Let me see if I have this right:

[yy4me]

The government can wiretap me, read my mail, monitor my computer activity. I now have to have a passport to go anywhere except within the US. My printer can track me, if I have a navigation system in my car, I can also be tracked.

The head of our democratic government has declared himself omnipotent, he can declare martial law. He would be able to cancel elections if he deemed it necessary. Anything he says or does is above the law because he states executive privilege. He is never wrong because he says he is never wrong.
His hand picked courts will support his mandates as payback. People being investigated for possible wrongdoing can thumb their noses at subpoena's because they just "can".


If I do anything that can be construed as anti-administration, I could have whatever worldly goods I have confiscated. I may be blown to smithereens by some unknown terror organization that has turned a horrible event into a world catastrophe. I know things are happening but with the exception of a very few broadcasters, the real news of the world misses our TV set. We threaten to bomb a few more countries because we don't like the way they are handling their own business. Who chose the US to run the world I ask myself.

I worked 50 of my 65 years and am trying to survive in retirement but can't afford it. Many resent my token Social Security check and say I am a drain on the system, even though I paid into the system all my life and certainly during an era when there were no pensions, 401K's and other ways to save for retirement. This was retirement as outlined years ago. Social Security and your savings. Deposit just a few dollars every week and see how big it will get by the time you retire. One large medical bill later and we can all be down the tubes.

We cannot afford health care for everyone but we can afford a horrible war so that giant corporations can pay their shareholders big profits while we spend a fortune on gas. We have to worry about our children and grandchildren not being able to exist in a free society.

I fume, write letters, e-mail and call my Senators and Rep but nothing helps. We seem to be no closer to freeing ourselves from the grip of this current group in Washington. I fear writing this because I might get in some kind of trouble.

I am taking an anti-depressant to help me keep on an even keel while my country goes to hell all around me. I wonder why so little is being accomplished and why certain things are "off the table" Why do so few stand up and scream ENOUGH: Impeach, throw the bums out.

If I think about the sequence of events since the 2000 election, I can easily see tentacles of this group, reaching into all corners of government, covering all bases so that, when the next big event happens, they are ready. the king will be crowned and we, the American people, will be accused of just letting it happen. A little like the famous analogy about the German people doing nothing during the rise of Hitler except fail to see the obvious.

Maybe I'm just an old lady with an ax to grind but I sure am upset this morning.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong because I hope I am.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Wednesdays]

11. While the neocons hold machine guns,

tanks, and nukes. Sounds like a fair fight to me. :scared:

[Tesha]

14. Isn't Iraq showing you something about how ordinary people can fight?

> While the neocons hold machine guns, tanks, and nukes.

Isn't Iraq showing you something about how ordinary
people can fight back if they're sufficiently motivated?
In Iraq, our army has tanks, machine guns, and even the
availability of nukes, yet we seem to be pretty decisively
losing that war.

Tesha

[billyoc]

24. Tesha '08!

:hi:

[Prophet 451]

46. Guerilla warfare isn't on the cards just yet...

...Which is not to say it may not get to that extreme.

[Tesha]

52. The point, of course, is that...

> Guerilla warfare isn't on the cards just yet...

The point, of course, is that if a citizenry are willing
to die for their country, even an occupying force with
tanks, machine guns, and nukes is unlikely to be able
to retain control.

If a million really angry citizens showed up at
Pennsylvania Avenue, what do you suppose would happen?

Tesha

[Prophet 451]

58. Bush would call out the troops

Whether the troops would cooperate is another matter.

[Tesha]

73. *THAT*, of course, is the interesting part of the question.

That the troops would begin firing on us, I have
no doubt at all; Kent State proved that. Whether
they'd continue firing on us as the bodies piled
up, I don't know. But a million people would make
an awfully high pile of bodies for the them to
"stomach".

Tesha

[Blashyrkh]

103. I've suggested that before.

10,000,000 people marching on the WH will end this flirtation with fascism pretty fucking quick.

[raven880]

94. The point is.....

Show up on Sept 15 and find out what will happen. The last time this many groups banded together to get out their people we had close to 500,000 people there......and the media still didn't cover it. But if they could get a million out and , because we're all a lot angrier now, maybe they'd pay attention. But I won't hold my breath.
Here's the link to the site with the info: http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage&JServSessionIdr011=gi2qc7y892.app2a

[Tesha]

123. Maybe 100,000 of the 500,000 need to surround the CNN studio in D.C.? (NT)

[shadowknows69]

66. The key to guerilla war

is not to tell anyone it has started.

[Prophet 451]

80. Rule one of Fight Club is...

That's the key of course. Start with low-level ops, nothing obvious, stuff that can easily pass unnoticed but disrupts the enemies ability to effectively control their forces. Che Guevara wrote several excellent essays on guerilla warfare which can probably be found on the web.

Not that I'm suggesting armed insurrection, of course. At least, not yet.

[trashcanistanista]

71. Yes, I am inspired

by the Iraqi people's courage and gumption, and taking notes. It may come to that.

[paparush]

84. Don't forget the Somalis

[TankLV]

93. Listen, watch and learn from Iraq. Carefully. We might need their examples before long.

I for one am watching very closely...

All.
Bets.
Are.
Off.
If.
bush*
DARES.
To.
Do.
What.
We.
Fear.
He.
Might.

For now, we are quite complacent.

But we are watching...

[johnnie]

2. I hear ya

Sometimes I think that the whole Clinton investigation and impeachment was done so when we got to this point, people would think that if the Dems were saying to impeach, they would look like they are just full of sour grapes.

I know it sounds a bit like a tinfoil hat theory, but nothing surprises me any longer.

[Tesha]

13. That's not tinfoil, that's the absolute truth.

Democrats play checkers; Republicans play chess.

It didn't matter to the Republicans that they "lost"
the Clinton impeachment because, strategically speaking,
it did exactly what it was supposed to do: immunize the
next president against *EVERYTHING*. I felt the exact
same way about things when the Special Persecutors
act was allowed to expire; Democrats all said "Whoopeee!
Look how badly it was used against us!" but the Republicans
understood that they'd be putting some real criminals in
office in 2000 and the least thing they needed was an
organization of independent investigators dogging their
every move.

Tesha

[PatSeg]

22. Republicans DON'T play chess

That would be too elitist. They play Stratego (or any military game), but they aren't very good at it, so they CHEAT!!!

[Tesha]

25. Stratego! You're dating yourself!

And given that I knew what you were talking about,
that's dating me, too! ;)

Tesha

[PatSeg]

37. Errr, ah..............

..............hmmm, I remember hearing my grandmother talking about it!!!! And hula hoops and nickel candy bars!!!!

[poverlay]

41. Welcome to DU youngster!

:toast:

[PatSeg]

43. Only at heart, I'm afraid

but I refuse to categorize myself as "old"!

Are you sharing a beer with me??? Love your icon!

[poverlay]

63. You can find that in the "smilies lookup table" when you post. Personally I'd prefer a vodka tonic

with a twist o lime, but ya take what you can get...

As far as old, my father and I recently went to London and he ran my ass ragged. 70 years old and the man can still out do me at just about everything. So no, I am never ageist for fear of getting my butt kicked!

[PatSeg]

69. Beer is generally my drink of choice

but I also like Gin and tonic with lime.

Good for your father. He's setting a great example.

[raven880]

96. Young at heart?

I turned 60 today and it's been the hardest birthday for me to conquor. Everyone has said it's only a state of mind but man, 60 IS old in years. But I look in the mirror and think.....no way. Must be some mistake. Surely only 45. <sigh> Time goes too fast. I settled for a gin and tonic with lime tonight.

[snappyturtle]

100. Happy Birthday!!!! and welcome to DU!

I'll turn 60 myself in, ah, in 41 days! Not looking forward to this one....no other birthday has ever bothered me..not 30, 40, 50, but the big six OHHHHHHHHHHHH my! I guess we're a bit off topic but it's better than thinking about the reality of this thread!

[PatSeg]

101. Hey, we're the cool generation!!!

Our generation was great in numbers (being predominately baby-boomers) and we were instrumental in bringing about major social changes, changes that much of today's youth take for granted. It IS a "state of mind" and our parents' sixty does not fit us. I find it interesting that the protesters calling for impeachment today were mostly of our generation. We may be "older", but we aren't OLD! We are still a vibrant and powerful voice. Hopefully more young people will take the torch we keep trying to pass to them.

Happy Birthday! You are no different than you were yesterday. It is just a damn number.

[Lugnut]

108. Hear, hear!

Cheers to cool and welcome to DU from another beer drinker. :toast:

[PatSeg]

116. And we had the best music as well!!!

Decades have passed and young people still listen to a lot of music from the late sixties and early seventies. Soundtracks of popular movies frequently feature songs from that era and it is not construed as "old people's music".

For all our flaws, I think we are a pretty remarkable generation!

Cheers to all of us!!!!

[Lugnut]

107. Aw come on.....

You're only as old as you feel. Just go with it. They're only numbers. ;)I'll be 62 in September and I wear my gray hair proudly. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Edited to add: Happy birthday!

[astroBspacedog]

92. I remember three candy bars for a dollar !

Geeze, I must be ready for the home.

[otherlander]

114. Sometimes at Drug Fair you can get 3 Butterfingers for a dollar.

[rambler_american]

62. I frequently date myself

It's the one way I can be fairly certain I'm going to get lucky.

[PatSeg]

70. Which shows that liberals (or progressives)

have the best sense of humor! How funny!

[TheMadMonk]

119. Frighteningly I still have my copy somewhere.

[rucognizant]

126. I'm dated too!

That's not such a bad thing! If keeping up to date means swallowing some of the totally useless stuff, available for our ENJOYMENT......
My Mother always won at Stratego....she going to be 92 in the Fall!

[glitch]

44. It's funny you say that. The only Republican in my family, my older brother, would cheat at Sorry!

when we were kids. And he would still lose. And each time he lost he would turn beet red, throw the board over and scream you cheated you cheated!

Edit to add: and no, he doesn't play chess.

[PatSeg]

47. How funny

and sad as well. I guess it is the mentality of "win at any cost", "the ends justify the means", etc. Then accuse your opponent of your own misdeeds! That sums up the Republicans' playbook!

[glitch]

50. Weird isn't it? It's like he was born that way. However, he does finally seem to be growing out

of it. I thank George Bush for making that outlook so ludicrous he's even waking the longterm sleepers up.

Edit: welcome to DU!

[PatSeg]

67. In that respect

Bush has served a purpose. More and more people are becoming politically aware. Complacency is fading away. I notice people being less self-absorbed and more conscious of the world they inhabit.

I'm not really a newbie. I discover DU years ago, but I've just recently become vocal.

[glitch]

72. It's good to hear your voice :) nt

[xxqqqzme]

53. Wow - my gun hoarding, * worshiping, rethug

younger brother also cheated. When losing big, he would always find some way to upset the board.

[glitch]

54. They don't seem to get that if they put as much energy into playing that they do in cheating

they'd win more.

And who is satisfied with a "win" from cheating anyway? It's lose-lose. No wonder the cons are so angry all the time.

[FloridaJudy]

85. Most Republicans aren't bright enough for chess

I'd think they'd be into "Risk" - if anyone plays board games anymore.

[PatSeg]

102. Everyone knows that chess is for

latte drinking, hybrid-driving, elitist liberals! It is a decadent game and we have to think of the children!

[KnaveRupe]

122. Does anyone play board games anymore?!?!

www.boardgamegeek.com

[Cosmocat]

56. Eh ...

Republicans are ANYTHING but brilliant ... They are nothing more than teenagers ... They have no concern for anyone other than themselves, they will say and do anything to get what they want, it is not even so much that they don't think the rules apply to them, they don't even consider the rules, the accept NO responsiblity for anything and will reationalize anything away despite obvious contradictions to past rationalizations ...

I spent 15 years working with children and families, in groups homes and in the community, and I am telling you, the whole republican mindset is very similar to a bad acting teenager ...

They don't think ahead, some of the deep seated guys might in terms of wanting to drown the government and all ... I will say that some of them are "playing chess" ... But, overall, they just go from one situation to the next reaking havok, yelling, stomping and throwing fits ...

As to the Ds playing checkers ... Jesus, they aren't even doing that for christ sakes ... The herding cats line is the most accurate I have seen or heard yet ...

[Double T]

3. Unfortunately for ALL of 'US', you are absolutely right.

Don't give up, LESS THAN 18 months left to go!

[Just-plain-Kathy]

36. Yeah, "18 months to go" until another corporate shill steals the election.

Republican or Democrat. ...I'm losing hope.

Great OP....K&R

[eridani]

57. If a Dem, s/he will at least block some of the nastier corpo initiatives

NAFTA or not, Clinton did that in the 90s and it was better than nothing.

[Greyhound]

105. CAFTA, GATT, WTO, Telecommunications Act, Welfare "reform"...

H-1(b) and L-1 visa programs, and thousands of regulatory "adjustments" to make the rich uber-rich, ya it was so great, all those progressive things he accomplished in eight years.

OK, so he didn't actually have public executions of the poor in the Rose Garden, but he was the best Republik President we've had in this country since Eisenhower.

Now refresh my memory, which one of the candidates was it that stood up to let the House challenge of the 2001 election move forward? Which one voted against the Bankruptcy "Reform" bill? Which were the one's that filibustered the Scalito and Robberts nominations? Oh yes, and that whole Iraq thing?

[eridani]

111. On taking office in 1993--

--Clinton reversed a whole bunch of Repub executive orders. He also blocked attacks against reproductive rights. With Repubs, you get all of the bad stuff you mentioned and no compensating good factors at all.

[Greyhound]

117. No doubt, I'm just a little tired of the evil of two lessers.

The remaining SCOTUS nominations alone are enough to force my vote for whichever Dem gets the nod, but without impeachment and real reform of our elections, I hold no illusions of our course toward totalitarianism being diverted.

[eridani]

128. I don't like it either, but leftists are reaping what we sowed in the 70s

Too many just dropped out of electoral politics. What if there had been a lot more of people like Kucinich, Sanders and Wellstone starting on office-holding careers back then? Our choices would be much better now, but that's water under the bridge.

[PatSeg]

38. They can do a LOT of damage in eighteen months!

I remember consoling myself when Bush was "appointed" president that it was only one term and we would survive. I will never underestimate (or is that misunderestimate) these people again. The amount of damage they can cause is mind-boggling. It is like an incomprehensible political thriller that rivals a Tom Clancy novel.

[babylonsister]

4. Great post, yy4me, and damned discouraging, but that's the way I've

been reading it, too.

[Solly Mack]

5. k/r

[CrispyQ]

6. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

I would like to recommend this thread multiple times. It perfectly sums up my feelings of frustration & anger.

[ananda]

7. Get off the psychotrope and join communities like DU.

Don't let the pharmaceuticals mess with your mind.

[bdamomma]

8. .......

your post and comments are very well validated, we need to stop these maniacs.

[datasuspect]

9. "i'm gonna pick up my axe and fight like a farmer, you know what i mean"

jimi hendrix, "machine gun"

[sinkingfeeling]

10. You just haven't been listening to Rush Limpballs. He says that unless you're a

'military family', none of this affects you or your life.

[Babsbrain]

39. Everyone is affected $$$$$

$550 Billion dollars could have been used to improve this country. Iraq is bankrupting us.

[PatSeg]

42. The cost of this war

is often pushed aside, but at this rate it could destroy our economy in ways that few can imagine. More lives will be lost to poverty, illness, and despair than in battle. How quickly our legislators pass out the cash for "defense", while blocking funding for education, health care, social services, the environment, etc. Yes, we are all affected except for the top 1%.

[EVDebs]

87. Go to costofwar.com and find out how much

http://costofwar.com/

[truedelphi]

75. i read what economist's report last week sayjng that

The war had now cost each and every citizen $ 30,000.

[PatSeg]

76. Well that's not all that much

considering what we've gotten for our money! Higher gas prices, depressed wages, record home foreclosures, healthcare to "die for", global instability, indebtedness to China, global warming and WAR without end! We should be counting our blessings!!!!

[EVDebs]

88. CSMonitor article says war cost could top $2 Trillion

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0110/dailyUpdate.html

[Stinky The Clown]

12. You're not wrong and this old guy is standing shoulder to shoulder with you .......

........ and also giving this thread a K&R.

I have little to add and nothing to ameliorate your feelings.

[Javaman]

15. Stop it will you! it's been proven that dealing in reality in regards to this

failed admin* will cause alcoholism.

[nancyr]

16. Well said!

As a contemnporary, I agree with everything you've said. I really wish I could say that you are wrong, but facts prove otherwise.

[rateyes]

17. You're wrong....

You're not just an old lady with an ax to grind. You are a true patriot.

[Individualist]

18. This old lady agrees with you, yy4me

You're not wrong about anything in your post.

[dkofos]

19. Yes, you have it 100% right. And you have every right to be pissed off!!

[wiggs]

20. That's all sadly true. And it's amazing that they have also manipulated and polarized

public opinion to the point where most people either don't know or don't care about it. It's doubly astonishing when you consider that they've hypnotized their fellow wingers into thinking this stuff is OK, because most of these misdeeds would have been especially abhorent to the right wing...

[me b zola]

21. Sadly, you have it right

But you are not alone.

[in_cog_ni_to]

23. Pretty bleak, eh? One would think CONGRESS would be a 'tad' unsettled by all this too!

Maybe they are, but they are playing it close to their chests? Who the hell knows.

[havocmom]

26. You're not an old lady with an wx to grind. You are AWAKE

and it is the likes of you that might just save the nation. Sad part is, we might not get it saved in what is left of your lifetime and mine, but damn, we gotta keep pluggin along as far as we can get, and keep talkin so we assure some younger people will pick up our banners and weapons when we fall.

You, madam, are part of the solution in that you address the problem head on.

[wiley]

27. I ask people this question every day. What actually can be done?

Infiltrate the right.

[LibDemAlways]

28. You are right. And the reason the masses don't stand up

en masse and launch giant protests is the media has them convinced that the only "news" that matters is a British soccer player coming to LA or the untimely death of a former Playmate or a dead pregnant housewife....

Real news is for all intents and purposes dead in the US corporate-owned media. And the powers that be want it that way.

[emdee]

29. Kick

:kick:

[thereismore]

30. an you really be tracked when you have BPS in your car? How? nt

[EVDebs]

89. Like with OnStar gps system, that's how they locate you in an 'emergency' nt

[satya]

31. Serbian students toppled a dictator* -- we are not powerless.

I wish I could tell you that you're wrong, but I can't. You see very clearly what's going on and where this country is headed if we don't change direction. I've spent my fair share of time curled up in fetal position wondering how we got to this point and what we could do.

I'm probably one of the most pessimistic, cynical people you might ever find but I'm also stubborn -- and so are a lot of other people I know. So even a crotchety old lady like me was encouraged when I started reading Gene Sharp's book Waging Nonviolent Struggle last night and ran across this:

...many people still assume that nonviolent struggle is contrary to "human nature". It is often claimed that its widespread practice would require either a fundamental change in human beings or the acceptance of a powerful new religious or ideological belief system. Those views are not supported by the reality of past conflicts that have been waged by use of this technique.

In fact, the practice of this type of struggle is not based on the belief in "turning the other cheek" or loving one's enemies. Instead, the widespread practice of this technique is more often based on the undeniable capacity of human beings to be stubborn, and to do what they want to do or to refuse to do what they are ordered, whatever their beliefs about the use or nonuse of violence. Massive stubbornness can have powerful political consequences.

It is a great privilege to be living here, now, and also a great responsibility. It is up to us to decide whether to apply the lessons of history or to bury our heads in the sand while our republic is turned into a dictatorship. IMHO, those who promote violent responses to our situation are playing right into the hands of the Powers That Be, because they are well-equipped to deal with that.

But we are not powerless.

198 methods of nonviolent action

*How Serbian students brought dictator down without a shot fired
By Peter Ackerman
National Catholic Reporter, April 26, 2002

link

<snip>
Dictators require two conditions to stay in power: the fear and acquiescence of the people they rule, and the willingness of police or security forces to follow orders and crack down on opposition. But the strategic use of nonviolent resistance can detach any dictator, however, ruthless, from both of those components of his power.

In Serbia, young people who were angry about the stagnant, hopeless society produced by Milosevic started Otpor (resistance, in Serbian). They ridiculed the president with sidewalk birthday parties, showing a cake representing Yugoslavia being carved up during Milosevic’s reign. They plastered flat surfaces all over the country with stickers that stated, “He’s finished.” Every Serb knew whom that meant -- and the belief that Milosevic could not be opposed was dissolved.

Otpor mobilized thousands of civilians in scores of Serbian cities. “Citizens finally realized that they are not objects, but subjects of politics,” said activist Stanko Lazendic. They discovered within themselves the ability and willingness to stop being submissive. And when the leaders of the movement were arrested, friends and family members went down to the police stations and stood silently outside and showed the men in uniform that the opposition had deep roots, that it wasn’t just disaffected students but whole communities that stood against the dictator.

Yet Milosevic’s foes did not assail the police or treat them as the enemy. “We couldn’t use force on someone who had three times more weapons than we did,” said Lazendic. “We knew what had happened in China, in Tiananmen.” Instead Milosevic’s foes “got under” the officers’ “skins and under their uniforms and tried to reach them somewhere deep to say, ‘Come on guys, we are together. This is our country,’ ” said Srdja Popovic, an Otpor leader.
<snip>

[AntiFascist]

32. K&R, N.G.U. n/t

[classof56]

33. Here's another old lady who agrees with you 100 percent!

I too am one of those "evil" Social Security recipients who has had to go back to work and cringes at the thought of the so-called Powers That Be (speaking of evil!) even WANTING to take it away from me. Sadly, you are not wrong about any of this, and you articulated well my and clearly many others' thoughts exactly. I don't take antidepressants (yet) but I do keep my bottle of Merlot handy. That and DU help me cope, though often not too well.

Keep the faith, as we used to say back in the 60s. Oh, and We Shall Overcome. Let us hope so!

Hang in there. You got lotsa company and often it's a comfort for me just to know I'm not alone!

Tired Old Cynic

[donkeyotay]

34. Nope, you've got it right. We work our whole lives and we're one large

medical bill away from down the tubes. I knew that, and I didn't think I could be any more infuriated about it until I saw Sicko. During our life times, freedom as been sold off for slogans until now, for all practical purposes, we are indentured servants. We'd all like to do something about it, but there's no organized way to make ourselves heard. The corporations control every means of exit. I weep for what we have left for our children.

[mmonk]

35. I can't tell you you are wrong because that wouldn't be

quite honest.

[shaniqua6392]

40. The only people who are not feeling the pain like we do...

are Republicans. They so easily justify the killing of innocent soldiers and civilians and they do it in the name of God. They must worship another God besides the one I have come to know. Jesus weeps. My Jesus weeps over what they have done. I have not went the anti-depressant route, but some days I feel like I could use a prescription. Eventually, these criminals will be gone from our midst and we can begin rebuilding our nation. America has always overcome adversity and we will again. This is because of people like you who care so much about your fellow Americans that it hurts. There are millions of us who stand with you even though our hearts are aching all the time. :grouphug:

[sarcasmo]

45. Kick. I now have a shotgun and will not go to their inoculation centers.

Stock your shelves with canned goods.

[sofa king]

48. There is freedom in repression.

When a government begins to repress and exploit its populace, it winds up having to invest virtually all of its money and resources in protecting itself from the people. The people themselves are actually ignored and left completely to their own devices, which is practically the definition of freedom. Impoverished they may be, but since nobody cares about the poor they're basically free to do whatever they want.

Same thing is happening here. The choice is becoming abundantly clear: run the rat race and become a corporate slave with no freedom and a few toys, or drop off the grid. In just a few years, when all of our savings are burned through our SUVs and we're working for subsistence wages with no health care and every word you write questioned by "your" government, it won't even be a choice anymore: drop out or die.

So we'll drop out and be free, and they'll be running the shell of a dead country. Or, we'll change things enough to put those bastards back under the rock. Simple as that.

[cutlassmama]

49. Lady, sadly you have it right. Keep taking your antidepressants

you will need them. I feel sorry for you and sorry for the whole nation. The outlook is very bleak at this point.

[KoKo]

51. K&R!

[xxqqqzme]

55. I wish you were wrong

but you express what many feel and see. While not retired, I was 'retired' by a bad accident. I would literally be homeless w/o Social Security disability. It took me 5 years and an attorney to get it, but I kept at it.

I was a single working mother raising two kids, (1 in college & 1 in HS when the accident happened). I had no way to save for that rainy day. Like you, I had paid into the SS promise all my working life and knew SSI was supposed to be there if you needed it. Just-starting-outs think they will be healthy their entire working life. Life doesn't always work out as it is planned.

[TheBaldyMan]

59. The jails can't hold everybody. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

60. I believe you've summed up the situation most succinctly, yy4me.

I also believe while Bush blows the budget up through tax cuts for the mega rich and a foolish war based on lies, the corporate media will only harp on entitlements as a drain on the budget. Millionaire pundits and their owners have little need for such things as Social Security, Medicare and such, but tax cuts for people in their income bracket is a different story altogether.

Thanks for the thread

Kicked and recommended.

[MilesColtrane]

61. " He would be able to cancel elections if he deemed it necessary."

Anybody got a link to some sort of legislation, or executive order that overrides the Constitution in this matter?

I don't think anybody can cancel elections, but I may be wrong. I sure as hell know that they can rig them.

[tridim]

64. Anyone remember the great TV show, "Max Headroom"?

We're living that reality right now. It was about 25 years before its time.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

65. I don't understand. You have a problem with this?

OK. Me too.

This one is for you GWB and Co.


....................../´¯/)
....................,/¯../
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[Land Shark]

68. Citizens must be completely transparent; Government gets to be very secret. nt

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

74. You have it correct,...and every right to be a lady with an ax to grind. n/t

[Dollface]

77. Hey, I was gonna say that.... Mind reader

[L. Coyote]

78. Register 10 voters every day and you will feel much better.

You sure sound qualified for the task.

[Senator]

79. Sadly, You're Mainly Correct. But a couple of things...

...are not what they might seem.

First, on Social Security. You have no cause to feel like a "drain." Those who "resent" are under a delusion that even you (and millions of others) have bought into -- which is not surprising as these neofascist propagandists are good at what they do.

Social Security is not investment -- it is insurance. (Stop. Reread. We all know the difference but somehow it gets glossed over and forgotten.) This is the crucial "big lie" that allows them to attack the system for what it is not.

Your "few dollars every week" were premium payments, not something to get "big." As with all insurance, the amount you are entitled to when (and most importantly if) the benefit is paid out has no relation to the amount of premiums paid. Many die young and get nothing. Many live long and get far more than if they had "invested" that money. That is the nature of insurance -- shared risk.

We need only to keep advancing our own (truthful) propaganda: "Soc. Sec. is insurance, stupid" and "Healthcare is not a commodity, stupid" to beat back their attacks.

The only other part where I'd say you're "wrong" is the implication that the neofascist's victory is inevitable, let alone permanent. Our side has been retaliating. It is they who are now "on the run." There is reason for hope.

---

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

81. Time's a'comin'

[midnight]

82. Please forgive me for bringing Cindy up at this point. I know

some people think she has jumped ship. But the reasons you state above are the reasons Cindy was arrested today. Can you believe that the Germans were quiet. Well Cindy isn't being quiet and we can't support her because the niceness of our rules are being violated. So hopefully this will be alright to bring her up without violating this rule. The good Germans didn't want to break the rules while those around them were being murdered. But now some people are trying to change history and say that the Jews made up the Holocaust. I'm thankful for those whose courage is more important than being perceived in a bad way.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

83. You are not wrong, sadly - but you have made me cry

I feel the very same way. I just read your post to my husband, who is upset because I take all this to heart and persist in reading DU threads upsetting myself. But damn it, I do it because I CARE! I wish I could just bury my head in the sand and watch Bollywood movies all day, but I just cannot. I live in Texas, the armpit of hell, and am "represented" by a blowhard Repuke, not to mention Hutchison and Cornyn. I email Pelosi and Conyers and scream at them, but that will do no good. I tell everyone I meet about the damage being to our Constitution, but people call me a conspiracy nut and don't want to listen. What the hell are we supposed to do????????????????????????

I AM SO ANGRY THAT MY HEAD IS EXPLODING. GOD DAMN THESE TREASONOUS CYSTS ON THE DEVIL'S ASS STRAIGHT TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CrispyQ]

125. The armpit of hell -- that made me laugh.

"I tell everyone I meet about the damage being to our Constitution, but people call me a conspiracy nut and don't want to listen."

One co-worker calls me a left wing nutcase & the other calls me a commie pinko. It's in fun, but the implication is that I take all this too seriously. All the while, like you, I feel like I'm about to explode.

[Joe Fields]

86. You can add my name to the list of people who think you've

pretty much got it right. How sad my country has become. I am a child of the 50's and 60's and remember such a different America.

[EVDebs]

90. Reminds me of Bucky Covington's lyrics to A Different World

http://www.metrolyrics.com/a-different-world-lyrics-bucky-covington.html

[puebloknot]

91. First...65 in the new 45. Got that???

I'm upset, too. I'm knitting a sweater right now -- not like Madame DeFarge knitted in the names of the criminals in Louis XVI's court, 'cause the list in Bush's *court* is so long there's not enough yarn in the Universe to cover the task -- for relaxation. I'm patting my pups, growing my vegetables, reading great books, and trying to stay hopeful.

I'm faxing, calling, praying, cursing, and starting to think about how I can live off the grid (will there even be a grid?), and hope I won't be noticed when Johnny Blackwater comes marching home.

You're not wrong; you're very right. Just know that you're not alone!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

95. Old ladies unite against the Bush/Cheney cabal

maybe we will have to take the lead our young people don't seem to have the fire

[nolabels]

97. Wrong is a speculative word.

One is also not needing to choose a path because there is always that one in front of us no matter which way we turn

Kali - Hindu Goddesses of Dissolution
http://www.geocities.com/jayistheboss/kali.html

[southerncrone]

98. Wish you were wrong, too, but you are exactly correct in your assessment of our situation.

We can strike back w/our pocketbooks (what's left of them).

1. Drive as little as possible.

2. Spend on nothing but necessities & stockpiling for survival. No frilly stuff or wasteful spending.

3. Learn to DO things for YOURSELF. Skills that will help you SURVIVE.

4. Don't watch to TV.

5. Get off antidepressants, slowly & carefully (seek a dr. who will advise you on this.) I believe that's how they've managed to STEAL these elections....medicated, feel-good-regardless-of-what-happens voters.
THERE IS A REASON THE NATION IS DEPRESSED!!! WE ARE BEING SCREWED BLIND!!!! BEING DEPRESSED IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES IS PERFECTLY NORMAL!!!! WE SHOULD SCREAM ABOUT WHAT IS CAUSING THE DEPRESSION & ERADICATE THE CAUSE, NOT RUN TO THE DR. FOR PILLS WHICH ENRICH THE PHARMA INDUSTRY!!!!!!!!!!

Most of DUer's are awake, but become FULLY awake & use what power you have. We already know that contacting Congress is not working very well.
USE THE POWER OF YOUR POCKETBOOK!!

[FourScore]

99. Wow. I wish I wrote that.

It said it all...

[wildbilln864]

104. A definite K&R! n/t

[ClayZ]

106. Another old lady chimes in!

You are right on the money! I have weened off the anti-depressants to an occasional herbal calms and lots of wine. We too, have marched, signed petitions, called, screamed, written letters, to no avail.

We buy nothing unless it is from a blue store. We shop farmers markets, and local businesses. The only news I can stand is Keith Olbermann. We both, still have several family members who are hiding their heads in the sand and calling what they see at the bottom of the hole "FINE WITH ME". It drives me nutz.

We are teaching our children and grandchildren what has happened. We have three grands of the 5, under 8. For nearly 6 years of their life this idiot, some call president, has been in our White House making the biggest mess in the world that I have ever seen.

We have made our living as craftspeople and have been surrounded by like minded people for many years. I had no idea the fundies and neo-cons had gathered and multiplied like rats. but they have. We have been busy making musical instruments and raising our family, going to festivals, thinking it was a WONDERFUL WORLD, while these yayhoos have been plotting and planning to do what they have done!

When I am not angry, I am completely flabbergasted.

The children, grandchildren, the music and the garden give me joy. The hope I find here at DU and on Common Dreams helps me from going completely insane.

I will not stop speaking up and protesting.

V is for Vendetta!

[MetaTrope]

109. But think of all the good things we have now!

[SeattleGirl]

110. You have put words to my feelings, yy4me.

I feel the same way. Believe me, you are among the saner inhabitants of this country, though thankfully, I think more people ARE waking up.

Thank you so much for writing this, and happy to add yet another recommendation.

[althecat]

112. No you are not wrong....

:bounce:

[althecat]

113. You are the opposite of wrong in fact.

[satya]

115. Have you considered sending this as a Letter to the Editor? Maybe to the NYTimes? nt

[obiwan]

118. Unfortunately, you are right.

You are sane, and you are right. The system is going to hell. Last Friday, a mentally ill person, who received free hospitalization and psychiatric care, told me I was a drain on the system because I oppose President Bush and receive disability insurance, which I paid into all my working life, and I have multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and depression caused by these two diseases. Try to survive in Southern California for $1300 a month (I do, and I don't bitch about it). Being honest these days only gets you kicked by those who have about as much brains as I have in my little finger. Greed rules, my friend. You have to stand aside to avoid being run over by these loud, uneducated, and unaware people, or you have to learn how to "game" the system. Better to die doing the right thing than survive by being a sellout.

[radfringe]

120. you are not wrong

we are slowly being boiled like frogs... the temperature is being raised in small increments, and don't realize we are being cooked

kool-aid comes in many flavors - the question then becomes - which one do you drink?

[DemReadingDU]

121. Exactly as I feel

[GeorgeGist]

124. "It cannot happen here "

is what we hear from the noble liars ... even here on DU.

[Summer93]

127. Kick and Recommend

Your words put it so well.

Old to me is a bit skewed as when I was a teenager my great-grandmother who was 96 years old, said she was tired after working in her garden and laid on the couch for a nap and never woke up.

I do believe that it helps me to be proactive. I spend my money where it gives me a little bit of power. I shop for organic food because I'm worth it. I drive as little as possible. I am no longer collecting "stuff" but giving it away. I haven't watched t.v. for several years preferring the internet and reading my news from around the world. I find a great deal more is happening around the world than is "reported" in the M$M. I get a great deal of joy from my grandchildren and being outdoors listening to birds and watching flowers grow.