Happy New Year, fellow travelers!

[angka]

My, the holidays have been busy. I've missed you all.

2003 was a tough year. From a shameful war to start the year (heroically yet unsuccessfully opposed by the left), to massive attempts by the GOP to consolidate their ill-gotten power through unconstitutional jerrymandering—and now the unequal struggle against the far right's duplicitous 'academic freedom' initiatives. All of this backdropped by an American public which seems to steadfastly refuse to acknowledge what is happening, and seems poised to give these criminals another four years to complete the looting of our democracy. It’s not that they are stupid, as some less articulate people regrettably suggest. The thing to understand is that they are still in shock, stunned into complicit flag-waving, hoping someone will put an end to their nightmarish afterimages of the planes going in—

That fear is the only thing the post-9/11 GOP has left with which to impose its legitimacy. But as the night gets darkest, the dawn nears...

Let's start right here in Colorado: the state government is owned by the GOP like never before, but cracks begin to appear everywhere—they can’t fix the budget and also pay for any vital services, even though they keep narrowing what they consider ‘vital.’ Their attempt to rewrite election districts into their favor was dealt a huge defeat in the courts. The assault on objective academics (which doesn’t look kindly upon their incompetence/subversion), well, it seems to be gaining a suspicious momentum, but its roots run shallow—read on.

The Auraria College Republicans has led the charge for Horowitz’s doublespeaking Academic Bill of Rights; and is, in its totality, a front group for an emerging coalition of leaders on the far right of the American political spectrum. Its chairman, George Culpepper, is an intern for Colorado Senate President John Andrews (academia witch-hunter-in-chief). Another member is an intern for infamous reactionary firebreather Mike Rosen’s radio show. According to the RMPN, ACR vice-chairwoman Danielle Robinson has herself, very interestingly, recently accepted an internship of her own—with Tom Tancredo, the same man now goading the federal Department of Education to assist the looming actions against Dr. Oneida Meranto. Combine all of this with the overarching guardianship of David Horowitz and local neoconservative interest groups like the Independence Institute, and a clear picture emerges: of a few kids, proselytized by a few reactionary usual suspects, dutifully manufacturing a crisis, necessitating the implementation of the far-right’s pre-existing agenda—which is, and let’s be clear about this, the stilted injection of rightwing apologist propaganda into otherwise objective academics. A very neat little package, don’t you think? Also very easy to see through.

And the story only gets better as you move up the GOP food chain. Andrews, Tancredo and Horowitz are rolling on with their backwards agenda, but where is the Governor in all of this? Is he hiding?

What if I told you that the dear baby-faced Governor Bill Owens was desperately trying to conceal a massive sex scandal? One that made Bill Clinton’s cum-stained dress look like eight year olds playing house?

It’s not that private sexual eccentricities are public business at all— this is not something Owens should be Clintoned for. Apart from the smug satisfaction of being able to apply ‘Clinton’ as a verb to an archrepublican, I have no interest in seeing him removed from office over such an affair, if any of it is even true: I can only tell you that I have heard very specific, consistent stories from several highly credible people, including at least two major media sources. I would be happy if he was merely forced to explain all of this to his loyalists in the Springs. And allowed it to be put into the public balance against the breathless neopuritan sermonizing that got him elected.

One prediction I will make is that this little story is gonna come together—it’s gonna break, and when it breaks I think it might help break some other things, too. Which is good, and fills me with hope, because I see much in need of breaking.

Nationally, of course, we are entering that magical season where hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent trying to replace George W. Bush. Barring some kind of Florida 2000-style or Diebold-engineered deviousness, I think the presumptive Democratic nominee Howard Dean will do this thing. I love Kucinich but will take Dean. I don't love dirty, money-grubbing politics, but will tolerate it to see Bush removed. And I think he will be.

Why so confident? Well, there’s something lurking out there, a BIG story, firming up the War on Terror-9/11 relationship. No details on that yet, sorry, not gonna do it, wouldn’t be prudent, not at this juncture…which is also going to break. The reason it hasn’t is that we’ve got a long election cycle ahead, and timing is everything. It’s all about keeping your ear to the ground in this sorry business.

But you can take heart from the knowledge that these battles are being joined on all fronts. Many people—many even who were complicit in getting Bush elected in 2000—have seen what their deal with the devil has gotten them. They know what another four years of this man will mean in terms of lasting damage to the country. The fiscal conservatives are closer to revolting against Bush than anyone will admit. And the Christians! As soon as they begin to understand the singularly corrupt nature of this administration (many already do), they will flee the current GOP and it will burn, baby, burn—

“And now a dream of resistance haunts him, hope mingling with fear…”
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle

[angka]

1. PM bump

wake up!