I agree with the "Tea Party"...

Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Sarah Palin on one thing (and one thing only):

Mainstream Media is definitely lame. And Lamestream Media is a good name for them.

"Why?", you may ask. Well, I'll tell you.

For two decades I have clamored about the need for another political party to emerge and be recognized. And for much longer than that there have been a whole host of other political parties in existence in the United States. There are the Libertarians, the Greens, the Socialists, the Communists, the Anarchists, and many more. When I envisioned a "third party", I actually envisioned one with some common sense--some interest in fairness and their common man. Something more forward thinking than the capitalists who currently run our nation and its economy.

But what did our Lame Stream Media pick up for us as a "viable third party"? You guessed it. The Tea Party: an organization that is so hauntingly similar to the National Socialist Party of Germany from which the Nazi's were spawned. THIS is what they think is a "viable" third party! Not a party interested in equal rights. Not a party interested in health care for all. Not a party that is interested in reinvesting in America. Fascists. Haters. War mongers. That are the values of the organization that the media believes is worthy of their attention, the platform from which to shout their vile filled bilge, the free public megaphone of their 27/7 coverage.

The Tea Party.

That's who the media believes deserves their promotion. Haters.

That is exactly why I not only support the Turn Off Fox Campaign, but also no longer watch HLN, CNN, MSNBC, nor any of the other corporate backed cable news networks. Nor do I lend any credence to the New York Times, Washington Post, nor any other corporate backed news outlets.

If you have not noticed a theme in my discretion here I will point it out to you. Fascism is a government which, if not outright owned by corporations and industry, caters specifically and wholly to corporate and industry interests and needs. The single most important strategy for these special interests to maintain their control over the masses is to keep the masses afraid of each other.

The "divide and conquer" strategy is at least as old as Sun Tzu's "Art of War". And the mindless masses buy off into the illusion of the perceived threat that we each hold for each other. Until we realize who the enemy truly is, fascism, we will be doomed to live in bondage and fear.

I, for one, choose not to live under this delusion.

Rebuttal to a Hater of anti-Semites

To start off with, I do not believe that I am an anti-Semite. I don’t like the Christian nor Muslim world views any more or any less. More on the real culprit later. This is a posting on a bulletin board that I came across. It had all of the elements of my own inner conflict over my acquaintance with “Jews” and connections to Israel. So, I’ve copied the posting here, changed the names to protect the innocent and responded to several statements made in defense to some admittedly derogatory and inflammatory “Anti-Semitic” statements. You see, I have been accused of being Anti-Semitic in the past, yet I do not see myself as being such. Though, I guess if one is sensitive to bald spots, any reference to a patch or a shiner could be construed as an insult. But then, I never really got the insult intended by being called a honky or a cracker, either. It just didn’t sting. I’m more apt to take offence to being called a christian, to which I was born and all I was taught until I left.

So, the post is as follows with my comments numbered throughout.

Poster 1 says: "I do not see Judaism as a religion at all. They do not really believe in an after life - it is more simply an ideology."

Hey watch that Anti-Semitic tone there Poster! As a Reformed Jew, I have no clue whether Judiasm as a whole has an afterlife or not. Perhaps you should speak to a Conservative or an Orthodox Jew to get their take. Whether Judiasm believes in an afterlife or not, it IS a religion! I call the comment Anti-Semitic because I saw no reference to any other religion being downgraded as not being one simply because an afterlife is believed in or not! I don't see any other religion referred to "as simply an ideology". Judiasm is always picked on because it doesn't conform to what others think a religion should be or because someone else writes something about Judiasm that's false which people believe.

(1) Buddhism is "as simply an ideology". But they get along with their neighbors. It is their neighbors that tend to treat Buddhists as door mats. Still, you don’t hear them crying or anyone else crying about them (nor especially for them). And ‘Jews”, “Judaism”, and Israel are three separate things. Admittedly, some are subsets of others in some cases. But they are essentially separate entities.

"There was no "Exodus" no Moses, no Solomon and IF there was a DAvid he was merely a petty chieftain of a band of cutthroats."

Pardon me again? There WAS an Exodus. Why do you think Passover exists? Or do you care! Obviously you've never deined yourself the honor of going to a Passover Cedar which exists to remind our people of how we fled Egypt and slavery whether it's mentioned in the Bible or other texts or not. Bother to to a Seder and every single item that we eat has a significant meaning that deals with our Exodus.Ya might even learn something! I haven't been to a Sedar since I was 20, but I well remember them. One of the first things read in the prayer books at a Seder is "Why is this night different than any other night?" It sure wasn't because it was wrestling night!The items on the Sedar plate are symbols of our Exodus. We believe there was a Moses despite what others have written in whatever text. I don't know if there was a Solomon, but if there was, he shouldn't be ignored, nor do not think there was ever a David. Calling him a "petty chieftan" is insulting. You might as well say Jesus was a "petty" person according to his position. If David was real, and he's considered a "petty chieftan of cutthroats" his being Jewish was probably a good justification for villainizing him.

(2) “Why do you think Passover exists? Or do you care!” So, you get together every year to commemorate a myth. Actually, who does care? One night long ago in Egypt people smeared blood on their doors to keep the “loving hand of God” from killing their children out of revenge? “We believe there was a Moses despite what others have written in whatever text.” And some people believe in the tooth fairy. You believe in the Passover just like another believes in the coming of a ‘Messiah’, like another believes in a Jewish Conspiracy. Fairy tales to explain the incomprehensible. To make sense of the nonsensical. And “ whatever text” can be used to label your own ‘religious’ recitations (i.e. Exodus, Torah). History will look back at Hitler and Bush as a "petty chieftan of cutthroats". So, David’s ‘Jewishness’ is not the only justification for villainizing him. He was fairly corrupt in action, if not remorseful at heart. But he was a human, not worse than that.


Poster 1 the Anti-Semite also says:
"there is no way that the Jews CAN live in peace with their neighbors - never have and never will because they think they are different,"

(3) Please see numbers (1) and (6).

We could live in peace with our neighbors if people didn't always try to take things from us,just like any other radicals of a religion, and when we do the same, we're villainized. Why do you think we're different? Do you expect us to be a submissive people? I don't consider myself different from you, nor superior. Another Anti-Semitic myth that you get from television news.Obviously you'd never 'lower' yourself to have any Jewish friends to find out we're not all the same.

(4) I am of German lineage. That doesn’t mean that I am the equivalent of Hitler. Nor does it indicate that I personally owe the Jews (let’s call them Israel) a thing in the world for what happened to them in WWII (or when they were taken into captivity the first 2 or 3 times and were subsequently scattered throughout the world, for that matter). Yet, my taxes go to subsidize Israel and all her out right acts of genocide committed against the Palestinians to date (as if Amerika doesn’t have enough of its own crimes to atone for). I really don’t feel that I am liable for that. And the Israeli Lobby does heavily influence U.S. Foreign Policy that doesn’t really help American Citizens at all! “And when we do the same, we're villainized.” Two wrongs are the beginnings of a tragedy. Incidentally, I’ve had a lot of ‘Jewish friends’. And most of them have converted to a more Buddhist tradition. A few of them were actually great ‘teachers’ of spirituality. Perhaps my experience with ‘Jews’ is unique, I don’t know. I have also had a very dear friend who was Lebanese. Not a nicer guy in the world! Yet Israel drops bombs on Lebanese civilian populations with impunity.

"it is imperative to their way of think that they keep themselves - they are conditioned from birth to believe that they are "chosen" by someone called Yahwweh" (tribal god NOT the God of All) Their leaders (Levitical priests and so forth) have kept them tightly controlled for two and ahalf thousand years by this totalatarian method."

Excuse me again, Anti-Semitic? It's no doubt written that we believe we're the "Chosen" people, but I was never "conditioned from birth" to think I'm any more "Chosen" than any other person from a religion. Those that do DON'T speak for all Jews, just like not all Jews are religious. I never went to Temple but my brother did. He hated it. He was confirmed so he would be looked upon as a "man" at 13. My brother is so obnoxious that he'd never be considered a "man" in my book. I was never confirmed, but I still consider myself a "woman" whether a Rabbi thinks of me as one or not. I can't read/write/speak Hebrew. But I'm no less of a Jew, nor am I less of one because I'm not religious.Although Jews started all the major movie studios, I don't personally own them, or any other business. I'm not a lawyer, banker, accountant, all the stereotyped jobs a Jew is 'supposed' to have. I save my money NOT because I'm a Jew, but because it helps me have enough for bills. We're a free people and controlled by no one. We think for ourselves, and do for ourselves. We're not all controlled by any leaders. I've had encounters with the practioners of Yahwweh and they're what I call Super Jews and they're as intolerant as the most radical Christians and I don't like 'em because they tried to force me to be as radical. I've dealt with a couple Orthodox Jews and they're not to my liking because they think they're 'better'. But we're not ALL alike and you're spreading nonsense about us to suit your hatred of us based on newscasts and stereotypes. Now there ARE some Orthodox who would be considered totalitarian, but they don't rule the Conservativs or the Reformed Jews. Times have changed in a couple thousand years.

(5) What you fail to mention here is the fact that the Jewish off shoot called Christianity are the ones that are bamboozled into believing that you, and by extension them too, are the “Chosen Ones”. And that’s a lot of people to have brainwashed into following Israel blindly. And most of them ARE ‘programmed from birth’ to believe “you better leave them Jews alone! They’re God’s Chosen People!” And, yes, I have actually heard people say that out loud, in public! (as they climb back into their pick up truck and spin out down the gravel road).

"Jews like to believe that they are more intelligent than the rest of the Human Family - yet they have been so easily used and abused!"

Excuse me, Poster 1, but you're spreading Anti-Semitic lies again! Shame on you! Where in the world did you get the idea that we think we're more intelligent? Those Jews that DO think they're more intelligent are the ignorant among us! We don't all think the same, and I'm on the same intelligence level as you! We're easily "used" and "abused" by those who don't know us, and base their knowledge of us on lies and stereotypes. Would you be so adament about Christians or Baptists who are "used" and "abused" for others' amusement based on lies? The problem with many is that they'll believe your Anti-Semitic crap.

(6) Uh, what is a ‘goyim’? “Used and abused” or not, what is a ‘goyim’? By definition, I think it means something like ‘dog, animal, or less than human’. I could be wrong, but that is my understanding of the mind set of the Jew: non-Jews are less than human, ‘goyim’. And there is not a human alive who does not have direct ancestors who lived under brutal totalitarianism at some point in time. So, by the Israeli standard, we are all "used" and "abused" for others' amusement. Yet, we try to live among one another, not separate from others, while confiscating their personal and national wealth.

"In any event, one of the tribes called themselves jews and also declared that they were the Chosen People of their god.And from them, my friend, sprang the desperate situation in which the world finds itself today.”
Poster 2

While there are Jews who think that, Poster 2, not ALL of us do and it's Anti-Semitic to think that of all of us! And it looks like you're a graduate of Mel Gibson University who choose to blame Jews for every little thing. Why don't you start blaming Christians for the desperate situation in which the world finds itself today. Or why don't you target the Mormons, or the Baptists or the Catholics or the Christian Scientists or Scientologists. You won't because you have to blame us. Since people have grown tired of blaming ALL Islamics for the acts of a few, Jews are the usual targets to get to next. Oh. Hope I'm spaced right so you can read me better.
Hater of anti-Semites

(7) “It's Anti-Semitic to think that of all of us!” See item (4). “Why don't you start blaming Christians for the desperate situation in which the world finds itself today.” I think I did. See item (5). And really, as I implied before, they are all human. They ‘believe’ in what they are doing just like the Islamic Fascists do. Don’t you recognize the common root words: fundamentalist, conservative? However, the true villain, truth be told, in all of this is money. Greed is its embodiment. Hate and ignorance is its vehicle. And War is its tool.

I attempt daily to shake off the shackles of fairy tales programmed into me and being lived out around me. I experience their bigotry and hypocrisy each and every day of my life. It’s all around me. And I recognize them for the blind sheep that they are. I struggle to feel compassion for them as I know that I should. And I don’t know that there is not enough blame to go around.

I am convinced of this: if you follow the money, it will lead you to the slave master and tyrant. And that is usually whoever controls the on/off switch to the printing press.

Every action causes an equal and opposite reaction: Karma.

Great News! US Marijuana Market “Saturated,” Pot Prices To Fall, Federal Report Says

Washington, DC:Domestic marijuana production has risen dramatically in recent years and will likely result in reduced retail prices for pot, according to the US National Drug Intelligence Center’s (NDIC) 2008 "National Drug Threat Assessment" report.

"[R]ecent increases in cannabis cultivation and marijuana production within the United States coincide with the continued flow of marijuana from foreign sources," the report finds. "[This] may lead to market saturation in major markets, [which] could reduce the price of the drug significantly."

Since 2000, the total number of domestic marijuana plants seized by US law enforcement has increased from 2.8 million to over 5.2 million, the report finds. Authors speculate that a significant portion of the increase in pot production is due to commercial growers relocating their operations indoors, which allows them to increase their total number of harvests per year and produce higher-quality cannabis.

"[Though] the demand for marijuana appears to be relatively stable, … many users now prefer … higher-potency marijuana over commercial-grade marijuana," authors state. Nevertheless, the report concludes that "most" of the marijuana available in the United States continues to be "lower-potency, commercial-grade marijuana produced in Mexico."

In 2006, law enforcement seized more than 1.1 million kilograms of pot along the US/southwest border, according to the study. By contrast, law enforcement seized fewer than 4,200 kilograms of pot along the US/Canadian border.

Domestically, California continues to lead all US states in pot production, with an estimated 2.9 million plants having been eradicated by law enforcement so far this year. This record total is more than four times the total number of plants seized in 2005.

Among California’s counties, Lake County, Humboldt County, and Shasta County report the largest numbers of pot seizures.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the NDIC report, "National Drug Threat Assessment 2008" is available online at: http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/.

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Officials overreacted to protest, they say; "Don't tase me Bro" Redeux

Anti-war and free-speech advocates joined angry parents and students in their battle with Berwyn school district officials who may expel a group of students who took part in an Iraq war protest at a school last week.

The lunchtime protest Nov. 1 in the Morton West High School cafeteria was viewed as a peaceful sit-in by students, but school officials charged two dozen of them with "gross disobedience and mob activity," which call for suspensions and possible expulsions.

Read the whole story and watch the video at the Chicago Tribune.

The military can say what they want at high schools across the nation, but the students are prohibited from stating their minds!

It's "Don't tase me, bro!" all over again.

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The 911 Omission Report

What is the big Secret? Watch and learn...

MARKET WATCH

"The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which carries out the central bank's open market operations, moved Thursday to inject $41 billion in temporary reserves into the U.S financial system. It came as part of ongoing efforts designed to ensure that the markets -- which have suffered through a period of turbulence over the last few months -- function smoothly. The cash infusion came in three separate operations.

A New York Fed spokesman said it was the largest single day of operations since $50.35 billion was pumped into the system on Sept. 19, 2001, following the terror strikes on New York and Washington. He declined further comment."

MARKET WATCH

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 14:18 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 13,710.12 -219.89
NASDAQ 2,823.76 -35.36
S&P 500 1,524.93 -24.45

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 13:21 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 13,436.51 -224.43
NASDAQ 2,780.16 -45.02
S&P 500 1,493.32 -26.95

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 13:08 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 13,183.45 -116.57
NASDAQ 2,678.31 -70.45
S&P 500 1,463.05 -12.57

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 15:30 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 13,042.74 -223.55
NASDAQ 2,627.94 -68.06
S&P 500 1,453.70 -21.07


My personal hopeful expectation: a crash. Simply a complete and total failure of the market and of the United States (puppet) Government. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Who knows, perhaps the (big) heartland earth quake that I have been waiting for will hasten the collapse of the market!

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:58 AM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,986.57 -190.22
NASDAQ 2,595.02 -42.22
S&P 500 1,434.97 -23.77

The DOW has fallen now 1000 points in roughly 4 weeks after a record high of over 1400 points. I anticipate a continued decline for the next 15 months at minimum. Though it may have brief recovery periods, it will continue to fall until George Dumbya Bullshitler and Company are removed from office. I have no idea at this time what that alone will do to world market investment confidence. (Could you imagine being THAT hated world wide?) But regardless of any reaction to a change of regime here in the United States, the declining trend will continue. The damage has been done. It will take 20 years or more for the World to recover from the arrogance and misdeeds done by the American Government world wide.

While the market has not closed at < 1300 as of this writing, it is coming. The trend will continue as the world writhes under the oppressive hand of fascism.
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,799.04 -211.10
NASDAQ 2,562.15 -34.66
S&P 500 1,416.77 -22.93
WOO HOO! To my friends whom this 'market crash' is hurting, I am sorry for your losses. But did you really think that the natural correction of society would come without pain? Take your remaining gains and invest them in survival equipment and supplies. It can only get worse before it gets better.
Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:21 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,980.88 0.00
NASDAQ 2,596.60 +34.45
S&P 500 1,440.70 +23.93
And Black Friday did nothing to restore investor confidence. Can I get a big "Awwwwwe".
Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:15 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 13,264.82 -101.05
NASDAQ 2,652.28 -22.18
S&P 500 1,468.36 -10.13
Wed, 2 Jan 2008 17:53 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 13,043.96 -220.86
NASDAQ 2,609.63 -42.65
S&P 500 1,447.16 -21.20
Fri, 4 Jan 2008 17:22 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,800.18 -256.54
NASDAQ 2,504.65 -98.03
S&P 500 1,411.63 -35.53
Wed, 9 Jan 2008 08:25 AM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,589.07 -238.42
NASDAQ 2,440.51 -58.95
S&P 500 1,390.19 -25.99
Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:15 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,501.11 -277.04
NASDAQ 2,417.59 -60.71
S&P 500 1,380.95 -35.30
Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:18 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,099.30 -59.91
NASDAQ 2,340.02 -6.88
S&P 500 1,325.19 -8.06
The stock market world wide took a nose dive as Wall Street had the day off in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Let's see what tomorrow brings, shall we?

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:46 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 11,971.19 -128.11
NASDAQ 2,292.27 -47.75
S&P 500 1,310.50 -14.69
Woo Hoo! The day opened with a 460 sell off but rallied some of its losses by days end. Let's shoot for 10,000 now, shall we.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:45
PM Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,270.17 +298.98
NASDAQ 2,316.41 +24.14
S&P 500 1,338.60 +28.12
Boo Hiss! Looks like someone is buying the lie. Certainly not me!

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:02 PM
I only just realized that I should be watching the value of the dollar a little more closely as compared to other currencies. Let's watch the value of the dollar drop worldwide...
US CAD EUR GBP CHF JPY AUD
1.0000 1.0099 1.4878 1.9921 0.9215 0.0094 0.8983

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 17:56 PM
US CAD EUR GBP CHF JPY AUD
1.0000 1.0073 1.4831 1.9738 0.9195 0.0094 0.9080

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 20:09 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,200.10 -65.03
NASDAQ 2,278.75 -30.82
S&P 500 1,326.45 -10.19
US CAD EUR GBP CHF JPY AUD
1.0000 0.9940 1.4632 1.9608 0.9122 0.0094 0.8944
Now, let's try this again. Come on <12,000 !

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:25 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,284.30 -142.96
NASDAQ 2,299.78 -27.32
S&P 500 1,342.53 -17.50
US CAD EUR GBP CHF JPY AUD
1.0000 0.9890 1.4821 1.9632 0.9190 0.0093 0.9193
Over the past two weeks the market has attempted to rally and fluctuated amid rumors and speculation over the economic stimulus package and its ability to have any effect. Today, the bubble busted. More to the point, the world economy along with political stability took a tremendous jolt today. Several world events have rattled the establishment to its foundation during the course of the past week. And more will follow. If this is not the beginning of the end, then the end is already well under way.

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:31 PM
Symbol Price Change
DOW 12,266.39 -315.79
NASDAQ 2,271.48 -60.09
S&P 500 1,330.63 -37.05
US CAD EUR GBP CHF JPY AUD
1.0000 1.0132 1.5171 1.9883 0.9603 0.0096 0.9291
For the past week the market has been trying to rally and recover its losses based on the false promises and "rose colored glasses" outlook of the Chimp in Chief and his minions. When will they get the fact that he is a liar and a thief? Anyway, today the market tumbled over 300 points. The fact that jobs are being sent out of country at an unprecedented rate, the underhanded faulty loans that were bundled into junk bonds, and the rest of the world has lost all faith in Amerika and its worthless legal tender is finally coming back to haunt the sheeple.

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 16:37
PM Symbol Price Change
DOW 11,893.69 -146.70
NASDAQ 2,212.49 -8.01
S&P 500 1,293.37 -10.97
US CAD EUR GBP CHF JPY AUD
1.0000 1.0099 1.5352 2.0130 0.9752 0.0097 0.9276
WOO HOO! Do I hear <11,000? style="color: rgb(0, 0, 136); text-align: right;">Powered by Qumana

The Police State Is Right Here, Right Now

Carolyn Baker writes this stunning critique of Naomi Wolf's "10 easy steps" to Fascism. I can't add a word to either of these bold women other than "that's all I'm tryin' to say!". You can see Naomi's interview on The Colbert Report here. These articles are a must read for all American's!

In the "10 easy steps" outlined by Wolf, countries move from open to closed and repressive societies by devolving past certain markers, and Wolf makes a powerful case for the way in which the United States is following a similar pattern without any significant deviation. In each instance she compares and contrasts how America's adherence to the pattern compares or contrasts with the pattern in pre-World War II Germany. The 10 steps are:

1. Invoking an external and internal threat
2. Establishing secret prisons
3. Developing a paramilitary force
4. Surveiling ordinary citizens
5. Infiltrating citizens' groups
6. Arbitrarily detaining and releasing citizens
7. Targeting key individuals
8. Restricting the press
9. Casting criticism as "espionage" and dissent as "treason"
10. Subverting the rule of law

Watch the Colbert interview here.

Anti-War protesters arrested and attacked with pepper spray

CNN has just reported (Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:53 PM) that Anti-War protesters arrested and attacked with pepper spray. They don't mention that Pro-war demonstrators are being given a wide berth to heckle and harass Anti-War protesters.

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Judge Rules Provisions of Patriot Act Unconstitutional

By Dan Eggen

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 6, 2007; 3:36 PM

A federal judge today struck down portions of the USA Patriot Act as unconstitutional, ordering the FBI to stop issuing "national security letters" that secretly demand customer information from Internet service providers and other businesses.

Read the full story here.

Woo Hoo! Appearantly not everyone is asleep at the wheel!

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American ineptitude with weapons of mass destruction

First, we found Saddam's WMD's filed in a drawer in the United Nations building. Now, we are flying Nukes around the U.S. with pilots unaware of their payload. This is blatant evidence that we are indeed our own worst enemy and a genuine threat to all of mankind!

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The Worst Congress Ever

How our national legislature has become a stable of thieves and perverts -- in five easy steps .

By Matt Taibbi
10/31/06 "Rolling Stone" -- -- There is very little that sums up the record of the U.S. Congress in the Bush years better than a half-mad boy-addict put in charge of a federal commission on child exploitation. After all, if a hairy-necked, raincoat-clad freak like Rep. Mark Foley can get himself named co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, one can only wonder: What the hell else is going on in the corridors of Capitol Hill these days?

These past six years were more than just the most shameful, corrupt and incompetent period in the history of the American legislative branch. These were the years when the U.S. parliament became a historical punch line, a political obscenity on par with the court of Nero or Caligula -- a stable of thieves and perverts who committed crimes rolling out of bed in the morning and did their very best to turn the mighty American empire into a debt-laden, despotic backwater, a Burkina Faso with cable.

To be sure, Congress has always been a kind of muddy ideological cemetery, a place where good ideas go to die in a maelstrom of bureaucratic hedging and rank favor-trading. Its whole history is one long love letter to sleaze, idiocy and pigheaded, glacial conservatism. That Congress exists mainly to misspend our money and snore its way through even the direst political crises is something we Americans understand instinctively. "There is no native criminal class except Congress," Mark Twain said -- a joke that still provokes a laugh of recognition a hundred years later.

But the 109th Congress is no mild departure from the norm, no slight deviation in an already-underwhelming history. No, this is nothing less than a historic shift in how our democracy is run. The Republicans who control this Congress are revolutionaries, and they have brought their revolutionary vision for the House and Senate quite unpleasantly to fruition. In the past six years they have castrated the political minority, abdicated their oversight responsibilities mandated by the Constitution, enacted a conscious policy of massive borrowing and unrestrained spending, and installed a host of semipermanent mechanisms for transferring legislative power to commercial interests. They aimed far lower than any other Congress has ever aimed, and they nailed their target.

"The 109th Congress is so bad that it makes you wonder if democracy is a failed experiment," says Jonathan Turley, a noted constitutional scholar and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington Law School. "I think that if the Framers went to Capitol Hill today, it would shake their confidence in the system they created. Congress has become an exercise of raw power with no principles -- and in that environment corruption has flourished. The Republicans in Congress decided from the outset that their future would be inextricably tied to George Bush and his policies. It has become this sad session of members sitting down and drinking Kool-Aid delivered by Karl Rove. Congress became a mere extension of the White House."

Read the whole article...

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