Filibuster This

A lot of political infighting is taking place around the issue of the filibuster, the ability of a Congressman or Senator to continue debating an issue when others would like to call for a vote. Filibusters are often used by the minority party to slow or block nominations and other actions that they do not have enough votes to block.

Republican leaders in the congress claim that Democrats have used the filibuster in some extreme way that has never been done before. This is a lie. Media Matters for America reports that:

"In fact, while Democratic senators used the filibuster to block 10 of Bush's 229 first-term judicial nominees, the Republican-controlled Senate prevented approximately 60 Clinton nominees from even receiving a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, much less a vote on the Senate floor. And while Senate Republicans under Clinton strictly enforced a "blue slip" rule -- which allows one home-state senator to prevent a nomination from moving forward -- they greatly relaxed this rule under Bush to circumvent Democrats' objections to several nominees."

Republicans are threatening to change the Senate rule that allows filibusters. Democrats are fighting back saying that eliminating the filibuster is wrong and perhaps even unconstitutional. This is a lie also. US Constitution, Section 5, Clause 2 states, in its entirety:
“Clause 2: Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”

So what is the big deal? If the Republicans want to change the rules of the Senate, they just have to put it up for a vote in the Senate. They have that right. Interestingly enough, the Democrats could filibuster the rule change. But more interestingly, there is an existing rule that allows Senators to end a filibuster; all they need is 60 votes to close the debate then the filibuster is ended and a vote can be taken. So the filibuster is not the evil thing the Republicans seem to be saying it is and the Democrats aren’t abusing it the way they are accused of doing. And the American People (remember them) don’t think getting rid of the filibuster is a good idea: 66% polled oppose changing the filibuster rules.

So what is really going on? The Neo-Cons want control of the Judiciary as well as the other two branches of the Federal Government. They want to load the courts with Neo-Con judges without the publicity and attention that a filibuster would draw. It’s not about the filibuster. It’s not about “activist judges”. And it’s definitely not about “a judicial attack on faith”. It is a grab for power for power’s sake. And we the people need to let our elected representatives know that we will not allow them to make false claims and use diversionary tactics to make changes to government that we the governed do not want.

If the President’s appointees are well qualified and capable of performing their duties and upholding the Constitution, then they should have no fear of putting them before our elected representatives. They should not be afraid of public scrutiny. And the Republicans should have no problem convincing a handful of Democrats to end the debate and vote yes or no. But of course if the appointees are not qualified, if the administration is afraid of public scrutiny, and if their arguments are not persuasive, then maybe the Neo-Cons need a different strategy. Oh yeah! They do have a different strategy. They want to get rid of the filibuster while telling lies and trying to distract their supporters.

Let's Be Reasonable!!!

“Death To All Fanatics!” is a fun slogan to scream at protests.
But the irony is usually lost on people and I don’t really want lots of people to die.
But there does seem to be a lot of fanatics out there screaming, protesting, taking action, raising money, getting elected, etc. etc. etc.

Just speaking from personal experience (what other kind is there?), I don’t know very many fanatics, left, right or any other direction. I do believe I have met one or two truly fanatical people, but the clear majority of people I have met personally seem to be of the non-fanatical type. You know, regular people. My own quick non-scientific survey of all the people I know personally has resulted in the following numbers: Fanatics 5% The Rest Of Us 95%.

So why is it that politics and the media seem to be dominated by fanatics?
Maybe politics and the media are fanatic breeding grounds where fanatics meet and mate and produce little fanatics. Maybe politics and the media are safe havens where fanatics can get away from all us boring, regular people and pursue their extreme pastimes without all that peer pressure to calm down. Or maybe fanatics don’t trust the rest of us to conduct the business of politics and the media in a way that is pleasing to fanatics, so they are staging a coup. Or, most disturbing of all, maybe all us regular folks secretly enjoy having all those fanatics ranting and raving in public where we can watch them and enjoy the show without having to do anything crazy ourselves.

Either way, I think it is fundamentally undemocratic to allow such a small percentage of the population to represent the rest of us. I think the silent majority needs to wake up and demand some real representation. The politicians and the media need to become more reasonable or they need to get out of our policies and out of our news and information. Of course this would mean that these people would no longer be fanatics. And it means that we would have to loose our addiction to watching and listening to fanatics all the time. Think we can do it? Could we really live without these raving lunatics and their extreme positions? It means we might have to pay more attention. It means we might need to learn things and be aware of facts. It means we might have to be empathetic and learn to compromise. But I am ready to try.

Let’s Be Reasonable!!!!

Hug a Progressive

Demanding fair and equal treatment for all people regardless of their race, class, profession, religion, age, etc. etc. etc. has always been appealing to me. And it may be a cliché, but some of my best friends are liberals. Apparently half the voters in America are progressives.

As a progressive myself, I have always felt that progressive participation in government has traditionally kept the cruelest of the conservatives in check. And I have personally found that the majority of progressives and conservatives are capable of intelligent discussion and honest compromise that honors the inherent worth and dignity of everyone involved.

Progressives have pushed forward some of the most heroic changes in our laws and our perceptions. Any list of progressive victories must include Civil Rights, workplace safety, clean air and water, fair labor laws, and much more. Many social privileges and rights that we take for granted here at the turn of the century exist only because some brave progressives fought the established attitudes and laws of their time. And I think many of us began to believe that things would keep on progressing.

But the political and social pendulum has swung away from progressive issues. The corporate consolidation of the press has meant that exposing corruption in business and government is harder to do. And while we took our progressive gains for granted, some conservative pundits and politicians made a career out of mocking liberals and manipulating the fear of change many conservatives were feeling. And at the same time corporate money was buying the press and the political right, they were buying the political left as well. Democrat and Republican politicians have both gotten rich by selling their representation to corporate interests instead of standing by the people who elected them. And while the progressives were used to fighting fat-cat Republicans, they did not notice that the Democrats had all gotten fat too.

So please hug a progressive. Even though we have had the emotional outlet of screaming at the Neo-Cons and the multi-national corporations and the military-industrial complex, we have been betrayed by our political leaders as well. Progressives are just beginning to see how their best ideals have been used as a shield to conceal the true violence being done to the world, to the constitution, to the environment… The hard truth is that the very Progressive voters who gave power to the Democrats have been used, abused and raped by those they trusted. The Democratic leadership has constantly caved in and rubber stamped the worst actions of the Neo-Cons. And progressive voters have enabled and empowered this cowardly treatment.

Please hug a progressive. We are still angry and in denial. But we are getting ready to move on and build a new life. Progressives may have been more vocal and had more public temper tantrums than conservatives, but that is cold consolation. Our leaders went along with the lies and abuse. We had high hopes that Democrats would stand up to the Neo-Cons, but they didn’t. Hug a progressive because they feel bad—they tried and failed and they wonder if they did everything they could.

Hug a Progressive. Let them know that Conservatives care about them. Let them know that Conservatives are genuinely interested in life, liberty and freedom. I hope that Conservatives are looking forward to having honest debates with honest Progressives once again. I hope that Conservatives look forward to building a more honest and compassionate America where every citizen is afforded rights, dignity and opportunity.

Hug a Progressive. They have become trapped in a bad relationship, and they have been treated badly. When Progressives return to their core values, they will begin to heal.

------XXXOOO-----
True Majority
http://www.truemajority.org/

Hug a Conservative

Fiscal responsibility, keeping government out of our personal lives, and other conservative ideas have always been appealing to me. And it may be a cliché, but some of my best friends are conservatives. Many of my family members are conservatives. Apparently half the voters in America are conservatives.

As a progressive I have always felt that conservative participation in government has traditionally kept the wackiest of the liberals in check. I have personally always found the majority of progressives and conservatives are capable of discussing problems, comparing ideas and reaching intelligent compromises that allow everyone involved to maintain their self identity and their dignity.

Then the Neo-Cons took center stage in American politics, this breed of power-hungry corporate sycophants that think big companies should have more rights and opportunity than individual citizens. The Neo-Conservatives do not actually believe in core conservative ideals, but they have co-opted the language of conservatives in order to manipulate half the voters. They used huge corporate media, corporate money, and corporate power to invade other countries (making money for defense and oil corporations), to create the largest increase in the federal government since World War II (Homeland Security), to reduce personal freedom (the so-called “patriot act”), to imprison and torture individuals without trial (Guantanamo Bay Cuba), and to create the largest deficit in U.S. history ($477+ billion and climbing). And they have used this corporate power to cover their actions when they can and to lie about them when they can’t be hidden entirely.

Liberals and Progressives have been aware for a long time of the lies and hypocrisy these Neo-Conservatives have been using to cover up their true motivations and actions. But many grass-roots conservatives and Republicans are just now starting to realize how horribly they have been used by the Neo-Cons. True Conservatives are just beginning to see the ugly consequences of allowing Neo-Con leaders to act in their name. Conservatives are just beginning to see how their best ideals have been used as a shield to conceal the true violence being done to the world, to the constitution, to the environment… The hard truth is that the very Conservative voters who gave power to the Neo-Cons have been used, abused and raped by those they trusted. The hard truth is that Conservative voters have enabled and empowered this abusive treatment.

Please hug a conservative. They may still be angry. They may be in denial. But eventually they will be ready to move on and build a new life. Progressives have at least had the cold consolation that we have struggled and fought. We did not just let these criminals rape us. We shouted and screamed and fought as well as we could. But the conservatives went along with the abuse. They professed their love for these abusive leaders. Hug a conservative for they carry not only the scars of abuse but the guilt of having enabled and assisted in their own degradation.

Hug a Conservative. Let them know that Progressives care about them. Let them know that Progressives want to help them. Progressives look forward to having honest debates with honest Conservatives once again. Progressives look forward to reaching intelligent compromises with intelligent Conservatives once again. Progressives look forward to building a more honest and compassionate America where every citizen is afforded rights, dignity and opportunity.

Hug a Conservative. They have become trapped in a bad relationship, and they have been treated badly. When Conservatives return to their core values, they will begin to heal.

---- XXXOOO----
Republicans Against Bush
http://repagainstbush.meetup.com/

Conservatives Against Big Government
http://www.publicchristian.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-2-pid-64.phtml

The Conservative Case Against George W. Bush
http://www.republicansforhumility.com/divgov.html

Looking For Ways to Move Forward

Other progressives are sick of just whining as well. Maybe we are just progressing through the states of mourning and we are ready to move on.

The Black Maned Pensator over at the Daily Kos, suggests that we need a Democratic Manifesto to explain to the country that Democrats are different from the Republicans who are currently in power. Read the proposed manifesto, it is generating a lot of discussion. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/8/18241/07943

I agree that Democrats need to reclaim their core values and stop letting Republicans redefine all of our key ethical and political terms to mean what ever they want them to mean. If the Democrats can begin talking straight and telling simple truths Americans will respond.

A Broken Heart is an Open Heart

I have lived my whole life frustrated with American politics and the American government, but in the last 5 years our current administration has literally broken my heart. Yes, I am a bleeding-heart liberal and proud of it. And yes, GW Bush and his mafia of rich corporate thugs are raping this country. And yes, it sucks, sucks, sucks! And I have done a lot of complaining. I will probably do a lot more complaining.

But maybe there is more I can do than just complain.

While listening to Randi Rhodes on Air America, my wife Evelyn wisely said to me, “We have been complaining about the government for the last 5 years. Isn’t it time we figured out what to do next?”

You know what? She is right. We do need to figure out what we can do to change things.

This Blog is a beginning, a small start.
A broken heart is an open heart, and open hearts are capable of acting with compassion, care and love. My heart is broken, but I still love this country.
Maybe your heart is broken. That just shows you care.
I believe we can find ways to focus our compassion and act in responsible ways to change ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our country and our world.

I am willing to explore the positive possibilities.
Come explore them with me.
Your comments are welcomed.

In the quiet darkness I can hear the beating of my Black and Blue Heart.