News Exhaustion 9
Phillybits said it so well:
Furthermore, you’re not missing any of it if you’re not reading it here. Your major bloggers are always on top of every thing going on the world and I guess with so many other people writing, it’s ok if I miss something and take a break.
So did Digby:
The incompetent bumbling evil of the current Federal Administration is stultifying. Yeah, they talk about family values.
Watch their actions. I don’t know about the values of their families, or of your families, but the values of my family do not include law-breaking, torture, lying, or concentration camps.
Even that bastion of far-left-leaning pinko commie thought, the American Bar Association, has had enough.
July 26, 2006 at 10:42 pm
I agree. I’m so tired and so unhappy with this world right now, I don’t have the energy to discuss it. Nor do I have the smarts to discuss what is wrong and what can change it. This is the first time, in all of my political upheavals, and I’ve had many at my age, that I have wanted to hide my head under the pillow and hope it all goes away when I awaken. The world and Bush literally make me sick
July 26, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Oh for crying out loud… don’t all of you jump off the cliff at the same time or you might hit each other on the way down.
And at what point does hatred for a person you’ve never even met become a serious impediment to your own happiness? I’ve had presidents I’ve disapproved of, I’ve had presidents I didn’t respect, but I can honestly say I’ve never had one that ruined my day.
And as far as the world situation goes, if you get a chance to make it better, do so. If you don’t, ease up on yourself. Worrying about things you have no control over is not good for the soul.
July 27, 2006 at 6:11 pm
I regret to have to say that you misinterpret my emotions and, by characterizing them as hatred, discount them.
Be assured that I’m putting my few political dollars where my mouth is.
No, Opie, it’s not any man or woman that I hate, but my country that I love.
As regards the emotions that the current Federal Administration stirs, I would characterize them as
And,
oh,
yeah,
astonishment at their complete and utter incompetence at governance.
July 27, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Point taken. The overall opposition to Bush, though, is starting to look like someone I would not want to be, and I’m certainly not looking forward to being ruled by those who want him defeated most. They’re an angry lot.
There is a very large chance that Bush will be impeached nest year. If not, he’ll leave office in January 2009. The next administration will reverse his most extreme policies. I’m not saying life will be peachy, because we will still face huge problems. But life will go on.
July 27, 2006 at 9:40 pm
Certainly there is an amount of hysteria among some persons.
I do not think I have become hysterical, but I am disgusted beyond words.
Dammit, Opie, I know you, and there is not a decision-maker in the current Federal Administration who has, as far as I am concerned, half the integrity that you have.
And, yes, I think you are correct in thinking that, in some persons, hatred has overtaken thought.
I do not think that Bush will be impeached or convicted, however richly I think he might deserve such a fate. I expect us to limp to 2008, then endure a very dirty campaign, and hope for the best.
I pin my hopes on the essential decency of the American people. Yeah, we as a people have done some pretty awful things (I have ancestors who owned slaves). But, when push comes to shove, the American people usually seem to somehow muddle through to a point better than the point from which they began.
And so we slowly lurch from side to side, moving a little closer to justice with each lurch.
And life will go on. As the lady in the Firesign Theatre album said, “The future is a lot like having bees live in your head.”
July 27, 2006 at 10:14 pm
Well thank you for the integrity comment. I have to agree that the current crop of conservatives in our government not pursued integrity as a group. Liberals are not happy with their representation either. Officeholders from both ends of the spectrum have made job security a higher priority than legacy. I’m not in favor of term limits, but I sure wish we could do away with congressional pensions. The goal these days is not to make history, but to quietly muddle through enough re-elections to qualify for retirement.
July 27, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Hey Frank, thanks for the linkage. The specific quote you picked is exactly how I’m feeling right now.
Opie, since right now I’m suffering from political overload/outrage, I’ll try to be as brief as possible, since I really don’t want to get into a back and forth right now. I’ve explained why, and if you want to read more of it, just follow Frank’s link.
You asked:
I wouldn’t even characterize it as hatred. More at utter astonishment at the actions this adminstration [Read: President] had taken to reach it’s goals. Lying, breaking the law, signing laws while simultaeneously issuing signing statements saying they don’t have to follow the law they just signed, their theories of the unitary executive authority, the use of fear as a political tool, and on and on the list goes.
It’s not my day that’s being ruined. It’s my country. Subverting the Constitution while trying to argue that you haven’t, and then blocking and stonewalling investigations to determine if indeed you have are actions of the guilty.
Damn fucking straight I’m angry. But here’s the problem. I don’t know you so if I ass/u/me something that’s wrong, I apologize in advance.
You’ve been either watching to much WingNutTV [O’Reilly, Faux, Kristol, etc] or not allowing yourself to examine a situation from an American point of view instead of a particularly politically aligned individual.
“The Angry Left” has become yet another catch phrase, scapegoat label applied to those [individuals, groups] who “don’t agree” with the current administration, it’s policies, it’s actions, and it’s focus on various topics of American concern [war, foreign/domestic policy, taxes, eduaction reform, immigration reform, national security, etc]. “The Angry Left” is just another way to minimize those who are raising their voices at what they see as an administration run amok, incapable of really securing our nation, providing relief for those who need it least, imposing ridiculous laws against women and their bodies, governmental corruption run rampant, an unending assault on gays [see women again], and on and on the list goes.
But “The Angry Left” is just as synonymous with traitor, evil, anti-American, anti-troop, pro-Saddamists, ‘Leftist,’ and a whole host of other phrases and words used by those on the right, especially outsoken right-wing bloggers and pundits in an attempt to diminish and overshadow the actual, factual grievances that those who are “in disagreement” [which is what we really are] with the policies and actions of this administration actually have.
No control? We do have control. First, the American public needs to know exactly what this Administration is doing wrong, there needs to be frank and open discussion on it, and there need to be investigations. There’s been attempts at investigations, getting sworn testimony from involved individuals such as Alberto Gonzalez, and yet the only result is stonewalling, delaying answers to requests for information, and outright blocking information, as well as lying in response.
For the sake of the core principles that the founders of this nation wrote into the Constitution in an attempt to create a secure nation, a free nation, from those who wish to subvert that freedom in the name of “protection,” I sure hope so.
That’s part of the problem. This administration is setting a precedent to waive laws, issue laws but quietly issue statements saying they don’t apply because of executive authority in the Commander-in-Chief, and otherwise enable the next administration to use such radical views of Constitutional and well as Presidential authority based on the fact that, well, “Bush did it and so can we.”
The problem is that these are no principles America was founded on and right now they’re seriously in jeopardy, from what I and millions of other informed Americans can gather, given what we’ve seen and heard on the news, been informed of [torture, secret domestic spying outside of the FISA court, Americans imprisoned without charges for years with no access to lawyers and then finalyl when challenged in court, the administration simply “drops charges” or files completely different charges], and on, and on, and on the list can go.
This comment has already gone on much farther than I intended it to. And this is why I personally need to take a break from political blogging. The ridiculousness that people bring to the table when discussing it has gotten to me and I need to step back.
“The Angry Left”
Damn straight we’re angry. We’re angry because what we see as serious offenses are brushed aside with Trademark terms such as traitor [which incidentally, the actual meaning of which becomes cheapened and loses real effective meaning everytime some right-wing pundit throws it at a member of the “Angry Left” who voices objections to something], pro-terrorist, “wants American to lose,” undermines the troops, doesn’t support the troops. etc. It’s all labels and the only reason is to try to marginalize the opposition and discredit them.
Fucking ridiculous. Again, perhaps I ass/u/me’d a few things about you; I don’t know you. But the moment you said “They’re an angry lot,” you lowered the discourse of debate, made it worthless, and otherwise lost any credibility or chance of any serious concern to even bother talking with someone of your calibre otherwise.
Furthermore, if you want to learn more about what “The Angry Left” is so “Angry” about, go read Glenn Greenwald’s new book, How Would A Patriot Act?.
It might open your eyes to a few things you might not have realized about those who disgree with the current President.
July 28, 2006 at 5:18 pm
That’s so priceless I think I’ll link to it.
July 28, 2006 at 5:42 pm
I would state the difference between a statesman and a politician
Where a statesman fears the Lord, And will do what ever it takes in the light of eternity to carry out the Will of God.
Where a politician will compromise anything to get himself fame for now and get relected the following term.
A True Stateman won’t do anything to get himself relected next year( by compromise)
My True convictions is that we need more statesman in Office.
anger is a result of reactions based on either self defeat in the decision making process (rendering you powerless to the truth) , or of holy emotions in alignment with God’s expectations.
most of the time its the former rather than the latter, as few people know how to train their emotions to Line up with God’s Wisdom, ( wisdom being the art of living in accordance with God’s expectations.)
me personally I don’t care who is in office, its a matter of whether they serve them self or they serve the Lord.
that in its self determines
the outcome of the nation on a whole new scale.
I think if we actually had Jesus Christ on the Seat… for even 2 years.
The whole nation would be in shock cuz they haven’t prepared their hearts for his coming anyhow.
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord Maketh rich,and he addeth no sorrow with it.
( not just money but rich towards God to carry out his Will in the earth)