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June 22, 2007 at 07:26:29
People are Disgusted with Them and Congress Doesn't Have a Clue! by Timothy V. Gatto Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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So you think this Congress we have is better than the one before it? Frankly I don’t see much of a difference. I see the war in Iraq raging on as it was before the touted elections of 2006. I see “The Decider” still causing trouble in the world by threatening other nations and putting weapons systems in Europe in violation of the treaties we signed in good faith with Russia. Nothing has changed and this time we don’t have a Republican controlled Congress to blame. While it’s true that the Democrats can’t get a solid majority in Congress, I get the feeling that they are really happy that they can’t influence foreign policy. The most disgusting thing is that while people are dying and suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Democrats secretly revel in this fact knowing that the public will blame the Republicans for this. I say this because I believe that if they really wanted to get our forces out of Iraq,that they would do exactly what Mike Gravel said they should do, and that is to consistently bring this war in Iraq up for a vote in Congress, day after day. We all know that the Democrats have the needed muscle to stop this government if that’s what they choose to do. They refuse to do this because they don’t want to accept the responsibility for ending this war. It seems as if the Democrats want to have it both ways. They want to come out publicly and say they are against the war at the same time convincing the American people that they are powerless to stop it. That was a good excuse, but that excuse were thrown out the window when the American people gave Congress a mandate to end the war by voting the Democrats in and the Republicans out. It is unconscionable to continue to vote time and time to fund this war. The American people have expressed their will to Congress that they want this war to end. This war is not dividing this nation like Vietnam divided this nation. In fact, it has actually united this nation in ways that the politicians can’t grasp. They are still playing and thinking by the old rules when in fact, people aren’t just sick and tired of this administration; it’s come to the point where Americans are sick and tired of their entire government. That includes both political parties the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judiciary! This so called “War on Terror” has become anathema to the American people. Most of our citizen’s are tired of the government playing on the fear of another 9/11. There are quite a few Americans that think the truth behind 9/11 has never been told. Most Americans no longer trust their own government. Maybe that’s because the most of the people that have suffered since that day of terror have been American citizens. We have seen law after law written proposed and passed in Congress that takes away our freedoms. It wasn’t Americans that bombed the World Trade Center, how come we have to have passports to go to Mexico or to Canada? The Patriot Act is a direct attack on American rights. No Patriot that fought for independence would have allowed that foul and evil bill to pass in the legislature. How come this government can change over 200 hundred years of tradition in a scant five years and they can’t even raise the minimum wage?
Sometimes I feel that the terrorists are laughing hysterically at us. First, they send nineteen terrorists into the United States and lo and behold, by some quirk of fate, they manage to grab four airliners and without NORAD doing a thing, manage to cause tremendous damage. The President, feeling that he now has a blank check to run rampant, decides that he’s going to pin this entire thing on Iraq, who for years had managed to keep Al Qaeda out of his country. Thus, Bush has now given the terrorists two victories instead of one. Nice going George. Now we are stuck not only in Afghanistan, but in Iraq also. Then they see us giving up our rights to the Federal government, in morbid fear that the dreaded Al Qaeda may strike the United States again.
Britain endured years of bombing during years of fighting in World War II and never did they permanently surrender their rights to the government. They endured wartime curfews and occasionally surrendered rights for the “duration” but they never gave up the right of Habeas Corpus. We should be ashamed. Here’s where the politicians don’t get it. The American people ARE ashamed. We are ashamed that our government can’t do the will of the people. What the politicians don’t realize is that the American people believe that most of their elected officials are bought and paid for before they get into office by their corporate masters that fund their political races.
For the most part, American doesn’t trust Congress to do the right thing anymore. The approval rate for Congress is at the lowest point since the poll was started. Meanwhile, Congress goes about its daily job oblivious to how the American people feel about them. I like to say that they are oblivious but the truth is Congress just doesn’t care. They believe that the two party system that we have created will sustain them and the Democrats believe that they only have to show a modicum of believability over the Republicans, and their Presidential and Congressional aspirations will be met. The truth is that they just don’t understand!
The American people are almost completely fed up! I don’t hear a kind word from anyone about the government. The only thing that the Democrats have achieved from winning the 2006 Congressional races and the Congressional majority is that Democrats are now hated as much as the Republicans are. Nice going Pelosi. You and Reid have finally made it to the big time.
What will be the result of all of this anger directed towards Congress? You only have to look towards the history books to find out. History has a funny way of repeating itself. Eventually, you are going to see a hard shift to candidates that stay on the fringes of party politics. Sooner or later another political party will emerge, and one or both of the parties now holding center stage will cease to exist. Personally, I believe they will merge. There isn’t too much difference between them now, and that isn’t just my opinion. All I hope for is that the usual change from the two major parties that we have now doesn’t happen as slowly as it did during the past.
These politicians that occupy Congress really don’t have a clue that they are pretty well despised. In fact Congressional approval ratings are 27%, the lowest in a decade. So something has got to give. I predict that unless something is done about this war, Immigration, The Minimum Wage, and the curtailment of Habeas Corpus and other American rights, approval rating will get lower. Still, Congress doesn’t have a clue. This might be a good time to run for office.
http://liberalpro.blogspot.com
Tim was banned from the site for posting private email from the publisher to him on his blog, and then attacking the publisher and the site in emails and articles. OEN has no responsibility to publish articles from people who attack the (more...)
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Timothy V. Gatto
"Is Congress deaf, Dumb and blind or is it they just don't care?" Timothy, Congress IS deaf, Dumb, blind AND they just don't care! They are getting rich and famous, and so, in their twisted little minds, why should they care? by Professor Emeritus Peter Bagnolo (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 95 diaries, 1317 comments [5 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 9:36:03 AM  (0+)
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Why They DON'T Care
One percent (1%) of the "households" in the Former USA own 42.1% of the value of all stock shares, more than ENTIRE bottom 95 percent of households (according to Edward N. Wolff in: "Top Heavy: The Increasing Inequality of Wealth in America..." New York Press, 2002). by mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 312 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 10:44:01 AM (0+)
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Reply: May I add this post script
Here's a link to Edward N.Wolff's book: "Top Heavy" at amazon (no they don't pay me for this!) And this link is for David Korten's, "The Great Turning" ...just reading the reviews will help fill in some of the blanks regarding who (really) runs the show and why Congress doesn't 'seem to be listening.' They ARE listening - they are just listening to 'the people who matter.' by mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 312 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 11:11:58 AM (0+)
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Reply: you're right!
You guys are right, President Bush and the Republican Party are Fascist and the Democratric Party does not give a f*ck about it. What can we do? We can stop funding the Fascists. I read your Camp Casey; to reach the camp, travel by carpool/hybrid/electric vehicle. This is because this is important and the media and the world is watching, and traveling by SUV is hypoctritical. Why is it not hypocritical to travel by SUV when we are not going to Camp Casey? For the record I eat less than six pounds of meat a year, which is not what my doctor recommended (he said I should eat more). I drive less than 7,500 miles. I live in a modest home. And most important I practice family planning. The biggest cause of destruction on planet Earth is growth and development. I have no children and plan on one child and adoption. How many children do you have? What can we do about Fascism? I am a Rightest opposed to violations of the Constitution. I opposed the illegal wars and warrantless wiretaps. I support the Constitution Party. You are right that Fascists do not want others to have what they have. In my county some affluent neighbors were vehemently upset that 'ordinary people' had the affront to build on the other side of the lake! How dare others enjoy what we have! I condemn Fascists to Hell. I want everyone to become a greedy capitalist. Abolish slave labor. At the age of majority issue a corporation to every citizen of the world. We have a global economy; it is truly free when every citizen is free to compete. The United States controls the world through economic and military domination. Every consitution in the world is based on the U.S. Constitution. Therefore we should allow everyone to exercise their free right by the right to vote and run for office in the United States. Let every citizen of Africa, Latin America, Asia and Australia run for president. See how quickly dictatorships and corrupt governments disappear. by Barker (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 120 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 6:08:28 PM (0+)
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Ron Paul HAS a clue
Why does Ron Paul want to repeal the Federal Reserve Act and abolish the Federal Reserve system? Watching this film is like taking a College level course in World Economics and American Civics! Who IS Ron Paul? They still need to know!! Here is an interactive audio archive of The power of mainstream media and why the US has "blowback" is well documented in this 2003 film. by goldenequity (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 17 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 11:22:06 AM (0+)
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The GREATEST leader I've ever seen
From my website: http://www.thegodmurders.com/id144.html by Gary DeVaney (2 articles, 1 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 14 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 12:52:45 PM (0+)
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Why work against our only hope to bring bushco down?
I know it’s frustrating. I wish it were over. I wish they could have impeached and hung the bastard back in January, the day the Dems became the majority. But no matter how long I hold my breath and stomp my feet, when I open my eyes, bushco is still here. Still in power. Still stuffing their wallets at our expense. Still spending our military promoting corporate greed and power. Still teetering on the brink of destroying this fragile democracy. So many blame “the Democrats” when we have such a slim majority. The Repuglicans vote in lock-step and it only takes a few Dems to let them keep funding this war. Not “Congress”. Not “the Democratic Leadership”. And this congress IS doing something about it. http://www.speaker.gov/legislation?id=0004 Maybe not everything you or I might try to do or on a timeframe that makes everyone happy, but the notion they are doing nothing is a Corporate Media Snowjob and we should stop falling for it. The Right-Wing controlled media is going to do everything they can to regain the GOP majority. Why are so many of “us” so eager to help them? by TomMikesell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 24 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 2:53:03 PM (0+)
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Reply: Utterly wrong. You don't begin to grasp the situation.
The most hilarious thing you wrote is that the idea that the Dems are "doing nothing" is just a "Corporate Media Snowjob." The reason that's hilarious is because the Dems are on the side of the corporatists -- just like the media. You don't even know who's on which side! You also call the Dems "our only chance to bring Bushco down." Do you seriously think that a party that takes impeachment off the table within 48 hours of their November victory, is really interested in "bringing Bushco down"? The Democrats are protecting Bush. It's insane to think of them as a force interested in bringing him down. They could have sent him to the Hague months ago, if they had the slightest interest in it. They have enough on him to send him to jail for a dozen lifetimes. How can you seriously describe the Democrats' refusal to do anything as simply a matter of "not everything you or I might try to do or on a timeframe that makes everyone happy"? That's the euphemism to beat all euphemisms. They've rolled over on their backs now for several stolen elections, immoral wars (which have already killed close to a million people), eavesdropping on American citizens, torture, habeas corpus, stacking the Supreme Court with neofascists, & de facto shredding of the Constitution. And you sit there and call this a mere "happy timeframe" problem!! Just a bit of patience, now, and everything will be swell again, right? "So many blame “the Democrats” when we have such a slim majority." It's incredible that you could still consider the Democrats to be "we." Has it really not occurred to you yet that they don't give a fig about you? Or put it this way: when & what was the last important matter, on which you really felt they were courageously defending your interests? by Richard Mynick (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1552 comments [255 recommended, 5 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 4:38:06 PM (0+)
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Reply: So attack me then
I suggest you look into the constitutional powers of the minority party - which the Dems were when most of your examples took place. You might also stop listening to so much right-wing radio - you seem to think attacking the holder of an opinion is the same as refuting the opinion itself. by TomMikesell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 24 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 11:06:45 PM (0+)
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Reply: Congress
You are right. The Progressives who posted here, who are disgusted with all of Congress because they can't work a miracle and overcome all the Republicans and El Presidente's veto, are acting like stereotypical Democrats and forming a circular firing squad! Some Progressives are so mad and so frustrated that they turn and bite themselves in their rage. They need to remember who is the enemy here, and it isn't the slim Democratic majority! To quote a famous founding father, " We must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately." Turning against our own is just playing into the hands of the neocons. They are probably instigating these attacks and laughing themselves silly when we fall for it. If anybody believes that all who post on these sites are on our side, they are really naive. by Eowyn (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments) on Sunday, Jun 24, 2007 at 7:42:28 PM (0+)
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Rich sees...
the scrimmage game for what it is... >:) by k kelly (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 182 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 5:17:29 PM (0+)
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baseline -- start from here:
The Reps and Dems are not exactly the same; Reps are, essentially neocon, and Dems are neolibs. That means, more or less, the the Dems are more for the welfare of the people -- jobs, health care, regulation of harmful industries, etc. -- but both are imperialistic and control freaks -- the things which matter most in a democracy, and which ruin everything else if not tended to. The politicians of both parties are addicted to money and power, which is supplied by the corporate fascists. The money is important not so they can go out and eat caviar, but so they can finance campaigns to retain power. Dems and Reps are rival gangs, but they are both in the same camp as far as fascism and empire goes. The money goes to advertisements, so the corporate media wants the system to stay as it is -- they make a fortune on political ads. People watch the ads and vote for the fascists, of either party. How do we break the circular chain? Stop watching the media. Even if you are against the fascists, watching the propaganda does two bad things: it finances the advertisers and sells the products of the corporations, and also finances the networks and media companies. It also perverts you thinking -- you can't help it unless you expend a tremendous amount of energy. Propaganda works -- it's not based on your political philosophy, but on your brain. If you watch it, either your thinking and perceptions will be perverted, or you will be exhausted from constantly fending off the psychic attacks and working to catch the disinformation and illegitimate framing. That's the real point of Lakoff's title, "Don't think of an elephant". When you hear or see that you are not forced to think of an elephant beyond inititally hearing the phrase, but it's difficult not to -- you have to work at it and employ mental techniques you have taught yourself. It more insidious than that, however. There is are waves of subliminal messages bombarding you -- the news crawls, the colors, the sounds and music -- they all have an effect on your thoughts and perception. There is also the frameing -- setting the context. Here's an example: Why does God allow evil in the world? Seems like a straightforward albeit difficult question. But what are the assumptions and frames? First it assumes the existence of God, but more importantly it assumes that "God" has certain attributes and characteristics: not just the totality of existence but the creator of all existence -- and just what to do those words signify? What do we mean by "existence" and "create"? Is existence static, or developing -- or deteriorating? Can we know what existence is? Is creation "something from nothing"? If so, is God nothing, or from what did he create existence? What is 'evil"? Is God by defintion good? And what is "good"? What does "allow" mean? Passive or part of some deeper plan? This brings up questions such as free will, forces external to God, and on, and on. Granted, talking about God is not exactly simple, but consider all the hidden frames and assumption and underfined words and concepts. Now take a simpler example, but one which has tripped up many people: the "war on terror". If you haven't gone through this before there are plenty of discussion on the web, but when the frames are one of "war" and of "terror" -- an emotion, or at best a tactic, then the phrase breaks apart, What it means is not what it means, but all the other thoughts it invokes -- and those are invoked within the brain simply as part of the way the brain processes thoughts and memories. It's like an optical illusion: you know darn well when you look at Countdown you aren't seeing Kieth Olbermann -- you are seeing a collection of bits of glowing phosphors on a TV screen -- but you 'see' Olbermann -- that's what you perceive, and that perception is what goes into your thoughts -- what, to some extent, controls your mind. You watch the TV and listen to propaganda hours and hours a day and some of that is going to get through, and over time your mind WILL be largely controlsed despite of yourself. But what if you stop watching? You don't have to deal with the mass of propaganda, and you are no longer paying the fascists to feed it to you. And the politicians no longer have control of how people vote by buy commercials. See? That's the one the best ways to break those thought chains. And there is some framing -- 'chains of thought' and also 'chains of slavery'. The phrase invokes both -- even you are not paying attention to the 'slavery' aspect of it. That's propaganda. Were you aware of how that phrase worked -- and, if so, how long did it take you to become aware and how much mental energy did it take? That's a very simple example -- ad companies are much more sophisticated and spend huge amount of money to research what works best. It's mind control that modern fascists use to control people -- guns and such are peripheral; it's the cultural hegemony and hidden assumptions, along with the propaganda and disinformation (lies) which are their main weapons. And no, everyone in congress is not aware of this, and even not all the fascists understand how it works; not everyone is a Luntz. In fact they often end up believing their own talking points and shams. (You can call it 'group think' if you want, but it's also related to the 'positive thinking' sort of effect -- talking yourself into things. They talked themselves into thinking they could take easily over Iraq, and now that they can get away with bombing Iran. Pipe dreams -- of their own creation. This kind of crap takes on a life of its own. Mass self-delusion. Some of the politicians -- or actually, more to the point and more usual, the propaganda specialists they hire for big bucks, understand how it works -- but most don't. Most buy into it and are trapped in their own games. Many people delude themselves into thinking that the two-party system is all there is, and only the Democrats can oppose the Republicans -- despite the evidence, and depite the histories of politics. It's like most of the people, citizens and politicians both, are in this weird play and they have forgotten they are acting -- and for them the play becomes the reality. Until they are hit by a bomb, a bullet, or a tornado... by Blue Pilgrim (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 997 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 5:46:38 PM (0+)
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Reply: allow evil?
as for this plane of existence....... there can be no light w/o shadow. if there were no "evil".. there could be no free will, no choice. no exercise of reason, no wisdom, no lesson. it's that simple. but, there are degrees of "evil" that in scale/scope seem wholly unnecessary for the free will of men to exercise their faculty of reason against. by k kelly (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 182 comments) on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 at 12:44:27 PM (0+)
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My Comment On Your Article
Dear Mr. Gatto: You might be interested in my "take" on our 'Democratic' Congress. REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ARE ACCOMPLICES TO MURDER! Any Senator, Republican or Democrat, who does not support and vote for a strong bill that ends the War in Iraq immediately and brings our troops home as soon as possible...who wants to continue to fund the war and thereby continue the war...is an accomplice to murder! Because that's exactly what it is...MURDER!...sending our innocent G.I.'s off to wage a war and die (almost 3600 of them so far!)for the sole purpose of keeping Iraq's oil off of the market until America's "Big Oil" Corporations could gain control of its extraction and marketing...which Saddam Hussein had been attempting to do without their help and free from the control of OPEC...by signing contracts with the French, the Germans, the Russians and the Chinese! That's why we invaded Iraq! To Stop Hussein's plans. Now...the Iraqi Oil Law (demanded by the Bush Administration and its PNAC/NeoilCon advisors and cronies) does exactly that! Turns Iraq's oil over to "Big Oil"! Which is why we are "surging"! We are waiting for the Iraq Government to adopt that outrageous "Oil Law"...while our G.I.'s continue to die! It is pure and outright murder for oil and outrageous oil profits...and anyone who does not want to stop it immediately is an accomplice to the murder...murder promulgated by the Bush Administration and Big Oil! May God have mercy on their souls as they burn in Hell for it! Al Feldstein Retired Editor: MAD Magazine 3882 U. S. Hwy 89 So. Livingston, MT 59047 406 222 0601 http://www.alfeldstein.com by afeldstein (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 5 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 6:27:22 PM (0+)
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Reply: I have heard
some romors that a few Iraqis are dead and dying too... "Because that's exactly what it is...MURDER!...sending our innocent G.I.'s off to wage a war and die (almost 3600 of them so far!)" What we have here is a crime against humanity. by Blue Pilgrim (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 997 comments) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 7:35:43 PM (0+)
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Reply: High Treason by many
This video below presents the buildup to 9/11 and the inconsistancies of what we have been told. It demonstrates how many people have some knowledge of the crimes that have been covered up by our governmental entities. by Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 15 diaries, 312 comments [6 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 at 9:41:07 PM (0+)
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Congress has a clue
They know where their bread gets buttered. It's a money game. You're not going to win the game with your 5 and 10 dollar contributions or heart felt editorials. Sorry, I wish I could tell you something different. Life is not Egalitarian. Never has been. That kind of revolution is Eons away from the pathetic mass that passes themselves off as the Human Race today. by "Hoss" David P. (51 articles, 5 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 338 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 22, 2007 at 9:42:15 PM (0+)
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getta grip.....
if you're not outraged, you either not paying attention or you're dead. congress could give a flyin bat-sh*t what we think... simply.. THEY DON'T CARE! by k kelly (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 182 comments) on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 at 11:33:08 AM (0+)
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War
and now we have a tiff going over whether or not to fly a flag at half staff for every soldier who dies......a postmaster, in my state, complained that it would be so much trouble..duh (yes, a lot of the soldiers die each day) i lost my nephew, Col. Dr. Brian Allgood, January 20. the Blackhawk he was flying in was shot down. i'm sure you're aware of that day. we lost 12 with one missille. keep up the good work. my anti-war speeches are now anti-Congress speeches and i get fabulous receptions from the crowds. pat Texas by PatA (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 15 comments) on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 at 6:24:28 PM (0+)
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