SOTU, So..?
Not surprisingly, I was quite unimpressed by Bush’s State of the Union. He started with the lie that our Union is strong, and didn’t stop with the lies and half-truths and terrible ironies throughout. The high point was when Bush alluded to his defeat on Social Security ‘reform’ and the Democrats gave him a standing ovation. The rest was Bush’s characteristic jive of taking our highest ideals and traditions and shitting all over them for the low and corrupt ends of his ‘base’.
But I don’t really want to talk about the SOTU. It is never politically significant, anyhow. Most years, Bush’s ratings have fallen following his SOTUs. And while he didn’t drop any real clinkers this year, such as addressing the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports, neither did he say anything that will have any resonance or ring true outside his base. What I thought was really interesting was the Democratic Response.
Politicizing Our Courts
There are some countries where the only rational reaction to the police is to run, fight, or bribe, and where the courts are nothing but an extension of a corrupt government. Luckily, America is not such a country… yet.
21 year-old Michael arrived in Phoenix as a refugee from the 30-year genocidal war in Sudan. His story is part of a tragedy that has destroyed 2.5 million humans, and made refugees of 4 million more. Sudan’s legal system has become a system of torture, and the courts simply puppets of a regime bent on annihilation of black Sudanese.
Michael was hit by a car in Phoenix while riding his bike home from work. He was badly injured in the accident, but was given a ticket by the officer who responded to the accident. He was bewildered and frightened; the car had hit him and he had done nothing wrong. What was going to be done to him when he responded to the wrongful citation?
Vichy Democrats Put Alito on the Bench
The Democratic Senators who voted for cloture have put Alito on the bench. One can debate how much of an effect it will have for a Catholic majority to control our highest court, but the simple fact is that Bush should not have been able to put as conservative a justice as Alito on the bench when laboring under his scandalous record and a pitiful performance rating.
The Democratic party folded over one little word, "obstructionist". Again, instead of taking such a pissant little label, like "liberal", and making it a badge of honor, they slunk off an did the GOP’s dirty business.
This nomination should have been a line in the sand, er… well, those haven’t worked out very well lately… this nomination should have been a make or break moment for every Democrat. Either you’re with us or your dead electoral meat. In the end 25 Democratic Senators did the right thing, but there are several who need to feel a little wrathiness from their base.
The Vichy Democrats are:
Akaka
Inouye
Cantwell
Rockefeller
Byrd
Bingaman
Lieberman
Nelson (FL)
Nelson (NE)
Baucus
T. Johnson
Dorgan
B. Lincoln
Salazar
Conrad
Landrieu
Pryor
Carper
Kohl
Coyote Carnival
AZ Supreme Court Rejects Rep. David Burnell Smith’s Petition
Bush Brings Hamas To Power in Palestine
Bush’s self-appointment as the ambassador of democracy in the Middle
East continues to misfire with
the Palestinian elections handing a clear majority of 76 of 132 seats
in Parliament to Hamas, which is officially considered a
terrorist organization by the United States’ government and Israel, as
well as the EU and Canada. Hamas also does not recognize the state of
Israel and its destruction is part of the
organization’s charter, as are some other choice bits that are likely
to make the peace process difficult at best:
"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."
Bush is calling for Hamas to change it’s charter. Don’t hold your breath. Though Hamas has made some hints that it intends to continue to negotiate with Israel through intermediaries, it is not altogether clear that Israel will be receptive. Israeli hard-liners may use the rise of Hamas as a reason to break off all talks, likely prompting another intensification of mutual violence.
More…
George Sauders’ “The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil”
I just finished reading George Saunder’s novella, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil. It is nothing like what you would expect, but yet is everything you could want in a political satire for our times. Instead of rushing headlong at the subject as I am wont to do (and did do in my own novella Homeland), Saunders started from a much more exploratory place and wound up with what is essentially a Dr. Suess book about genocide.
More from Saunders on how the book was written on the flip…
Flake endorses Shadegg for House majority leader
