From every rooftop, from every street corner... shout!

I listened to this today. I went back and read the transcript as well. He's been there for us since 1989 with his movie "Roger & Me" about the heartbreak of GM closing his hometown's auto plant and moving it to Mexico. He's fat, loud and not very good looking but he's one of the most beautiful Americans there are.

Here's what he had to say in Madison on Saturday, March 5th.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake at livestream.com

There is nothing more important than this message. This should be on the lips of every American worker. This isn't Fox News propaganda or Teabagger bullshit - this is real. We either give in to our Corporate Overlords or we fight back.

America is NOT broke. We blinked and let them steal our future, now we take it back!

So Mote It Be!
David A.

More Spine Needed At White House

To add my voice to the clamor over the force resignation of Shirley Sherrod. The worst part of this isn't what Breibart did or what Fox News reported, you expect that crap from them. But the speed at which the Obama Administration bought into the lie without a whisper of investigation. They almost forced her off the road to resign, via Blackberry, as she was heading back to Georgia.

When the dust cleared, it came out that Breibart slipped another mickey to the Feds. Just like his bullshit over ACORN, he crafted a little video that caused everyone in the Administration to crap themselves. Now that new information and the complete, unedited video has surfaced, the Obama Administration stands alone, looking foolish, in need of new underwear.

I'm not sure Ms. Sherrod should take her job back if it's offered. The NAACP, which had originally blasted her as well, came out immediately with an apology and personal phone call from their president. They admit they acted rashly and bought into a lie from Fox News.

"A lie from Fox News" - Gee, ya think?

I wrote a diary at the Daily Kos titled "President Obama is a Coward". That was a cheap shot at the president, I admit it. but I stand by what I said within.

Here it is in its entirety:

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Remind me not to enter the lion's den....

...wearing bacon pajamas.

I posted a diary on Kos today. After basking in anger and disappointment over the lack of backbone from the Obama Administration, I took it upon myself to cast a metaphoric stone in his direction.

It was titled 'President Obama is a Coward'.

I'm lucky I got out with the hair still on my balls.

The last diary I posted got a grand total of 2 comments. The one before was a huge hit at seven comments.

As of this posting, I have 186 flaming hot, radioactive comments burning a hole in the back of my head.

Goodness! Do you think I struck a nerve?

I'm working on a more reasonable response but until then, enjoy the fireworks!

So Mote It Be (for now!),
David A.

Alan Grayson is my hero

Just off the wire... (OK, Crooks and Liars)



Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) introduced legislation that would allow all Americans to buy into Medicare at cost.

It's called the Public Option Act. (careful, link takes you to the website of an avowed liberal Democratic Congressman!)

This is what I'm talking about. As long as the cost isn't prohibitive, everyone should be allowed to get into the government health care system. I understand the problems, lots of them, but they can be fixed. Medicare ain't perfect. There are a lot of billing issues as well as reimbursement problems. But it's there and in place. You don't have to re-invent the wheel.

As a few of my blogging buddies can attest, you fix your car when it's not running right. If you went to the dealer to get a new ride every time the old one got a flat or needed a new radiator hose, you'd be broke in a very short time. And going to the Chinese 'payday loan' place isn't an option any more.

Americans need a real answer to our health care crisis. The Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate seem to think that they have a magic touch with consensus. They think that in order for an effective bill to get Obama's desk, it has to have 'bipartisan' appeal.

Reality paints a different picture. There are two big brick walls between Americans and affordable health care. These walls are too tall and too wide to get around but the Dems, with their soapbox, think that they'll just sprout wings and fly over the obstructions. Not gonna happen.

These concrete monstrosities belong to the Insurance Lobby and to the Republicans. Obama and Reid stand at the foot of these walls with their paper wings trying to get over. They're running around flapping and flapping, hoping that the walls will just bend down and let them go over. It's embarrassing. But Holy Fuck! - here comes Congressman Grayson in a D-9 Cat itching to go through the bitches.

I think the President and Sen. Reid better get the fuck outta the way and let Rep. Grayson bust through so we can get on with the People's work.

The Repugs and the big corporate lobbies will NOT play nice with a Democratic president. They would rather eat glass and shit coke bottles than allow Obama a single victory. They don't care about the same shit as we do. For them, it's all about power. They would put millions of Americans in danger without a second thought if they could make a buck. They would pave their driveways with kittens and puppies to get back in the White House.

They liked having an idiot as President. It was good for them, lots of them profited immensely from it. Now, not only do they not have one of their own in the Oval Office but he's smart and he's black.

OMFG, what is this world coming to?

IF you want to get shit done, you roll up your sleeves, grab your tools and go to work. No whining and pissing yourself every time a Repug (or Blue Dog bastard) goes 'Boo!'. The People are watching and guess what they want to see?

Courage. Look at Grayson - that's what it looks like.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

The Ides of March come early

I always though Joe Lieberman would play a good Brutus.

Beware the Ides of March...

Caesar was told this by a soothsayer in Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar'.

The play involves treachery, shattered loyalty and the betrayal of those closest.

Upon his election and inauguration, Obama filled us with hope and promise. His words echoed our commitment to bring this country back from the shadow of Bush/Cheney. Eight long and painful years we languished in the swamp of fear and ignorance that permeated every branch of government. Obama represented change. We had given ourselves the tools to make that change. We had the will to move forward, to make some sacrifices if need be to get past the darkness. We were at the ready, tools in hand - all we needed was the signal to start.

It didn't come. Our leaders told us to wait, that fixing Washington would take a bit of time. We lasted almost a year before we realized it was just a case of 'don't call us, we'll call you'..

We thought we got beyond this shit. What we're seeing is the same show but with different characters. Like SNL, the previous cast has moved on and now we have a new set of players. But like the show, the new players are telling the same joke, pretending to be the same people and doing the same skits. We didn't laugh then and we aren't laughing now.

We put Democrats in place and elected a man of the people... or so we thought. All we did was change the cast, the same old jokes are on us. Joe Lieberman gets a standing ovation upon his return to the Senate after he all but kicked us in the groin by campaigning for John McCain (and coming a dog's hair from being his VP choice). Is that how Democrats handle treachery? With a round of applause and a kiss from Blanche Lincoln? We have a backbencher like Congressman Bart Stupak hold up months of hard work because he wants to be on TV.

I've spent a few posts here talking about courage. Not just bravery but courage of spirit, of conviction. The kind of courage that puts you against your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors when they want to take the easy way out. Courage to stand up to the fear and ignorance that lies over this country like a thick fog. We thought we had elected people who had that kind of courage. We carried them, put them in power, embraced them. For what?

We have been stabbed in the back. Et tu, Brutus!

Reform: "the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc."

For a year and a month, we've watched as one opportunity after another fittered away into the wind. Bold ideas, innovative solutions for the many ills and malice that affected us. The promised green industries, a real economic stimulus, thousands of job programs from building bridges and roads to repairing our crumbling parks and monuments disappear like so much smoke. Education reform, health reform, social reform and foreign policy reform had been our rallying cry. But if the people cried out in Washington and no one in Congress heard, did they make a sound?

What happened? We went to Washington full of hope and came away with nothing but a bag of rocks.

So, do we just put the rocks down, sulk back to our living rooms and coffee shops and wait for the next wave?

Most of the ones reading this will say no. They take the time to find the answers, to make the calls, to shake the trees to get the message out. However, there will be those who take this setback to heart and give up. This is where we find our courage.

The powers of our opposition have no problem with rallying the faithful. They can snap their fingers and 20 pundits and congress critters will bark in unison. They only exist to destroy Obama. they care nothing for the country, only the purity of their kind. The tabloid press will not help us. They have no interest in truth and fairness. Glenn Beck is more marketable than Edward R. Murrow. They will always look for the sensational, the scandalous even if they have to create it from thin air.

We have a lot to do. We have to rattle the cage a bit. There's an opportunity in Arkansas where Bill Halter is trying to knock Lincoln out of her Senate seat. We have to jump on this. Contribute if you can, but make some noise. Call CNN, MSNBC, ABC and tell them to put our leaders on their talk shows. Put Grayson, Kucinich, Sherrod Brown, or Anthony Weiner at the table with George Will and David Broder. Tell NBC to put Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press, even if they lose some of their regulars. Time to get rid of that dead weight anyway.

We also need our leaders to fight for us. Really fight for us. Harry Reid will never show spine. He will always give in to the big scary GOP. We need a Senate Majority leader that knows what the word 'majority' means. One that knows the difference between compromise and capitulate. We need leaders that will say to the President " Mr. President, here is the bill you asked for. It has a public option that covers every state and will hold the insurance companies accountable. It has regulations stripping these companies of their anti-trust exemption. It brings relief to families that have no option for care when they need care the most. Mr. President, this is the People's Bill."

The only way to get what we need is to hold them accountable at every step. Vigilance.

I walked away from this blog in December. I had a belly full of Reid, Obama, and the rest of the cowards in the Democratic Party. I felt that I was screaming into the wind. Since then, I've come to realize that I wasn't alone. That my voice, as loud and brash as it was, was part of a chorus. The larger the chorus, the louder the song. When I gave up the blog, I silenced a voice in that chorus. The song that needed to be heard was diminished. This can't happen.

So Shamanaqua is back - for good or ill is for Fate to decide, not the likes of me.

My thanks to Gordon and Fixer at Alternate Brain for keeping my mind operating while I stewed.

Special thanks to BK at Ornery Bastard for the ass kicking that got me to finally open the doors again. (I had originally planned for the first day of Spring but... WTF!)

Also to the memory of Jon Swift (aka Al Weisel) He gave me my first nod on the national scene during Blog Amnesty Day last year. He was a good man and force on the Web. He is missed but his legacy will live on.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Treading water in a whirlpool

Perhaps some of you have noticed that I've been a bit scarce on the 'Toobs lately.

In an effort to save a few ducats, I've decided to give up my Internet access and the meager cable that came with it. I've been trolling the internet for more almost 20 years, since the years of Protegy, BBS and 9600 baud modems connected to screaming 286 XT's. (ten megahertz, baby!) It's been a part of my daily activity for a long time. But something has to go.

The faltering economy and abject corporate greed has given me little choice. My employer, who shall be nameless, is not hurting that badly but has found that the public's fear and consternation about the economic climate has given rise to a timely opportunity to make a few more millions. Using the economy as a crutch, they've slashed hours and suspended merit raises. Management is constantly reminding us that for every job they post, hundreds of applicants show up - so watch your ass!

Nervous isn't an apt description. Terrified come closest. Some of my co-workers are barely making ends meet because of health issues, kids, household repairs and transportation grief, etc. This shit isn't news to anyone with a pulse over the last year. I'm certainly not alone. Bills stack up, credit cards get maxed out, phones shut off, and the car breaks down.

Don't look for sympathy from any of the corporate whores raking in the dough either. The banks got billions of our funds to keep their logos on the door and they thank us by jacking up late and overdraft fees. One example: a friend at work paid her VISA bill but transposed the numbers of her online payment. She overpaid by $63 which put her in the hole ten bucks. It went unnoticed for a couple of days, after she had spent money on gas, groceries and school supplies... six transactions for just under forty dollars. Because of the overpayment error, she got hit with seven overdraft charges worth - $240. She called the bank as soon as she realized the error and explained her plight. It was a wasted call. The bank rep did nothing but lecture her about paying attention to her transactions and that maybe this situation will be a lesson to her. She has two kids and a husband that recently was laid off from that same bank.

Fuck that!

Fuck Bank of America, Fuck Chase, and Fuck all the rest. Real people are suffering out there. That error could have happened to me or any other person. Even a math whiz will fuck up a number on occasion. The corporate whores that play with our lives care as much for us as they do for their tennis shoes. Run the shit out of them then toss them to the curb.

The Insurance industry is just as corrupt. The billing clerk from my doctor's office called me to talk about my growing bill. She was cool, but direct. Money needed to start coming in. I explained my situation at work and she was sympathetic. I'm making a small payment every month. But she did say some shit that got me steamed. She was curious why my bill was so high. Other patients with the same insurance were paying a lot less out of pocket that was I. Basically, my insurance was stiffing me for most of the bill. I should be paying 15 to 20 percent after the initial deductible but that's not the case. I'm responsible for nearly 65% of the full cost of my surgery and treatment!

It's part of the game. They know what their supposed to pay but don't. They stiff the doctors for the cost of the procedure and let the patient pick up the tab. If you have the time, the patience, the understanding of the plan and a lot of fucking luck; you can badger the insurance company into paying their share of the bill. Not paying more or going beyond their responsibilities but paying their share....the amount they are supposed to pay anyway.

Stories like this are too numerous to count. Every one of us have them and they all stink. The answer to this shit is sitting in committee in Congress. It's been there so long, it's starting to grow mold.

We have to get this crap done. Fuck the Corporations! Toss out any legislator that puts their needs above ours. Reform Wall Street, break up the big financial conglomerates. Enforce the fucking anti-trust laws. If the laws are too weak, change them. Let the fuckers on the Supreme Court know that a person has a heart and a brain, not a spreadsheet and a bottom line. Corporations are not people. They are blood sucking parasites.

Hope to be around a little while longer...but Comcast will cut me off as soon as the money runs out.
I have a lot to do until then.

Keep swinging!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Health Care for the Masses or Your Claim has been Denied!

There's a lot to this whole health care debate that's convoluted and complex, but there's one simple, indisputable fact: Americans that need health care have to pay far too much for it. In other modern, civilized countries, if you need to go to the doctor you can. If you have a broken arm or a case of the Mumps, you get treated by a government approved physician who fixes you up and sends you on your merry.

In this country, the first and most important question isn't what is your medical problem but what is your ability to pay. Forget what the hell is wrong with you, what is the size of your wallet.

"I'm sorry sir, but if you do not have the proper insurance you cannot receive treatment here. May I suggest the Free Clinic in Bartertown? Oh, and sir, I must ask you to stop bleeding on our carpets. Thank you, the exit is to the right. -Next?"

Check out this post from our friends at Skippy.

I love that vid.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

What does it take?

What is it about the Right wing? They seem to live for hypocrisy. Usually, each of us can be counted on to do something or say something hypocritical – hell, its human nature. But we get schooled by friends or adversaries and shown back to the real world with our egos lowered a few notches. Not the Republicans. They seem to thrive on hypocrisy. It’s not even criticism anymore. They wear it like a badge of ‘honor’.

They speak out of every corner of their mouths, spewing any spurious tidbit of bullshit pulled straight from Karl Rove’s ass without any sense of regret. When called on it, they just wave the flag and accuse you of being a traitorous commie fascist who eats babies with hot sauce. They then smile at you and go on like nothing was out of place.

They speak to groups that they know will sit loyally in their seats without comment or criticism, staring into dead space with all the mental faculties of a dandelion, the attention span of a flea and the curiosity of driftwood.

I weep for America if these are the people that represent the electorate. We put Barack Obama in office but couldn’t defeat right wing crazies like Michelle Bachmann, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor. The current political playing field will look a lot different in 2012, no one will be looking at what’s best for America only what is popular.

Color me concerned, even a bit frightened.

The Democrats are in a position to cement their majority. They can take the lead on the issues that really matter to the ordinary people of America, not the lunatic fringe of the Right. These are inroads that can only reap rewards on those Democrats courageous enough to walk the talk. Courage is the only price they have to pay. Too bad it’s too big a price for many of those we put in Congress.

I watch the news. I watch the sessions of Congress and the meetings of committees led by people I used to admire and respect. All I see is fear and cowardice. The road to recovery is paved and clearly mapped out. All we have to do is put on our shoes and start walking down the road. Seems even that is too much for our leadership.

The Republicans have made their position crystal clear. They will do everything in their power to obstruct and destroy President Obama’s agenda. They will NOT compromise on this. Their leadership has voiced this in every memo and every media outlet right and left. Even the most inattentive backwoods hermit knows that the GOP is not going to help Obama in any situation.

Why do we still seek their support for our legislation? We know their answer. We know that they will vote NO. They may make noises resembling support or acquiesce but, in the end, all of our hard work making concessions will be for naught as they vote it down. So, why try? Leave them to their hypocrisy. The voters made them irrelevant; let’s keep them there. We have loose cannons in the Democratic caucuses that need to be addressed, why waste our energy and resources on a fool’s errand?

We, the progressive activists, put the hammer to nail building this agenda and the voters put their stamp of approval on it. They said, “YES, DO THIS!” Now, we put the message out to our elected officials and they fumble it trying to do this ‘bipartisan’ bullshit. It’s like the kid who gets his lunch money taken away every day bringing extra coin in the hope that the bully will leave him enough to eat with.

What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing in the same way over and over again but expecting different results?

We have to get a hold of this process immediately before the damage gets too big to fix. The Democratic leadership has to be pulled back into reality before they give away all of our lunch money to the Republicans. We’re bigger than them; we can say, “NO, I’m keeping my lunch money! Get Lost!”

Health care is the big issue dancing in the spotlight now. It’s so big it can affect the lives of every American right away. The only real solution is staring at us with big blue eyes. There has to be a viable, aggressive public option that can effectively compete with the private insurance companies. Too many legislators have accepted bags of coin from the insurance industry for real reform to take place. They are actively working against the best interest of the people in order to satisfy the will of their wealthy overlords. The money is too good to ignore. The smell of greed overwhelms the will of the voters.

This is what we have to fight. This is the face of our enemy.

Firedoglake has taken the lead in bringing some of the senators to task for their connection to the corporate lobbying groups with promising results. However, there are some who are anchored in their ways of greed and graft with their industry sugar daddies. Some of those people chair the very sub-committees and committees that we need to advance the public option. As it sits now, the public option has been watered down to the point of being an easy target for the insurance companies should it become law. It would be forced into obscurity and end up worthless and neutered by the forces it was originally supposed to compete with. Then, we would be back to square one with another failed attempt at reining in the one thing that would do the most to bring us out of this recession/depression. As Obama said, we can’t afford to fail this time. A failure now would doom Americans to many more years of skyrocketing health care costs, millions more denied care or coverage and an economy swirling down the bowl for no other reason than abject greed.

Aren’t we supposed to be better than that? There was a time when I thought we were.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Welcome to the Senate, Al Franken!

'Bout fucking time.

Coleman's been nothing but a punk through this whole thing. He was in a close race and that gives him the right to making sure the count was done correctly but there comes a time that when all the agencies involved say there were no problems, no major discrepancies or errors, courts have decided unanimously, and the people have given both their vote and their voice to Franken you just have to bow out and take your lumps. This is a case of a person who has no character, no ethics, and no sense of fairness.

He's an asshole. I can't see where this is a plus. This is a has-been wingnut politician who hopes to make a great big splash on the national scene. Everyone in the world has an asshole and nobody's looking for another one.

So, my man Al has prevailed!

This was at the Senior Prom in 1972
that's me next to him

Cool!

Now, Harry! You got your 60. Forget the Republicans! They mean NOTHING! Use your resources to keep the Dems in line. Gawd, why does that sound so unlikely? Why does my gut start to turn into knots when I think of Sen. Harry Reid doing his job? See my previous posts!

Can you imagine Chris Dodd in this spot? Or John Kerry? Hell, I would have loved to see Hillary Clinton in this job at this point just to see the heads explode all over Wingnutia! There are at least a half dozen Democratic senators who would take this opportunity to the Moon and back. John Boehner, Eric Holder, Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican leadership would be cleaning out their shorts at this point had there been anyone else in the Majority Leader's chair.

We have our 60. It's not herding cats, it's pushing magnets together. They have a natural repellent bred into them. I say call a meeting of the leadership and make it damn fucking clear what the goddamn agenda is. Then work it! No more fringes! Cut them off right now. Corral those Blue Dogs and show them the millions of fucking dollars the DSCC has and how much it can raise. Show them the best primary prospects that are circling the pond in their home states waiting for the chance to feed on the bones of the incumbent. We only need the Republicans to provide stepping stones and doormats to get into the Senate Chamber. After eight of the worst, most damaging years that these sleazy bastards gave us on a silver platter, I wouldn't even clean my shoes before walking on them. Call me petty.

So, what are we going to do about Harry?

Congratulations, Senator Franken!

this just in: Bill O'Reilly got the news while he was in the grocery store. Clean up on Aisle Four!

Update: No, that's not really me in the photo. I kid.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

For What It's Worth 2.0

I do go on about courage. It's not that I consider myself so courageous but I've been in the presence of those who've fit the bill. I try to live by their example, see the bullshit for what it is and not let it force me down a road I don't need to be on. This isn't rocket science, it's common fucking sense. There are standards of conduct that people should be living by, not anything religious or political but responsible. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Simply put, easily said and the most difficult to accomplish.

A standard like that leaves no room for greed, hatred or intolerance. It forces people to look at our neighbors in a new light, a new understanding. It allows us to see people as they really are and go from there. There will be lots of people who won't pass the test. Unfortunately, these people are just no damn good. Rather than go after them or react to them; we should just ignore them. Glenn Beck wouldn't be such a pain in our asses if he had no audience. He would be just another wingnut screaming at the wind.

But you say, how can we ignore these assholes? They infect us with their bile, foster open wounds in society and unravel any progress toward a better understanding between different groups. I say ignore by moving on without them. Cut them off from the discussion. Let them rant! If we engage the people who matter the most to them, their audience, that will leave them without a forum, without a base. Of course, there will always be a fringe who will buy into the poison Beck, Limbaugh, Savage Weiner, and the rest of the hatemongers sell. Fuck 'em. Isolate them by working for the folks who matter - Mom and Pop America. As long as we can engage the mainstream by showing them how important we think they are, they'll abandon the wingnuts like rats from a sinking ship.

For the most part this is happening now. Limbaugh parades his Arbitron numbers around like a gold star, making noise about how popular he is. Well, he has an audience, but a shrinking one. He takes weekly numbers and posts them as daily, his base is declining but becoming more vocal. He has to stir up the rabble, after all, the American people elected a black man as president despite his daily reminders of how awful that would be. As Gov. Schwarzenegger said on the Today Show a few years ago that 'Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant, I am not his servant." There's one Republican that won't be invited to the Tube and Lube party down in the Dominican Republic any time soon.

But Limbaugh isn't alone here. We have Michael Savage Weiner making fart noises about a 'fatwa' against Media Matters like this is supposed to send shivers of cold terror through their spines. Ordinarily this would be laughable, much of what the Weiner says is nothing but manure, however with the recent killings by right wing loonies we have to be aware of what these ass pimples are saying. It's no secret that they've come to realize just how powerful their words are to the Right Wing fringe. Despite the killings, perhaps because of them, the Crap Talkers on the Right are ramping up their vile. They all are counting on that lone listener who will hear the last word and snap. This is the antithesis of courage. A four year old girl touching a worm shows more courage than Limbaugh, Weiner, O'Reilly, or Beck have in their entire pathetic lives.

Cretins like these should play no role in the reconstruction of the American Ideal. They only exist to keep us honest, to reinforce the common threads that bring us together. They show us what happens when you lose all sense of community, all self-respect and get your head permanently lodged in your ass. They are the rats that congregate around our social garbage. If we deal with the trash, the rats will go away.

Talk show idiots aren't the only pustules on our ass. We seem to have developed a few in leadership roles too. The Republicans in Congress are a cadre of hacks, crooks, fools, and cheaters. Just put a camera in front of them and they can't help but prove this to the country. They have show the world they're an idiot. It's like a contest amongst them. Who can be the biggest idiot on the Network News?

Which brings me to the next part of this screed. The Democrats. I've mentioned the bad guys, now I need to bring up the 'good' guys. Who's a bigger fool, the idiot you expect to say something stupid or the one who comes out of left field with it? I expect the Right to be idiots, it's their nature. Can't expect the zebra to walk away from its stripes. But I had hoped to see the people I helped put in the majority show some spine. I thought that the only reason Democrats were so wimpy and soft on the Republicans over the last eight years was simply a measure of power. You can't do much as a minority party.

Boy, was I wrong! The Repugs have a smaller minority than what the Dems had and are hamstringing ever effort at turning this country around. The Dems have a fillibuster proof majority and they are being held up, frozen in fear. WTF?

I mentioned the cowardise of the Right Wing talkers, how disgusting they were. But I have to place the cowards in Congress, my own Party leaders, beneath the likes of Limbaugh and Weiner. They have the votes, they have the people's will, they have a strong leader in the White House and they still crumble like a graham cracker at every turn. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the biggest of the cowards. He's the worst of the worst. Our little girl with the worm could probably make Sen. Reid piss himself. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is not as bad but still terrified of the GOP. What are these marshmallows afraid of?

We should be driving our agenda through Congress like a Mack truck through a corn field. Progressive issues would be discussed and debated, voted on and put on the President's desk in record time. The recovery would be in full swing and the people would be reaping the fruits of their vote last November. But, NO! We have a couple of dozen Republican Senators running the show. Sen. Reid spends his day cowering under his desk so the leadership of the Senate is taken over by Boehner, McConnell and the rest of the GOP caucus.

I mention courage. There is no courage in the Democratic leadership. None. When challenged, they always seem to fall back on claims of strategy, chamber rules, and super-secret back room manuvering. Bullshit! The GOP has Reid by the balls, parading him around like a child's pull toy for all to see and laugh at. None of the other Democrats in the House or Senate seem to want to step up and challenge this. The ones that try are shot down in flames by their own party, leaving the Repugs to piss on the wreckage. How many times has good legislation been torpedoed by the Dem leadership, only to have the GOP pick up the pieces, toss it in the bowl and give it a final flush? The Recovery Package, EFCA, Closing Guantanamo, Single Payer Health Insurance, real climate change legislation, energy policy, immigration... the list of casualties goes on.

Who the Hell are these people working for? Certainly not me.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Senate Democrats...Have I got a deal for you!

Right here, right now... you can be the proud owner of a brand new, state-of-the-art Spinal Column for the low, low price of one vote!

Just take a look at this beauty!

You won't see this kind of craftsmanship anywhere in Washington DC. Be the first in the Chamber to have one, be the first one in your Committee to put it on display for all Americans to see and admire.

* Republicans giving you the jitters?
* Are your nightmares always tuned to Fox News?
* Does the sound of Rush Limbaugh's voice cause you to wet yourself?
* How often has Newt Gingrich taken your lunch money?

You NEED one of these NOW!

They come in all sizes, fortified and strengthened for long term use. No complicated installation, just use your vote correctly and the SPINE will insert itself!

With these babies, you can stand up to the Republicans like a lion to a lamb. No one will threaten a filibuster, use terms like 'weak', 'timid', or 'bipartisan compromise' in your presence ever again!

We're OVERSTOCKED! Ordered way too many after the election of 2008 so our overconfidence is your GOLDEN opportunity!

ACT NOW! These SPINES are top quality but won't last long on the shelf. If not used soon, they'll start to crumble. GET YOURS NOW!

See your local PROGRESSIVE constituent for details.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Politics, a game for fools, clowns and scalawags

Hope is a important part of how we accept things that may not be great for us. Hope that times will get better. Hope that the bump in the road is short and not too damaging. Hope that our leaders will step up and take us down the correct path to recovery. Hope is the fuel that sustains our patience.

We are running out of gas.

Health care is an abomination in this country. Those who can pay way too much for far too little. Doctors spend as many hours weekly on paperwork than they do on their craft. Hospitals trim essentials from those least likely to afford them just to keep lining the pockets of corporate investors. HMO's, Big Insurance, Big Pharma are doing their corporate damnest to kill the one option in our health care debate that offers the greatest hope for the most Americans. Single payer, or a national public health care plan, offers to cover the most people at the lowest cost for a modest payroll deduction. As I see it, one version has no co-pay, no deductible, and applies to all physicians and health care providers. Contrary to the popular lies of the never-right wing, there is no restriction of doctor choice, or hospital. Paperwork is streamlined to ensure the most efficient process.

Robert Reich, a man I've grown to admire since his days as Secr. of Labor under Bill Clinton has a bit to say about the prospects of the single payer option in the current health care debate. In his words: "Big Pharma and Big Insurance are gaining ground in their campaign to kill the public option in the emerging health care bill."

Hope is becoming a dry hole.

I won't presume to know what each of you think of the different options being considered in the health care debate, but if you're anything like me, you can't afford to shell out thousands of dollars for care that should be a birthright. For-profit health care providers, insurance and pharmaceutical companies only see numbers when looking at patient claims. How much money can we make by culling the claims down to just those who can pony up the pennies? How can we convince Congress to keep the status quo in place so that our profit margins stay the same or perhaps go up?

The answer? Meet Senator Max Baucus, (D-MT). He chairs the Senate Finance Committee which is in charge of the discussion and debate of the health care crisis and possible remedies. He has made statements recently that place the single payer option off the table. He said: "We need a uniquely American result. And that will be a public/private
hybrid. There may come a time when we can push for single payer. But that time is not yet, and so I'm not going to waste my time."

Why would he make such a statement? Why drag our feet with the one issue that concerns the most Americans? How can providing the most coverage in the most efficient way be a 'waste of his time'?

Who is whispering in Sen. Baucus' ear? What reason could he have to delay this? Could it be this?

Contributor	Total	Indivs	PACs
Schering-Plough Corp	$92,200	$64,200	$28,000
New York Life Insurance	$80,400	$43,900	$36,500
UST Inc	$73,950	$37,950	$36,000
Amgen Inc	$70,750	$35,750	$35,000
Blue Cross/Blue Shield	$62,350	$21,350	$41,000

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive” Sir Walter Scott 1771-1832

Hope is what sustains us. Those of us who rely on our health care providers to give us peace of mind and decent care don't need the added stress of finding pennies under the couch to pay for it. I pay for insurance through my employer. They provide the plan, take 'X' amount out of my check in addition to their contribution. Yet each year I pay more, they pay less and my coverage goes down. Over the last 18 months, I've accrued $8300 in doctor's bills after insurance. Nothing I was treated for was exotic or experimental, just the trials and tribulations of living to the ripe old age of 50.

If Sen. Baucus were to have had the same medical treatments I've had, he would have no bills, no payments to make. He has the advantage of being covered by a public, single payer government health plan.

Single payer is the best hope for all Americans who struggle to pay their medical bills. The big insurance and pharmaceutical compaies will do anything legal and otherwise to keep this abominable situation from changing. To them, it's all about keeping their wallets full; the health of the people be damned.

Support the Single Payer Option.

Update: Nunya, over @ Politickybitch gave me a cool link in the comments. (Thanks!)
"119 million Americans want a public option. Why aren't Politicians listening?"

The easy answer? Because 119 million Americans don't contribute to Sens. Grassley and Baucus' campaigns.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Courage and Cowardice

Courage is a rare commodity in the halls of leadership today. I see faces on my TV box that are supposed to be in my corner giving aid and comfort to the enemy, namely the GOP.

Senator Harry Reid...grow a fucking spine. Jesus H. Christ, Senator, you fold more than an old lawn chair. He covers his yellow streaked ass by making it out that he's a crafty strategist. How can it be good strategy to cave in to your opponents at every turn? What, win the battle by losing the war? I think the reason he's so scrawny is from all the lunch money he had to fork over as a kid. I hear he was a boxer. Well, how many boxers lose a fight with their own shadow?

When I speak of courage, understand the distinctions I make when using a well-trod upon term. Courage is listed in the dictionary as: "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery."

There are aspects of courage that are more observable, more apparent by action rather than attitude, than just a 'quality of mind'. Any one can talk a good game of 'courage' but what happens when they face that insular moment when the talk has to be substantiated? Courage isn't a soundbite, it doesn't exist only in novels and history books. It exists in the actions taken by those who need it - now.

One problem is that we are a visually based society. If we don't see it, it does not exist. We claim the reverse to be true as well; if we do see it, we believe it. Just seeing something gives many of us all the proof we need that a certain condition exists. Conversely, if someone tells us that something doesn't exist because he can't see it, we tend to believe him because he seems to have gone to the trouble of looking for it so it must be true. Seeking out verification for what we claim and what we believe is hard. Too hard for talking heads who make their living on the people's ignorance and the politicians who service them.

I consider most right wing talkers and bloggers to be abject cowards. I say most because recently I witnessed Chicago talk show host 'Mancow' Muller subject himself to water boarding to show that it's nothing but getting wet. He got schooled and schooled hard. He lasted six seconds without interrogation. Afterward, he related an epiphany - "yes, this is torture and I have to admit that"

That took courage. Not only to be subjected to the pain of the water board, but to go on to admit that he (and the rest of his cohorts on the AM dial) were wrong about this form of torture. So, give him props for doing something Hannity, Limbaugh, Fox Nuz, and Newt Gingrich would never do.

I look for courage in my leaders. Sounds sappy and trite but I expect the people elected to high office to have a modicum of courage to accomplish the task of running the country. I see it in the President but it's Deja vu' all over again when he starts backing off issues near and dear to progressives. We saw it during the Clinton years. Lots of speeches, lots of promises, then the aides and advisors come in and pour cold water over the whole agenda. Obama needs real leadership in both the Senate and the House. Instead he got cowards. Reid has to go. For the sake of the nation and the progressive movement in general, Harry Reid must be sent to the Old Washington Home for Cowards, Capitulators, and Compromisers.

The issues that mean the most to the American people are coming to the forefront now. Health care, education, economic assistence, global climate change, energy, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan need, no - beg for a radical shift from the status quo solutions. We've done the ol' 'tried and true' and found them to be wholly inadequate for the task. The Repugs want the ship to stay the course. They're on the Titanic and still feasting from the buffet line. Why give up a good thing if it feeds the greed?

Courage. My dad has it in spades. He worked the woods for 50 years as a logger and helped raise 8 kids with near poverty wages. Our troops have it too. They serve with honor and distinction and still get the shitty end of the stick in pay, rotation, and respect. I've seen courage come from little kids, feeble old folks, and young people of all colors and creeds. But we are losing our center by not focusing on making a courageous life the only life we should be striving for. We teach our kids how to get around the rules, how to shirk the responsiblities inherent in life. They enter adulthood with the education to be a con artist, not a responsible human being.

I'm tired of watching my leaders cower under their desks in Congress. Sick and tired of seeing Repug wingnuts give wedgies and noogies to the people I have to rely on to run this country. The Democratic Party better take a long hard look at their leadership and start making some definitive changes while we still have control of Congress. Most of the Dems I see on my TV Box haven't the backbone of a marshmallow Peep.

So Mote it Be,
David A.

This is our time

This is our time. Time to boldly take the next step or fall back and let the cowards take over.

We worked our asses off to get here. Through the Reagan years and four years of Poppy Bush, we endured a lot of crap. In the 80's, the GOP came in and started their policies of corruption and greed. Reaganomics was a joke. It was only a scam to make the rich richer and the poor irrelevant. Even some Democrats got caught up it the bullshit 'cause no one can say no to a free lunch.

But we persevered. We got Bill Clinton elected and, although not exactly what we were hoping for, he was good enough to set the ship of state on the correct course. But somewhere along the way, we lost our courage. We became complacent and weak. We elected marshmallows instead of statesmen, chickenshits instead of cougars. Clinton did a lot to further our cause but he fell far short of the goals we needed to accomplish. We didn't take full advantage of the opportunities that were made available to us because we were afraid of what our enemies might think of us. We stopped in the middle of the race because we were winning. Somehow we considered that bad form.

It was this lack of courage that led to the election of the Village Idiot. We even shied away from standing up to the hoards of goons that took away the presidency of Al Gore. We sat back and bitched but didn't fight. The GOP saw that they were losing and pulled out all the stops, left no stone unthrown and snatched our victory out of our trembling fingers. They did it, not because they were stronger or smarter; they did it because they knew we would let them.

We suffered through eight fucking long ass years of an egotistically elitist buffoon as Commander-in-Chief, a megalomaniac as his VP, a cadre of crooks, liars, and thieves running the country with policies that put the United States in the same shoes as a Third World dictatorship. The effects of our cowardice will be felt for years, perhaps decades to come.

Now, we have a new leader. Somewhere, somehow we found the moral cahones to put a man in the White House who has the potential to put us back on track and take us to the Promise Land. Obama is showing all the signs that he has the stuff but do we?

Is this going to be Clinton Era 2.0? Will we lose our spine just as the big decisions need to be made? It happened once, will we let it happen again?

Look at the news running across the 'Toobs today. Everywhere we look we see the Bullshit Media licking the asses of the Republican Talkers for their next big soundbite. The airwaves are full of GOP crap about everything from Speaker Pelosi's torture memo to Obama's yet-unpicked Supreme Court nominee. The wingnuts are doing the same thing they did when Clinton was in office: control the word, frame the speech and make sure the Democrats have a nice, safe table to hide under.

Not this time! Not while I draw breath!

I didn't work my fat white ass off to see a bunch of mealy-mouthed Democratic marshmallows take this victory and piss it away. The time to take a stand is right fucking now!

Many of my friends on the web have a lot more traffic than I and I hope this call to arms sings for them. We have so many tools and weapons at our disposal. Jesus H. Fucking Christ on a Pancake, our troops are light years smarter than they are. We can control the news if we choose. All it takes is for the face of the Democrats to be someone who can fight back, not let the wingnuts shout them down. Put it to them. Make them ask the hard questions. If the Media won't, we should. Ask them over and over on every news talk show until they get it. Above all challenge every lie, every claim, every word that spews forth from the Repugs about every issue.

David Waldman from Daily Kos took a couple of wingnuts to the shed the other day. This is what we should be doing. Every Damn Time. No more Joe Lieberman. No more Evan Bayh. No more Ben fucking Nelson. it's time for the leadership to do what the fuck they're supposed to do. If a Democrat goes rogue and starts backing off the GOP, slap him/her down. This is no time for cowardise. It's long past time for courage. We have to learn how to grow back our spine.

The GOP is in the toilet now. We knocked them around and almost out of the way. Many would say we should back off and let them regroup. It would be the 'sporting' thing to do. Compassion and charity, I guess.

Bullshit! The GOP invaded our space, flaunted our laws, trashed the country, gave our enemies the resources and will to stand against us and pushed this country to the brink of a global economic disaster just to line their pockets and golden parachutes. We don't show compassion after that. The GOP is on the ground, we don't offer a hand up.

We step on their neck! No Mercy! No Quarter! Take the fight to them and never back down!

This is our time! Get off your asses and start fighting back!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Flush the Rush

This shit is embarrassing.

For eight years, they were the king makers, the power elite. These people tortured, stole, trampled the Constitution and made war against any who opposed them. They went out of their way to prove just how rugged and tough they were by clearing brush, watching NASCAR, going to county fairs, and wearing padded flight suits.

Well, surprise, surprise... it's was all an act.

Our Republican lawmakers talk a good game but have spines made of Jell-O. They're pissing all over themselves to keep from crossing that fat bastard, Rush Limpballs. They squeal and scream like a bunch of tweenie girls at a horror movie when he speaks. They can't disagree, they won't disagree. No way, no how.

Look what happened to Michael Steele.

He criticized Limpballs, called his show ugly and got hammered. He was so quick in retracting his statement, his little pee-pee must've got whiplash. He handed over his jimmies so fast, FedEx couldn't have done better. Who could've guessed that Rush Limpballs was such a big collector of testicles?

At the presser yesterday, Robert Gibbs tosses it back to the meager press to find out who owns the Republican lawmakers balls.

I thought the Democrats were spineless. At least some of us have no problem straying from the herd. Damn inconvenient it may be, but at least we have some independent thinkers. Like Gibbs, I want to hear from the lips of Boehner, McConnell, Cantor, and the rest of the GOP congressional leadership if they agree with Limpballs that they want the president to fail.

Just one question, that's all. George Snuffleupyourass, Chris Wallace (yeah, right), David Gregory, any of those clowns on the Sunday talk shows should ask this one question and gauge the response. Get a picture of their nuts beforehand, 'cause they'll soon be snuffed out of existence.

Here's to the party of Lincoln Limbaugh. This would be entertaining if it wasn't so fucking pathetic.

Update: Add another set to your collection, Rush. Apparently, Rep. Cantor is giving his up.

So Mote it Be,
David

An Infection Breeds in America

(this was previously posted as a diary on the Daily Kos)

In the past three weeks, we’ve been hammered by pundits and prophets, denizens of marbled hallways and plush leather chairs. We’ve seen both courage and cowardice by those we’ve sent to represent us in the halls of power. At any other time, the partisan games of one-upmanship would be tolerable but there comes a time when such games are more of a hindrance than help

We, the people, ask little of our leaders. We expect them to conform to certain standards and ethics but give them lots of deference. We can tolerate a lot, overlook many transgressions and foibles but we always expect the power to come on when we want it, the potholes to be fixed eventually, and the pizza to be delivered on time.

Those expectations are gone. This economic situation is dire, perhaps worse than any we have known. We speak of the Great Depression, but it is nearly a century distant. But that was then, this is now. America was very different then than it is today. America has a problem. It is infected.

Today, we have the advantage of internet technology to flash news instantaneously from Congress to Wall Street to the kitchen. But that only delivers the news; in many cases this technology set the stage for bigger schemes, more ingenious larceny, or massive global obfuscation. Like before, abject greed and corporate irresponsibility has the lion’s share of blame for this recession. And within our halls of power, there is an ally to those moneyed interests. The Republican Party, the supposed party of Lincoln, is closely tied to the same corporate mountebanks that brought this country so close to the edge of the precipice. To say they are allied is to underestimate their relationship for it is more akin to a marriage than a business arrangement.

The modern Republican Party cannot see past its corporate masters. They don’t see the people of Main Street, the folks who try to work every day to just get by. Those normal people are invisible to the GOP. The powerbrokers at the GOP can only see those who can give a financial boost to the Party, the lowest rung on the ladder of success in their view are the business owners, not the workers.

To be sure, the modern Republican Party has nothing but distain and hatred for all things labor. They despise any rule or legislation that favors the working person. In their world, we would all be working for the bare minimum at the maximum number of hours including our children and our elderly. This dream of theirs harkens back to a time long ago when 16-hour shifts at 2 dollars a day were considered good wages.

This is not bipartisanship. This is setting the foundations for a coup d'état. The GOP is so angry at the outcome of the November elections that they will sacrifice the American economy to occupy the halls of power once again. They were able to bamboozle the voters in 2000 and 2004. They got an imbecile elected president and took control of both the Senate and the House. But they couldn’t hold on to that power. The most significant reason that cut them loose from the dock and sent them adrift was their unabashed greed. Their greed cost Tom Delay his seat in the House. Their greed sent Duke Cunningham and Jeff Skilling to jail. Their greed folded the economy like a bad suit. Their greed sent Barack Obama to the White House.

America is better than greed. We’ve conquered fear and hatred many times throughout our history. We’ve been down this road before and have to get back on track if we wish to see sunlight at the end of this dark tunnel. To do this we have to remove the cause of our blight. Like a gangrenous limb, we have to remove it to save the whole. The GOP is gangrenous. They no longer serve any useful purpose; in fact, they are infecting the body American by their presence. We, as a people, have to make a stark and unpleasant choice: to allow the Republicans to remain and suffer the pain and anguish of an economic death or remove the offending organ and save the country for our descendants?

The choice is obvious, but the remedy is not. President Obama’s words of bipartisanship only serve to delay the inevitable. There is no rehabilitation of the GOP. A once proud Party is now a mere shell of itself, beholden to the corporate icons and moneyed interests that loom large over this economic collapse. The Republicans are not unlike the Gollum of Tolkien’s tale, so obsessed with the One Ring that it lost all humanity with nothing left but anger and deceit.

President Obama must take the case to the American people. He should hold up the GOP to the scorn of those who have been harmed the most by this recession. Those who are working to reverse this downturn should give this bad economy a face, a Republican face. Make those responsible for this disaster wear the Scarlet Letter. Frame the discussion, take to the airwaves and publications with the message of hope for the recovery and blame for the greed and avarice of the last eight years.

Make them pay for what they did to this country. Perhaps from the bones of a shamed and desolate GOP, there will come a more responsible and truly conservative party. To paraphrase an old saying: to save the party, we must destroy it.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Go it alone

There come a time when all roads lead out of town. When all talk is done and all things have been said. There comes a time when there is no safe refuge, no safe harbor to wait out the coming storm.

That time is now.

We tried it their way and lost. Lost big. They want to keep playing the same number on the same wheel but we have to cut our losses and move on. The Republicans, despite losing two elections and all of their base, still cling to the same old moves, the same disastrous policies that caused this catastrophe. They aren't stupid, they're delusional. They can't accept the fact that the country holds them responsible for this mess, that the people aren't blaming Bill Clinton like they want. They try and try to hold tight to that flimsy toilet paper ideology even as it gets pissed on by every economist of merit in the country.

President Obama made some progressives angry for reaching out to the GOP to craft a bill that's both effective and bipartisan. In the House, he gave up a lot and got handed back his lunch. No Republican voted for the bill. In the Senate, he's gone so far into the whole 'bipartisan' myth that he's heading into ineffective. What's more important, any bill or the right bill?

In return for offering his hand in cooperation, the Republicans filled it full of shit. They are so consumed by the election of Barack Obama, an African-American who has the real chance of becoming one of the greatest presidents in history, that they will allow the American economy and the people they represent swirl down the drain like a cold turd.

How's that for the Party of Patriots? They wave the flag then use it to blow their nose.

Obama has to do the unthinkable. He has to tell the American people that the Republican Party is not helping him. He has to put that bully pulpit to good use and make the GOP pay for its partisanship. The Dems need to grow a spine (as if that has any chance of happening) and hold their own membership together and forget the Repugs. Keep the Blue Dogs in line and shore up support with the progressives. If any Repugs get an earful back home, let them into the room but with a commitment to vote yes when all is said and done.

Play hard ball and you'll win. The rules have changed and the stakes are high. The country's got your back. This is no time to be Mr. Nice Guy.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Is it time for torches and pitchforks yet?

Just say the word!



Every day we hear more and more bullshit. Shit that gives me cause to break out the pitchfork and start marching up the road to the castle. I want to hear the fucking truth, not the crap that the powers that be feel we should hear.

Now, I want to give Obama the time he needs to get this runaway train under control but he has to understand that this deference has conditions. He's come before the people on quite a few occasions and said pointblank what has to happen to turn this shit around. We support that.

Infrastructure. Health Care Reform. Accountability of Government. Mortgage Assistance. The list isn't that long but it is daunting.

We, the American People, understand that this is BORROWED money. Fuck, the last eight years saw at least 10 times the cost of this stimulus package run up on the People's Plastic. For what? What do we have to show for a TEN TRILLION DOLLAR debt courtesy of George W. Bush and the Republican Party?

What we need is to get past this and on to putting shovel to dirt, hammer to nail and pen to paper. You say we have to get beyond politics then you dive into the middle of it with 50 lbs of dead weight tied to your ankles. Those weights have names. Jettison them. Get to shore, shake yourself off and get to work. Fuck the Republicans! They Are Not Important!

You extended the hand of cooperation and bipartisanship and got it bit. You know the Chinese proverb - "Fool me once....?"

Why, oh fucking why are we asking these Brooks Brothers Buttfucks to approve the stimulus package?

We own them. They are a racist, dickless, regional embarrassment to American politics. We have the numbers, we have the people's back, we have the issues. What we seem to lack are leaders with cajones.

So, my friends and allies, start sharpening the tines and waxing the handles 'cause the ride's gonna get real fucking bumpy from here.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Call To Arms!!

The Democratic Party, with the deference of the President, is about to capitulate once again to the GOP.

After winning the most decisive election in the last 70 years, with the most abundant political capital seen in D.C. since Reagan, the Democratic Party is about to cave in to the weakest Republican minority in history. The Republicans have bullied this party to the point where the mere hint of opposition to Democratic policies causes them to fold like a lawn chair.

Jesus H. Christ on a Toast Point, get a fucking backbone! When will we ever learn that the Democratic Leadership has all the character of wet toilet paper?

sent to my senators:

How can we accomplish the task of bringing this country back from the brink if we repeatedly trudge down the same road that got us here? Why do you consistently insist on capitulating to the GOP? Look up the definition of the word 'coward'.
Tell Sen. Reid what it means.

You won the White House. Act like it!
Forget bipartisanship, you can accomplish our goals without the people who got us in this mess. Yes you can!

The only bipartisanship I want to see is when we knock 'em to the ground, step on their backs and climb out of the hole they dug us into.
Get to work!

Someone send some calcium supplements to Congress, stat!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Countdown to Oblivion

The last eight years couldn't have been a bigger clusterfuck if you wrote it down as fiction. Even then, you'd have been laughed out of every publishing house in the country.

And we own it all to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. In a just world with real laws and real accountability, these two fools would have been stripped of their office, taken before a court of their peers, convicted and jailed for high treason. We can dream.

In reality, the abysmal record of this collection of toadies, yes men, pundits, and party bosses that serve as our nation's law enforcement officials will probably land these cretins a goddamn medal, a fat book deal and scrub history of every iota of truth about their nefarious deeds.

But that's not why I wrote this.

There's a buzz - OK, a rancor about what Pres. Elect Obama will do with all the Bush vermin infesting our government when he takes over. Lots of people, whom I respect greatly, want him to start proceeding now with investigations and indictments of the big players with the small fry served up next.

While there's only a few days left, and Bush (erg...it pains me to type this!) is STILL president. Obama has to be a bit cagey with his intentions for the legal proceedings to come. Bush still has lots of ink left in his Pardon Pen for a great number of people, people that deserve to be slapped in irons for long, hard years.

Should Obama make noises about commissions and special prosecutors, he might cause concern in Cheney's Dungeon which will translate to pardons for him, his lieutenants, vassals, and minions. We don't want that.

So, all I've heard from Obama has been a lot of talk about reconciliation, bi-partisanship, getting beyond the Bush years and starting a new page. Fucking garbage.

I hope that this is just Obama's way of deflecting attention away from his real intentions so he won't show his hand to Bush and Cheney. Get them to think he's all 'Kumbaya, we forgive you. Let's all hold hands across the world and have a big hug!'.

Don't think that for an instant, a fucking microsecond, that if the situations were reversed the Republicans would show the same consideration. They would (as they did in 2001) pounce like a hyena on a baby gazelle.

Laws were broken, people were killed, the good name of America was trashed, we tortured innocent people and sent many more to countries that could do even worse. How can we just look the other way and say "Oh,that Bush! He's such a minx! We forgive him this one time. Now, can we get back to work?"

Fuck that. Obama may be holding his cards close to his vest here. He may be planning to ask Congress to investigate the Bush Administration but noises within the Democratic arena aren't sounding too promising.

A lot, and I mean a lot, of Congresscritters actually do feel like this should just be put on the shelf for history to judge. They're chickenshit bastards, each one. They are so terrified of the GOP that, even with the majorities the American people gave them in the last election, they still tremble at the thought of being called names. Among these Denebian Slime Devils, is one Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader.

Harry Reid must go through a case of Pampers a day. I've never seen a more cowardly, chickenshit, worthless excuse for a human male. My three year old grand niece saying 'Boo!' would make him soil himself. He's not the only one, add to his name each of the so-called Blue Dogs - or Bush Dogs. Together as a group, you couldn't come up with a single vertebrae, let alone an entire spinal column.

These cowards have to be put on notice. We prosecute law breakers in this country regardless of the consequences to your golf game or dinner invites. To bring this country back from the edge of the fucking abyss we may have to piss off a few Republicans - Heaven Forbid!

This shit makes me shudder with anger. How fucking dare they even consider letting off one of the most corrupt administrations since Warren Harding? Who's leading the party, slugs or soldiers?

In a little less than a week, we will see how this plays out. But I guarantee that I will be on this page with a vengeance if the Cowards of the Congress get their way.

Wait for the Inauguration, then hit them with subpoenas, congressional hearings, grand juries, the Big Chair, the fucking kitchen sink and Aunt Emma's wood stove. Bring the whole hornet's nest into the light of day and let the American people see just what went on in the Bush White House for the last eight years.

Then reopen Alcatraz.

So Mote It Be,
David A.