A while back, I told a quality Kossack that I’d shoot down to the shores of the mighty Unami Creek and snap some photos. Finally, I had the time and did so. Please give this diary a lazy read if you are interested in one of your fellow Kossacks favorite places on earth, the Unami Creek.
Located in the far northeast corner of Montgomery County, PA, the Unami is, in my almost 3 year experience of living up here, the best and most diverse place to fish in the area. Moreover, if nay a single fish graces itself to your lure, the deep serenity that surrounds you on the Unami will make your aching life just that much better once a day, just like vitamin U.
I am writing to respectfully warn you of the political and electoral consequences you and [my] party will suffer should you decide to sneak the funding bill into the procedural vote on the rule.
I remind you that we, in the Democratic Party Constituency transcend the savvy that seems to be perpetually underestimated by our Party leadership in Congress. Further, I remind you that we, the majority of the American People have clearly and specifically intended to send the message in 2006 that we want to end the occupation of Iraq as swiftly and as safely for the Troops as humanly possible.
Admittedly, I have written this after more than a couple of drinks. As-to why I even took the time? Well, after this week’s GOP debates, it has kind-of been on my mind.
What on earth would be in the logic of any American citizen to actually vote for any single Republican these days? Clearly, the contemporary Republican party has not only completely departed from any sense of reality; it has taken bunk concepts such as externalized moralism, hypocrisy, and blatant ignorance of national security to unfathomed lows. To compound the problem, it seems that the media is absolutely willing to break its back in lending these political miscreants every ounce of ‘credibility’ it can manufacture.
The fact is, the Republican party is a defunct heap of obsoletism: similar to that 486 or Commodore 64 you have for some reason boxed up in your damp basement. Further, this party is a beacon of waywardness and abstraction, not suited to fulfill the task it has charged itself with.
I see a lot of bumper stickers, T-shirts and avatars depicting the 20th of January, 2009 as some sort of marker we can reference to pinpoint our salvation. The message seems to indicate that the moment this horrid Administration packs up its things and walks out the door, America will at long last return to its prior stature.
While it’s a nice dream- even something to desperately look forward to; the events mandated by this day in no way represent the end of all things un-American leading America.
One of my most beloved family members is a FOX News watching, Pat Robertson ‘Fundamentalist Christian.’ His clan shares a very similar fantasy as those who firmly adhere to the 1-20-09 dream. You see, his peers in the church, to my surprise, are not in denial about the war or about global warming, or about our Constitutional rights as citizens (barring abortion;) rather, I have, in my experience, developed the strong belief that many of these folks transcend a willingness to surrender all that makes them citizens and responsible members of planet earth because, in their mind’s eye, these things are precursors to the return of their savior, who will grant them their own brand of salvation.
We are where we are as a result of ineptitude, delusion, incompetence, corruption, ethnocentrism, corporatism, shall I continue?
We were brought where we are. We were dragged from reality, many of us kicking and screaming, into the aftermath of ignorance of history by an Administration so devious, it sleeps soundly at night while those who they feel to be lesser individuals are either tasked with fulfilling their delusional whims or are dying in uncounted multitudes after being thrust into the innards of a civil war.
I asked a Daily Kos Fellow and got an OK to do this. Below, please find a link for the archives of todays liveblogs.
I will upload them to my server. Please be sensitive of my limited bandwidth and limited wallet size to pay for bandwidth. This is why I included a Zipped file, which forces you to download it rather than view it directly.
I'll change the Update# when the next archive is available.
CNN's Michael Ware shuts down a McCain Press Conference in one motion of his hand. Image Capture Via Rawstory.com
Sometimes, it’s like a surreal dream. Only, instead of imagining everyone in their underpants, I imagine that people who have squandered their credibility are held to account by the folks in the front row.
Who on earth woulda’ thunk that people like John McCain could get away with making uber delusional false, incredulous statements and remain almost completely untouched by his reckless lies from the mainstream press? Were this ten years ago, I guarantee that his incessant tripe would be the top story that would lead to his concession from the Presidential Primary. But here in this Bizarro time, McCain not only gets away with it in the mainstream, but he still rides around in a bus encrusted with the “Straight Talk Express” seal.
When you open your mouth, you are responsible for what comes out of it. If you lie, you may suffer consequences for the exposure of the lie. When you compound your lie by lying about the meaning of the other lie, you spawn exponential growth for the consequences of the original lie. That is, it seems, unless you are a Senator, Congressman, fellow, fellow of a neocon thinktank, or media pundit.
Over recent years, I am astounded by the protection and endless chances certain people are given to mask complete lack of credibility. Specifically, John McCain’s blatant and delusional verbal debauchery of late has lowered the bar for credible, objective government to a staggering depth. Sadly, it seems that although he had once again completely contradicted reality in plain-as-day clarity, within hours, he is yet again permitted to rectify his perceived reputation via the corporate media.
I hate to be snippety, but I think that we have missed a huge opportunity to shut down the Bush/McCain/Lieberman myth of competence once and for all.
Yesterday, Michael Ware took John McCain’s delusional nonsense, crumpled it up, and tossed it into a burning trashcan. Yet, there was no major resonating around the blogs about it. Sure, there was mention of it and even posting of it on the major blogs, but it didn’t get the top priority that it deserved.
The events we are witnessing today, whether they are accredited to the media’s sudden, yet mild, recommitment to government scrutiny, the post midterm Congress, or the furor over scandal in both the Administration and Legislature, the umbrella that all things in this new era reside under is that we are witnessing the aftermath of Republican dominated government.
Practically every single ‘scandal’ that plagues the White House and the American system of government has its roots in the singular fact that the Republican Party, which had enjoyed immense power for the majority of the Republican President’s term, has corrupted the dignity and reputation of our nation to serve itself. Its profound decadence, corruption, and delusion has eroded the once vast global power and influence of our nation for years to come. Once a shining beacon of what nations should seek of themselves, America now glimmers its fading light upon the globe, where said nations have now developed a growing vision of disdain and trepidation toward us.
To my [shocked] surprise, I tuned in to NBC’s Meet the Press, a supposed icon of current events as discussed by current ‘players’ in politics to find none other than our old friend, Tom Delay offering his supposed wisdom on the future of the Iraq war. Oddly enough, not only did Mr. Russert refrain from asking a single question in reference to his upcoming criminal case; but he also purposefully ‘lent’ credibility to the disgraced Congressman by repeatedly referring to him as “Congressman Delay” in the present tense.
Mr. Russert’s fluffy demeanor toward Delay would have been disgraceful enough; but, as I am sure everyone knows, because Mr. Delay is equipped with an almost inhuman sense of treachery, he took full advantage of Mr. Russert’s graciousness and dug right in:
My least favorite comment(s) in any given thread are those entitled “Thank You,” and upon clicking that little arrow dealy, all I find is either a regurgitated quote from the diarist or some insanely ridiculous two word pedestal to prop the diarist up on. More often than not, I try to see the nicety beneath the uselessness of such ‘commentary’ and give it a little mojo if not simply for the sake of acknowledging the complementary intent of the comment.
That old habit is suffering its long awaited fate today. It (in some undetermined future time) will be replaced with one of two habits: the first being a glazing over and the second, on those that seem baseless, needless attempts to file in behind some odd notion of prestige, I’ll question the gratitude; enquiring “why?”
At this point in the Presidency of George W. Bush, I feel it prudent for us to remember and account for the depth of carnage his administration has done to the integrity of the United States government as it pertains to the individual citizen. Despite his low poll numbers and the clear consensus that his presidency is, in fact over, we must not neglect our duty to seek a vast array of reversals for his administrative treachery to date. If we do, we will allow the continuation of rogue administrations into the next Presidency, whichever party prevails.
One of my biggest fears is that people are so focused on this President as an individual that their thoughts are confined to the limit of his term. While the last day of his Presidency is in my opinion, a monumental reason for celebration, we must not let his horrid policies and tactics remain viable for the next President to pursue.
Practically every single thing this President has done, signed, appointed, proposed, etc. serves his quest to turn the administrative duties of the President into pure politics and further into the service of his delusion of ‘total control.’ It is to us and to our choices in our future government to reverse these policies for the good of our nation if not to avoid our nations slow peril.
To say I am absent of a ‘legal mind’ is an understatement. Based on that, the events this week pertaining to the Perjury trial of I Lewis Libby have raised some questions in my tiny little brain about potential expansion of the case to re-introduce conspiracy charges against Karl Rove (Dick Cheney, et. al.)
Yesterday, I read that both Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett were subpoenaed (to their chagrin, it seems) to testify for Libby’s defense. In doing this, Rove, specifically is in danger of uncovering a lot about his role in the outing of Valarie Plame, something for which he has moved mountains to bury.
The Death of Sardanapalus
Eugene Delacroix Circa 1828
Oil on canvas. Louvre, Paris, France
I put this painting before you because the message and meaning behind it is perhaps the most relevant historical metaphor for our current President.
The tale of Sardanapalus, the last king of Babylon: his fabled last days and death are a stark mirroring of the decadent narcissism of President George W. Bush and his Administration.
At this time last year, I was immersed in the daily stress of knowledge that my state was infected with one of the most corrupt and extremist members of the United States Senate in our nation’s history. It was as if I had a throbbing metaphorical ulcer nagging at every thought that I had to process to get through my every-day. Whatever my imagination could muster in the process of improving my family, our lives and our happiness would include the stagnant downer: “Yes, but Rick Santorum is still our Senator.”
The feeling was exactly like the feeling one gets whilst walking with a broken arm or lifting with a broken leg. The tasks of the every day can be completed, yes; but the stress of the broken appendage seems forever present, thus making what should be normal that much more difficult… that much less satisfying.
I’ve been pretty busy lately- and in the clutter of edit/revise/100c100m100y100k/review/marketing input/kiss wife/shut office door/miss wife/come to her late night; but she’s sleeping/up @5/revise/”where the hell is my money?”/repeat, I really haven’t thought of a single worthy or relevant thing to put down on paper. However, it seems that beginning Saturday at about 4AM, I’ll have seven days and six nights to do things that-well-…that life is supposed to be “all about.”
I thought I’d just drop all of you this little note and wish all of you all of the best this holiday. Plus, I would like to use my retroactive coupon to wish all of my Jewish brothers and sisters a belated happy Chanukah.
