The Red Cross: the New KKK?

Is this the New Symbol of Bigotry?

This past Friday, I attended a briefing at the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, involving a new leadership series inquiring into the Government's slow response to victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Thank God, I missed most of the pontificating speeches alluding to the Bush Administration's overt racism in their response to the victims, not to mention their egregious incompetence ("Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job...").

What haunted me was the voices of those who were of color, but not African-American, and yet, the African-American woman on the panel, spoke powerfully about the complicity of FEMA and the Red Cross teaming up to engage in that egregious, pitiful response to those who were literally being swept out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Ruby Campbell told us that when supplies were brought into Mississippi, FEMA and the Red Cross bypassed East Biloxi (where the African-Americans lived) on their way to providing aid to the more white, affluent areas of Biloxi (can you say Trent Lott's neighborhood?). No suprise there; FEMA was the bunch who left people on their own throughout the whole mess, anyway.

No, what caught my attention was the plight of a Cuban immigrant, Nilo Cervantes, who is in this country legally, and should be entitled to the right of being rescued and restored since, as a result of Katrina, he lost his job, and since he had no paycheck coming in, he was evicted from his apartment. But the nasty, awful truth of this story is Mr. Cervantes is currently living in a tent that's provided by the Pass Road Baptist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi, and not in a shelter provided by the Red Cross. Why is that?

Mr. Cervantes told the panel and audience that because he's not a natural-born American, although a legal immigrant, the Red Cross wasn't going to provide him any assistance whatsoever. He was told that the assistance was for "U. S. Born Citizens". Now, you can pick up your jaw off the floor.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is George Bush's America - where the Red Cross can now decide, based upon one's citizenship, whether or not they will get help. And since Ms. Campbell told us that FEMA reimburses the Red Cross for disaster relief, there is a sneaking suspicion that FEMA may be directing who gets disaster assistance. Or worse, a charitable organization is now deciding who gets help - based on nationality or ethinicity. You may as well say that the Red Cross consists of those wearing white hoods; the only difference is a red cross differentiates them from the Klan.

Mr. Cervantes said that FEMA nor the Red Cross has provided him any help. He is living in cold, damp quarters and he said he's sick and coughing a great deal (probably disentery, or worse) as a result of the Red Cross's negligence.

Now, we need to speak with our money. I'm urging everyone not to give the Red Cross another dime until they rescind this discriminatory policy(if there is an actual policy and not a few bigots on the payroll), and vow to help victims of these hurricanes regardless of class, race, nationality, disability, age, marital status, or any other factor that would facilitate this organization's tendency to now pick and choose who they are going to help in times of need.

Because in the next disaster, you might be the survivor who the Red Cross may decide to take a pass on. And since Bush just nominated another whackjob to the Supreme Court who has a history of axeing Civil Rights, what the Red Cross did to Nilo Cervantes may well become legal in the next few years.

THE DLC STRIKES AGAIN

Is this the face of a coward (on the left)?

Well, if you're running for Governor of Virginia, and your opponent appears to be the second coming of Nathan Bedford Forrest, but you're worried about a blogger's photoshopped picture of the "2% Negro for Rent" Lt. Governor of Maryland being posted on your blog...in a word, YES, this is what a coward looks like.

A coward who is in the Democratic Leadership Council.

So what if Steve Gillard ran a picture of Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele in blackface. Intelligent people knew exactly what that picture meant; especially since Steele announced that after toting Bush's water, he's going to run for the U. S. Senate in 2006.

Yet, after purchasing a political ad and running it on Gilliard's blog, Kaine's campaign abruptly requested Gilly remove their ad because of the "Stepin' Fechit" picture of Maryland's Lt. Governor. That's a conventional DLC move: cave in during any type of controversy, instead of standing up for what you believe in.

Of course, the DLC would have to have something to believe in, because their SOP is stale, totally useless, worthless, and most of all, continues to harm and cost the Democratic Party in terms of credibility and having a spine. And I've been seeing the vicious campaign that Jerry Kilgore is waging; he has all but dissed Kaine's mother with his attacks. And Kaine's not doing a good job of defending himself - he's singing off the DLC hymn book. So Virginia will have a Republithug Governor in a couple of weeks.

And rather than engage in challenging Kilgore, Kaine has chosen to fight with a guy who was supporting his run, over the picture on the right.

Another spineless DLC member who will manage to botch an easily winnable campaign. Instead, he gives well-meaning Democrats a reason to stay home on November 8th. New tune, same old story; a Democrat who Loses Consistently. Since 1994....

Head over to Gillard's to get his take on this mess. He defends himself quite well.

And, we bloggers are having an effect on the political sphere. My take is that politicians like Kaine would rather be like the rest of what's passing for the mainstream media these days.

FOR ALL OF YOU WHO DRANK BUSH'S KOOL-AID

I highly recommend a shot of this...and I don't drink, but for the last five years, it sure seems like most of the Country, and DLC Congressional Members, had the above on tap.

Sorry for the brief post, but the last few days, I've been working at, of all places, a lobbying firm. If I'm gonna play with the "big dogs", then I need some training, so I don't get eaten alive, cause DC is like that. So, enjoy the humorous posts, both here, and over at the Pesky Fly.

CAN WE STOP WITH THE BOUTS OF HOMOPHOBIA?

Yes, the Christian Progressive Liberal is asking that question. Why can't we stop with the bouts of homophobia?

It derailed the Millions More March on Saturday, here in DC. Rev. Willie Wilson went on a tirade when invited speaker and noted gay activist Keith Boykin, approached the podium to speak. According to sources, Minister Louis Farrakhan invited Mr. Boykin to the activities and positive day of atonement. I witnessed the foundation being laid for inclusion of gays during Tavis Smiley's "State of the Black Union" Conference down in Atlanta back in February.

And they wonder why Keith and Jasmyne Connick have done a series of columns speculating about the sexuality of prominent ministers like Wilson, Eddie Long, and others. So much raging about a person's sexuality gives rise to the saying "Me thinks ye doth protesteth too much." In other words, you only rage about a person's sexuality because you have issues with your own sexuality.

The Bush Administration has raised the level of homophobia to a new level...while it's a known fact that this current Republican Administration is the gayest one I've ever seen.

My fellow bloggers over at the Pesky Fly blogged about a local talk show host, Leon Gray, being a progressive while spouting off about gays. He's burned my friends and they are big supporters of him (or were).

Listen, as a Christian, I know full well what the Bible says about homosexuality and I'm not about to try and make it fit...because, well, it doesn't. The Bible forbids the sexual acts between two people of the same sex. Period. And I know that's pretty harsh, but the Bible was never meant to be full of fairy tales.

However, we who are Christian are supposed to be led of the Spirit of God. That also means that we are to treat every person we come into contact with as lovingly as we treat ourselves. So, to my pea brain way of thinking, that means we don't join in with the raging homophobics and condemn, beat, ridicule, harass, discriminate, and go as far as murder, in dealing with homosexuals. We are to love each other, regardless of race, class, gender and sexuality, as we love ourselves.

We are so quick to holler out what the Bible says about homosexuality, while a good deal of other "sins" are excused or reasoned away. If we're hollering about "what the Bible says", then we need to make sure we don't have a moat in our eye of our own. While I can't argue with the Bible's stand on homosexuality, neither can I join in to condemn other human beings, even if they love in a way that I can't understand. So, I try to be equal opportunity in my treatment of everyone I've met or who has crossed my path. Because when we condemn a group of people because they don't love like we may want, we are, in essence, condemning what could be the best part of us - the capacity for unconditionally loving and accepting another flawed human being.

Judge not, lest with by the same standard you are judged.

FOR THOSE 73 DEMOCRATS WHO SOLD THEIR VOTE TO THE BANKING INDUSTRY

Meet Robert Loria (not pictured), a combat Vet who fought in the Iraq war, had to pay for his own equipment, and still got his limbs blown off. Now the Army is garnishing this man's check for housing (that they are supposed to furnish), his protective equipment (which was probably responsible for saving his life and resulting in his limbs being blown to hell and beyond) and basically, for serving his country.

Hat tip to Steve Gillard.



By Donna St. George
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 14, 2005; Page A01

His hand had been blown off in Iraq, his body pierced by shrapnel. He could not walk. Robert Loria was flown home for a long recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he tried to bear up against intense physical pain and reimagine his life's possibilities.The last thing on his mind, he said, was whether the Army had correctly adjusted his pay rate -- downgrading it because he was out of the war zone -- or whether his combat gear had been accounted for properly: his Kevlar helmet, his suspenders, his rucksack.

But nine months after Loria was wounded, the Army garnished his wages and then, as he prepared to leave the service, hit him with a $6,200 debt. That was just before last Christmas, and several lawmakers scrambled to help. This spring, a collection agency started calling. He owed another $646 for military housing."I was shocked," recalled Loria, now 28 and medically retired from the Army. "After everything that went on, they still had the nerve to ask me for money."

Although Loria's problems may be striking on their own, the Army has recently identified 331 other soldiers who have been hit with military debt after being wounded at war. The new analysis comes as the United States has more wounded troops than at any time since the Vietnam War, with thousands suffering serious injury in Iraq or Afghanistan."This is a financial friendly fire," charged Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, which has been looking into the issue. "It's awful." Davis called the failure systemic and said military "pay problems have been an embarrassment all the way through" the war.

I'm sorry, but Davis was one of the GOP thugs that railroaded this Bankruptcy Bill through. And the Army probably thought to cash in before Loria even thought about Bankruptcy. This poor guy is trying to put his life back together. Maybe the picture I posted is an image the 73 Democrats who crossed the aisle and voted for this bill should have, as the ramifications of their votes come home to roost.

JUSTICE DELAYED...IS STILL JUSTICE

I know, I know - we want justice to come sooner rather than later. But in my 40+ years on this mortal coil, I've learned that just because we want justice at a certain time, God usually has other plans.

Which is why He's told us that He's the guy for the job regarding revenge. Also, because He's good at it; in ways we'd never conceive.

So, KKKarl Rove is testifying (or testa-lying) before the Federal Grand Jury for the fourth time today. That indicates to me that he didn't tell the whole truth the first, second or third times he's appeared. And, as Steve Gilliard mentioned on his blog, Rove is not considered part of the "aristocracy" that the Bushes maintain they are. He's considered nothing more than a hired hand; Poppy Bush so disliked Rove's performance that he actually fired the guy during his Administration. And GeeDubya, probably to spite his dad, hires him for his gig as Governor of Texas, and now, POTUS.

But we have also seen Bush feed his most loyal staffers (aka "friends") to the sharks when it comes to saving his own hide.

I've been told that self-preservation is the first law of nature. So, Bush, with failing approval ratings, continuously revealed lies that have some in Washington circles singing about impeachment, the mess'o'potamia which is the Iraq war, will not really mind if Rove is seen doing what you see in the picture. It's better known as the "perp walk".

We so want to see it because it restores our faith that elected officials will, on occasion, do the right thing. Even if they are saving their own necks to do it. And even if it doesn't happen, I have faith that the God I serve will extract vengence, because a holy God demands justice in the face of an injustice.

Let's hope we are on the same timetable as He is in seeing justice done.

I'M SORRY, I HAVE ONE MORE...LOL

THE FACE OF THE 2% OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO BELIEVE BUSH IS DOING A GOOD JOB!

And it only cost Bush $240,000...no wonder he's asking Armstrong for a refund...

"GEORGE BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE..." PART TWO

When you have this going on, no wonder Bush's approval ratings are only 2% among African-Americans.

And in case you're wondering about who are the 2%, try any "Rent-A-Negro-Preacher" schilling for Bush, plus LaShawn Barber, John McWhorter, Deroy Murdock and Star "I used to scam Welfare" Parker.

Test Blog - Adding Pictures

Like any child with a new toy, you learn how to play with it.

Tomorrow...linking other blogs to mine...LOL

WHY BLACK CONSERVATIVES WILL NEVER FIND RECEPTION AMONG THE BLACK COMMUNITY

There are many who want to group Blacks as a homogenious group who wants goverment handouts. And then there are those like Star Parker, LaShawn Barber, Armstrong Williams, Larry Elder, Deroy Murdock and John McWhorter, who say they want to improve the lives of African-Americans, and proceed to excuse the misdeeds of GOP leaders and espoused racism, by being the spokespeople for self-racism.

And they wonder why they aren't finding their audience among African-Americans. Well, that's probably because we have very good BS detectors. Black Commentator says so here:http://www.blackcommentator.com/154/154_thindwa_black_conservatives.html.

Black Conservatives will never get the audience they desire as long as they keep shooting us down, while they skin' and grin' for Massa while excelling in their performances in Self-hatred. Why call us "coon"? So the racist white guy doesn't have to sully his mouth with the word?

Their actions speak louder than their words - and these examples of Black Conservatives aid and abet them in their crimes...and they shouldn't wonder why we don't pay any attention to them.

IS PAT ROBERTSON MOONLIGHTING AS DON CORLEONE?

It sure seems that way.

First, the true Christians are still trying to clean up the mess Robertson created when he suggested that the United States "take out" Hugo Chavez, the Venezualian President.

Next, when it's reported he's sanctioning assassinations of Foreign leaders, he goes on his own show, the "700 Club" and insists that's not what he said. Sorry, but that clip got played on the Daily Show so much, those segments are enough to guarantee Jon Stewart another Emmy award. Plus he showed the good Rev. Robertson to be directly in violation of God's order to NOT TELL LIES.

Or bear false witness against your neighbor. As in, "Saddam gave money to Chavez..."

So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's threatening GOP Senators if they vote not to confirm, or to confirm Harriet Miers to SCOTUS. First, he's a hit man; now he's Don Corleone.

I'm beginning to think it's time for the "700 Club" to seriously discuss asking Robertson to stand down as a pastor and as a public figure. He's already discredited himself as a religious leader when he ran for President. He takes discrediting what Jesus represents to a whole 'nother level, with his talk about assassinating foreign leaders and whatnot.

Now this. Head over to Kos' place and if you see Driftglass in the house, ask him to pour you a cold one, because you will need it to keep from losing your sanity in an Orwellian type world...

THIS IS SCARY...ANOTHER REASON TO GET RID OF THE DLC

In posting a response to Ford-blogger Chris Jackson, he suggested in his response that to write off Harold Ford, Jr. for the U. S. Senate in 2006 over a few votes, is just plain "silly".

Well, when those few votes were:

1. The Bankruptcy Bill
2. The 1st Energy Bill
3. Estate Tax Repeal
4. Gang Deterrance Act
5. Watt Amendment to the Federal Budget
6. Failing to vote on the Budget because you missed the vote slurping down a plate of coon at Jimmy Naifeh's "Coon Supper"
7. Failing to co-sponsor legislation that would provide universal healthcare for all;

Then you can tell me how "silly" it is to write off a Senatorial Candidate who is performing in this manner while he still holds his job as a U. S. Congressman. I mean, if we can't depend on Ford to vote on important legislation such as what I've named, regardless of whether or not he has a certain political "base" he has to play to, how can he be depended upon to vote on the important legislation that has the potential to harm entire states, regardless of conservative or liberal, regardless of race or class?

No, Mr. Jackson, we don't expect to agree with the Congressman 100% of the time. But in the percentage of time we don't agree with him, we expect him to be able to articulate his positions to the point of being able to respect his position while disagreeing with his positions. All good elected officials know this; while you win an election on largely a populist base, you keep the job based on your actual performance, and not trying to please everybody. We look for the elected official to have principles, morals, values, that he will not stray from, no matter how much money is thrown at him; no matter how many "perks" he's given. None of us can ever win popularity contests and the legislation he's voted on has the potential to adversely affect the lives of millions of people, nationally, and not just in Tennessee.

You can read more in the Comments section of

Polar Donkey and The Pesky Fly.

How many times can I say this and not sound like a broken record? Another reason to GET RID OF THE DLC...especially since they're influencing the youth and young adult to the point of blind loyalty as they drive off that cliff...

WILLIAM JEFFERSON SHOULD NOT BE RE-ELECTED

Why would I start off a post with that title?

Maybe because Hurricane Katrina pulled off the covers; not highlighting racism at its' worst, or the greed that contractors have in benefitting and proffiting off human suffering, but because the ravages of Katrina clearly highlighted that Jefferson was representing his district in name only. As a congressman, he should have been directing some "pork" to his district to benefit his constituents. And even though I've beat up on Harold Ford, Jr. a bit for his asinine political stances and alliances, nonetheless, he's quite capable of delivering enough pork to his Memphis constituents to the point they keep sending him back to Congress.

Jefferson doesn't even do that. There's no excuse that Jefferson's constituency should have been shown in varying degrees of poverty that direction of job creation projects, or "pork" wouldn't have failed to allieviate.

Additionally, his constituency has been washed away into the Gulf of Mexico, and scattered North, further South, East and West, by Katrina, so it's questionable that Jefferson will even have a district to represent in Congress in 2006. So, to sit by and watch the Government award no-bid contracts to Halliburton, and not scream that your constituents will not have a part in rebuilding where they used to live, because they won't be allowed back to their neighborhoods, is so foul and treasonous, that Jefferson should just resign from Congress.

Jesse Jackson, SR., has more on it here:http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse11.html.

The grade on his performance as a lawmaker in the CBC Monitor's Report Card, didn't go far enough (He got an "F", and is considered one of the seven "Derelicts of the CBC"). Researching his votes on the "bright line" issues the group selected, demonstrated that Jefferson was more willing to sell out his constituency than represent their best interests. And Katrina's devastation has his dereliction of duty as a Congressman in full effect for everyone to see.

We can front off on Bush's dereliction in this disaster; because he's the President of the United States, and, as Rev. Jackson's article states, the cronyism he used to give important positions, such as FEMA director; their incompentency cost lives. But William Jefferson's dereliction is being felt on a more intense level; his failure to vigorously represent his constituency set the stage for the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. He failed to provide the most fundamental of representation; ensuring jobs that paid a liveable and sustainable wage, so people would have had the resources to evacuate when it became necessary. He allowed his constituency to wallow below acceptable levels of poverty, and there are no levels of poverty which should ever be acceptable.

I don't live in Louisiana, but my parents were born and reared there; my older brother was born there, and as far as I know, both parents have relatives in the New Orleans/Baton Rouge and Lake Charles areas. As far as I know, many of them were able to flee up north to Shreveport, and depending on the condition of their homes, they may have to stay there and start new lives. And they counted on William Jefferson to represent their best interests in Congress.

I'll bet that having your constituency washed away into the Gulf of Mexico was something Jefferson never counted on; no Congressperson can ever foresee a natural disaster. But the after-effects, or the lack of preparation and provision, should not have shown the degree to which he failed them in his representation of their best interests in Congress. The most "stand-up" act he could do is to gracefully resign from office.

That may be a moot point, espeically if he no longer has a district to represent, because it washed away in the Gulf and the survivors have relocated elsewhere into another Congressperson's district.

BUSH LIKES TORTURE

'Nuff said. He's threatening to issue his first veto against legislation that would prohibit the torturing of war prisoners.

Why should any American be surprised? This is the guy who used to stuff lit firecrackers up the anuses of hapless bullfrogs and watch them explode for sport. So, by his threat to veto the Senate bill that passed by a margin of 90-9 (and I want to know who are the nine Senators who agree with Bush that torture is okay), America continues to be a laughing stock on a global scale. No wonder Irish Television Reporter Carole Coleman, stated in an article about her episode in interviewing Bush, that she felt like slapping him.

Here's a way to resolve this: how about those Senators and Congresspersons getting together enough votes to OVERRULE Bush's veto for the first time in this Administration? Better yet, Congress should do this while it's still legal and Constitutional to do so...

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE: I will be guest blogging on my friend, Pesky's blog, better known as the Pesky Fly. Check me out sometime at www.thepeskyfly.blogspot.com.

Oh, yeah, I'll still blog here, too, so you get a double latte shot, LOL.

DO THE OPPOSITE ON THE MIERS NOMINATION

For the past five years (a lifetime, it seems), President Bush has always done the opposite of what he says he's going to do. Need a few examples or reminders? Consider the Patriot Act (strips away freedoms), the Healthy Skies Act (increased pollution) and No Child Left Behind (leaves all kids in public schools at the starting gate, to the point that he's asking Armstrong Williams to return that money he paid him).

Having said that, it's easy to deduct that Supreme Court Justice Nominee Harriet Miers, is either going to vote the way Bush wants her to, or she's a closeted female version of Justice David Souter. And the way the Neo-Conservatives are reacting to Miers' nomination, could her confirmation be worse than Chief Justice John Roberts'? I suspect, if she's confirmed, that she will do what Bush wants until he's out of office, and then, she'll do her own thing.

God works in mysterious ways. Perhaps, He's answering the prayers of the masses by allowing Miers onto the Bench. On the other hand, if you're Antonin Scalia, you have to be royally pissed that Bush passed you over for promotion to Chief Justice. Especially after the trouble you, the late justice Rehnquist, your boy Clarence, your other boy, Kennedy and the soon retiring Sandra Day O'Connor, went through to crap on the Constitution and install him in office back in 2000. Scalia probably thought that the hubris of the Court in voting to virtually install Bush in the Oval Office would be rewarded with a promotion for him. And to all of you who thought that nod was going to Clarence Thomas, I'm here to tell you that the Court's Lawn Jockey was never a consideration, even though Bush dropped a few hints.

As you can tell, I'm still a little bitter that Congress wasn't allowed to do their jobs as required under the Constitution. You know, that little amendment which states in the event that there's no clear cut winner of the Presidential election, all members of Congress are to reconvene and take a majority vote count. Whoever got the majority of votes, becomes President. Since the Supreme Court did as required, we have a substance-abusing President who believes himself to be beholden to NO ONE.

He uses people at his will - it doesn't matter if they're Republican or not. Once their usefulness to him is gone, so are they. The Religious Right is finding this out; apparently Bush woke up one day and realized he wasn't eligible to run for a third term, so he finally connected the dots and decided to go with his good friend, Miers, as the next SCOTUS nominee. The fact that James Dobson is foaming at the mouth over this nomination is all the more reason to perhaps, entertain supporting her nomination to the Bench.

We may want to go on the offensive here - Miers can't be worse than the six conservative justices on the bench now. If someone as unqualified as Clarence Thomas made it to the bench, we shouldn't quibble about the fact that Miers has never been a judge. It simply means any moron can be confirmed to the highest court in the land on a lifetime appointment. The solemnity and reverence that this selection, as well as the Roberts' selection, should have received, is no longer in existance; your only qualification is legally covering up Bush's excrement, time and time again, over the period of a long working legal career.

For the next 20 years, we can look at the Court and be reminded of Bush's incompetence. For that reason, we may want to consider going on the offensive and doing the opposite on Harriet Miers nomination. It may be entertainment to watch the GOP turn into versions of animals who eat their young.

READERS WRITE...GLAD SOMEONE READS THIS BLOG!

I like to give out props to those who read my blog and have enlighted commentary, especially about getting rid of the Democratic Leadership Council. Day by day, I'm encouraged to know that some people aren't buying the DLC's marketing strategies anymore.

The following is from a reader named Matt:

"Part of the problem with Democratic Party, as you seem to acknowledge, is that certain factions like the DLC not only occupy positions of power, but use their positions of power to ensure that newly elected Democrats fit their mold. For example, in 2004 the Dems almost didn't run a candidate against Richard Pombo. Jerry McNerney ran as a write-in candidate on principle, deciding that a Republican creep like Pombo shouldn't get a free pass. And in 2004, the Democratic Party establishment, except for a few notable exceptions like Barbara Lee, didn't give McNerney one red cent or otherwise aid his struggle. However, McNerney showed Richard Pombo was vulnerable. So now Vice Chair of the DLC Ellen Tauscher is running her friend Steve Filson (a former Republican with no political experience, whose only qualification seems to be that his daughter works for Tauscher) against McNerney in the primary. Furthermore, Tauscher has got the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to tacitly support Filson, even though they're supposed to stay neutral until the primary. Part of the reason the DLC is able to do this is that they have created a unified organization that allows Dems of a certain predisposition (i.e. those whose views might be shaped more by campaign cash than by principles) to band together and help one another. Fighting Dems have not yet created the same type of over-arching structure to help each other. It's my hope that progressives in the Bay Area will be able to form a coalition to fight for the soul of the Democratic Party where the fights are occurring, such as CA-11. Those of us who have a Rep like Barbara Lee who speaks for and represents both our interests and our deeper political principals must aid those who yearn for the same. If we don't, no one else will. "

The highlighted paragraph in red says it all. We have to stop looking for the current Democratic Party to act like they're the party that produced JFK, FDR and Truman. The current crop believes that the Buck stops elsewhere, and they vote in accordance with whether or not they feel like being a whore for the Corporate interests. Our leadership cannot be found within that group...but within each and every one of us who believes in values and principles upon which America was founded (as she was intended, anyway).

Keep writing, and send me emails if you don't want to post your comments on the board (I will send an inquiry to see if being forced to create an account in order to post comments can be deleted).

BUSH CONTINUES TO FEED AMERICA BS

And that's SAYING a lot. I've watched this morning's Press Conference, and through the usual smirking at inappropriate times, I came away with the sense that (a) Bush doesn't believe the words that are coming out of his own mouth, but (b) he expects US to believe them. In other words, we're supposed to lap up his particular brand of BS like puppies lap up Alpo.

What happened to that "Political Capital" he allegedly accumulated after the 2004 election he hijacked? Now it's looking more and more like he's maxed out a credit card that he should have never used, and AMERICAN EXPRESS is on the phone demanding payment in FULL. And Bush doesn't have the money to make the payment. But he's arrogant enough to force another Supreme Court nominee down the throats of the American people, while effectively giving the American people the "finger" by being defiant ("We're not leaving IRAQ!") ("The Economy is booming") or ("$2000 is enough for the hurricane victims to have a fresh start...")

All of the above is the most delusional BS I've ever heard in my life. And I know I have a good BS detector, courtesy of my parents, who trained me and my brothers how to detect BS when it's being served.

Face it, most people have very good BS detectors, and if yours is in good working condition, the President's Press Conference should have had your BS detector on OVERLOAD. When will he realize that the American people are not a bunch of plants that you can continue feeding us in the dark and think that we flourish as healthy plants in the daylight. Of course, you still have the 25% of the country that adores being fed BS, especially if it's the POTUS that's doing the feeding. There's nothing you can say; no argument that you can make, that will convince them that the POTUS has been feeding them BS and making them like it.

I mean, you have to love being fed BS if you like the fact that your environment is no cleaner; your chances for a quality education has flown the coop; that your access to medical care or a job with a quality living wage has gone south with the refusal of Congress to pass legislation to guarantee access to medical care when you need it, or with the passage of CAFTA, your job gets sent to Costa Rica without YOU. Or if your wage hasn't kept up with gas at $5 a gallon in most places, which has you paying grocery money to keep the tank on your SUV at half-full.

So much BS is being fed to Americans, we need code words to identify when BS is on the menu. For example, "Judicial Philosophy" translates into "ruling on controversial issues My way".

Or "strict constructionist" translates into "screw what the Constitution says; do it My way".

"Success in Iraq" really translates into "Stop asking me about Iraq; I don't want to admit that we're screwed."

"Healthy Skies" means "breathing polluted air" and so on.

What a country we live in, especially when the President is so delusional that he continues to feed BS to the American People and believes in his insulated world, that the people are lapping it up like, well, a long, tall glass of, well, Kool-Aid. Well, the President, along with Cheney, Rummy, Condi and crew can continue to feed America BS as long as America accepts it. And considering the wimps that are supposed to be the opposition party on Capitol Hill (read: Democrats) have been so infected with DLC rhetoric, they crumple in the face of real opposition, while telling us, the every man or woman, that they're fighting for us. Excuse me, but if your brand of fighting is crumpling like a wilted Kleenex everytime the GOP says "Boo!", I'm willing to take a pass.

That's what the CBC Monitor does - fight back by demanding accountability from elected officials. Or what MoveOn does - put up candidates who will fight back. Or what Bloggers like Steve Gillard, DailyKos and Atrios does - endorse candidates who will say "enough of the BS!"

Bush can continue to feed America BS if he wants (and he will do so at every opportunity). But just because he can feed it to Americans doesn't mean we have to eat it...

Unless you're that 25% of the country who loves being fed BS on a steady diet. May God taking a liking to you, because you're too far gone to go off your diet.