Bipartisanship

We have heard, since President Obama took office, about how he needs to work at bipartisanship. And, indeed he has. He has made every effort to reach across the aisle to the Republican Party and include them in the work of the people.

So. How is that going for him, you might ask? So far, he has been mocked and scoffed at by those who were just so lately rejected in a landslide by the American people. WTF? Is that correct? Those who were just last November essentially reduced to a Regional Party are still so arrogant that they refuse to participate? They are still demanding that it's their way or nothing? Sorry. But yes, that is the case.

The vote for the Stimulus package had ZERO Republican votes in the House. And, a total of THREE Republican votes in the Senate. That, to me, doesn't sound like there is any desire on the part of the minority party to do the work of the people. That instead sounds like obstructionism. And, from the sounds emanating from the leadership of that minority party, we can expect a whole lot more of the same. It seems they have decided to continue the action that lost them control of the entire government over two election cycles.

So, RustyBrown, what is your view on all of this? Well Thanks for asking. Until the next election cycle when we will have our magical "60", we form a coalition in the Senate to accomplish there what must be done. Since Senator Franken will soon take his seat, it will take only a couple of votes to make that a working coalition.

What about the Republican Party, the minority party you ask? Simple. They have now pushed themselves away from the table. They have made themselves, by virtue of their own doings, irrelevant to any and all discussions. If they are willing to change their tactics and make some drastic changes in their policy views, they can once again be part of the dialog. However, at this moment, they are as extinct as the Mastodons.

The country is in a very bad way. The stimulus package that will get the ball rolling toward putting the economy back on it's feet has been passed. Albeit without the help of the Republican Party, save three. That being the case, we must now proceed without them and conduct the business of the people. That is to say, righting all of the wrongs perpetrated upon the nation by the Republican Party, who had complete control of the levers of government for six years. Their policies and politics failed completely. Both were soundly rejected. It is time to move on. Without them.

"Waterboarding Is Torture."

Three words. Three simple, plain, English words. That was all it took. No dithering. No beating around the Bush. No ummm's, or uhhh's. Just three words to declare what most of the human race has known all along. "Waterboarding is torture."

Nazi's and Japanese were hung for it. It has always been part of the Geneva Convention rules. It is taught to every military recruit in the US military. There is no doubt in any reasonable human mind that "waterboarding is torture."

Yet, for the past several years, under the Bush Administration, it has been clear to all that indeed it was being used on prisoners. We heard of it from Gitmo. We heard of it from Abu Ghraib. It was rumored that it was being used on folks being held under special rendition.

Mr. Cheney and several others, including Mr. Hayden, inside the Administration poo poo'd it for quite some time. Finally saying that it was an excellent tool that should be kept in the arsenal of those who interrogate. That it was actually benign. That people couldn't/wouldn't be killed if subjected to it. That it had given authorities valuable information and had saved lives.

All of that is bullshit, of course. Experts say that it didn't/hasn't given us anything like valuable information, and is a useless tool that does nothing for anyone. Except sadists.

Mr. Holder, the AG designee, provided the three word reply to a question asked by Senator Leahy. He left no doubt in anyone's mind what he thought of waterboarding. What was not asked, and what bothers me at this moment is: what happens next? Will you take this conclusion forward. If those inside the Bush Administration ordered torture, which is a war crime, will they be brought to trial? Will justice be served?

"Waterboarding Is Torture." I hope that the end of this nasty proposition is that the rest of the world is shown that we are indeed a country, once again, ruled by law.

Israel, right or wrong?

The Government of the United States has, since Israel came into existence, backed them right or wrong. Sometime in the next eight years, I am hoping that our new Administration takes a hard, long look at this policy. And, more than that, takes the necessary action to correct this idiotic stance.

There are reasons to back Israel, when right. We must, when necessary, back them with whatever diplomatic or military power is needed. However, in every case, they are not right. And, this moment seems to me to be one of those times when they are not right.

Their right to peace is no different than anyone else's. They have to be free from constant missile attack by the Palestinians. But, to bomb innocents, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. And, they have indeed bombed innocents.

Today it is reported that they have not only bombed a UN facility. But, also a hospital. In what delusional world, and under what possible circumstances can this action be justified? Of course, it can't. There is no excuse for bombing a UN site known to house civilians. And, there is no way in hell that bombing a hospital can be found to have justification.

When asked about the bombing of the UN site, the Israeli's stated "we were fired on first." That, to me, sounds like the crap one would expect to hear on a childhood playground. Except that this is no playground. People are being killed. And, being killed indiscriminately. That is war crime area. And, the US Government decided inside the UN to fore go condemnation. That is cowardice. And not taking responsibility for what is clearly something that in the least, should be condemned by every country in the UN.

This is the backing, right or wrong, which began this diary. It is my conclusion that the US Government is wrong to back Israel on this matter. They are guilty of complicity in the killing of innocent Palestinians

Our Countdown

So, finally we have come to the final count down for the Bush Administration. It has been a long and very damaging eight years. The Constitution has been denigrated and called just a piece of paper. Wars have been started with lies. People have been tortured. Spying on citizens has become a normal course of action. The good of the majority has been subjected to the whim of the few.

But now, we have begun to see that the light at the end of tunnel is not in fact, a train. Like most, I hope for the best possible outcome. But, I also realize that the man we have chosen us to lead us out of the wilderness, is a man. With all of the problems that are inherent in the species.

We know already that he is a great orator. He may turn out to be a great leader. That is my most fervent hope. For the problems he faces are great. And, they are many. With more arriving, seemingly by the day.

The world's climate is headed for a very questionable future from the hands of man. It only remains to be seen how bad it will be. We are mired in a war of choice in Iraq. Afghanistan is drawing us in and there will certainly be more deaths for all in that place. The US, as well as the world economy is crashing like the Hindenburg. Our health care system is anything but. Peak Oil is bearing down upon us, with seeming scant notice by the populace at large. In part fueled by bullshit shoveled ever so heavily by our own government and big oil.

Those of course aren't all of the problems, but it's a pretty good starting list. I have already stated that I believe him to be entirely human. So, do I want him to be in any way ordinary? Not a chance. Just to bring the country out the other end of his Presidency marginally improved will take a Herculean effort.

Indeed, we have seen over these past years, what mediocrity, ineptitude, deception and cronyism can do for us. It has taken us from world leader, to nearly third world. From surplus, to indebtedness that will haunt our Grandchildren. From beacon to the world, to one to be mistrusted and feared. Not a great legacy.

Now. In this time. We are in need of true leadership. We are in need of someone with character, who will not shrink from telling us the truth. Who will expect from us our measure of sacrifice. Who will be tireless and fearless in the face of his/our daunting tasks in the days, months and years ahead.

Rick Warren

It's not uncommon, nay, it is expected, that when a newly elected President begins actually naming names for posts in the government, that there will be some dissent among the Party faithful.

Yesterday, PE Obama named Rick Warren to pray at his Inauguration. What ensued was a shitstorm. Mr. Warren is a known homophobe. Not exactly a plus among the Democratic rank and file. Not among the blogosphere. And, specifically, not among the GLBT group and their many supporters.

As one might expect, there was a truckload of diaries posted almost immediately. Some, of the death to the infidels type. But, most of the WTF variety. And, I must say, the latter are of the type that were of most interest to me.

Very few of the diaries had anything to do with praying. For a goodly many of us, praying is tantamount to the childhood game of wishing upon a star. Rather, they were based upon Mr. Warren's homophobic thinking. An always amusing, but very sick stance, to me. Love thy neighbor. Except if he/she is a GLBT, a Muslim, or (insert group).

We may in time know the reason for this WTF choice. It should be interesting, whatever it is. Suffice to say, that my own thinking is very straightforward on this matter. The guy's name should never have come up. For any reason. That being said, I voted for PE Obama to make the choices. He made his. Time to move on.

Mitchell Wade

Mitchell Wade, in case you need some help remembering, is the CEO of MZM. His company held defense contracts with the U.S. Government. He was also convicted of bribing former Congressman "Duke" Cunningham, of San Diego, CA.

Now it turns out, that Mr. Wade, in order to try and reduce his sentence, has been cooperating with the Feds. How much cooperating? Well, let's see here. There are, after much discussion, now five members, or former members, of Congress being actively investigated.

Sure is a slow process. One might think that after getting Mr. Cunningham put away, it would be pretty quick work to get to the others. Not so. Mr. Cunningham, who was sentenced on 03/03/06, to 8 years and 4 months, was, it appears, the low hanging fruit. And, it was only after Mr. Wade was selected to spend some quality time in the U.S. Penal System, that these discussion began.

So, when do we get to find out who these five people are? No one is saying. At least at the moment. It seems as though we will have to wait a little longer to find out who else will have the opportunity to vacation within the confines of the University of Federal Prison.

It may be slow, but it seems to be working. We can only hope that with a new Administration, such activity will begin to pick up speed. And, I hope like hell, people like Tom DeLay, are losing sleep, as more and more light is shone down upon them.

Caviar

We have, over the past eight years, been fed bullshit, masquerading as caviar. We have been told, as recently as during the Presidential debates, by Mr. McCain, that the economy was doing great. His pal, Mr. Bush, agreed wholeheartedly, saying that the fundamentals of the economy were sound.

We "Support the Troops." You can hear it, still, dribbling from the lips of those who have done so little. First, they sent them into a war for oil. Based entirely upon, giving it the best spin possible, cherry picked evidence. They had no plan post Baghdad. They didn't provide the necessary equipment for those whom they had placed in harms way. When those troops came back they were shunted off to places where they could easily be ignored. The story of those placed at Walter Reed is instructive.

Last week, we were told that many of those who had been in the Gulf War in the early nineties were/are sickened. How many? How about 1 in 4. Twenty-five percent of those who were sent to the Gulf by GHWB, are afflicted by Gulf War Syndrome. The VA, for years, denied that any such thing existed. Refusing to care for those who had served. Until of course they were found to be shredding files of those who would be given care.

One would expect much better of this country. Especially, those in power who put those troops into the situation in the first place. But, even with the information in the previous paragraph, it gets worse. At any one time during the year, there are between 500,000 and a million homeless veterans in the United States. When they were asked to serve, they went without hesitation. When they need help, they are given the underside of a bridge.

A very large contingency of the GOP is quite vocal about reproductive rights. They block the doors of Abortion clinics. They will smile smugly, when damage is done to one of those clinics. And, many, really don't mind all that much when the medical staff at one of these places is murdered in the name of the Rights of the Unborn. With that in mind, there would be, the utmost attention given to those who are then born. No matter their circumstance.

Oh, if that were only true. What we have instead, is 700,000 children who went hungry in the United States in 2007. Add the adults and we have 36.2 Million who struggled with hunger. But, let us forget the adults. If we can. And, return to the children. Why, if children are so important, would there be any child who could/would not have enough to eat.

For that answer, please return to the first sentence, of the first paragraph of this diary. What is so injurious, is that those of us who were fed that bullshit, either believed it, or did nothing about what we knew were lies.

With a new President. With a new Congress. With a mandate from the people. A real mandate. And, not the idiocy presented to us by Mr. Bush. We can hope that together. As a nation. We can begin the process of caring for those who we know are the most vulnerable. And, in the most need of care.

Mandate Center Left

As of today, there still seems to be lot of blather in the traditional media, and specifically the other side of the political spectrum, on how the US, is a center right nation. Let us save a lot of wasted time, effort and energy here, and call that thought for what it really is. Namely, bullshit.

Center right? No. This election was a repudiation of the right and it's politics and policies. There was a clear (as opposed to Bush) mandate for a move to the left. And, just so we know what left and right mean here, right means corporate, left means people.

To make the case, lets look at some interesting numbers, shall we? Of those who were surveyed, 64% believed that government should guarantee health care for all. For this item, self identified Republicans say that universal health care coverage should be a right for all Americans. What they mean of course, is US citizens. Since Americans would be all on the continent. So, lets just speak for ourselves here.

How about some other numbers? A full 73% of agree that large corporations pay too little taxes. Sounds a lot like redistribution of wealth there. What about that Republican whine that talking with the enemy is weak and traitorous? Well, 67% favor more diplomacy with our enemies. Was that just the Commie wing? No, just your typical center left US citizen.

Lastly, let us look in on the sex part of the left/right divide. Nearly two-thirds of US citizens agree with Roe v Wade. What with all of the noise from the Wurlitzer, one might think that the whole country, except for a few Democrats (Communists) favored such a thing. And what about gay marriage? Well, 58% of those queried, oppose an Amendment to the Constitution that would ban gay marriage.

On that last point, let us be clear. The LDS and their money stopped the gay marriage movement in California. That is very unfortunate for a lot of people. However, it will not be the final word. This will come up again. And, next time, there will be better organization, better planning and much better execution in this matter. Whether the christian wrong, in all it's iterations, likes it or not, this will come to pass.

Just for the hell of it. And, because I can, I think I'll throw in a couple of other items, number wise. A full 78% agree that investing in clean energy is important to revitalizing our economy. And, for ;the deniers of the world, 57% support reducing global warming pollution.

Center right? Not a chance in hell. The way forward (read progressive/liberal) is to move the country once again down the humane path of the center left. After the disaster that was the Bush era, it is time to clean our house of the pests and filth. It is time to air out and let the sun shine throughout.

Welcome back, US citizenry. To the center left.

Mr. President Elect, Barack Obama

What we witnessed, in the election of Mr. Barack Obama yesterday, is nothing short of one of the most historic events in the history of the United States of America. A person of color, not only won the election, but won it in what can be called no less than a mandate.

Mr. President. You won the race for the Presidency not because you were black. But, despite it. Your opponent, who used dog whistles, innuendos, and sometimes outright racism to thwart your advance, instead failed miserably.

Mr. President. Although your opponent tried to paint you as inexperienced, it was you who maintained the steady hand when the economy went into a tailspin. The man of experience ran around flapping his arms and showing his complete lack of ability to lead. You asked questions an looked for a solution.

Mr. President. During the race, your opponent, who claimed the military/POW cloak as his own, showed his utter disregard for Veterans by voting against the New GI Bill. By continuing to back the failed Iraq policy. And, by making every effort to distance himself from those who will be forever scarred by that policy.

These are just a few of the reasons we now have the privilege of calling you Mr. President Elect. Is it my fervent hope and deepest desire that you succeed in your new venture. For all of us have a stake in it's outcome.

Life As a Rat

There is an old saying about rats jumping from a sinking ship. And, most of us have a pretty good idea of what that looks like. But, at this very moment, we have the opportunity to see it as it will one day appear in encyclopedia's and dictionaries.

Today, the latest and greatest of the rat's did a swan dive from the good ship S.S. McCain. It turned out to be the Number 2 on that ship, Ms. Palin. Now that in and of itself should be no surprise to anyone who has watched the movement aboard the ship since Ms. Palin was selected for her post.

There have been the common ongoing leaks to the press, the backstabbing, the resume's sent out from people at the top. But, this one was clearly way past what one would expect from any #2. Except, Ms. Palin.

That she is ambitious is a given. That could be said of anyone who enters the game. That is an opportunitst we know from her dealings in Alaska, long before she became the GOPVP candidate. That she ould stab people in the back to move ahead, we also know from her previous performance. That she would take it to the national stage and pull it out in the most crucial time of the election cycle is absolutely astounding.

Ms. Palin made it clear today that if the S.S. McCain/Palin goes down in '08, she, Ms. Palin, will be part of the '12 Presidential election cycle, because she wasn't doing this for naught. Never mind that this she is one of the most mismanaged, ill-conceived ideas ever to be brought to any American Presidential election. She has thrown Mr. McCain under the bus, and in fact is now driving said bus.

Ms. Palin. You are in fact a Rat. And I, for on, am ever so hopeful that you do loose yourself from the anvils which are at this moment being tied to your feet, and go to the top of the Republican Party. I hope that you do in fact take charge of what is now known to be a corrupt and useless idiology. Because, that would almost single handedly make it possible for the Democratic Party to take this country back where it belongs. To a place where we are looked at as a nation of good ideas and ideals. And, not the biggest fish in the cesspool that we are now in due to the Republican Party.

Life as a rat ain't all it's cracked up to be, Ms. Palin. Is it.

Corporate Socialism

We have been told, for the past months, that we needed to bail out (insert industry) because if we didn't the world would collapse around us and we would all die. Pretty dramatic. And, if you're standing there watching the economy implode, it also sounds pretty credible. What the hell do we do next?

Then, out of the intertubes comes this little gem from Rachel Beck and Joe Bel Bruno. "Despite the Wall Street meltdown, the nation's biggest bans are preparing to pay their workers as much as last year or more, including bonuses tied to personal and company performance."

WTF? A couple of things jump out here. First, the same as last year? Second, based on performance? How in the hell do you reconcile those two? Why would a business who is collapsing be paying employees at any level anything like last years salary? Or, if the bonuses, (bonuses?) are to be paid on performance, why aren't the employees paying the company?

Now this should be obvious. Even if you're a dyed in the wool Friedman capitalist. When the Government (read you and I) bales out a company, it is corporate socialism. If we bought the company, then why in the hell are we paying people for work they did not do?

Let's start with socialism. At this very moment, Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin are screaming at the top of their lungs that Mr. Obama is a socialist. By the way. In my world, that is a good thing. Yet, they have given away billions to corporations of all sorts in the way of tax breaks and the like, to make them viable. How in the hell is that not socialism?

The second sentence is for me, what he thing is all about. The bastard's cheated and lied and stole from other people. You don't pay such people. You incarcerate them. For those who are of the Republican Reich wing variety, ya put the fuckers in jail.

We may be able to pull ourselves out of this mess. But, I for one, am going to start planning my exit strategy. There is on-going discussion in this family about farmland. It is beginning to appear as though the time is drawing near for us all to start bringing those discussions to a close and act upon them.

I Cast My Ballot

Yesterday, as it was the first day of early voting in Texas, I cast my ballot. Significant? Perhaps not to many. To me? You bet your sweet ass. In the claimed home state of George W. Bush, I cast my ballot for the next President of the United States, Mr. Obama. A Democrat. That is delicious to me.

After suffering through the worst Presidency in the history of the nation, I, among many others, have begun the process of dragging this country back from the abyss. It will be a long and arduous road we take. It will require that we include those who earlier had cast us aside as traitors and unAmerican. It will require that we sacrifice and compromise. Most of all, it will take time.

There is much to be done here. We must end the occupation of the sovereign nation of Iraq. We must begin to rebuild our economy. And, follow by rebuilding our wealth. We must return our Constitution to it's place as the guiding document for the nation. And, most of all rebuilding our faith in our nation and it's leaders.

Under those headings there are a host of items to be dealt with. Torture, spying on our own citizens, reduction of the Patriot Act to something reasonable, perhaps the demolition of the Homeland Security Agency. These are just a few, of course. But, it gives us an idea of what we have to deal with over the next many years.

So, yesterday, I cast my ballot for the next President of the United States. Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. Please get yourself and all of those around you to the polls. This election matters. Cast your ballot.

Whining

Whining, that age old way of trying to put the blame somewhere else, is alive and well within the confines of the Republican Party. We were just treated to it this afternoon by Mr. McCain, Whiner-in-Chief.

Earlier today, Mr. John Lewis, a Representative in US House, and one of the last remaining giants of the Civil Rights Era, made his displeasure of the racist tactics of the McCain/Palin campaign known.

Within a very short time Mr. McCain was whining about how Mr. Obama should do something about Mr. Lewis and his remarks. And, that they needed to stay focused on the issues. This after the blatant racism and bigotry we have heard loud and long from the McCain/Palin campaign. Mr. Obama was ready and stood up. He said that some of what Mr. Lewis said, he didn't agree with. However, he also said that Mr. Lewis was correct in calling the behavior of the right wing for what is was. On top of that, he also said that what needed to be done, was to make sure that all took the high road.

Now, not to many who live in the real world believe that the McCain/Palin camp will make any move toward the high road. They are losing badly in the polls and are rapidly losing the time to catch up. They are going to use every low end (Rovian) thing they can find to try and avoid talking about issues. And, remain instead, focused on character assassination and bigotry.

This offers Mr. Obama an excellent chance to just wait for it to happen, then point out very quickly and loudly, that Mr. McCain is not keeping his word about staying focused on the issues facing the nation.

So, tomorrow, I am willing to bet there is going to be a whole lot of whining from the McCain/Palin camp, in an effort to change the subject. Can't wait for it to happen and see how Mr. Obama responds. If he remains cool and focused, which is the way he has approached the whole campaign thus far, he will easily parry the whining and put McCain and company into an even less tenable situation than the one they face today.

Whining, as I said, is just a part of the Republican Party. How it is handled by Mr. Obama and the Democratic Party, will make a big difference in what we hear over the next 24 days.

McCain/Palin Proctological Data Mining

Most of us in this country already know who the next President of the United States will be. On Jan 20, 2009, Mr. Obama will become POTUS #44. However, in the mean time we must slog through what is left of the McCain/Palin campaign.

Over the course of the past few days, the M/P campaign has taken to old tried and true Republican Party way of doing things. Race baiting, character assassination, fear mongering, and the ever popular and oh so common lying.

Tonight we had two interesting items pop up on screen. First, Mr. McCain had to try and walk back a group of supporters on the Obama as terrorist and all round bad guy theme. He was booed by his own people. Second came word from Alaska that Ms. Palin had indeed broken the law in firing the guy she (and the First Dude, Todd) were pressuring to fire their x brother-in-law, a State Police Officer.

As concerns the race baiting and the like? Keep screaming AYERS and ACORN. It's working. Keep it up. Of course that is pure bullshit, but we'll just keep that a secret between us.

The biggest problem with that sort of behavior, obviously, is that one of the wrong wing nuts may in fact take it upon him/herself and assassinate Mr. Obama or one of his many followers. There is in fact, a history of that sort of thing happening in this country. And, Mr. McCain knows damned well that to be true and further knows that he would be the one responsible. Thus the half-assed attempt at backing down his group of nuts.

The best line I have heard or seen in the past week is one that comes from Maureen Dowd. She is a Republican Party backer, and usually tows the line pretty closely. Ms. Dowd's line? "They are not big enough for the moment." That, in a nutshell, says what is most obvious to most of us.
The McCain/Palin ticket is pathetically and hopelessly off course. With nothing but the same old shit left over from the failure that has been the past eight years.

These people have their head's up their asses and can't find a light switch.

Thirty Days

We are now down to the last 30 days of the '08 Presidential election cycle. We have seen some machinations of the polls over the summer, but it now appears that most of us have decided how this will play out.

Today we got an indication of how the McCain/Palin campaign will spend their last thirty days. It will be character assassination. It will be ennuendo. It will be the neocon's at their finest. It began today with Ms. Palin going back to the old, tired and now destroyed, except for the 30%, connection to Mr. Ayers. The connection took place when Mr. Obama was eight fucking years old. Pretty damned pathetic.

Mr. Obama, on the other hand. Simply stated that all of the noise that will come out of the right wing wurlitzer will be of no consequence. That what is important is health care, which hasn't been meaningfully addressed since '94. That those who have, and continue to suffer due to a lack of decent coverge will soon begin to see a change.

With pundits on the right now beginning to sound the death nell of the McCain/Palin campaign for the Presidency, it all now comes down to just how much of a legacy Mr. McCain will leave behind. If, as he has indicated, it will be negativity from here out, then it seems pretty clear how he will be treated historically. As a self-proclaimed maverick who never was. As a fraud who was influenced by lobbyists. Who took everything not nailed down, from his country. And, never repaid.

He has made hay over the years of his time as a POW. He, to this day, uses it as a ploy to gather unto himself the riches be believes are owed him. Now, everyone admits that he was/is owed a debt of gratitude for that. However, when the chance was given him to step up and help his fellow veterans, he turned them down.

That act, in my mind, made him a fraud of the worst kind. It took away every bit of credibility he had remaining. After a life spent at the trough, his words, of the American public. He voted against the New GI bill, bought by Senator Webb of Virginia.

So, here we are. Thirty days from the election to right our Ship of State, that has been so badly damaged by the Republican Party over the past few decades. It is now time to reflect on what has been said and done. On promises made. On the dreams that have been offered by the competing campaigns.

My decision is made. We must put the Obama/Biden ticket into office and give them all of the support we can. For indeed, they will no doubt need it.

Biden vs other

Well. Alright then. She came, she decided not to answer the questions asked by the moderator, and gave us exactly what we thought was there. A lot of bullshit, with no substance.

Anyone who believes that Ms. Palin won that debate, in any substantive way, had the sound off. She had only talking points which had been drilled into her. Nothing more. Which of course is why she refused to answer the questions of the moderator.

One of the times when she actually answered a question, she made it plain that she thought the VP should be given expanded powers. This after eight years of Mr. Cheney. That thought alone should drive every independent voter into the Democratic Party. Added to that was her belief that Mr. Cheney's only mistake was shooting his pal in the face. Not sure if she just doesn't know what happened in the country, or if she has drunk the kool-aid so long that she actually thinks that Mr. Cheney was/is one of the good guys.

We'll see how this all plays out over the next couple of days. But, it doesn't look like there was any damage done to either party. And, paraphrasing Ms. Maddow, the trajectories of the two parties will remain about as they have been. That would be, Mr. Obama's upward, and Mr. McCain's downward.

If ever there ever was a time to get involved in the political process, this should be a clarion call to every US citizen. For, the idea of Ms. Palin being anywhere near the levers of power are absolutely frightening. And, indeed she would be a 72 year old man's heartbeat away.

Military voter's

So, who is receiving more of the money donated by the troops? Mr. McCain? Or, Mr. Obama? This of course is a trick question. During the debate last Friday night, we were treated to a story by Mr. McCain about how he was invited to a re-enlistment ceremony in Iraq. Now, for those of us who have been in the military, and specifically those of us who are veterans, that a large number re-up in the zone is not really a news item.

There are a couple of reasons that stand head and shoulders above all others for this action. The first is that you get a bonus for re-enlisting in the zone. Second, your bonus is tax free. Now right off the top, that is a big deal. If you are a lower grade enlisted man/woman you aren't being fairly compensated for your effort in the first place. So, that money becomes a very important item.

The answer to the question at the top is, if you've not been paying attention to such matters, is Mr. Obama. This may not portend a preponderance of military votes directed to Mr. Obama during this Presidential election cycle. However, it does indicate a higher number of those engaged in the political goings on within the military are his supporters.

So, nice try there Mr. McCain. As with most of what you say, it's just more bullshit, stacked on top of a very large manure pile.

Republican Party Platform

"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions."

Of course, very damned few ever really read the platform of any party. But, since Mr. Bush and his group have decided to pull a play from the old "Shock Doctrine" play book, it should be brought to the attention of others.

One of the bullshit lines of the Republican Party is how the Democrat's are Socialists in blue clothing. So, who exactly is the Socialist Party here? Secretary Paulson claims that we must with great haste, spend $700 billion of taxpayer money to bail out those who made very poor business...make that gambling decisions and lost their asses.

There should of course be none of that socialist shit about helping out the consumers. For people making millions by setting up and running ponzi schemes though, there should be every available used to mitigate any possible loss.

In addition, Mr. Paulson wants to assist those who haven't had any losses. And, wants to bring in foreign banks doing business in the United States. So, banks who did well would be able to step up to the public trough and eat to their hearts content.

There is, as of tonight, some who are calling for more time to consider our options and perhaps come up with some better ideas on how to handle the present situation. Of interest here is one Republican Senator of note. Senator Shelby is calling bullshit on the whole mess, the plan and the people trying to foist it upon the taxpayers. I may never again agree with Senator Shelby. But, this time, there is no doubt whatsoever that we are politically aligned by our revulsion of this whole fiasco.

With so many people losing their homes and our tax base dwindling. It seems to me that one of the things to be done is the opposite of what the Bush cabal is offering as our best option. How about we fund those who are about to lose their homes? Keep them in their homes and paying taxes. Albeit much less than was indicated by the original loan. The cost will be about the same.

And, this time, let those who profited so handsomely from selling bullshit loans, figure out how to save their own sorry asses.

$700 Billion

It is thus decided. Secretary Paulson can spend up to $700 billion of the taxpayers money. And, no one can review, or make changes to the final decision. In addition, there is nothing to be done about the action after the fact.

Capitalist Socialism. That is where we stand. We the taxpayers are not only on the hook for a trillion dollars worth of unnecessary war, we now we are going to be handed the bill to bailout those who gambled and lost. The war is brought to us by Halliburton, KBR and an assortment of others who have profited handsomely. We have paid Dick Cheney and his ilk with our blood and treasure. Now, for the elite, and this would of course be Mr. McCain and company, we get to give them a lot of money for being the very worst of businessmen and women.

It is going to be very interesting to hear politicians of every stripe step up and proclaim that this was in the best interest of the country. Tomorrow should offer us the finest in spinning from left, right and everywhere in between. They will come before us and claim with straight faces that this was the best course available and it took great courage to make this momentous decision. They may in fact be right. I sure as hell don't know. But, what I see is $700 billion of taxpayer money being given to those who caused the problem in the first place. We are going to reward crooks for malfeasance and ineptitude. And, there isn't one damned thing we can do about it. Right or wrong.

$700 Billion.

Lehman, Merrill, et. al.

Some great fun on Wall Street this morning. Lehman has filed bankruptcy, Merrill would have except for a quick sale of itself to Bank of America. And, AIG is begging for cash and may in the end follow along after Lehman or Merrill.

So, I'm just wondering here, after decades of corporations before citizens politics. Particularly the last eight. After more give aways than can be counted to companies large and small, for any reason whatsoever. How is it that that we are watching a collapse in the financial markets? Certainly it couldn't be that it was all bullshit, sold as golden apples? Perhaps now would be a good time to ask Mr. McCain's financial guru? Or, better yet. Let's ask Mr. McCain, that giant among men who feels he is the best the country has to offer in good judgement. Hmmm...Graham, Palin...kind of a losing proposition looks like to me.

This is likely not the end of all the mess we are watching. It is entirely likely that what we are seeing is the beginning of the downsizing of Wall Street. And, by extension, the downsizing of the United States. Unless, and until, we get our fiscal house in order, this country is going to be the model for the rest of the world in what not to do to govern a country.