Today has been a friggin no-good piece of sh*t day

[TayTay]

and I am in a bad mood. This 109th (Weasel) Congress went into session and immediately aproved Condiliar Rice to Sec of State. As if that wasn't bad enough, Gonzo 'Torture Boy' Gonzales then became Attorney General. (Is he one of the creepiest people in government ever or what? There is really something about him that suggests that he has a secret basement room somewhere where he watches tapes of interrogations of prisoners of war, ah, privately. He is just a creepy, creepy little bastid.)

Things went downhill from there what with many Democrats selling out their constituency by voting for that awful Bankruptcy bill and the right of big Corporations to prevent anyone from suing them for negligence and right on into the insulting and degrading spectable of Terry Schiavo.

So, what can such a smarmy group of self-absorbed, self-righteous and dishonorable group of friggin bastids do for the finale? Hey, they can get rid of a 700 year old civil right that virtually every democracy on earth recognizes as the foundation of it's legal system: habeas corpus.

I friggin hate these bastards. Whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, no matter what it costs, these friggin no-good piece of shit dirtbag arseholes are going to get the f*ck out of my country, cuz we are taking it back. And that's a vow.

What a crappy day. I hate Rethuglicans. I hate their message of all fear all the time. I hate the fact that they are an in-bred, stupid and cynical bunch of whores who aren't fit to lick crap off the dirty shoes of decent people anywhere. These bunch of bastids can bite me. (Oh yeah, and the horse they rode in on too!)

So, how was your day?

[fedupinBushcountry]

1. Ditto

"I friggin hate these bastards. Whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, no matter what it costs, these friggin no-good piece of shit dirtbag arseholes are going to get the f*ck out of my country, cuz we are taking it back. And that's a vow."

NGU

[ProSense]

2. If I could figure out a way

to pay for my house and health insurance, I would dedicate the majority of my time working to drive them out of Congress the democratic way! Those who wind up in behind bars (and there will be a few), I would ensure they spend their every moment in community service -- priority projects fighting poverty and saving the environment!

Bastards!

[beachmom]

3. Just read this quote and thought it was apt:

It showed a picture of The Torture in Chief, and this:

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent," - Isaac Asimov



And, guys, to be fair this goes beyond liberal ideals. That bill was an absolute affront to Libertarianism as well. Remember those bumper stickers from the '90s that they put on their cars: I love my country, but I fear my government. Back then it struck me as paranoia, but now it's reality. And those paranoid assholes VOTED for the Republicans who now made their worst nightmare true. 'Course they haven't figured it out yet -- that it's not just brown foreigners with a different religion who are at risk. It's ALL of us. They're going to go after the far lefties first. I really do think that will happen. The only way you fight injustice is with the rule of law, and now the Congress is going to piss that away.

Anyway, in your dialect you were more eloquent -- bastids!!

Oh, and despite my thread of "it's not yet over", I think it's over. They've already agreed on time allotments. There isn't going to be a filibuster. This thing will pass this week.

[WildEyedLiberal]

4. You know who I blame if this passes?

Reid.

He's so eager to ignore Kerry and the liberal faction of the caucus that he'll sell out THE RULE OF LAW in order to "make a deal" and "position" the party for the midterms.

I doubt he made an effort to reach a filibuster consensus.

Making sure Kerry doesn't steal the spotlight again a la Alito is more important for Harry Reid than stopping a bill that will destroy the foundation of our laws and make us a nation that legally TORTURES.

Everything that has happened this week has calcified my contempt for Reid and the rest of the triangulating Vichy appeasers.

[TayTay]

6. I am no Reid fan, but the Rethuglicans control Congress

If it wasn't done this way they probably would have attached the bill to the Appropriations bill and passed it that way. The Rules of the Senate forbid filibusters on appropriation bills. Sure, it wouldn't have been germaine, but the Forces of Evil control the parliamentarian, and that minion would have declared it hunky-dory.

I am not fond of Harry Reid and have real problems with the leadership. But I am pissed beyond words at the Quisling bastids who sold out America on this bill and that was the work of Rethuglicans. If there is a heaven and these bastids someday try to get in, the likes of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams will be there at the gate telling St. Peter that there is no way that people who voted to allow torture can ever get into heaven. Ever.

I put the blame where it belongs, on McCain, Graham, Lieberman and the Fascist contingent who want government to have all the power and the people none.

I hate these motherf**king piece of shit douche-bags. I really do. And I never used to hate anybody. (Mostly.)

[beachmom]

8. Only thing: Lieberman voted yes to the Levin alternative

Do you think he's going to vote for the torture bill tomorrow?

I think it's natural for us to blame our own -- kind of like when you take stuff out on your Mom when somebody else wrongs you. I mean, I've been having a heart attack about this thing for two weeks, and let's face it -- I was taking it out on Sen. Kerry more than anyone else for not saying what I wanted him to say. I did so because I trust him and have a high opinion of him, and there were high expectations there. Somebody said they called his office, and the reason he didn't take a position on the bill was because he wasn't on the judiciary committee. As soon as it hit the floor, said the staffer, he would work against it. Although we think less of Reid, he's certainly caught a lot of heat for what essentially was a Republican maneuver like you just said.

Just remember that the GOP is the Torture Party. This was THEIR deal from start to finish.

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. Well yeah, ultimately it is the RW evil fascists who are responsible

But then, they are evil. I expect evil works from evil men.

Reid is SUPPOSED to be on the side of Goodness and Light and he appears to be willing to concede habeus corpus and torture in exchange for election positioning. That is - wow. Craven doesn't even begin. How can acquiescing to TORTURE help us win in 06?

[ProSense]

11. You know, they screwed

up the Iraq withdrawal debate, I wonder if they don't want people focusing on the Iraq catastrophe:

http://taylormarsh.com/video/__Terror-Torture_V_IRAQ-1.wmv

[karynnj]

15. So you think it may be the Republicans

who didn't want either the content or his name (or both) on an amendment.
What I don't get is the lack of action here- clearly this is more important than Clinton's ego, from the religious organization, and from principled people on the right.

It's almost like opposition is in slow motion and the bill is moving at breakneck speed.

[wisteria]

5. My day? Not much better than yours actually.

I just can't stand it all sometimes. I endorse everything you said about these creeps who masquerade as honest, caring people. I wonder how much worse it has to get before it gets better. Today, I am utterly appalled at the level of darkness the Bush administration has allowed this country to descend into.

[Blaukraut]

7. No kidding, Tay

November, hell! 2008, can't come soon enough. I just feel bad for whoever gets left with the mess the rethugs leave behind. There has been so much damage done in the last 6 years that it seems it'll take a lifetime to undo it all.

[jillan]

9. "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow..."

You know that song by Fleetwood Mac
...Dont stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Dont stop, itll soon be here,
Itll be, better than before,
Yesterdays gone, yesterdays gone.

Dont you look back,
Dont you look back.

November is not that far away. I really believe the Dems are going to take over the House & Senate.

(Clinton/Gore used that song as their campaign song)

[beachmom]

12. I recommend everyone goes to dKos sometime tonight

At the very top of the screen Amnesty Int'l has an ad that says "The America We Believe in Does Not Torture People". Just one day before, Markos was fiddling with putting ads in different places, and decided he didn't like ad banners at the top of the screen, and wasn't going to do them anymore. But this AI ad at the top is completely fitting for the day we have had today -- it does fill me with hope that there is good in the world still, and people who will fight against evil.

Anyway, in the ongoing threads covering the House/Senate, this person gave a good summary of the day's events:

For those joining this late.... (6+ / 0-)

Recommended by: Thistime, enough, willers, rgdurst, dharmafarmer, Catrina
Here is a quick summary....

The House bill adopts all the provisions pretty much that the Bush Administration wants including provisions allowing evidence otained through cruel and inhuman treatment and suspension of habeas corpus. It passed the House today.

The Senate has defeated an amendment which would reinstate the bill that was reported out of committee. This means that the "compromise" version that the Bush Administration insisted upon is the one they will vote on. This is largely the same as the House version. They are currently debating an ammendment, the Specter Amendment, that strips the provisions that would eliminate habeas corpus rights.

That is, they are debating eliminating habeas corpus, the right not to be just tossed in jail forever with no recourse, permanently for an entire class of prisoners for the first time in US History. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus for a time during the civil war, but this just for a period of insurection. The Constitution says that you can not suspend habeas except for INVASION or REBELLION. They are effectively saying we either have been invaded or are in rebellion. Today the debate in the Senate over the Specter Amendment was tabled until tomorrow. The Republicans gave their reasons why these people that Bush decalares enemy combatants should not be afforded constitutional rights. Tomorrow the Democrats, lead by Leahy will pick up the debate...

If the Specter Amendment goes down. It will be the first time in US History that habeas has been eliminated permanently. It is blatantly unconstitutional and Unamerican. This is a seminal moment in our history.

by MediaFreeze on Wed Sep 27, 2006 at 04:59:10 PM PDT

It's in this thread:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/27/192435/730

Some great comments including some history of the Magna Carta.

I also have to compliment Markos today. Somebody had put up a whiny "I'm leaving the Dem Party" diary which made the Rec List. Kos ended up responding with this:

A currently Recommended Diary states that the author will quit the Democrats if they roll on torture. My response in the comments, amplified in this open thread:

I wish that conservatives in 1964 were this quick to throw in the towel.

Even as Nixon was creating the EPA and OSHA, they fought, and built, and took over their party. Even when Ford beat their man Reagan in 1976, they simply redoubled their efforts.

But that's why they win. Because they never stopped fighting for their cause, no matter how many setbacks they suffered. Our side, apparently, is made of something lesser.

Stop whining. Stop bitching. And keep working to build a Democratic Party with backbone. The guys currently in DC don't have it? Yeah, we know that. That's why we're supporting a new breed of Democrat that isn't afraid of Rove's shadow. That will fight when the DC Dems would rather cower in fear.

We have a problem. Obviously. Democrats would rather talk about how they need to be strong, than actually be strong. They would rather talk about "moral standing", than actually, you know, stand for what's right. I know that. You know that. I suspect that even Democrats in DC know that. It's just that they're paralyzed by fear.

That's why we need to work for fearless Dems who won't let themselves be held hostage to fear. And remember, this is a long-term process. Just like conservatives didn't quit politics when Nixon was killing them with new government programs like the EPA or OSHA, we can't take our ball home every time we lose on an important issue.

Be angry. But funnel that anger into positive activities. There are good Democrats running at all levels this cycle, and they'll do so again the next, and the one after that.

Democrats think "looking strong" means bombing Iraq or Iran, when "looking strong" really means standing for something because you believe in it, even if you might not think it's the smartest political play. Whimpering every time Rove says "boo!" is not strength. Caving in to the administration is not strength. Surrendering what should be core beliefs because of political expediency is not strength.

Update: Rereading this, I don't think I was clear on this point -- please do put pressure on Democrats to do the right thing. On torture or whatever. Please get angry when they fail us and core American values. And as Stoller notes, this battle isn't over.

What annoys me is when people threaten to leave the party. As though that will somehow make things better.

I thought he was on the money with this post. My only modification would be "some DC Democrats", certainly not all of them. With Markos, my motto is to enjoy him when he's hot, and ignore him when he's cold. His post was a comfort and a rallying cry to me today. For that, I will thank him.

[TayTay]

13. I agree Beachmom with this post

You know, if you scratch the surface of most of the Democrats on DU you will find, buried within even the cynical, an idealistic optimist who wants their country to be what it says it wants to be: a leader in civil rights, a haven for the oppressed and an enforcer of a real moral code in the world that asks of other countries only what we ourselves are held to. We are, by nature, the upholders of the tradition of equality, progress and the idea that this world should not just belong to the rich and powerful but to all of us.

Days like today sorely test that idealism. It hurts me in my heart and in my soul that this debate is taking place. It offends me to a level that is rarely reached. I find this discussion a moral abomination and I despise the cynical bastards who would even consider repealing something as basic to American law as habeas.

Some people will see this and go into a protective shell and lash out at everyone who doesn't take up swords right away to fight this. (Oh Lord do understand that impulse, I have it too!) But another part of me has to recognize reality and the fact that the Rethuglicans, people like Barfbag and Sessions the twerp and the nutjobs from Oklahoma have done this to my country in the name of 'God and Country.' It is enough to make you sick, and more so for Democrats. (In a way, it's like a compressed version of watching the Katrina abandonment happen all over again, only this time the hurricane is sweeping away the Constitutional guarantee to a trial. I never in my life thought it would ever come to this.)

No matter what happens I will not abandon core beliefs. I will take my anger out on the people who did this and the bastards who think the Bill of Rights is a quaint document instead of the founding principles of the nation. I will take it out on Rove, on Bush and on the Republicans.

Hey, I can go Scarlett O'Hara on their butts: "I swear, as God is my witness, I will never allow a bastard like Bush to eviscerate my countries laws again, no matter what."

[ProSense]

16. You know at some point

the friggin members of Congress have to deliver! Sure pep talks are great and much needed, and I am an eternal optimist, but the Democrats in Congress need to start delivering the meager gains they can. Why are they compromising on torture? Can this be reversed? It isn't good that 34 House Democrats voted for this bill! I know they're not in power, don't expect all out wins, but stop friggin helping the ruthless Republican bastard ruin the friggin country.

[TayTay]

17. We don't know yet

The inside baseball on this is still inside. It is awfully strange to have such an important issue on the front burner and then have the Senate adjourn so early each night. (Come on, they can talk for hours on the value of putting up a useless fence to keep out them mexcans, surely they can devote a week to an argument on fundamental Constitutional law.)

Something is up in the backrooms and cloakrooms over there. I bet the real story of what is going on leaks out next week. This is, in many ways, a really weird debate. It's like everyone is shadowboxing in some respects.

Anyway, I bet Sen. Kerry speaks on this sometime tomorrow. The Senate opens up for business at 9:30 and Kerry should be back from his speaking engagement by around 10:30 or so. We shall see what happens. I have a feeling that the Rethugs did the Parliamentary Nasty with this bill and would have made if filibuster-proof no matter what. (Just a feeling, it's been really weird this week.)

[ProSense]

19. I know, and

given that nothing is settled, it's time to wait and see what comes out of the backroom discussions. Still, it really is disheartening to know that 253 members of the U.S. Congress, including 34 Democrats, have so little regard for human rights!

[TayTay]

20. I know. That well and truly sucks

And Sherrod Brown and Harold Ford voted for the Torturers Guild on this one. Sigh!

Some days it just sucks to be us.

[JI7]

26. Sherrod Brown voted for it ?

that really is surprising and makes me sad. i'm sure it has a lot to do with the Senate election, but still..

Harold Ford i'm not surprised by though i don't like it.

[wisteria]

22. W/O habeas corpus,this makes us no better then Saddam Husein.

One of the reasons given for going after Saddam was for human right violations. How can we now take pride in our country and expect others to respect us, when our leaders have reduced our country to a level Saddam would appreciate.

[_dynamicdems]

14. Same here.

Time for the torches?

[TayTay]

18. Hmm, feeling whimsical

I am posting this in GD. There might be a lot of 'disaffected Dems' who had miserable days as well. Misery does love company you know.

[MH1]

21. Crappy day, week, month

but there have been many bright spots as well.

But, this weekend I found that another relative joined the Army. Not the Reserves this time, the actual Basic-AIT-Iraq plan. :banghead:

This is wrong on so many levels, in so many ways, I don't even know where to begin. So I won't. It just sucks, sucks, sucks.

I share everyone's frustration with the torture bill and the way the rethugs are manipulating procedure to push it through with nowhere near the debate that something of this magnitude deserves.

But, this is what 60-some million so-called Americans voted for in 2004. This kind of shit. The evidence was there as to exactly what the Bush administration was about. And 60 million people voted for it. And we failed to convince them otherwise. (I'll admit, I had no idea so many people in this country were that dumb or that self-centered or that incapable of due diligence in their civic responsibility. :banghead:)

"In a democracy, people get the government they deserve."

Maybe it helps to note that the U.S. isn't really a democracy anyway.

(I'd better quit now...my ramblings will only get worse...)

[ProSense]

23. Effing tragic!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2850546&mesg_id=2850546

[globalvillage]

24. HOPE

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.
Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society -- things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time, waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man's curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.
Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.
-E.B. White

[karynnj]

25. To make you feel a little better - look what's on Kennedy's web site

http://kennedy.senate.gov/newsroom/press_release.cfm?id=C8E8B646-08B8-4539-B9FC-6368BE625CBE

He doesn't like torture! (I have to admit this is not a shock.)

[wisteria]

27. He sounds angry as hell. Good! All the Dem's should be saying this

loud and clear!