The Day 'Hxpx' Became a Dirty, Four Letter Word

Today is that day.
    "Democracy cannot exist without strong differences. And going forward, some of you may decide that my FISA position is a deal breaker. That's ok." That's an excerpt from Barack Obama's statement on his position on FISA. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/201032.php
    That's a pretty cynical statement. What it says to me is that the campaign did the math and feels confident that Progressives have no choice but to pinch their noses and vote for this man who so smartly built a marketing 'campaign' on the back of desperation with the catchy slogan of 'Hxpx'. It also sends a comforting message to borderline Repubs and right leaning Indies in knowing he's a law and order type of guy that takes the terrorist threat we manufactured, one waterboarding at a time, and the lucrative industry it has spawned, seriously. So, under the bus we go!
    This is not a compromise - it is an all out sell out of our Fourth Amendment rights. My politico friends have taken to regurgitating that line that goes, 'he's only pretending to sell us out - just wait until he actually gets into office, he'll do another about face and become Obama The Pure again and don't forget about the possible three Supreme Court Justice appointments!' Well, it seems clear to me that he was either paid off, his family was threatened, or he was debriefed enough by the Corporate Dictators to understand the direction this country is going in and wants to come in on the right side of martial law when it comes down. Whatever it was, we'll probably never know and once a deal like that is made, do you think he would survive welching on the devil? Forget about the Bobby Kennedy analogy, it would probably look a lot more like the Eliot Spitzer scenario. There's also the belief that he will be easier to control once he's in office. Why would one believe that after inheriting the powers that Bush, Inc. has stockpiled in the now Unitary Executive that he would give that all up? Because he says so? Excuse me?
    I'm in NY's 20th Cong District and have lived through the many betrayals of Kirsten Gillibrand. That woman is a neo-con in Democratic clothing. She ran on promises of Impeachment and accountability, was supposedly farm friendly and yet, shockingly at first, with each vote and position paper she moved herself further and further to the right until she fell off the cliff. Many of you have probably had similar experiences, Congressional approval ratings are now in the single digits, setting an all time record. Ours is primarily a Republican district and the only reasons she won was because of a massive grassroots boots on the ground effort and Sweeney, her opponent, finally imploded himself by getting a perfectly timed, drunken brawl with his wife on the front page (earning a spot on the top 20 most corrupt politicians in the US list didn't hurt, either). Well, most of those boots have wandered off in a fog of dismay, disbelief and disappointment, her Republican opponent has tons of money and connections and she almost certainly is going to lose her seat in the general. Actually, her ex-supporters are so disgusted and disenfranchised that there is a possibility of her losing the primary, as will, with any luck, Pelosi to Sheehan. That will send a pretty clear message. So, this 'Trust Me' gig has lost it's legs and although I have not made a final decision, I am finding it almost impossible to imagine myself pulling that lever (yes, for the moment New York State still has levers) for Obama, but - "That's ok."
   Many of my friends are saying that I cannot say these things out loud, that at least he is a Democrat. Yes, it's true that McCain is an absolutely horrifying specter and Obama has brought so many new registered voters into The System that the Democrats might actually have large enough margins to overcome the votes that will be stolen or prevented from being cast. That is true. But, with Gillibrand (NY, D) as a case in point,  is that necessarily such a good thing? I mean this woman wants to put 12-14 million people (maybe they aren't really people after all, they are undocumented immigrants) in detention centers. Has McCain said anything quite as fascist as that yet? Yes, he plans on being in Iraq for 100 years but the Dems just appropriated $162B for him or whomever to do just that and Obama has been backstepping on his withdrawal plans bit by bit by bit.... It seems there is an Atomic Bomb in the form of Democratically ratified, if not introduced or expanded, legislation every day - talk about Shock And Awe. It's hard to keep up.
    Only with the full cooperation of the Democratic Party in both houses Bush Inc. is getting a FISA billed passed that far exceeded the regime's wildest dreams, continued approval of GARGANTUAN war funding, zero accountability for all crimes and abuses, what can only be the deliberate destruction of our currency and blessings for the very real possibility of starting WW3 as his parting shot - these are just some of the highlights that come to mind at the moment. All the victories that he was NOT able to accomplish with the Republicans ruling both houses. So, who are these people? There is only one party, the Corprocrats, and They are not even pretending anymore. They are, after all, referring to FISA as a 'Compromise Bill'. They got together and worked it out. Great. Bipartisan cooperation to enslave the nation. That's just great. My inclination is to throw them all out in the primaries.
    Is it appropriate to take our vitriol out on Obama? Well, he did give us that glimmer of 'hxpx' one moment ,only to leave us picking shattered teeth with broken fingers up off the sidewalk the next - pure, brilliant, premeditated emotional manipulation of a desperate population. Cruel, really. Some say that that is just the way The System works. Well, one observation of the obvious is that we are collectively witnessing the collapse of The System, of ALL of The Systems - political, social, philosophical, transportation,  economic, environmental. Apparently, it's not how the system 'works'. Maybe we should thank him because he not only got some of us to suspend disbelief for a moment, but in the aftermath has helped many of us take a giant step forward in the realization that The System is so broken that it cannot be fixed and will have to be replaced and we better get to work creating that New System.
    The only movement of sensibility and authenticity is the return to small, integrated farming systems, building and nurturing a trusted patch of carefully tended soil to sustain ourselves and maybe a few of our neighbors. All politics are local, as in - your backyard, your kitchen or your baby's tummy. This very beautiful and practical movement is growing because people increasingly understand that we not only have got to do this for ourselves, but that we can. 'They' are not going to do it for us because maintaining our wellbeing and the health of our only environment does not appear anywhere on their To Do list. They are driven by the bottom line - period. The corporations are only able to continue to pursue their non-regulated, rapacious agenda with the bipartisan cooperation of the people we are supposed to believe we elected and a finely greased and colluding press. So, thank you Mr. Obama, for making that excruciatingly clear for those of us who are paying attention. 'Chxngx' is starting to give six letter words a bad reputation. Someone on the Obama-please-please-please-don't-vote-for-this-fxxking-FISA-bill.com blog talked about having a heavy heart, I would characterize my current state more as more of an apoplectic stunned condition, like an enraged bird who has flown into a window. This is an anniversary that will be acknowledged all over this country in bunkers, caves, detention centers and cardboard boxes for a long time to come.
    I have to admit,  at the time of this writing, before you have actually cast your vote to further shred the soiled, holey rag that was once our Constitution, there is the teeniest, tiniest flicker of 'hxpx' left that you will have an eleventh hour epiphany...
    Yes. Yes, you can.
 
 
 
Post: Talk about insult upon injury, as I write I received this little ditty from Nan...
And who, exactly, does this woman think she is kidding? I donated to Cindy Sheehan's campaign.
 
Dear Gianni,   
  <blocked::http://www.dccc.org/page/m/f91a756c337a103a/hqwlQU/VEsE/>

Let there be no doubt how united for change Democrats are this year. Thanks to you, we shattered our second quarter fundraising goal by raising an astounding $5 million in matching grassroots donations.

On behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, I can't thank you enough for generously contributing to our United for Change campaign. You proved once again that the Republicans' special interests are no match for the combined strength of tens of thousands of grassroots Democrats who are committed to fighting for change.

Next month, I will have the honor of serving as Chair of our history-making Democratic National Convention in Denver, where we will officially make Senator Barack Obama our nominee for President. I'm pleased to announce that Stacy Fredricksen from Menlo Park, CA and Scott Sands from Seattle, WA have won our 100 Days Till Denver Convention Contest and will join us for our convention.

Yeah, right.