It's Not a Civil War

Powerline defines "civil war" this way:

...the term "civil war" connotes a disaster of epic proportions, and certainly something qualitatively worse than internal violence that falls short of civil war.

See? It's not a civil war because civil war is defined as something much worse than something that's not as bad as a civil war. So as long as someone can characterize what's going on in Iraq as something slightly less bad as civil war, then, by definition, it's not a civil war. It won't be a civil war until it gets worse than that - worse than something less worse.

No problem.

Fascism By Any Other Name

Russ Feingold is carrying out his Congressional oversight responsibilities by calling on Congress to censure Bush for his illegal wiretapping program. Frist responds by showing us what the GOP thinks of dissent:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re saying that censure resolution weakens America abroad?
FRIST: Yes. Well, I think it does because [... blah blah blah Terror blah blah 9/11 blah blah "Unprecedented" blah blah snip]. So the signal that it sends that there is in any way a lack of support for our Commander in Chief ... is wrong.

So he thinks in a Democratic society that it is unacceptable that there are people who disagree with the President "in any way".

Fascism: a political philosophy that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader.

Is that a fair description of Frist's worldview? Well, there are two key words here. The first is "autocratic":

Autocrat: one who has undisputed influence or power.

That's what Frist objects to: that someone can dispute with the President. The second key word is "dictatorial":

Dictator: a person granted absolute emergency power.

And this is what Frist is defending: the President's power to forego the law of the land due to our newly persistent state of emergency.

So we have a President who is on record defending his right to break the law, facing censure from the Congress and the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. Doesn't it make you wonder what he must have up his sleeve when you read things like this?:

...He has become so inured to outside criticism that he increasingly tunes it out. There is no sense of crisis.

I shudder to think.

Iran Is Heating Up

But don't forget who's "managing" this situation for us: John "There Is No United Nations" Bolton.

A Failure of Democracy

Well it's official. The Rule of Law has been rejected by the ruling party of a goverment that is in the midst of "spreading democracy" throughout the world at the business end of a gun. The power to enforce checks and balances has been taken away from the Judicial Branch and handed to the Legislative Branch that rejected the Rule of Law in the first place. Now, when the President wants to spy on someone, he doesn't have to convince any pesky judges, just his Republican congressional buddies. No problem.

There is no other conclusion to draw from this than that the Republican party believes that the President's power is ultimate and that if he breaks the law and justifies it in the name of "national security", then the Congress should not presume to second-guess him.

So, just to recap:

• It's okay to invade defenseless countries that pose no threat to us.
• It's okay for the military and the CIA to torture people as part of their regular duties.
• It's okay for the President to break the law.
  

Welcome to the New Democracy. Brought to you by the Republican Party.

The Culture War Bears Fruit

If by fruit, you mean innocent dead people. Pandagon reports:

According papers filed in court Thursday Snead had begun performing CPR by the side of the road when Bowman arrived and told Snead to stop because Green was HIV positive.

When Snead didn’t stop the CPR, Bowman grabbed Snead by the shoulders and physically barred Snead from continuing CPR at a critical point in Green’s resuscitation.

...Although the EMS workers ignored Bowman’s warnings and performed CPR on Green, he passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. He did not have HIV. The court papers said that Bowman based his assumption that Green was HIV+ because he knew Green was gay.

Makes you wonder if the crazies would have rallied around Terry Schiavo if she had been gay... But I digress.

Welcome to the real first war of the 21st century - a "culture war" declared by fundamentalists against their fellow Americans.

The Press is, Like, a Total Downer

The owner of a company called MZM testified in federal court that he gave $32,000 in illegal campaign donations to Florida Representative Katherine Harris. What's her response?

"There is nothing to it except for the press trying to be negative."

Um. What? The press? Because they reported on the testimony? A man testifies in federal court that he gave you illegal campaign contributions and this is somehow the press's fault? By reporting the facts, they are "trying to be negative"? What is this, high school?

Wasting Our Time and Money

Joshua Holland makes good points about the ridiculous bill in Missouri that I mentioned earlier. As he points out, this law was not written for any reason other than to stir up the system in opposition to it. They know that, even if it passes, it is so obviously unconstitutional that it will be struck down in court. The law is so indefensible that they won't even talk about it. They know this. But they do it anyway because the results are:

1. They endear themselves to the really nutty part of their base.
2. They force national groups like the ACLU to come in and fight this absurdly unconstitutional law, which allows them to stir up the anti-ACLU sentiment they've worked so hard to create.
3. When the law is struck down, they claim victim status at the hands of an out-of-control judiciary (they only branch of government they can't force to submit to GOP policy).

My question is: How much money does all this cost? How many lawmakers spend how many hours drafting, debating, working on and voting on this silly law? How many taxpayer dollars are spent by the government on lawyers and judges to defend and decide it?

Maybe someone could calculate the costs of this after all is said and done. I would bet the costs easily run to the millions, considering all the man-hours involved. And how many times does shit like this happen every freakin year?

Fiscal conservatives my ass.

This is What They Believe

John Lofton, he of the incest lyrics obsession, opines:

The precise purpose of civil government, including judges, is to show an "animus" against evil - in this case homosexuals and homosexuality - and punish it.

He's serious. This is what he believes is the purpose of civil government. How the hell does he define the word "civil"?

Now watch Ed Brayton tear him apart.

Reclaiming America From Whom?

At least two elected officials (Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Florida Representative Katherine Harris) are speakers at a "Reclaiming America for Christ" conference.

So they want to "reclaim" America for Christ. Who are they "reclaiming" our country from? From the people who don't believe that this country belongs to Jesus? People like those who wrote our Constitution? People like me?

After they "reclaim" my country, what happens to me? When the country belongs to Jesus, where do I belong? Where do the religious minorities of this country belong if these people are successful in planting Jesus' flag on this soil?

I believe this country belongs to all of us, whatever religion we belong to. Apparently these people disagree.

Demand an Investigation

Sign Senator Byrd's petition demanding an investigation into the NSA spying scandal.

Frist Threatens to Change the Rules. Again.

So even with a majority in Congress, the GOP can't do just anything it wants. Right? There are still some checks on the GOP, including the Judicial Branch and certain non-partisan committees, such as the Intelligence Committee.

Well, in their efforts to acquire even more power, Frist has threatened once again to change the rules to get his way.

The more time passes, the more they go from un-Democratic and un-American to anti-Democratic and anti-American.

November can't get here fast enough.

Missouri HCR 13

In Missouri they are debating House Concurrent Resolution 13:

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 13
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

• Whereas, our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian God and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our nation; and
• Whereas, as citizens of this great nation, we the majority also wish to exercise our constitutional right to acknowledge our Creator and give thanks for the many gifts provided by Him; and
• Whereas, as elected officials we should protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs while showing respect for those who object; and
• Whereas, we wish to continue the wisdom imparted in the Constitution of the United States of America by the founding fathers; and
• Whereas, we as elected officials recognize that a Greater Power exists above and beyond the institutions of mankind:
• Now, therefore, be it resolved by the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, that we stand with the majority of our constituents and exercise the common sense that voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays on public property are not a coalition of church and state, but rather the justified recognition of the positive role that Christianity has played in this great nation of ours, the United States of America.

God help us.