Are you scared yet?  You should be!  Oct 17th, 2006 is the darkest day in American history; we stopped being a democracy and started down the road towards dictatorship.  On Oct 17th, 2006 the president signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 into law.  This bill completely removes the Writ of Habeas Corpus, gives the President ultimate power to designate anyone as an "Enemy Combatant", lock them up indefinitely, for vague reason such as knowingly or unknowingly giving aid to the enemy or any terrorist organization.  We are told to trust the President, he won't abuse this power. He is only going to lock up "the bad guys" who want to do us harm.  This "trust us, we know what is best" comes from a presidential administration who has already lied to the American people and the UN to take us to war, told us congressional laws don't apply to his administration, told us he can spy on Americans, listen in on our phone calls with out court review, and get copies of our phone records all in the name of national security.  Now we should trust him to decide to who is an "Enemy Combatant" and what constitutes giving aid to terrorist organization means.  With out judicial over sight, that could mean anything from giving money to an organization you think is an Islamic children's fund to calling for removing our troops from Iraq.  Because setting a date for bring our troops home would bolster and embolden the insurgence and strengthen their cause, you can now be locked up as an "Enemy Combatant".  How long do you think it will be before people are detained "in the name of national Security" for speaking their mind or disagreeing with administration policies.  Our founding fathers made sure through a series of checks and balances that no one individual would have that much power. After 217 years, this president and the rubber stamp congress have seen fit throw out the constitution and replace it with the seeds of dictatorship. The writers of the constitution must be rolling in their graves. People always think that can't happen in America.  People tend to forget Hitler was democratically elected by the people of Germany, and they Cheered when he disbanded parliament and took control.  It is it is time to wake America the very future of our country is at stake.  Thomas Jefferson said it best "those willing to trade liberty for security will have neither"

This just in!  I herd about an hour ago Jack Abramoff, is speaking with the feds about making a deal.  That's right!  According to NPR, Jack is trying to save his ass.  His trial in the casino fraud starts on Jan. 9th and he is looking to make a deal.  This could be the beginning of the end for the GOP's control of congress. If the ties and corruption goes as far and deep as most believe it does, when he starts naming names, as many as 40 to 60 members of congress could be in serious trouble.  This would be the biggest and deepest corruption scandal since Abscam back in the early 80ies.  This could change the whole Political landscape.  Any investigation into allegations he makes, would only start coming to light in the spring.  That would mean we could see more indictments, next summer/fall. We need to be ready when the axe falls and be prepared with candidates in place to fill the holes when there are whole sale resignations next year.

This week my diary is about attitudes.  I work in an office with many right wingers several of who are the far right wingnuts.  What I find most interesting about these people and one person in particular is their ability to always rationalize their way out of any lie, problems or complete distortion of the facts.  This one guy, is always sending me right wing propaganda.  When I later pass him or he pass by my desk, he'll blurt out you need to read this or did you look at the article I sent you.   Over the past several weeks, I realized several things about him and this attitude.  He doesn't hate me or what I stand for, he may be against my progressive (liberal in his words) ideas, but he doesn't feel animosity towards me as I do towards him and his repressive approach to the world.  Then it hit me (after staring to read some of Lakoff's book),  he doesn't feel animosity towards me, he feels pity.  This pity is more of  "you poor misguided fool, once you see the light, you will understand the error or your ways". It is as thought I am wrong and it is his "job" to educate me and once I am educated all will be well again.  It feed right into what Lakoff was talking about the strict farther figure, he is right and I am wrong but only because I have been misguided in my up bringing.  

This attitude drives me nuts.  It may be possible to agree to disagree, but with this attitude of his, which make he more hostile to him makes it almost impossible for us to reach any kind of consensus.  Not apply this attitude to our elected officials and what do you get.  You get two groups of people who can't find any common ground.  

The right wingnuts are so ingrained in their ways and attitudes, they carry a confidence and an air  superiority that makes the rest of us want to dig in and prove them wrong.  This is our problem.  Until we can possess the king of confidence that the winger do, we will continue to lose. We progressives know what we want we but really don't know what we stand for or don't know how state what we believe.  As a group need direction and "a back bone" we need to define what our believes are and stand by them no matter what.  We do not need to move more to the right or to the left, we need to pick our core issues and put a face on them. Boil it down to a few key words just like the wingers do. We need a media structure that allows us to frame our idea in ways that make our values more appealing to the masses. People  hear the words social programs and think government hand outs, people getting something for nothing.  We need to make people hear social programs and think giving people a boast so the can make it without a government hand out. We need to not change the hearts of Americans but the minds of Americans.  This starts by changing our minds and our way of thinking, instead of using their way of thinking.
Until we can display the kind of confidence in our issues and values, we can't compete with them. Until we can compete with them there can be no civility and no respect across the political aisle.

Last night I finally got what this last election was all about, and why so many people voted for moral values over real issues.  Last night I was watch Peter Jennings do a story on an evangelical church in Coral Gables.  While he was taking with several parishioners, I herd several disturbing things. One was they don't feel they elected Bush, rather God did. God got Bush elected.  Gee, I guess that mean he now can rule by divine right.  The other thing that disturbed me was a man who said he is waiting for Bush to deliver in the courts on Abortion and Gay rights.  He said this was about the future for his kids and grand kids. He was a young guy in his mid to late 30s who seem quite intelligent. He went on to say "if I take my son to a baseball game I don't want to see two guys in next row displaying affection, its just wrong."

My wife look at me and asked so, how does banning gay marriage stop gay people from displaying public affection?  Good Question.  It got me thinking and that was when I had my revelation (so to speak, pardon the pun) Gay marriage isn't about benefits and legal estates and all the other issues of equality.  Gay marriage is simply about sex.  If gay marriage is legal, the government is doing is condoning sexual activity between to men or two women. And since sex is only for those who are married  (hence the abstinence only education), it is now making gay sex morally/legally ok.  

Most evangelical Christians tend to emphasize Genesis in the Old Testament, and tend to skip over the other four books of Moses on their reading the bible. (reason for that deal with the new covenant with Jesus). In the Book of Genesis, we see God as vengeful and angry.  The do what I say or you will be punished image of God.  Now think about where the word sodomy comes from. Yup, the bible, it is derived from the city of Sodom.  Now if our government is condoning sodomy, that means we are heading down the path to destruction and are becoming the next Sodom.

It's the same thing with abortion.  Abortion isn't about the right of each woman to chose what is right for her and based her own moral belief, it is about destroying the gift of life given by god.  All through out the bible, we see how much of a struggle it was for women to bare children. From Sarah to Samuel's mother and all the way down through the new testament, child bearing was a woman's place in society and if she was barren it was because God was punishing her.  Hence if a women has an abortion or "kills her child" that is a sin against god because he is the one who gave of the gift of life and she is throwing it away. Because of our sinfulness by allowing women to insult god we are going  to be punished. Or maybe the terrorist attack was a warning from God, we and head down the path of Sodom and God is going to destroy our unholy country.

Now correlate this to the fact that these people believe George Bush was elected by God.  He is their savor.  It doesn't matter what his policy issues are, as long as he brings the country back from the edge of heathen destruction, all we be good again.  The economy isn't his fault, the terrorist attack isn't his fault, the war going badly isn't his fault. It is God warning us we need to repent and turn back from our evil sinful ways.  When Bush does what he has promised and everybody has repented, god will look down on us and things will get better, the economy will turn around, the terrorist will be defeated, we win the war and defeat our enemies because God will once again be with us.  If the economy and the country get worse because of George Bush's policies, then it isn't his fault. It is the fault of those heathens that stopped him from doing God's work.

This is what we are competing with. This is what Karl Rove knew and we didn't.  He knew what buttons to push and how to tap this unbending, blind faith in god. How are we going to complete with or against this is not an easy answer, but is an answer we need to find and fast. If we don't find an answer or a way to neutralize this new force, are going to be in opposition for quite a long time and the country in shambles.

After erading and hearing many of the posts about how Hillery would easily get the Nomination in 2008 if she want it, I feel compelled to voice a couple of opions.

1. As much as I love her and think she is very capable would be great president, we CAN'T allow this to happen. Remember, what happen when she was first lady, after attempting to distroy Bill, they went after her on File gate.

Hillery, is too polarizing. Either you love her or hate her.  If you thought the right wing media machie was brutal to Kerry, jst wait and see what they would do to her.  The mud would be so deep we would be up to our eyeballs.

2. Another thing that struct me about the Clinton years was, the wingers never let up on the Smearing them.  First they started with the white water land deal, then they went on to his sex life with Paula Jones and Finally ended up with Monica and his impeachemnt.

Hum seems they were going to do what every was necessay to find something to smear him.  

Mean While, we have a president who ask some to looking to possible purchsing of WMD by Iraq and when he doesn't get the answer he want, tells the world an absolute lie and then when the lie is exposed, he and his wife and exposed. This admistartion goes out of its way to distroy or discredit the chief UN Weapons inspector pecause he is in the way of of the of the goal of inavding Iraq. This adminisration, time and time agin has systematic  lied, slander and smeared any one who gets in their way.  Yet no one seems to care.  Dick Cheny is the worst most Currpt VP in this counries history.  He makes Agnew  look like a saint, and yet not a peep.

Several weeks ago, I was discussing this with a co-working while eating at McDonalds, and two gentalman had the never to tell me thak under Clinton 87% of all Gov Contract were no bid and that Chaney hasn't done anything wrong since his   millions of $ of  severance was payed out of 10 years to lower his tax burden. Therefore, he isn't still on the pay roll of Haliburton, and he hasn't done anything wrong.
It seems to me peopl ehave their proities so out of whack or they have the heads so far up their asses they can't smell how bad all cronyism stinks

We need to find a way to start didiingup the truth and hold this administartion accountable.  After the Dan rather debacle, the main straem media is just going to keep looking the other way, we need to find a way to beat people over the head with it so they can't sweep it under the rug. Then the main stream guy won't be able to ignore it and the damn wingers can't just talk it away.

I Have been giving this much thought and raealized, althought the court may be tilting to the right itsn't as bad as we the "main stream media" wants us to belive, what is worse is Justice will most likely be the next Chief Justice of the court.

I like to fancy myself as a court watcher, and can make some pretty good and logical conclusions about the shaping of the court in the next 4 years. First Renquest will step down as soon as the elctorial college votes Bush into office, if not then, the shortly after he gives Bush the Oath in January.  This is no suprise since he is surely dieing. For more inof on his replacement see my exteded enrty.
But for now that leaves the spot of Chief Justice open.  The CJ is appointes or elivated by the prisident and confirmed by the senat.  Because of Scallia's close ties to The Current VP and his Political posturing 4 years ago, it seems unlikey he would make it to the top spot on the bench.  Who does that leave, Some say O'Connor. But if Oconnor is think of sstepping down (see the exteded enrty) then making her chief and the first woman to hold that position as well, makes it very unlikely she would leave.  That leaves either Kennedy or Thomas.  Out of these two Thomas is less a swing vote and more to the right.  After his long and arduious confirmation hearing under Bush I , I don't think there is much left in his past to hinder his elavation.  Hence Thomas will most likely be the next Cheif Justice.

My brother-in-law pass this on to me.

Democrats In a Divided Land

By Harold Meyerson, Washington Post
Friday, November 5, 2004; Page A25

"All right," John Dos Passos wrote in a rage over the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, "we are two nations."

Oh, are we ever. And 77 years after Dos Passos penned those words, his two nations and ours bear an almost spooky resemblance.

The most striking, the most overwhelming fact about the 2004 vote is how closely it resembles the 2000 vote. Think of it: Since November 2000, the twin towers have been obliterated, we've gone to war preemptively and under erroneous pretenses in Iraq, George W. Bush has become the first president since Herbert Hoover to have jobs shrink on his watch, our standing in the world has diminished nearly everywhere. And how did all this affect the electoral map? A shift of 17,000 votes turned New Hampshire (four electoral votes) from red to blue, while a shift of 12,000 votes turned New Mexico (five electoral votes) from blue to red.

The battle lines of the cultural civil war that emerged in the 2000 contest have shown themselves to be all but impermeable to even the most earthshaking events. What did change between 2000 and 2004 was the capacity of the two parties to mobilize the forces behind their own lines. The Democrats did a splendid job of turning out their vote. The Republicans did a stupendous job of turning out theirs.

The exit polling -- amended, adjusted, corrected for reality -- shows the magnitude of the shift. In 2000 Democrats constituted 39 percent of the electorate and Republicans 35 percent. This year Democrats and Republicans each constituted 37 percent of the electorate. Four years ago, moderates made up 50 percent of the voting public and conservatives 29 percent. On Tuesday the moderate share of the electorate declined to 45 percent, while conservatives boosted their share to 34 percent.

The Republicans didn't get these figures by winning millions more political conversions than the Democrats: The numbers of 2000 Gore voters crossing over to vote for Bush this time and 2000 Bush voters crossing over to vote for Kerry seem about equal. Rather, they boosted their totals in small towns and hamlets, among Protestant evangelicals who don't often vote, beyond nearly everyone's expectation but their own. Karl Rove's strategy -- that Bush could attain a majority by a super-mobilization of the Christian right -- was vindicated and then some on Tuesday.

What Bush won on election night was a narrow "moral majority." The overwhelming support the president won among traditionalist churchgoers of modest means was rooted in an affinity of values. There's no evidence to suggest that Bush's "Medicare reform" -- his term for a huge giveaway to the prescription drug industry -- yielded him any votes at all.

Although Bush claims a mandate for his right-wing economics, that's clearly not what won him and other Bush Republicans the support of his evangelical base.

Time was when the right bemoaned liberals' reliance on identity politics, but no one has played the identity card more expertly than Bush and Rove. Stoking fears of cultural deviance and cosmopolitan ascendancy, the Republicans ran against John Kerry as, above all, an alien. In the reddest precincts of red America, Republicans question whether Kerry and the Democrats are Americans at all.

We've been here before -- when we had the two nations that Dos Passos wrote about. Our last two elections look increasingly like those of the mid-1920s, when our nation was also divided along cultural lines, the old-line rural and hinterland Protestant stock arrayed against the new immigrant-Catholic America that had taken over the Northeastern and Midwestern big cities and that, in the person of Democrat Al Smith, was seeking the presidency. Democrats didn't know how to cross the political dividing lines of the '20s any more than they do today. It took the Great Depression to make those lines crossable, and then Franklin Roosevelt re-divided the nation along lines of class that kept the Democrats in power for many years.

Democrats can't wait for another depression to restore them to power; the risk that long-term Republican rule poses to civilization is a touch too high. They need candidates and a language that even the worst good-old-boys recognize as American. That doesn't mean selling out Social Security, much less abandoning economic progressivism: 72 percent of the voters in the Bush state of Florida and 68 percent in the Bush state of Nevada voted on Tuesday for initiatives that raised the minimum wage. But it does mean that so long as the boundaries between blue and red America seem so fixed, the Democrats must be able to come off as Americans behind the other guys' lines.

 think we were hurt by the Mcain Fingold act.  For the first time, the big bussines weren't able to give large somes of may to the "pro businees" canidates.  So, the formed a pac and used the money to reach the voters directly.  The pro business (who's name escapes me) Spent millions of dollars targeting worker in companies, and have the business owner distribute literature about voting for pro business canidates.  After distruting to 8 million workers, they a voter turn out of around 800,000 voters to vote pro business. Not a bad return on your investment.

The problem with tactic, for me this boraders coorestion.  Think about an uninformed factory worker, maybe he doesn't vote or maybe will vote for us.  Oh, all of a sudden at work he get a flyer, card, etc, that basicaly says we need you to vote pro business with out a pro bussiness canidate, wecan't compete and we will be out of business. Gee now he think if I don't vote for the pro business guy I may lose my job.  A crappy low paying job is better than no job.

I'm sure what the answer to this is or how we can combat this, but it is something we nedd to do, this tactic worked so well it will be around for a long time.