How ironic: While we're busy trying to install democracies around the world, we're just as busy dismantling ours.
In case you've been living in a cave (or a state of denial, which seems to be a blue state) the GOP is taking up the task of eliminating the practice of filibustering in the U.S. Senate. They say they're just trying to get a couple judicial appointees approved. They lie.
For the minority party, the filibuster can be the only way to get their voice heard and be the voice of their constituiencies back home. Without it, they are nearly powerless to an unthinking, unreasoning political mass, that the GOP has become. When the W-imbecile sniffles, the Senate and House sneeze.
It isn't enough that the GOP controls the presidency, the U.S. House and the Senate; they now want an absolute lock on the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary as well. All to promote a shaky religious and reactionarily conservative agenda that poll after poll proves most Americans really do NOT support.
But that, unfortunately, does not matter to the blind ideologues in Washington D.C. There is no opinion other than their opinion and no 'right' other than their 'right.'
From the AP:
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., called the Democratic blockade of seven Bush U.S. Appeals Court nominees "radical," and said one of those judges, Texas judge Priscilla Owen, should be confirmed despite Democratic accusations that she is a "judicial activist" who pursues an ideological agenda.
There is never any consideration that someone on the other side of the aisle might have a legitimate point. Those points must not be heard.
As long as they disagree with the Imperial Presidency, they are labled 'liberal' or 'radical' or 'obstructionist.'
The GOP is using the judicial nominee issue as a lever to totally disenfranchise the minority party. Since all but a very very few of W-imbecile's nominees have been approved by the Senate, this is not really about one of two nominees. It is a power grab. A blatant power grab. An ugly power grab. Give the W-imbecile a rubber stamp and go home.
Again from the AP:
But Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Democrats would fight to retain what power they still have in a Washington where the GOP controls the White House and both houses of Congress.
"Right now, the only check on President Bush is the Democrats' ability to voice their concern in the Senate," said Reid, D-Nev. "If Republicans roll back our rights in this chamber, there will be no check on their power. The radical, right wing will be free to pursue any agenda they want."
Think about that for a moment.
Many of our Bill of Rights protections already have been rolled back in the name of Homeland Security. More are set to go as they set up the vast investigative Big Brother database.
The W-imbecile Administration is bashing what free press remains in the U.S., and attempting to hire/buy off the rest to promote its radical agenda.
Now they're attacking the only check left on it's total takeover.
The Senate's Democrats are caught in a desperate fight. Reid and his colleagues stubbornly are refusing to give up Democrats' ability to block Supreme Court and lower court nominees they consider too extreme. Court watchers think a Supreme Court vacancy could happen sometime this year.
"The goal of the Republican leadership and their allies in the White House is to pave the way for a Supreme Court nominee who would only need 50 votes for confirmation rather than 60," the number of senators needed to maintain a filibuster, Reid said.
If that doesn't scare you, it should.
And so it goes.
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