I know I usually link all of my assertions in this blog, but the truth is, I'm tried of reading this crap any more than I have to. It's all easily found by doing a Google News search on the keywords.

I guess I just wanted to get all of it out so you all can read it and realize what's going on here. They're really takin' over guys. And they want it their way, for good. The term "Permanent Republican majority" is something I'm not making up. It's real, and they want it.

One party. One God. One race? What's next?



Man, I'm becoming a loony... Please come and visit me in the UK. I'll be feeling much better then. Thanks.

Did they steal it?

I'm seeing a disturbing trend, and it doesn't surprise me one bit.

It seems that in county after county, in state after state, the fallibility of e-voting is becoming painfully clear. I'm not just talking about Ohio here either, it's everywhere. I just read a report about Indiana having Democratic votes in one county getting reassigned to the Libertarian candidate.

Excuse me? You've got to be kidding. No? Well then, I call "DO OVER!"

That's right, I'd like to take things back to the good old days of grammar school when any dispute was easily solved with the always fair, nonpartisan Do Over. You see, screwing up a few thousand votes here and there seems like a good enough reason to think that maybe, just maybe, there were some larger problems at hand. Nothing too bad mind you. Just a touch of Massive Voter Fraud.

Okay, okay, I know that the tidbits of info that are rolling in about a dozen or so isolated problems don't really amount to what I suggest, but it's important to remember that any amount of fraud that can be traced back to the Prez or his party would be just the Watergate we need. We all know in our heart of hearts that this guy wanted to win bad and would do (or authorize others to do) whatever it took to retain power.

Desperate people do desperate things. Remember the falsehoods that got a thousand (and counting) soldiers killed? Is it really so hard to believe that the same people who distort truth at the drop of a hat would think twice about rigging a few thousand untraceable machines? One of the largest manufactures of these machines was an outspoken Bush supporters fer cryin out loud!

This just in:

The Digital Encryption Standard 56-bit encryption key used by Diebold can be unlocked by a key embedded in all the source code, meaning all Diebold machines would respond to the same key. ...

... The implication is that by hacking one machine you could have access to all Diebold machines.

Oh crap! Time to saddle up the lawyers!!!

And so it begins...

No sooner had the digital ink dried on my entry yesterday, that I checked out a real bloggers site that I love (Talking Points Memo) and found that someone was already drawing the lines I spoke about, and doing so in the most brilliant of ways.

Read This

While I want to be careful of any potential Middle East culture bashing, I think it's important to remember how much already exists right now. Using the word "radical" every time the term cleric is used in the media will have it's subtle Rovian effects eventually.

Watch out for the brainwashing keywords. the term "weasel" will now = buy Finn stuff

Anyway, let's get these weasels.

Jesus loves blue

"Loveth thy liberal friend as he is closer to God"
-Something Jesus never said, but should have.

So, I don't get it. How is it that this once sorta wacky group lead by the likes of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and those gaudy folks on the "Praise the Lord" channel have now gotten legitimacy?

Is it that over the last four years we are so overwhelmed by moral-less liberal media that we needed to strike back at the slew of reality-based soullessness of our culture with zealotry? If so, how does Rupert Murdock's News Corp figure into that equation? Isn't he the one giving voice to all goes poor old oppressed conservatives flaunting their values on Fox News, all the while staring at Paris Hilton's chest on Fox?

Okay then, it must be the abortion thing. I mean, Bush championed the whole "culture of life" cause any chance he could get, right? So, it must be that most folks feel the unborn really do have rights beyond what exists legally today. In fact, it would seem that the unborn will have far more right to life than most adults and children far from the womb.

You see, this President is the guy who never deliberated more than thirty minutes (on average) about executing someone in Texas. The same President who allowed his attorney general to try and enforce the Federal death penalty against defendants in states whose attorneys general were not seeking the death penalty at all. Not to mention that the new US attorney general nominee was the same guy who would often leave out the defendants side of the story when briefing Gov. Bush on death penalty cases in Texas. I won't even get into the untold numbers of children who have died in Iraq because of this unfounded war.

I guess it can't be that then either.

The gay issue is a non-starter for me because the VP has a gay daughter that he has openly supported. I guess it's okay to know them personally, but never allow them into our cultural mainstream completely. God knows if they are treated like true citizens, then they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights". We can't have that now can we?

So, what happened? When did we start believing the messages and ignoring the messengers?

With the events of the post-election world starting to take shape, I'm seeing a disturbing trend toward wound licking and finger pointing on the part of our Democratic leaders. All the while, there are real dangers beginning to take shape on our radar. This is one of my favorites:

A quiet battle is raging over the Bush Administration's plan to appoint a scantily credentialed doctor, whose writings include a book titled As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now, to head an influential Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel on women's health policy.

This article lays out how the FDA will soon become a clearing house for radical anti-women policies in our healthcare system. In other words, if you're a woman, you will soon have no choice if this administration is left to it's own devices.

Here's my point. Don't let these guys tell you they have the moral right of way because the country's at their back. Messages are easily twisted, as Rove & Co. have so brilliantly shown. So it's time for a little spin of our own.

Any chance you can get, start drawing the line between this Administrations radical right ideals and their good buddies in repressive woman hating regimes around the world (like the Saudis). It seems like a stretch I know, but so was Saddam bombing the WTC. Somehow they got them to believe. The difference is, we have truth to back us up.

Reflection

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin

It is an interesting time for someone like me right now. I have a great concern for the events of the world and in my country, yet it seems I haven't done enough to have any real effect on them. I feel somehow responsible for the outcome of last week.

Not that I'm so delusional that I think that the fate of the world rests solely on my shoulders, I just feel that my personal level of commitment to change is a bit wanting.

I know of so many bright, motivated, empathic people like myself that have the ability and courage to see the inequity of the world and not shy away from it. We're all doing what we can, but problem is that it's at levels far too low to effect true change. We're not insiders or well connected Washington-groomed types. We're just people who give a shit and aren't fooled by wedge issues.

I read this message board entry by a 17 year-old high school kid who used the Mirror quote "How Could 58,941,293 People Be So Dumb?". Well, it wasn't long before Bush supporters showed up and started informing this kid that she was "too young" to have a valid opinion on anything. I started boiling-over with anger reading this stuff until someone who actually uses their mind chimed in with the fact that just one year from now, this teen could legally vote or even join the army and die for this country. Funny, it seems she in fact did have a right to a viewpoint after all. And one that is informed by very real dangers that will impact her.

This interaction showed me something important. Those who voted Bush are indoctrinated. They are not to be reasoned with for right now because they have drunk the Kool-Aid and are still high on its effects. The left needs to be aware of this. We need to stay away from the same dangers and delusions. We have the power of empathy and deeper thought on our side, not exclusionary doctrine.

It seems dangerous to try and meet these folks on their level. I'm tried of hearing everyone say that the left is "out of touch". It seems if anything, we're just way too bashful of how left we really should be. Look at Howard Dean. Everyone thought that this election cycle would be a knockout for GW, then along came Dean and he energized the Dems with is way left, anti-war platform. It wasn't until we got stuck with another middle-pleasing centrist that we became vulnerable.

I think this article say what I'm thinking quite well. An Edwards ranting "on message" day after day about the class warfare that exists today would have cleaned Dubya's clock. If all Americans need to hear is a repetitive message with a southern twang, Johnny E was our man.

Well, I'm done rehashing this stuff for now. I'll start writing about knitting or pottery to keep my blood pressure down.

Maybe.

Okay, now what?

"I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it."
-George W. Bush

For a second there I thought he might be offering to help the budget deficit with some that freakin' cash he hauled in running for Prez this time around.

So, it's a couple of days later and I'm not feeling as violently angry as I was The Day After. My subtle reference to that fun loving nuclear holocaust movie that totally messed me up back in junior high was meant to illustrate my one lingering rage-aholic point:

I think this man getting four more years will equal the death of us all (and I don't just mean liberals).

Despite sounding totally off my nut, I beg you to consider just a few things:

1) Letting this dude run around thinking he has won the hearts and minds of the faithful folks in this country will only further righteousness on the side of radical Christians in this country. Can you say "Holy War"?

2) With above statement being true-ish, we will lead more invasions of smaller countries we think we can beat in battle, while losing the war of respect around the globe. "Spreading freedom" sounds a whole lot like missionary work to me.

3) And speaking of our globe, it is dying a very obvious death and no one here seems to give a crap. I mean, even I own an SUV, what's wrong with me? Do we really need people who can't question themselves on the issues of our environment and not see the horrible contradiction of poisoning the very thing we need to survive?

In reading back on this post, I'm seeing a familiar pattern with a different approach. Over the past couple of days, I've read many columns, blogs, websites, and articles by Democrats all looking to organize their feelings of sadness and dejection, and then shine the light of hope on the future of our country. It's been hard, but very helpful to try and accept the reality that something you think you know about the order of things, can be so far off.

I didn't set off in this post to seek to inspire. I wanted to vent all of the things that bring fear into my heart. I wanted to bring them into the light so I can show you how ridiculous they sound when blurted out in one loud bellow. It's not that there isn't some truth to these things, it's just that I realize now more than ever how our fears really can damage us if they are not examined. I really think that's why people did what they did on November 2nd.

No amount of political capital or ownership can inspire us to truly love one another for what we are. I feel this point in time has happened to reflect how out of touch the Red half is with their core beliefs of charity and love for all. There are no longer scapegoats or liberals to blame for what will happen next. So let all relax and see how things go for a while, all the while defending what we believe is good for all people.

Let's keep it together. Let's be strong. Let us not be afraid.

Very, very sad...

What can I say? I'm very worried for our country right now. I'll say more later.

AAAAAAARRRRRRGG!

Dude, what is wrong with this friggin country?

Why is this happening? I was soooo certain that it would be a knock-out for Kerry. Am I always going to have to vote for the loser? Okay, okay, I know it ain't over till it's over, but the fact the Scary McScarealot is even close to having a shot is mind blowing to me... MIND BLOWING!!!

Kerry better win Ohio or I will leave this sorry excuse for a democracy. For real.

No really, I will.

Dot Dot Dot

If you're Kerry, you've gotta think that things are going your way when:

1) Your home team beats an 86 year curse to win the World Series.

2) The Washington Redskins lose, foretelling you're opponents doom.

4) All of the polls show a deadlock and totally ignore new voters. Of which, most are young and trend democratic.

5) You're opponent is a total dumbass.

Yeah, I know I should try to take the high road.... nah, screw it.

I suck...

I don't really, but I feel a bit bad totally ripping off my girlfriend's idea of creating a blog. I already have a website and five email addresses, why not tack on another outlet for e-xpression? Anyway, this whole free expression deal is fantastic. Now I can save my real rants for someplace like this, and spare family and friends the torment. Although I will now refer them to my blog during an argument as though it's the New York Times. So enjoy an pray to the big cheese I don't need to write in this thing to vent on Nov 3rd.

Let's Go JFK!!!!