Bush Doctrine

When will the idiocy stop?

With cross-border incursions into Syria and Pakistan, the Bush Doctrine of preemptive military action is leading us into ever-more dangerous actions.

I think of the Roman Empire fighting endlessly on its borders ... until men and money were utterly depleted and the Empire could stand no longer.

All of this takes on a new sense of urgency after seeing "W" yesterday - a good film portraying "W" as a simple man seeking to escape his father's shadow, a man utterly befuddled by the office, unable to catch the fly ball at the end because he's lost sight of it. The most chilling parts of the film are the portrayals of Rove, Cheney and Rumsfeld - ruthless and power-hungry; Colin Powell comes off well: the lone-voice of sanity in the Bush Asylum ... and C. Rice, a total sycophant, a complete suck-up.

It will take decades for historians and economists to uncover just how flawed everything Reagan/Bush has been.

From ripping off the White House solar panels installed by Jimmy Carter to busting the air controllers' union, Reagan set into motion an ideology (a bunch of lies) that have dismantled the middle class and sent this nation down the road of ruin.

Bush the elder had reservations about it all, but not the courage to resist it. Getting elected by Rove and Atwater was all the finally counted. If ever there has been a cancer in the political system, it's Lee Atwater (who repented on his death bed) and Karl Rove - monsters inside the Beltway.

Hats off to Alan Greenspan for admitting the flaws of ideology, but I wonder if we'll ever hear it from "W" and Gang? Will Rumsfeld follow in the footsteps of Robert McNamara who finally admitted the error of thought that led to the Vietnam debacle?

During Oliver Stone's film, I felt a clear sorrow for W - a man way out of his league (pun intended), a man of simple principles unable to think critically, convinced of his own god-purpose, and it just made me sick to see how Christianity has been prostituted by evangelical/fundamentalist christians (small "s" intended) who sold their souls to the likes of James Dobson and Jerry Falwell, men utterly out of touch Jesus, victims of their own dogma, trying so hard to believe in their own rightness, drawing firm lines of inclusion/exclusion, shouting all the louder, proving everyone else wrong in order to be right.

Biblically speaking, these are the false prophets who bedeviled Israel's kings, telling them they could do no wrong, assuring them that every military adventure undertaken has god's blessing and will be met with success. Jeremiah and Isaiah have strong words for the likes of these throne-kissing prophets who were feathering their own beds as well.

From my perspective (that and $5 gets me a latte at Starbucks), a McPalin victory would only hasten the decline of our nation by further injections of Moose-Hunting, Wolf-Shooting wing-nut poison. McCain is increasingly helpless, if not senile. Palin is utterly dangerous. Much like Bush, no critical senses, only a grasping, unmitigated lust for power.

Wanna Have Fun?

Check out this blog:

http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/

Right on the money ...

White Church-Goers favor McCain?

Is this true?

Poll: McCain leads among white churchgoers
Published: Oct. 27, 2008 at 8:23 PM
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PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- White weekly churchgoers say they support Republican presidential nominee John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama by a 37-point margin, a poll indicates.
Among those who go to religious services nearly every week or monthly, McCain has a 12-point advantage.

Meanwhile, Obama has a 19-point advantage over McCain among those who seldom or never attend worship services, the Gallup poll indicates.

Gallup also found that black voters overwhelmingly support Obama regardless of their church attendance. The poll indicates that blacks who attend church weekly give Obama an 84-point margin, only slightly lower than the 92- and 88-point margins among blacks who attend almost every week or monthly and those who seldom or never attend religious services.

"A positive correlation between religious intensity and voting for the Republican candidate for president has been a part of the American political landscape for a number of years," Gallup said in its analysis.

The poll is based on telephone interviews with 23,111 registered voters, aged 18 and older, conducted Oct. 1 to Oct. 26. The maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

I go to church every week ... and I don't support McCain ...

Yeah, I know, I'm a bone-headed liberal.

I'm 64 and counting ... wouldn't have it any other way.

I've waited along time to see a change in our nation's direction.

I love America, but I've despised the right-wing idiocy under which we've lived for too long.

Reagan the Great Liar.

George H - a decent man, but did nothing to change the character of our drift toward facism.

Clinton - a great president, but trapped in the Gingrich swamp.

George W - a total idiot manipulated by fascists.

Can we break with all of this garbage?

I hope so.

Conservatives Trying to Rewrite History

The conservative movement meltdown is going into overdrive, if Peter Wehner's op-ed in the Washington Post today is any indication. With most Republican candidates explicitly running on a platform promising a revival of Reagan conservatism and berating the supposed "socialism" of Democrats, this former Bush hack writes that "it is a mistake to assume that significant GOP losses, should they occur, are a referendum on conservatism."

For the full article, click HERE.

That America might repudiate the lies of Reagan and the deceptions of the Bush administration is nothing less than a miracle.

The Reagan and Bush lies appealed to the worst in our psyche - power, domination, nationalism, superiority, innocence (we do no wrong), white supremacy, militarism and endless success.

Americans bought this garbage hook, line and sinker, and it's nearly killed us.

I'm a Christian, and I'm ashamed of how so many "christians" have bought into this idiocy - while "believing" fervently in Jesus, they have followed other gods - nationalism, personal achievement and a feel-good philosophy.

Could we be on the verge of national renewal?

To really be a nation influenced by Christianity?

And Islam?

Buddhism?

Judaism?

Atheism?

All the great faiths that hold up to the light the values of peace, compassion, kindness, fairness and love.

It's time for a new day.

What a Baby Did to My Friend

I'm tired of the campaign, and all things related.

Blah, blah, blah ... and if truth is the first casualty of war, it's likely the second casualty of a campaign.

Anyway, a little diversion ... 

A good friend of mine and his wife had a child a bit later in life (for him especially) - it's his first biological child, and what a journey it's been. 

Lots of things he expected, but some unexpected developments as well.

He shares his insights HERE.

Stop by and pay Toby Jones a visit.

McCain and Goldwater

Ironic!

That two senators from Arizona should lead the GOP into the wasteland - Goldwater and McCain.

Click HERE to check out this thoughtful article by Richard Cohen.

I've known a good many Republicans over the years who were fiscally conservative and supportive of our military, who wanted smaller government and tilted toward the needs of the wealthy ... but who would have nothing to do with the "bedroom politics" of anger and bigotry that has now captured the GOP.

I watched Palin on SNL - I couldn't help but think of a terrible disconnect between the fun she was obviously having and her religious ideology - who is Palin?

Like so many of her fellow travelers, it's a religion without connection - hence, without compassion, without reason, without a positive purpose, intent only on discrediting what others believe and wanting to impose restrictions and controls on sex and abortion, jealously infatuated with power!

The GOP today is not the party of Eisenhower or Dirksen - it crashed and burned in the ashes of Barry Goldwater, Nixon, Reagan and W. I mostly exempt the first Bush from this scenario, because I think H was more in line with earlier GOP traditions, although every Republican presidency has had to dance to the far-right tune of folks like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, especially since the days of Roe v. Wade.

Colin Powell is the quintessential Republican, but in his move to Obama, we see something of the greatness of a Senator Dirksen whose cross-aisle work enabled Johnson to pass his monumental civil rights legislation.

I'm a Democrat, and I made that decision when I was first eligible to vote - for me, the Dems are all about the people, and the welfare of all, not the few. It's a big vision, and for me, a person of faith, a Christian, entirely consistent with the way I see the world.

But to ensure a healthy political process, we need two parties (a third party won't do it) totally healthy. We need traditional Republicans - we need the GRAND Old Party.

May they find their way, and who knows, maybe in the next go-around, after Obama's 8 years, we'll see a REAL Republican enter the fray.

Colin Powell - Man of the Hour

I am stunned, I am shocked, that some would suggest Powell's endorsement of Obama to be racist. OMG, and I mean that; I believe in God, and I can only pray that minds so sick, souls so corrupt with prejudice and hatred, might experience some grace and find their way through to the sunny side of the street.

Powell is a leader, a military man, and he got there like any of us do - by the help of others. Is anyone on top of the heap by solitary effort? Never.

But to suggest that Powell's achievements are anything less than his, and his decision to back Obama nothing more than racist is the lowest of the low.

Our nation has to deal with this demon lucking in our souls. This is a remarkable moment for us to cast it out, but for some, I'm afraid, it's a moment to nourish the demon and give it greater life.

Newspaper Endorsements Roll In

From the Huffington Post:

First, Philadelphia talk radio host Michael Smerconish:

On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Smerconish did so by reading a couple paragraphs from his pending op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I've decided," he said. "My conclusion comes after reading the candidates' memoirs and campaign platforms, attending both party conventions, interviewing both men multiple times, and watching all primary and general election debates.

"John McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. But he will not get my vote. For the first time since registering as a Republican 28 years ago, I'm voting for a Democrat for president.

"I may have been an appointee in the George H.W. Bush administration, and master of ceremonies for George W. Bush in 2004, but last Saturday I stood amidst the crowd at an Obama event in North Philadelphia," says the Republican.

Then, the Chicago Tribune, a newspaper that has not endorsed a Democrat for president since it was founded in 1847, followed suit. From their editorial:

Many Americans say they're uneasy about Obama. He's pretty new to them.

We can provide some assurance. We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready.

...

It may have seemed audacious for Obama to start his campaign in Springfield, invoking Lincoln. We think, given the opportunity to hold this nation's most powerful office, he will prove it wasn't so audacious after all. We are proud to add Barack Obama's name to Lincoln's in the list of people the Tribune has endorsed for president of the United States.

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

Wow!

Check out the VIDEO from Meet the Press.

See also, The Huffington Post ARTICLE.

Eloquent, insightful ... a real American speaking out for real values.

Oh that our nation could rise to its best character.
Leave behind the meanness, the callowness, the innuendo of suspicion ...
To be great in heart and faith,
Acceptance and affirmation,
To live the truth emblazoned on our Statue of Liberty:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me.

Hats off to Colin Powell, good soldier that he is.

I watched his UN effort, and my heart broke for him.
In subsequent remarks, Mr. Powell has undone the damage;
he's admitted - the UN appearance is a "blot on my career."
He tried his best to stand with the Republicans, but he's a centrist, and as Mr. Powell noted this morning, the GOP has moved further and further right.

And he would be distressed with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court.

The Court is, and should be, above politics, but politics are very much a part of the appointment process, and politics play a hand in the game.

For the Court, and for the White House, we need those who can rise above the fray and see the greater good. We need women and men free of narrow ideological demands, who can genuinely weigh the options, listen to various voices, and make a decision on behalf of the whole nation, a nation diverse, a land of freedom.

Obama is that kind of man.

And we need him in this hour of crisis.

Michele Bachman - Dump Her

The iron grip of the fascists on the news media ... though they cry stridently that much of the media are liberal, it's a lie, because much of the media, especially print media, are scared out their wits because of a declining readership. For years now, the media have pandered to the powers that be ... often owned by powerful interests committed to the worst kinds of fascist philosophy.

Why has the Minneapolis Star Tribune refused to publish the hateful remarks made by Michele Bachman over the years.

Why?

Take a look at this blog piece -

Dump Michele Bachmann: First Time in Eight Years: Local Newspaper Reports Bachmann Extremism

Michele Bachman

Dear Senator McCarthy,

I watched your performance on Hardball ... amazing ...

And you're a representative to Congress for the good people of Minnesota?

I wish I knew you better ... because I'm trying to figure out from whence folks like you come ... how you think?

Do you really believe that Congress is filled with un-American folks?

Or is this just the sick party line written by Rovians?

Like Joe McCarthy of old, that kind of thinking, that kind of talk, is un-American, in the worst sense of all - sowing seeds of doubt, building upon fear and suspicion, throwing around meaningless words, the very tactics used by the Fascists and Nazis to undermine democratic rule.

Whatever happens in this election, it's clear in my mind that you are the perfect representative of the decline of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln and Senator Dirksen. Republicans, beginning with the Great Liar, Ronald Reagan, have worshipped at the altar of power and business - have brought this nation to its knees economically, ruined our international reputation, weakened our military and pitted us against one another via the non-issues of abortion and gays (bedroom politics) while our environment degrades, millions died from poverty, disease and war, and 40 million Americans are uninsured, with our health status in decline.

Anyway, Joe, welcome back. I guess your ghost never entirely goes away, lurking in the dark corners of the mind and soul, feeding on hatred, and coming out of the closet now and then to hurt and malign.

P.S. check out the Dump Michele Bachman blog HERE.

And stop by HERE to sign a petition to censure Bachman.

Republican Hate

Living in Northern Michigan a few years back, I had some auto work done and needed a courtesy ride from the shop. A retired gentleman from downstate (Detroit) drove me home; he told me how much he enjoyed living up north because downstate, he no longer felt at home. There were just too many foreigners and too many Blacks.

I'll not forget the conversation ... I listened, he lamented.

I suspect some of the hatred spewing out of the far right at the McPalin rallies reflects the "homelessness" experienced by many Americans who were born and reared in one age and now find themselves strangers in a strange land.

Check out the following video - look and listen - are they not "homeless" in America? They've been uprooted and made to grow in a radically new environment, and they're scared, even as they can't, or won't, comprehend the world as it is.

"Pinko Communist," an elderly man shouted. Talk about a time-warp, a blast from the past, but he was using an epithet he had used in the McCarthy era - something sure and solid, something for certain. When all else fails, start name-calling. It feels good for the powerless and the lost.

They're sad for the loss of orientation, and the loss of feeling important and valuable. They're frustrated because what they once knew doesn't fit very well any more. Their children have likely moved on; retirement pensions are shrinking. They no longer feel at home, and now McPalin gives them an opportunity to reach down into all of that fear, all of that hatred (for we hate what we fear, if the fear continues long enough), and give vent to it.

And something darker ... life is always about who's on top and who isn't. Only by grace does one overcome such instincts, but for millions of white folk, the position of privilege was never questioned, even if you were a redneck sharecropper, down on your luck, you at least black folks to despise.

Barbara Kingsolver, in her delightful book of essays, High Tide in Tucson, observes in an essay on bad science in service of racial superiority: the privileged have not yet tired of hearing how righteously they came by their place at the table (essay entitled, "Semper Fi").

There have always been racists and hate-filled people - it's a DNA thing, but many of the McPalin folks live decent lives. Quiet lives, likely never thinking very much about ultimate values - they work too hard, their churches are not likely to help them grow emotionally or intellectually - good and decent folk who watch a lot of TV.

They're afraid.

P.S. If you want to see a sad example of how the church fails these folks (since most of them would be either conservative evangelical/Baptist types or Roman Catholics, check out this video of an "evangelical" pastor giving the invocation at a McCain rally - an example of a terribly distorted understanding of Scripture and a pandering to the powers-that-be.

McCain Booed

I disagree profoundly with John McCain, but he did something profoundly honorable at one of his rallies. When confronted with the worst kinds of fear and ignorance, he corrected the audience, defended Obama and was booed for his efforts.

In such a clear and convincing moment, the real John McCain is evident - a man of honor and truth.

The far right cabal that hijacked the GOP is now running amok - it's hatred, bigotry, insanity, rising to the surface, for which all thoughtful Americans can be grateful - sometimes, we have to stand in front of the mirror of our own soul, and America's soul, often great and generous, has some seriously dark stains, and we're seeing them revealed at the McCain/Palin rallies. Even John McCain is embarrassed. I wonder about Palin? Does she care? Does she think?

Hats off to McCain for challenging the worst in his audience, and hats off to the all the Republicans who have challenged the hockey mom from Alaska and are trying to rise above the dirt.

Whatever happens, I believe that we are watching the death throes of the far right and it's deadly grip on American politics and the GOP. When all is said and done, they will retreat back into the holes from which they've crawled. They'll never go away, but it will be long time before they gain their former ascendancy. That anyone could have thought that Dobson, Falwell, Cheney, Rove, trickle-down economics and shock and awe diplomacy could win anything of value boggles the mind, but ever so often, even a great nation has to fall in order to sort out its values and regain its balance.

Can we regain our composure?

Of course we can, and I believe we will.

GOBAMA!

GOP Anger

Reality TV has nothing on these angry anti-Obama people who are connecting to the deepest levels of bigotry found in the underbelly of our nation. Words escape me - how to describe the depths of ignorance and hatred.

These are not nice people, no matter how you slice it.

They're angry and bigoted, spewing a venom often hidden from view - whether it be in some posh suburb or a backwoods bar and grill, it's all the same - racial and religious hatred directed at Muslims and Gays and anyone of color. That Americans could still think this way is beyond my grasp. That shreds of this might yet exist in our psyche is not hard to believe, but to hear and see it at this volume is mind-boggling and embarrassing.

But necessary?
Sometimes a people need to embarrass themselves so badly in order to confront the demons within.
Is this a potential embarrassment?
When these folks see themselves on YouTube, what will they think?
Can they be proud of themselves?

Where now are the Catholic Bishops who rail on abortion?
Where now are the high-minded fundamentalists who preach Christ? And claim to have an inside track on God's truth?
Where's the Republican Party of Lincoln and Eisenhower?
Where's the likes of a Bill Buckley when the conservative wing needs him?

Can McCain possible accept any of this?
I doubt it, except for the price of election, and if this is a price he's willing to pay, he's not fit to be President of the United States ... maybe some local chapter of the KKK.
And Palin?
We all know where she's at - down in the gutter politics of slam and slice - shooting wolves from the air is sport for this kind of sick mind playing to the worst in our character, groveling in the dirt of hatred and prejudice as if it were the key to winning anything of goodness or value. She's clearly not fit for office of any kind.

And though she touts her faith, I can only wonder about the kind of god she worships. Oh yeah, I forgot, the kind of god who goes witch hunting.

Check out this ARTICLE and follow the YouTube links if you want to get sick to your stomach.

Abortion

Just saw a pathetic, emotion-laded video on the "evils "of Obama and his stance on abortion.

Check it out if you will, right HERE. Check out all the related crap - amazing how some folks fail to think, and how they hide their bigotry behind religion.

A friend sent it to me ... sent to her by a "friend."

Here's what I wrote in response:

What about the 30,000 children who die every day from starvation, who die hideous deaths wrapped in filthy blankets, in part, because the Bush Administration fights family planning, has failed to even try to stop genocide, and has failed to help the world redistribute food stuffs to the most needy.

The right-wing turns a blind eye to all of this suffering and then goes all-out on abortions, most of which are done early-on, and most of which are done well.

Abortion remains a hard choice that belongs to every family, every woman ... not that every family or woman makes the best choice, but then not everyone with a driver's license drives well. In so many instances, the choices are not between good and bad, but between bad and bad. It's a hard world, and for millions of mothers, only hard choices.

It's about fundamental freedoms, and both as a Christian ("for freedom Christ has set us free") and as an American, we enjoy tremendous freedoms. At what price are we willing to forgo such freedom?

Since many unwanted pregnancies occur under harsh circumstances, dealing with poverty, sex education and improving people's circumstances will go a long way in limiting unwanted pregnancy.

We have to deal with the REAL issues rather than salving our emotions with emotional nonsense like the video.

We have to choose to think, and those who follow Jesus have to be comprehensive thinkers and doers, because God so loves the world. To ignore the 30,000 children who die every day from starvation brought about by war and disease, and to get all put-out about a very few late-term abortions here in America, is the highest crime against God and humanity.

Shame on Christians who turn a blind eye to the big picture and strain a gnat out of the cup - isn't that what Jesus said to the Pharisees? And getting spiritually uppity on a very small matter while ignoring the tide of death sweeping our world, now intensified by the economic collapse brought about the Reagan-Bush doctrine, will only intensify the power of death.

Just some thoughts ... pray that the hardened hearts of the religious right will be thawed by the grace of Jesus our Lord.

For Jesus ...

AIG's Big Party

To quote Mr. Reagan, "there ya' go again."

AIG's Big Party.

Whatever the "legitimacy" of this event may be, I question the whole thing - where is the restraint? Where is the sense of management? Could not a lesser venue be found? A few of the trimmings trimmed away? Is business so self-indulgent? So blind to its moral ineptitude?

The love of money is the root of all evil, and here is a gang who loves money and loves it profoundly. While millions of Americans wonder where the next meal is coming from, how they're going to pay the rent and purchase the prescription, AIG throws away a half mil as if it were nothing, and plans to throw even more away.

Of course, these are money-making subsidiaries. Well why not take that money and start paying back the American taxpayer? Shame on the Reaganesque insanity that big business is our savior. They should all be fired.

Health Care

Flogging a dying horse - to think that we can succeed with a failing health-care system built upon an illusion: that the market is the best means to care for the nation's health. There isn't a civilized nation on the face of the earth, and even a few uncivilized, that pits its citizens' health against market factors.

A single-payer health-care system is the only answer, and the sooner we get on with it, the more quickly millions of Americans who live and die without adequate care will be on the improve, lowering costs, improving productivity and adding to the overall security/happiness scale that plays such a huge role in any society.

The only folks who continue to argue for the antiquated illusion of the current system are those who have sufficient income to purchase their care. But, then, hasn't that always been the character of an unregulated free market: the wealthy enjoy the benefits on the backs of millions who suffer quietly in the shadowed corners.

Most significantly, we tolerate in our food supply and in our product manufacturing toxic chemicals outlawed in Europe. Why? Because we don't give a damn, especially for the struggling middle class, and we've forgotten the poor.

European standards are much higher? Why? THEY PAY THE BILLS FOR THE HEALTH OF THEIR CITIZENS!

When will America give up its illusions? The current financial debacle proves the point: business is incapable of moral decisions, and that's all right, as long as we can tell the truth. Good government has proven itself time and again as the only means whereby the average citizen can enjoy a safe and abundant life. As we've seen in the last few weeks, the wealthy privatize the gains and socialize the losses. Shame on all of them for pretending to have a conscience, and shame on all of us for failing to create a conscience-driven system to monitor the Wall Street Jockeys and finally build a decent health-care system.

Lehman Brothers

Poor Mr. Fuld, former CEO of the new defunct Lehman Brothers - he awakens at night wondering what might have been different.

Poor man.

With $500 million since 2000 ... land holdings including two lavish homes: an ocean-front home in Florida and one in Sun Valley, Idaho ... a multi-million dollar art collection ... and who knows what else ... oh my, how he suffers.

What about the 90-year old widow in Cleveland evicted from her home after living there for 38 years? And the poor woman tried to shoot herself, only to wound herself, now to face even more misery.

What about the man in LA who just shot and killed his family and then himself because of financial woes brought about by men like Mr. Fuld?

I'm sure Mr. Fuld's a good man ... but a man without a conscience, living in the rarefied air of corporate boardrooms, hiding behind the salary scales set by boards around the nation - each paying one another huge, impossible, sums of money.

As Mr. Waxman so wisely said, "privatizing gain and socializing loss."

Shame on them all and their tribe. They have bilked the nation, no, the world, of billions and have hurled millions of innocent families into the pit of despair.

Yea, he awakens at night wondering what happened. So do millions living on the edge of poverty, or full in its grip.

Is it any wonder that Jesus repeatedly describes countless woes for the wealthy who repeatedly show their vanity, while congratulating themselves and suggesting that "you, too, could be rich like me."

So let him awaken in his mulit-million dollar mansions ... let him lie awake for many a night pondering the misery he and his clan have brought upon the whole world.

Before Congress, not one word of apology or remorse.

Is this any different than a cold-blooded murderer facing his victims with a snarling smile?

Poor Mr. Fuld.

Religulous

Bill Maher's Religulous see HERE for my review.

As part of a growing effort to unmask the idiocy of the far right, much of it empowered by skewed religious ideas, Maher's documentary is a breath of fresh air. A real hoot, but substantive, too.

Dark Material

Wrote to a friend this morning:

McPalin is sinking ... I suspect we'll see them both, in their respective styles, grow increasingly petulant and cutesy ... she was nauseating - that anyone could watch that "say it ain't so, Joe" performance and believe she's fit for the office of VP, not to say the Presidency, has to be nuts.

Or as one young "pro-hate," I mean pro-life mother in Texas said (she's 25), we stand with Sarah on the matter of abortion - this is the kind of mindless support being produced by the religious right - the very folks who snapped their arms and hands upright to salute Hitler and Mussolini ... and I'm serious when I say that - they'd trade away the Republic in a heartbeat and create an oligarchy/theocracy to dismantle the Constitution and refashion us to look like a Saudi Arabia.

As Biden said, "Cheney is the most dangerous VP we've ever had."

In my darkest moments, I wonder - are the Neo-cons counting on McCain's death or illness, if elected, so that Palin would assume office? She'd be putty in their hands.

P.S. Check out this fine and thoughtful piece by Frank Rick, New York Times, Oct. 4 - about "pitbull Palin" - that the GOP is counting on her to win the day, maybe even having McCain flip the ticket ... her hubris, her uncontrolled ambition, her lack of intelligence - the GOP virtues.

Patritotism

Naomi Wolf has a new book, an excerpt of which is posted HERE.

It's all about patriotism, the real kind, or the fake kind.

And we've had plenty of fakery as of late.

Don't miss this fine piece of writing ... and the extraordinary Second Inaugural address by Lincoln.