My fellow Democrats (or I should say, former fellows, as I’ve left the party), our good intentions have paved the smooth road ahead of us. We can practically coast on in from this point. Although we meant well when we voted to let the government take care of the poor and disadvantaged, they haven’t really benefited from this arrangement. Most of us (or rather, most of you) will say that it’s the Republicans’ fault and the system just needs to be fixed, not abolished. Sure, those Republicans are all selfish greedy fat white bastards, we all know that, but even if we had had everything our way, the plan was inherently flawed from the start.
Tag Archives: ron paul
Gillibrand makes pathetic excuses for her support of the NDAA
Photo courtesy Vogue.com
I wrote to my senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, criticizing her yes vote in support of the NDAA, the new piece of legislation that allows the federal government to imprison any US citizen without trial or evidence. Gillibrand’s office responded with a poor excuse for what is effectively an act of treason. Her office explains that, after voting “yes” to the destruction of our most basic rights,
“Senator Gillibrand voted for an amendment by Senator Udall to strike the detainee language in the bill. When that effort failed, she supported another effort by Senator Feinstein to curb this provision. While the conference committee has produced a better result, it is not ideal and she will continue to work with her colleagues for a better solution. Last week, she co-sponsored new follow-up legislation by Sen. Feinstein to immediately establish a ‘clear statement rule’ that requires Congress to expressly authorize detention authority when it comes to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents for all military authorizations and similar authorities.”
That’s right, Senator, doing away with habeas corpus is not “ideal” and the “better solution” you are seeking is the one in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th amendments to the Constitution, which you just trampled on. It should be pointed out too, that the US considers it a violation of human rights when a country like Iran holds prisoners without trial or evidence. If we are committed to justice, we should never take away this right from anyone, even, or especially, from suspected Continue reading
Strange Bedfellows: Ron Paul and his racist newsletters
According to the Libertarian ideal everybody has a right to his/her own beliefs and government should not interfere. Accordingly, Ron Paul doesn’t seem to be too particular about some of the people he associates with.
Paul may stick to his Libertarian beliefs, but this is not to say that he can’t be pragmatic at times. He wants to end the Fed, eventually, but he would audit it first and then try to phase in sound money slowly. He doesn’t like social security, but he would keep what we have and allow people of a certain age to opt out. He doesn’t like welfare, but he would cut spending on warfare first in order to keep the programs so many have come to depend on. Continue reading
My Parents Went to Occupy Wall Street, and all I got was this lousy sign
Last night my husband and I were in the city for an art opening, and we decided to head down to Wall Street to check out the occupation. Zuccotti Park was much smaller than we had imagined it to be. Tucked-in amid blocks of buildings, the peaceful little gathering huddled in the shadows. Meanwhile across the street, the extravagant, garish, brightly-lit construction of the ballsy “freedom” tower dominated OWS. Tourists lingered in awe at the gripping symbol of the fear that dictates our foreign policy and federal spending. Several unabashed “Silverstein Properties” signs hung along the fencing. In the cool autumn air, we were feeling unusually happy and carefree, like a couple of rebellious teens, and my husband tried to write “pull it” on one of the signs, but the Sharpie ink magically evaporated on the weirdly smooth surface. Creepy.
In comparison, the sleepy little OWS group seemed pretty ineffective. We came away from the evening convinced of the futility of any movement against such a powerful and complete mechanism as the Military-Banking-Insurance Industry-run government that, like an abusive spouse, gets the best excuses from the very people it victimizes. It was late-ish, around 10PM, and most of the protesters were already abed. In the Continue reading