Deep Something

These are interviews with the 60,00 to 70,000 people who turned out for the big Tea Bagger March in Washington. Apparently, you don’t have to really know anything about what you’re protesting. It’s all just bad because it is Obama, and some industry or media flak like Glenn Beck told you to be mad and scared.

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It is just astonishing to me the complete crap that has been stirred up over the President of the United States offering an address to school students at the beginning of the school year to encourage to stay in school and work hard. Really, does it get any more anti-American than that? Well, if you’re are a conservative Republican it doesn’t, but there really is logic to the Republicans taking the position they have.

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Ed Schultz of The Ed Show interviews Robert Greenwald about an investigative report on the CEO of United Health Care Group. Turns out the guy is making about $102,000 per hour. At one point a few years ago his salary alone accounted for $1 in every $700 spent on healthcare in America. The fact is, in this country we have always recognized that some things are not best left to the marketplace.

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As most everyone now knows, Current TV journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were pardoned a few days by Kim Jong Il from their convictions of entering North Korea illegally. This was the result of a private visit by former President Bill Clinton. Of course since Clinton was involved, some member of the wingnuts had to jump out there and criticise this succesful negotiation.

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Mr. President, I was finally prompted to write you after reviewing the Motion and Brief submitted by W. Scott Simpson, Chief Trial Counsel of your Department of Justice in the case of Smelt and Hammer v. United States. I’m no attorney, but even a layman can determine bigoted and hateful reasoning when it rears its head. I voted for you with high expectations that your administration would return this country to the principles of fairness, respect, and government of, by and for the people as set forth so eloquently by our founding fathers. Thus far, I am gravely disappointed in the actions of your administration.

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Leave it to Bill Moyers to be the voice of sanity in an otherwise insane discussion about healthcare reform. A recent report showing the majority of bankruptcies in America are healthcare related (and most of those people have healthcare insurance) should be causing Americans to demand that our Congress Critters take a serious look at single payer as the only real way to reform healthcare.

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A posting a couple of weeks ago by a friend on Facebook reminded me that I had failed to write a review of the movie Frost/Nixon which Lay and I watched as an Amazon download nearly a month ago. I thoroughly recommend this film.

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I continue to be baffled by the arguments in favor of torture, and the justifications that are made for America’s use of torture. I have heard one justification after another, and each falls with daily revelations of what really happened. Most disturbing though is a recent Pew Survey finding that the more people attend church, the more accepting they are of these torture justifications. That, my friends, causes me crisis of faith. I fear for what is to become of us as a people and a Republic.

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Sen. John McCain was on Face the Nation Sunday morning, and the contortions he went through to let the previous administration off the hook for their illegal torturing was astounding. He tried to claim that it was all just the result of some bad legal advice. Early in the interview McCain makes the claim that he believes no other Administration will ever make the same mistake (of using bad legal advice…I guess), and torture again.

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Choose your poison. I don’t know the final best answer to the healthcare crisis in this country, but I know it’s a mess, and it has to be fixed. I know one thing that is an absolute certainty. This problem will never be solved until the insurance companies and their influence are removed completely from the process.

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The Youtube clip includes a statement from Senator Leahy about his proposal to have a commission look into the possible crimes of the Bush Administration. It continues with a statement by Senator Whitehouse. Whitehouse, as a member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees is in a position to have some idea of what has gone on in regards to our torture and rendition activities. In light of a stern and direct warning that when the details of what Amerikkah did under the Bush Administration comes out, it’s not going to be pretty, I am set back on my heels.

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The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that a Federal Judge is questioning the constitutionality of the law designed to give the telecommunications companies blanket immunity for their illegal wiretaps. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has asked President Obama’s Justice Department to present its views by Wednesday on whether the law gives the attorney general too much power to decide whether a company is immune from lawsuits.

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W. takes viewers through Bush’s eventful life — his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. Lay and I watched this movie at home on DVD last weekend. It was more interesting than I expected. The film hopscotches through Bush’s life in an effort to compile all the seminal moments. Because of the number of “events” the film attempts to chronicle, this just all happens too fast. “W.” is not really a political movie per se; rather, it’s a movie about a man who went into politics but probably shouldn’t have. It’s about how a father can misread a son, how a son can suffer in the shadow of a famous dad and how temperament gets molded by events both internal and external.

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No less than former President Richard Nixon’s White House Counsel says that we must consider investigating (and if appropriate) prosecuting members of the Bush 43 Administration for torture and crimes against humanity. If, as Dick Cheney seems to believe, they have done nothing wrong, and he and George acted legally in all respects, then I would think they would welcome a special prosecutor so as to clear their name for history. However, they don’t seem to be interested in confessing what they have done and what orders they have issued.

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OK, I couldn’t resist that one. But the real question is…does anyone in Washington bother to pay their taxes? Having just filed mine, and seeing just how much I paid, this all sets me back on my heels a bit. Apparently even the guy picked to head the Treasury Dept. (including the IRS) has problems being clear about the tax code.

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As in “Shit and fall back in it.” The Republican plans were completely repudiated in the last election, they are scrambling to try to dress up the brand, and their only solution is to try and obstruct an economic recovery. It seems they went off to their big annual meeting, and applauded each other because every one of the Republicans in Congress voted No on the economic stimulus package.

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That didn’t take long. John McCain is on TV this weekend saying he won’t vote for the stimulus package. Other leading Republicans are complaining about the package not having enough tax cuts…blah, blah, blah. Of course they’re also on all the Sunday morning talk shows complaining about the dangers of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, and prattling on with the lies about all the released prisoners “returning” to the battlefield. The Republicans seem to have always thought that bipartisanship means that everyone must agree with them. For some reason, the spineless Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have gone along with the bullies, thinking somehow the Repubs won’t be so mean to them, if they just give them everything they want. I’m hoping that Obama is going to demand that Pelosi and Reid grow a spine. It sounds like maybe he has one. It’s been reported that Obama, during a White House meeting with Congressional leaders last week, said matter of factly, “I won.”

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Dick Cheney showed up at the Inauguration in a wheelchair. The official story was that he’d hurt his back while lifting a box the night before. Seeing him “crippled,” and being wheeled around on his last day as Vice President was a suitable coda to the worst administration in history of America, and while it may not matter anymore, I’m not buying the official story.

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The fine christians (Dr. Gary Cass) at the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission have their knickers all twisted because Bishop Gene Robinson had the nerve to pray to God to help us get past mere tolerance and to a place of genuine respect for all people. Obviously, according to these demented idiots, we can have none of that. I mean really, what would Jesus think if we went around actually respecting one another.

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I took time out, as did a lot of Americans, and watched today’s ceremonies swearing in Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. As you might expect, I have some opinions on the ceremony and some of the participants. I’m a sucker for the ceremonies of state, and today’s was “high church.” Barack and Michele Obama, and his children, were just the height of grace and beauty, and it does give me some hope that maybe a new day has begun.

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