Thursday, January 04, 2007
A new political year, with stupidity
The 110th Congress opened today. It was quite something to see history made as Rep. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House. It has been long overdue for a woman to be elected to such high office. Now we just need to see other minority politicians (and woman are still a minority in politics) elected to high office.
But just as I was proud to see that moment, I again was amazed today at the hubris, hypocrisy and stupidity which accompanied today's festivities.
I think I'll start with the continued whining of Republicans now that they are no longer in charge. Today's complaint is that they don't like having to be accorded during the new Congresses first 100 hours the same rights as they bestowed on Democrats continuously during the last few years. Let's say this together....aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. Now, if the Democratic leadership does not allow the minority participation they promised after the first 100 hours (and they get their bills approved and sent onto the Senate), they I'll be glad to lead the complaining myself. But Republicans are really just dweebs to complain about that which they did in the past. That's called hypocrisy.
Next, during Speaker Pelosi's address to the Congress, she stated (correctly) that one of the messages us voters sent was that we wanted the administration to start getting our troops out of Iraq. Right after her speech, Rep. Mike Pence of IN decided that he didn't like the truth. He said that he didn't believe that she should make a statement like that which could undermine the President. Hell, the president undermines himself all the time by ignoring reality. And just watch next week as he snubs his nose at the will of the American people by deciding to up the number of troops in Iraq and making a horrible situation even worse.
Finally, we found out that President Bush has decided that he has the right to look through our mail without a warrant. In a signing statement (those things his administration has created to completely ignore what Congress has enacted) his administration stated the following:
"The executive branch shall construe subsection 404(c) of title 39, as enacted by subsection 1010(e) of the Act, which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection, in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances, such as to protect human life and safety against hazardous materials, and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection."
What that really means is what James Gordon Meeks of the NY Daily News states:
"President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the New York Daily News has learned.
The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a 'signing statement' that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.
That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it. . . .
Most of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act deals with mundane reform measures. But it also explicitly reinforced protections of first-class mail from searches without a court's approval."
Our President really does want to see Orwell's 1984 come to pass.
So on this day of celebration of our democracy, I cannot help but be saddened that there continues to be an attack on it from within.
But just as I was proud to see that moment, I again was amazed today at the hubris, hypocrisy and stupidity which accompanied today's festivities.
I think I'll start with the continued whining of Republicans now that they are no longer in charge. Today's complaint is that they don't like having to be accorded during the new Congresses first 100 hours the same rights as they bestowed on Democrats continuously during the last few years. Let's say this together....aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. Now, if the Democratic leadership does not allow the minority participation they promised after the first 100 hours (and they get their bills approved and sent onto the Senate), they I'll be glad to lead the complaining myself. But Republicans are really just dweebs to complain about that which they did in the past. That's called hypocrisy.
Next, during Speaker Pelosi's address to the Congress, she stated (correctly) that one of the messages us voters sent was that we wanted the administration to start getting our troops out of Iraq. Right after her speech, Rep. Mike Pence of IN decided that he didn't like the truth. He said that he didn't believe that she should make a statement like that which could undermine the President. Hell, the president undermines himself all the time by ignoring reality. And just watch next week as he snubs his nose at the will of the American people by deciding to up the number of troops in Iraq and making a horrible situation even worse.
Finally, we found out that President Bush has decided that he has the right to look through our mail without a warrant. In a signing statement (those things his administration has created to completely ignore what Congress has enacted) his administration stated the following:
"The executive branch shall construe subsection 404(c) of title 39, as enacted by subsection 1010(e) of the Act, which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection, in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances, such as to protect human life and safety against hazardous materials, and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection."
What that really means is what James Gordon Meeks of the NY Daily News states:
"President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the New York Daily News has learned.
The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a 'signing statement' that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.
That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it. . . .
Most of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act deals with mundane reform measures. But it also explicitly reinforced protections of first-class mail from searches without a court's approval."
Our President really does want to see Orwell's 1984 come to pass.
So on this day of celebration of our democracy, I cannot help but be saddened that there continues to be an attack on it from within.
# posted by Kevin @ 11:16 PM 
