July 2005 Archives

By giving to government officials our comings and goings and submitting to body and baggage checks, and failing to halt Congress on extending the Patriot Act for another decade, we are submitting to the 'cowering leadership' of this country which has a desperate craving for ever more information about us and foreigners alike. And their cravings will continue to grow with their fear. The American public is offering up its freedom and liberties in precisely the same manner the German people offered up theirs to Hitler and his henchman, in the name of patriotism and security.

Pres. Bush said on July 11:

As Prime Minister Blair said after the attacks in London, 'Our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people.' The attack in London was an attack on the civilized world. And the civilized world is united in its resolve: We will not yield. We will defend our freedom."

Pres. Bush said we would not allow thugs and terrorists to frighten us away from our great love of freedom. I believe he is right, our love of freedom will only grow as we continue to give more and more of it away to legislation like the Patriot Act which comes straight out of the Nazi play book. Our willingness to live free is unquestionably being given away to the President's and Republican's fears and insatiable desire for control.

President Bush chose conservative appeals court judge John Roberts on Tuesday as his first nominee to the Supreme Court. Will this choice invoke a filibuster by the Democrats? Should it? Judge Roberts is a conservative. It is not like Bush was going to nominate Bill Clinton. I see no surprise here. I also see no reason for a filibuster given the reality of the situation.

The goal of terrorism is not military victory. That is the goal of armies and nations. The goal of terrorism is to provoke such a heinous overreaction on the part of those terrorized and their leaders, that those terrorized become terrorists, anarchists, and murderers themselves, causing dissent, civil strife, and chaos in the populations being terrorized. In other words, the goal of terrorists is to cause their enemy's leaders to fall upon their own swords, so to speak, in the eyes of the people.

We as voters, are all consumers of government and its services. Our consumer voices are about to be drowned by legislation being prepared in the House of Representatives. A Bill is being prepared which will open the floodgates of bribe money from wealthy corporations into politician's hands. Public Citizen has this to report:

I took a look at headlines for the last month on political corruption and scandal. Below is one month's worth which made national media attention. There's more that didn't make national news. Embarassing is what it is. Damned embarassing. Anyone notice a pattern here?

Ky. Republican Party Chairman Indicted

Minn. Lawmakers End Government Shutdown

Calif. Att. Gen. Sues Gov. Schwarzeneggar (R) Over Redistricting

Republicans on the Committee, joined with Democrats in their remarks to support restoration of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Even Sen. Stevens from Alaska came out in full support for funding CPB. Patricia Harrison, the newly appointed Republican CEO of CPB, made it very clear CPB is necessary for our society and our democracy in the way it provides for an informed public consent, in a way no commercial TV and Radio can or will.

I have never heard anything so politically bereft of intelligence as some Democrats on the hill calling for a filibuster or Senatorial 'Custer's Last Stand' on the replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Does the Democratic Party have any clue as to how politics can be played to win for a change? I don't think so.

Look, unless Bush's nominee is so malicious toward the public good that it is transparent to the public at large, Democrat's filibuster of O'Connor's replacement will miss and immense opportunity to win voters over. But do they see it? Apparently not.

That is the message an abominable U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan delivered on Wednesday. Journalists who report wrongdoings by government officials are the best friend democratic voters in a free society could possibly have. Judge Hogan obviously does not think that is true. Apparent from his jailing of NY Times journalist, Judith Miller, Judge Hogan believes journalists with confidential sources are a threat to government. Since he is a part of that government, such defiance in withholding confidential sources to preserve the free flow of information about government is a threat, and he means to insure that threat to government wrongdoing is incarcerated. It is a sad day for democracy in America and a loss of 1st Amendment protection.

Sandra Day O'Connor's empty seat, poses a real conundrum for President Bush and the nation. Conservative nominees differ widely depending on the topic. President Bush has not been, and is not now, an across the board conservative. He has been a social conservative but, his deficit spending, hard line on Enron and other corporate fraudsters and thieves, and heavy federalism tendencies are contrary to what could be termed economic, business, and constructionist conservative ideology.