I smell a rat.

Just in time for Christmas, something creepy this way comes. I haven't seen anything about it in the media, but look what the House of Representatives passed 404-6. Named the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, it's a proposal for a commission, hearings, reports etc. with the purpose of finding out if people are planning or thinking dangerous thoughts. It's dressed up as a way to prevent attacks like those in 2001 and those experienced in Europe and Israel, and is essentially to be an arm of the Department of Homeland Security. It's sponsors felt the need to insert lip service to civil liberties and constitutional rights. But, they didn't specify exactly what could and could not be done to subjects of inquiries or to those subpoenaed to testify before the commission. To his credit, my congressman, Jerry Costello, of Illinois, voted 'no'.

Where's the red line?

It’s time to ask the Democrats a question: Do they have a moral map? And, if they do, where is the red line? At what point will they stop and stand up for what’s right and resist what’s wrong?

Apparently they are not at that point yet. Saturday, Nov. 24, they had Gen. Ricardo Sanchez give their response to President Bush’s weekly radio address. Gen. Sanchez was the military commander in overall charge, in Iraq, at the time of the Abu Ghraib torture episode. Prior to that, the Democratic Senate gave its advice and consent for the appointment of Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General. During confirmation hearings Mr. Mukasey could not find it within himself to condemn, as torture, vile acts that our own government has prosecuted, as war crimes, for over 100 years.

The Executive branch has tapped Americans phones and email, “disappeared” people and endangered intelligence agents for political purposes. How have the Democrats responded? Speaker of the House Pelosi says impeachment is “off the table” and Majority Leader Reid says the Senate “has other things to do” than censure the President. Apparently senators cannot multi-task.

Polls show 70% of Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction. If the Democrats have no moral compass, how are they to turn America around?

Watching the Burmese army crush the protests

Watching the Burmese army crush the protests of Budhist monks made me sad, for my own country. Rather than pass legislation to restore our Constitution, Congress has shamed itself.

Our country has legalized torture, disappearances and, given the secrecy, we must assume extra-judicial executions as well. President Bush has admitted committing crimes: tapping citizens’ phones and computers. The President has secretly declassified information for the sole purpose of legalizing acts which would have otherwise subjected the Vice President, and others, to prosecution. The right of habeas corpus, protecting all in the English speaking world since King John signed the Magna Carta, in 1215, was surrendered by the Military Commissions Act of 2006. In August, Congress passed legislation, over a weekend, and in fear, that authorized even more phone tapping and email snooping on Americans.

A few months ago, when Sen. Feingold, introduced a motion of censure on the President and Vice President, Harry Reid, the Democrats’ leader, said the Senate had more important business. The Senate demonstrated their idea of importance last September by voting to condemn a newspaper ad, the facts of which were not in dispute, only its tactless headline, concerning a general. We are told that the Constitution cannot be restored, and the war not stopped, because they need a super majority of 60%. This is false. Legislation only needs 51% to pass. The argument then becomes that it takes 60% to overcome a veto or a filibuster. So what? Let them filibuster. What could be more important to debate at length, than our constitutional liberties? In Burma, the people lost, but their defenders, barefoot monks, stood up to guns and soldiers. In Washington, the Democrats couldn’t even stand up to a filibuster.

Saturday at the Shrimp Festival

Spent Saturday afternoon at the Golconda Shrimp Festival. What a cool festival and town. Street was lined with motorcyclists, most of whom seemed to congregate outside the saloon. Great view of Ohio River at the end of the main street. Nice marina. Plenty of food on the street. Bands playing. Reasonably priced beer, though you had a different ticketing/token system than with the food vendors on the street.

We decided to camp at Dixon Springs State Park, nearby. This is a good place for day activities but questionable for camping. We camped there because it was convenient to Golconda and the Shrimp Festival. The park is right off IL 146, but that is one of the negatives. While camping, we could hear highway traffic all night.

Ghost Dance Canyon Trail is well worth the hike, with rock formations, small caves and a creek. However, again, you could hear the highway traffic the whole hike.

Campground was clean and it was nice to have tent campers (as we are) outnumber, or equal, RVs. But, mighty startling as we were setting up, was the loud, bellowing, otherworldly sound of chanting. We finally realized it must be coming from the Impact Incarceration camp next door to the park. We rode our bikes over, about 7pm and were greeted by a guard who told us the noise had been the prisoners engaged in tug-of-war. They quit at 7:00. However, we were awoken at 5:30, or 6:00, the next morning, to the sounds of prisoners shouting their way through calisthenics.

On the whole, a good time, though. We had a great campfire. Steaks and sweet potatoes over the open fire, bottle of wine, cards and great weather. Had another great breakfast fire, over which we perculated coffee, and made eggs, bacon and toast. Worked it all off with a bike ride through the park and a hike through the canyon.

Holy shit!

Who would ever dream that former Attorney General John Ashcroft would come out of any story looking like the good guy? Given the fascist tactics of current Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and former White House chief of staff Andrew Card, Ashcroft appears to be a hero in the fight for liberty. Wow. How low have we sunk? Or did we always just misjudge the prude by the company he kept? See the story of today's congressional testimony here.

Molly Ivins: I miss her already.

Our awful local paper, the Southern Illinoisan ran Molly, every Sunday, across the page from Anne Coulter. It was maddening. It is also not lost on me, that the last column I saw from Molly Ivins, was a call, to go out into the streets to stop the war.

I was watching reruns of the Sopranos last night, when my wife, who was at the computer cried, “Oh, no! Molly Ivens died!” She seemed to be in tears off and on last night.

Ninety nine percent of those who claim to be journalists should prostrate them selves begging Molly Ivins’s spirit’s forgiveness for pretending to be in the same profession as she. I’m going to call my senator and tell them to support Russ Feingold’s proposal to cut off funding for the war. I think she’d like that better than flowers.

The one senator not running for president

The one senator not running for president is the only one with a clear eyed solution to the war. I was disappointed that Russ Feingold chose not to run for president. Now I see that he has more patriotism than ambition. He voted against starting the war and now he proposes to end it. Non-binding resolutions will not affect a President who ignores the law. Bush/Cheney will not be impressed by the Congressional equivalent of a student council resolution. Only action, such as cutting off funding by a defined date, will get the US out of this nightmare (we can't save the Iraqis; we've already ruined their country).

Hillary, Biden, Reid and the rest of the Democratic leadership gave us this war, when the Democratic Senate chose to vote for it in 2002. Then, many of them wanted to be president and were afraid the war would go well and they would be accused of voting wrong. Now they want to be president and they want to cover all bets. They'll vote for a non-binding resolution so they can say they oppose the war but not be accused of voting against the troops.

Feingold supports the troops. He wants to bring them home. Call your Senators and tell them to support him!

jc