An exchange of views

I recently sent a bulk email to everyone on my email list and finished it by urging everyone to register to vote if they were not already registered and expressed that it was very important to do so or we risk losing our democracy if we do not bring back some checks and balances to our government.

I received the following italicized email in response.
Much of it is inaccurate and seems to be based on propaganda and lies spewed out on the F News Channel. Here it is and then I have a brief response following it.

I agree. A lot of the problems our country is dealing with now are due to the lack of action by Billy Clinton. For example, the Sudanese govt offered Clinton Osama Bin Laden at least twice, and at least twice, Clinton turned them down. For example, the Useless Nations (aka U.N.) passed resolution after resolution to try to get Saddam to comply with the weapons inspection program, but when it came to actually dealing with Saddam, the Useless Nations had no backbone to backup those resolutions. Billy, the leader of the only super power nation, talked tough, but no action to backup his words, either. He was more interested in where his next blowjob was coming from than protecting this country. Regarding the NSA domestic spying, this program was implemented by Clinton, and approved by Hypocrat Senators such as Kennedy, Leahy, and Levin. Now that a Republican administration is in charge, this SAME program is a violation of the constitutional rights of all Americans. Yet, not ONE of the Hypocrat Senators is saying the NSA should stop this program. This is just a bunch of Hypocrat bullshit designed to fool the public into thinking Bush and Cheney are listening in to every phone conversation that is taking place in this country. With the millions of phone calls everyday, that is humanly impossible!!! Of course, the Hypocrat media, like the NY Times, CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, etc. are continually beating this dead horse to make Bush's poll numbers drop. Fortunately, not all of us are STUPID enough to believe everything the Hypocrat media says.

I agree. Bill was no leftist. He after all supported and signed off on NAFTA.
You seem informed so....Remember "No War For Monica?"....How quickly those on the right forget. Furthermore, if so many of our resources (FBI/CIA/NSA etc.) were not being used as pawns to bring "Billy" down we might have actually been able to "connect the dots" and get Osama Bin Laden before 9/11 while a President was in office that don't seem to be related to the Bin Laden's.

As far as the wiretap program that you are referring to as it related to Clinton, Kennedy, Leahy and Levin, Clinton actually used FISA...
Of course Fox News does not report that so I'm not surprised that the 8 -13 percent who watch it are not aware of that fact. Do you watch Fox News?

I agree the media sucks and is too much about corporate interests over real news.

American's don't care about warrant less wiretaps or data mining...You know that...
You also know that they don't care about exchanging Free Speech for Free Speech Zones....Those things have had no effect on Bush's poll numbers.

They do seem to care most about record Gas prices which is pathetic.
I believe Bush's low poll numbers are due to many things that he could have controlled. Our Federal government's response to Katrina , lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction, Failure to capture Osama bin Laden after 9/11, Record deficits, Rising drug costs, (why sign a bill that was written by the pharmaceutical industry or and energy bill that was basically written by the oil industry?)....

I voted for Ronald Reagan, and George H. Bush TWICE...
I am a recovering Republican.
I was a Republican when some of the Republican Ideals were: 1. Smaller Government (dept. of homeland security, office of faith based initiatives....Both are new layers of government just to mention two) 2. Fiscal Responsibility, not record deficits and borrowing 2 billion dollars per day from foreign nations (namely China) to stay afloat and leaving future generations with our bills...... 3. States Rights (Terri Schiavo ...Please.... And the whole Bush Federal Lawsuit in the 2000 election.) 4. Family Values (six years of complete control and Abortion is still legal without any legislation passed to be tested before the courts? And no minimum wage increase in nearly six years and failing to fully fund No Child Left Behind)....Just to mention a few.

I got tired of all of the Republican Lies and wedge issues.
I'm not a Republican or a Democrat....But....I don't get all of my news from the mouth piece of the Republican party (Fox News) either....
Too many people are more loyal to "Party" than to our democracy.
I care just as much about the freedoms and right to the American dream of my right wing relatives
and friends as I do my left wing relatives and friends.

I appreciate the debate and respect your differences of opinion. I would however, insist that you and all others get real facts instead of propaganda before forming an opinion. And finally, make the opinion yours and not a talking point spit out by a party that has done left you behind.

A couple of must reads

A friend of mine was over for dinner this past weekend and picked up one of my recently read books. He started to read it and then got interrupted. I received an email from him earlier today asking me the title to the book. Here is my response to him.

The book is "State of War" the secret history of the CIA and the Bush administration by James Risen. I read it and several other books over the winter. Another very good book that really goes deep into the beginnings of the Bush / Cheney evil empire that I read and would highly recommend is "Cruel and Unusual" Bush/Cheney's New World Order by Mark Crispin Miller. Both of these books are very well documented with sources and should make everyone who reads them understand how truly evil both of these men and their administration is. These books are not just left wing opinion pieces. If more Americans were attune to the information in just these two books alone, I would like to think that not only would we as a nation bring some checks and balances back to our government but that we would forever and ever see the beginnings of such imperialistic, autocratic fascists who intend on destroying not only nature, the middle class, and civilization as we know it, and leave them out of our government before we truly lose our democracy.

I am a recovering republican. These two men are more interested in the good of major corporations than they are the American citizen. They use fear and religion to control our nations populace. One of the most evil things about the two of them is that neither seem to practice any Christian values. Somehow many "Christians" here in America listen to their lies about being against abortion and gay marriage and do nothing to hold them accountable when their track record over the past 6 years shows No Action on either of these two "religious" wedge issues. It is a fact that the republicans have had complete control of both the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch of government for 6 years now. One could easily argue that they have had control of the Judicial Branch of government too if we realize that the 5-4 Supreme Court decision back in 2000 trumped a long standing traditional republican ideal of State's Rights and handed the presidency to George W. Bush.

Presidential Signing Statements

President Bush in an attempt to make Congress and the Supreme Court obsolete by interpreting the second amendment to the Constitution to mean "executive branch has all power" has issued over 700 signing statements to legislation since he has been president.

Basically, he is stating that his interpretation of the bill/legislation is the "law" and what Congress had intened the bill/legislation to mean really doesn't matter.

This is further evidence of his incremental approach to Fascism. Do you see this republican controlled congress put a check on these signing statements? The answer is no.
If the next Congress that happens to be Democrat controlled were to try and right all of Bush's signing statements, they would not be able to get anything else done during their tenure.

The incremental approach worked for Hitler and it is working for W.

Are you suprised?

Yesterday's USA Today newspaper had an article concerning extensive Data Mining by the NSA. This Bush approved policy is proof of what we earlier suspected when Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez testified, not under oath mind you, to Congress a few months ago concerning the afore revealed warrantless wiretapping of innocent Americans. Many of us knew then that Bush and the republican controlled congress were doing more than just "spying on al Qaida." We knew that millions and millions of innocent American citizens were being spied on too. We just didn't then and still don't know now to what extent.

This is deplorable. When will you American people rise up and say enough is enough? What part of the Constitution really matters to you anymore?

General Hayden whom Bush has nominated to head the CIA was in charge of the NSA when John Bolten, recess appointment as America's Ambassador to the United Nations, requested permission to gather information on innocent civilians. General Hayden recently said that the fourth amendment to our constitution does not say anything about probable cause. He said that it only provides protection for unreasonable searches and seizures. He also went on to say that if there is any amendment that the NSA is most knowledgeable about it is the fourth amendment. General Hayden is a liar. Here is the fourth amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.

It seems to be en vogue lately for neocons, president bush (lower case is more appropriate in my opinion) and the republican controlled congress to leave out "and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause....." heck....they don't even adhere to the part that says "no warrants shall issue but upon....." There is no overshight in our goverment anymore. The republican controlled congress will not let any real investigations take place.

Germany was a democracy when Hitler first came onto their political scene. He used an incremental approach to convert their democracy into Fascism. The republicans started, if not earlier, at least with Nixon and Watergate, Reagan and the Iran Contra scandal and now Bush's all out assault on the Constitution....and the Federal Courts and Supreme Court.....An Incremental Approach.....Supreme Court Justice Samuel Aliton in his writings spoke of an "incremental approach to overturning Roe v. Wade."

Free Speech (Article One) is gone!!
Protection against illegal searches and seizures (no warrants without probable cause) ((Article Four)) is gone!!

What is next?

I guess the fact that the Whole Constitution is not predicated on Gas Prices remaining "reasonable" is the problem since the only thing that Americans seem to really care about anymore is high gas prices.

This war in Iraq and soon to be Iran and then North Korea and so on.....is Not about National Security. It is about Corporations who benefit from War. These foolish Americans are being controlled by "FEAR" and sold one bill of goods after another while the Bill of Rights is stripped from them so the neoconFascist can have complete One Party Rule.

Register to vote if you are not registered already. Vote Democrat to bring back some checks and balances to our government before it is too late.

Indiana Primary Elections today

Indiana is having its Primary Elections today. I voted because that is what I do on election day regardless if it is "only" a primary election. I also voted with particular attention being paid to two things. The first thing that I wanted to notice was if there were any problems with my registration or anyone else's in front of or behind me in the line. There had been problems reported by the State a couple of weeks ago in trial "votes" to test the new voter registration system, a system that now requires not just a voter registration card but an actual physical form of identification sanctioned by the State. Fortunately I nor anyone that I was aware of had any problems....Yeah!

The second thing I paid close attention to was how many people in front of me and behind me in line were requesting Democrat or republican ballots. Indiana is definitely a "Red State." My completely unscientific survey found that voters in my very rural district were requesting Democratic ballots at a 3 to 1 rate over the republican ballots.

An elderly lady probably late 70's early 80's was very eager to show her State I.D. to anyone whom looked official. She commented "nothing is free anymore." She requested a Democratic ballot. Also a man about 60 something wearing a Veteran of Foreign Wars hat proudly requested a Democratic ballot. This nearly brought tears to my eyes.

The only person that I witnessed asking for a republican ballot was a 50 something grossly fat bitter looking man who was likely driving the big gas guzzling Cadillac in the church parking lot. I briefly contemplated asking him why on earth he would be voting republican but figured it was best to leave them types to eat their own.

I was definitely encouraged by my experience at the polls today. But now is not the time for complacency. Now is the time to get more motivated than ever to get out the vote. Enough is enough. It is now time for us to get rid of the republican controlled congress, you know the culture of corruption. It is time for accountability. It is time to get America back on the right track. It is time to remember the working class American families, single moms, minorities, women, children, elderly people.....You get the idea...the people that Bush and the republican controlled congress have tried to make extinct. It is time to vote for a change.

Hope or Fear...Who are you?

I just came from a gym a little while ago. When I arrived at the gym for my workout I noticed the F News channel on. As I always do when I notice the F News channel being watched in public I cringed. I refused to let it get me too fired up. Instead I just made an account of the 3 persons who were watching. Two of them were an older white haired couple probably in their late 60's or early 70's....good for them for being at the gym...and the other man was probably in his early to mid 60's....hmmm...

Have you ever been driving down the road and noticed an exceptionally old person driving and looking especially scared as they had the steering wheel in a death grip? Maybe this explains it. It seems that many of us become more scared and more easily scared as we get old. I'm not sure what the percentage of the population is over 60 years old but I would guess about 20-30 percent tops. Work with me here. Bush's approval rating is hovering just above 30 percent. From statistical information of viewership among the major networks the F News channel is somewhere between 8 and 12 percent....hmmm?.....if you roughly add the two groups together, the old and the F News viewers (many are both) you easily arrive at Bush's approval rating.

Bush and the republican controlled congress has done nothing but try and scare us all to death for nearly 6 years now. They have been using their mouth piece, the F News channel as their main source of propaganda.

Now I am left wondering whether it is shame on the Bushies and the F News channel or shame on the old people who were supposed to be our stewards into a better way of life for causing us to end up in this mess (see previous blogs, i.e. Iraq, Katrina, Terri Schiavo, Warrantless wiretaps, Free Speech Zones replacing Free Speech etc.).

Maybe it is both that we should hold responsible......NO.....it is not the fault of old people. Can we blame them. This is the same administration that has supported "Social Security Reform" which understandably scares many of them. This administration has been on watch and continued to support Corporate America over the American citizen while corporate America squanders away the pensions of many of these same elderly people.

I have spent some time at senior citizen centers over the years. Old people for the most part are very cool. They can teach us a lot about being good citizens and good people. Many of them have a great sense of humor and hold real American values.

The shame definitely lies with the Bush crime family and the F News channel. It is time for a change. It is time for a message of Hope. It is time to remember the American Dream and quit living the brainwashed American nightmare of fear, fear, fear that Bush, the republican controlled congress and their mouth piece have been forcing us to relive day after day.

November is just around the corner. Vote like your life depends upon it. Vote like your democracy and freedoms depend upon it because they do. Bring back some checks and balances. Vote democrat.