Saturday, September 30, 2006
The Darkest Blot
It’s rare for the mainstream media to seriously investigate a politician who isn’t either,
- a well known criminal or
- someone who’s already been indicted
I have never seen an organ of the mainstream media personally and directly challenge a member of Congress on an issue that doesn’t involve corruption like CNN has done recently when, rhetorically, in got in James Inhofe’s (R-OK) face and called him a fraud. This was a royal beat down.
Inhofe is, indeed, an anomaly. I have excoriated him on this website more than once before. In a party of propagandists, war criminals, and moral inbreds he actually stands out, which is quite an incredible feat. I would, once again, like to take this time to thank the voters of Oklahoma for sending this unregenerate idiot to the U.S. Senate.
Jim Jeffords is leaving the U.S. Senate after a remarkable 32 year career. I never agreed with a lot, if not most, of what Jeffords had to say, but he cast some truly courageous votes in his time and is leaving the Senate with class.
The New York Times recently came out with an editorial castigating the “compromise” military commissions legislation, saying it “will be ranked with the low points in American democracy, our generation’s version of the Alien and Sedition Acts,” an analysis I agree with and have offered before. This legislation has passed the House and a nearly identical looks to pass the Senate. Harry Reid asserted that he might want some small changes to be made to the bill but that, in general, “we want to do this.” Way to take a principled stand, Harry. He did assert he would filibuster the FISA bill being bounced around the Senate, but for the love of God, the “opposition” party in Congress is set to OK “our generation’s version of the Alien and Sedition Acts.” While Senate democrats are so terrified of being painted as soft on terror many of them cave to pressure from the united republican front and this bill looks to be enacted. As I wrote before, this is a national disgrace, or, as Patrick Leahy said, “the darkest blot on the conscience of the nation.” “Chickenshit,” in the words of one of my favorite authors, Jane Smiley. “Off the deep end,” in the words of David Corn. “The soul of our nation is in jeopardy,” in the words of Art Levine.
Meanwhile, how does Iraq look? Not so good, as usual.
Orifice and other right-wingers have been touting the high DOW Jones as proof that Drinky’s tax cuts are working, despite the facts. This kind of magical thinking is right in line with assertions that Drinky’s foreign policy is making America safer, despite record number of attacks on our troops abroad and an increase in terror attacks around the world every year he has been in office.
A tip o’ the hat to right-wing lunatic Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), who asserted that gay marriage “is the most important issue that we face today.” I would like to take this time to thank the voters from her district in Colorado for sending a politician with a diagnosable mental illness to the U.S. House.
One small but extraordinary example of the self-censorship of the mainstream media, and another example of extraordinary media control.
# posted by BitterHarvest @ 2:42 PM 
