Government helping... Finally

I am so proud for our government finally stepping up to the plate and giving assistance to business sectors who need it. That is what the government should right: take care of the economy of the country, take care of the businesses based within the country, take care of the people within the country. With might and power like those wielded by the United States, we should expect us to look out for our own.

No, I'm not talking about those whining farmers who are bitching about ever increasing costs of diesel fuel and fertilizer and the squeezing effects of world competition.

No, I'm not talking about those lazy union workers who complain about their jobs being outsourced to slave labor camps around the world in the name of 'globalization'.

No, I'm not talking about the steel workers and producers of other raw goods who are suffering from trade dumping from around the world.

I'm talking about the energy industry.

This oft maligned and much abused industry is the one responsible for fueling (pun intended) the insatiable appetite of the average American for cheap cheap cheap oil. Like the potbellied grease-covered gluttons bellying up to the all-you-can-eat $2.99 fried chicken buffet in Vegas, we just can't get enough... even if it is killing us. But our addiction is not what I am talking about today. I'm talking about the give-away of OUR resources. I'm talking about the Congress exempting the oil and gas industries from paying royalties on products that they take from federal lands... OUR LANDS.

I think Congress is very very brave to support this industry, who, in 2005, barely managed to eek out the largest profits reported by any company every. While some of our citizens were lazily hanging out in the SuperDome, this stalwart industry was braving Katrina by raising gas prices to the highest level ever. To our leaders I say thank you for your giveaway of $7 billion to these companies who are only making about $10,000 in profit PER MINUTE as you read this.

More than anything I am proud of Dubbie for taking care of his constituents. No, I don't mean those stupid voters. I mean the gas and oil industry. Seems about right that an oil man takes care of big oil doesn't it? Does it surprise you at all? It shouldn't. The next time you fill up the tank of your H2 (and decide which medicines to skip to pay for it), say a silent prayer to our leaders for helping those they care most about.

Guns don't shoot people

The Vice-President shoots people...

Seriously though. I am glad to hear that the "millionaire lawyer" friend of Dick "Prince of Darkness" Cheney is going to be ok. It is quite unfortunate that he got shot in his face by his friend. The unfortunate part isn't necessarily that a republican got shot, but rather that the anti-gun nuts are gonna have a field day with this one.

You see, unlike a lot of progressives, I don't really have a problem with guns. As a matter of fact, I believe our public should be very well armed. The founding fathers had a very specific reason for adding "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." as an amendment to the Constitution. They knew that someday we might get some people into office who might decide they want to stay in office regardless of the laws in place. They foresaw the chance where we might get leaders who decided they are above the law: that they are no longer bound by the Constitution. They had fought hard for this new country. They sacrificed their lives and the lives of their family. I guess they figured that a government only fears a constituency that has the power to overthrow them.

I believe the progressives should cast off the anti-gun shroud placed upon them by the extreme-left. We should talk more about responsible gun owners, firearm education and the like. We should get off our asses even now and then and go have some fun shooting. We should all own some good weapons: properly cared for and safely locked away from irresponsible hands. That way, if we ever get to a scenario where all our troops are overseas fighting a quagmire war, and we have a national security event (such as our government deciding that they no longer need that pesky Constitution) we will have a means of recourse.

Fool me — you can't get fooled again.

Is it just me, or when you watched the latest White House dog and pony show about the foiled terrorism plot in 2002, did you not quite take that bait? I know that I’m jaded but come on! Shoe bombs to blow open cockpit doors? These mental images of Nike pump shoes being squeezed furiously keep popping into my mind.

I’ve been lied to so many times by this administration that I just can’t take this seriously. More than likely it seems that this is the scenario:

W: Karl, we are in some serious trouble beacasue of all the illegal domestic wiretapping we are doing. It seems that the American people don't like getting spied on after all.
Rove: I know Dubbie. How can we distract the masses?
W: How about terrorism? That always seems to be good for a few weeks of hysteria.
Rove: Good idea! We tell them that our spying foiled a terrorism plot. Then we follow up with the fact that they should be very afraid and that only we can protect them.

So they come up with this story about preventing an attack on the Library Building (or was that Liberty?) by using aggressive and un-Constitutional tactics. But it seems fishy to me. Why announce this now – right when Congress is starting to investigate the lawbreaking? Why didn’t the mayor LA know anything about this? This seems like a rerun of the “Smoke-N-Mirrors Show”.

The problem is: I hate reruns. Even Seinfeld gets old after awhile. So when I hear the latest propaganda about fear, terrorism, and the great divine protector (Dubbie) I flash back to our past.

• I remember the lies about WMD that led us into a quagmire in Iraq.
• I remember the lies about the mission being accomplished.
• I remember the lies about leaving no child behind.
• I remember the lies about clean air, clean skies, and healthy forests.
• I remember the lies about outing an undercover CIA agent.
• I remember the inept and woeful response to Katrina.
• I remember the lies about Social Security.
• I remember the lies about balancing the budget.
• I remember the lies about compassion.
• I remember

The question is… do WE remember? Will the American people finally put one and one and one and one together and realize that they are being played? Probably not. My bet is that duct tape and plastic sheet sales are going to go way up in the next few days. Then again, maybe the sheeple will surprise me. Maybe they will finally realize the truth of Dubbie’s wonderful statement:

“Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

What good is the Constitution?

I wonder what George Bush was thinking when he swore the Presidential Oath. Obviously his mind was elsewhere because he missed that part about: "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

The fact is that the president is breaking the law and is violating the U.S. Constitution by his authorization of warrant-less domestic spying.

The argument that Congress implicitly granted authorization in the War Resolution following 9/11 simply doesn’t hold water. Show me a line where that resolution grants permission to spy on Americans. Show me where it says FISA no longer applies. Can you quote me the text? I didn’t think so. The president is breaking the law.

The sad thing is, our government has the tools in place to conduct a legal form of electronic surveillance. The FISA laws grant the president the authority and flexibility to wiretap suspected terrorists immediately and get a court order up to three days later. But this president has decided that he is above the law; that the Constitution does not apply to him.

I applaud the members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, who have challenged this assertion by the administration. Our government was founded with principles of checks and balances. If Congress doesn’t hold the president accountable, they are telling us that the president is above the law. They are telling us that Congress itself is irrelevant because they no longer have any power to counteract the president.

Americans must demand that Congress hold this administration accountable for their violation of our Constitution. Otherwise, what good is it?