Supreme Court Proves Who They Work For

Today's refusal by the Supreme Court to even get involved in the case involving Rep. Jim McDermott and Sen. John Boehner should serve as notice to the American people as to whom this Court actually works for. It isn't the American people as a whole, but the Republican party.

In a case that stems back some ten years, the Court refused to consider the case wherein it was alleged by Boehner that McDemott had invaded his privacy by releasing a taped conference call involving Boehner, Newt Gingrich, and staffers. The tape had been received by McDermott by a Florida couple, who overhearing the phone conversation on a police scanner, recorded it, because they realized that what these men were talking about was breaking the law.

McDermott went public with the tape, giving it to the press, which is just one of the reasons that led to Gingrich's eventual resignation.

Boehner, on the other hand, was so outraged that his civil rights had been violated by McDermott, you know, the right to PRIVACY, that he has dragged McDermott through the legal system for ten years, in order to punish the man for revealing what was essentially an attempt to commit fraud on the American people by Boehner and Gingrich.

As the case wound it's way through the appellate courts, the legal fees and judgements against McDermott amounted to almost one million dollars. There were no less than eighteen news organizations involved on the side of McDermott, but we all know by now that this government, all branches of it, have been stifling the voice of the press for many years, and could care less what they think.

Chief Justice Roberts did not even participate in the case at all, and refused to give a reason for his decision. But the ruling itself should give proof to the sham that has beset us in this country as a whole. Because the implications are clear as day, even to a casual observer.

This same Supreme Court, who has allowed this administration to run roughshod over our Constitution, who has allowed for the invasion of privacy of every other American, refused to consider this case, due to the exposure it would have given to the issue of the privacy rights of Americans as a whole. They were not about to open that can of worms now were they?

What they have done by not making a stand in this case, is to say to the rest of us, that the Republican party may break the law, get caught at it, but if you tattle on them, you're going to pay the price. That the Republican party may enjoy freedom from eavesdropping or recorded phone conversations, but the rest of America does not.

Bear in mind that this Supreme Court has sided with this Administration over illegal wiretapping, domestic spying, etc. etc. But only when it comes to the violation of the rights of you and I, not the rights of Republican lawmakers.

John Boehner doesn't need to shed any tears today, now does he? He can laugh all the way to the bank, with his unbelievably hypocritical stance on his own privacy rights, but his voting for the destruction of the privacy of the rest of America. We've all seen chutzpah when it comes to politics, the courts, and how they conduct the people's business, but this one has to be nominated for the political hall of shame. Make votes and speeches about the need for the government to spy on Americans, for their own safety of course, then sue someone else for violating his privacy, while he was involved in a scheme to get Gingrich off the hook for breaking the law in the first place. I believe the phrase for that is criminal conspiracy, but, no kidding, neither Boehner, Gingrich, or anyone else involved were ever charged, and now they never will be.

But I imagine it doesn't hurt when the Supreme Court of The United States is on the payroll of your political party now does it? The Supreme Court, by it's own hypocritical stance in this case, once again shows that it could care less about the rule of law, but only cares about helping the neo-cons further their agenda, which is what they were appointed to do. Maybe it's time for the American people to be able to ELECT Supreme Court judges, with term limits, so we can get fair and balanced representative rulings or non rulings from the Court, instead of bought and paid for duckings on issues as important as individual privacy. Batmanchester

One Base At A Time

On Monday, the “war czar” Lieutenant General Douglas Lute said that establishing permanent military installations in Iraq would be a “key item” for US-Iraqi negotiations on long-term security ties next year. Today, the Administration’s in-house mouthpiece Dana Perino denied that there were any such plans for permanent bases in Iraq. So which is it? Either we are or we aren’t. It’s very disturbing that people within the same administration, who should all be on the same page, aren’t.

Remember that Donald Rumsfeld, then US Defense Secretary, said in an April 21, 2003 press conference: "I have never, that I can recall, heard the subject of a permanent base in Iraq discussed in any meeting. ... The likelihood of it seems to me to be so low that it does not surprise me that it's never been discussed in my presence, to my knowledge. Why do I say it's low? Well, we've got all kinds of options and opportunities in that part of the world to locate forces, it's not like we need a new place. We have plenty of friends and plenty of ability to work with them and have locations for things that help to contribute to stability in the region. ... “He repeated the denial on February 17, 2005, when he told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "I can assure you that we have no intention at the present time of putting permanent bases in Iraq." Knowing how long it takes to implement such a plan, we can safely assume that Rumsfeld, along with the rest of the Administration, was lying again.

The Administration has shown, time and again that what it says and what it does are very often very different. In spite of it‘s denials, the fact is that it continues to plan and construct bases that are built to be permanent, because tucked away in the fine print of an $82 billion appropriations bill passed by Congress in May provides for “the Army to provide temporary facilities, and in some very limited cases, permanent facilities… These facilities include barracks, administrative space, vehicle maintenance facilities, aviation facilities, mobilization-demobilization barracks, and community support facilities." But while Congress won’t even discuss the idea of permanent bases, they will talk about “enduring bases.” What’s the difference? And guess who has the no bid contracts for most of the work to build them? Why, KBR of course.

The American Embassy currently under construction in Baghdad rivals the size of the downtown areas of many mid-sized American cities. Combining the presence of so many bases and the personnel necessary to man and maintain them with the presence of such a huge embassy in a country so small (roughly the size or smaller than most of our Western and Midwestern states) is suspicious at best. As of 2003, the US had 730 permanent military bases in 50 countries around the world, and active duty personnel in dozens of other countries. Why? Some of those countries even have their own militaries, or at least the ability to form them, so our presence there would seem unnecessary.

Looking at a map of the world marking those countries where we have permanent military bases, it looks like we have essentially divided the globe up into chunks small enough that we can get soldiers from those bases to anywhere at almost a moment’s notice--again, why? It reminds me of the way firehouses and police stations in most cities are located to shorten response times in emergencies. Spreading representatives in the form of soldiers and their bases is the tactic of empires seeking domination, not the tactic of democracies helping to spread freedom among the other nations of the world.

Where is the outrage from the Democrats at these ‘enduring bases’? Or have they become a part of this empire building fiasco also? Because all of this empire building would not be such a bad thing were it actually in the cause of freeing the people of the world from tyranny. But we can no longer delude ourselves that this is this administration's intent. Not with a tyrant sitting in the White House taking away our freedoms here at home. Batmanchester

Operation Digital Angel

It's funny how we miss the huge issues streaking toward us as we go about our daily lives. As most of us, myself included, worry about the issues before us today, we almost never see the controversial subject creeping slowly and insidiously into our lives until they're already upon us.

For years now, the readers of future trends have been screaming from the rooftops about RFID chips, and how the intention is to eventually implant a chip into every human being on the planet as well as everything that is manufactured on the planet. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, is already implanted in many of the items you purchase from major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Tesco, Sam's Club, K-Mart, and many more. The chip, about the size of a grain of sand, had usually only been able to track an item from what's called a reader device from up to about 100 feet away. But not any more.

Not content with being able to track every item you buy, the VeriChip Corporation gave a press release today that along with their partners, Digital Angel Corporation, they have developed a working glucose based chip that can be safely implanted in humans on a cheap and mass scale. Operation Digital Angel doesn't just intend to implant a chip identifier in your body in order to help you when you go to the doctor, but they intend to be able to track you wherever you are, whatever you're doing, whomever you're with, and so on and so on. The eventual intent is to have the chip be used as your identification, your monetary system, your entire life will revolve around your implant.

They're quietly moving towards this goal by integrating with programs such as Google's GPS mapping service they recently unveiled for cell phones. That's the service from Google where you can push a button on your cell phone, and it will tell you, within 200 feet, exactly where you are. Or where the nearest coffee shop is. You know, in case you're lost. Unknown to most people however, is the fact that your query was just entered into a massive digital data base, where it will be stored forever just in case the authorities ever decide they need to know exactly where you were that day. Claiming that their system doesn't include personal data about the user's query, Google admits that it does log the user's unique identifier code, which means, duh, they know who you are.

VeriChip is now in negotiations with Google, and who else but the U.S. government, to use satellite tracking in conjunction with the Digital Angel chips in order to be able to pinpoint exactly, to within inches, where you are and what you're doing.

Sounds crazy doesn't it? Not if you stop and think about it. OnStar already has the ability, using GPS and RFID chips implanted in your vehicle, to know your exact position at all times. The computerized system constantly relays information between the vehicle and OnStar. For your safety of course.

People receiving new passports will have an RFID chip in them. The new National ID card that's being rejected by some states will have an RFID tracking chip in it. Why, even the Gillette razors you bought at Walgreens yesterday have an RFID tracking chip, so the company can track the demographics of where the item was purchased, and where it went after the purchase was made. The new supermarket discount card you sign up for has a chip in it also, as well as your new credit cards. As you walk into a store, you always notice those anti-theft devices at the store entrance. What you don't know, is that the newer ones also have an RFID reader in them, which is scanning your clothes, your pockets, your wallets and purses, in order to identify what type of customer you are, and your purchase preferences. Where that's leading is to the implementation of 'targeted advertising'. The scanner will detect your purchasing tastes, and when you go to a display, it will pop up an advertisement directed just at you. The new cash coming out will have RFID chips in them, the reason being to track your anonymous purchases by way of a reader at the bank scanning your bills, and a reader at the store scanning them. This way, they'll know who had the money, and where it was spent.

Katherine Albrecht wrote a book about all of this called Spy Chips, which I read a couple of years ago. At the time, I was dubious as to just how fast they could actually come up with a system of which she spoke, without anyone noticing or without the people rising up in mass protests. I assumed it would be at least a generation away.

But after watching the new trends, and following the stories, and reading just today's story about the Google tracking system in today's N.Y. Times, and discovering today that VeriChip intends to announce their newest technological advance in the field of human implantation at the Grand Hyatt in New York on December 4th, as well as Digital Angel's own company mission statement of getting these devices into everyone within the next ten years, well, it's time to sound the alarms.

They've already been experimenting with these chips by implanting them in pets and BABIES. Right now, all of this is voluntary. But as they move the monetary system over to the chip based credit/debit system, you will no longer have a choice. You get a chip, or you don't participate in society. And if all of this doesn't make you angry, or afraid of where we are heading, or if it sounds like so much science fiction, remember this: They want you to not believe this is coming. Stealth is the name of the game here, even as information is slowly released about these chips, it's played up in the corporate controlled media as something that's for your own good. Science fiction? So were televisions, cell phones,computers, space ships, cars, airplanes, and any number of technological advances at one time.

Operation Digital Angel. The name should say it all for you. Batmanchester

A New War On Terror

Remembering the echoes of the words spoken by the Bush Administration before the war in Iraq ever started, one must wonder at just how forgetful the American people have become, and where their sense of outrage and injustice has gone.

On Jan. 19th, 2003, Donald Rumsfeld boldly declared that the Iraq conflict would cost no more than 50 billion dollars. Easily forgotten now that Rumsfeld is no longer in the public eye, but the fact remains that this was the view of the entire administration, with some going so far as to say that the war would pay for itself in the form of Iraqi oil. We now know that all of this was smoke and mirrors, better known as outright lies. The 'war on terror' has cost the United States over a trillion dollars and counting.

As Bush demands more money for his phony war, the war designed to suppress the production of Iraq's oil in order to allow for record profits for his oil baron friends, he terrorizes our own country in the form of legislation meant to implement the beginning foundations of the squashing of all voices of dissent. We'll save that for another day, but today, let's look at what all of that war money would have bought us.

First, according to The National Priorities Project, it could have paid for almost 300 million children to have health insurance for a year. Or it could have covered every child in the country for more than five years.

Twenty three million people could have gone to college for four years, fully paid for.

63 million kids could have had a year of head start.

We could have added 8.5 million teachers to our schools.

Or we could have used the money to build 4.5 million new housing units.

To go further than that, if our intent in the world is to be truly helpful and neighborly like, we could have started programs in virtually every poor nation on earth to help them have clean drinking water, grow their own food, and give the the technological know how to bring themselves up out of the stone age. But those are not our priorities.

We could have taken the old Equinox car, you know the one, it runs on water, but was killed by the oil companies, and perfected it to the point that we could be laughing at the oil producing states by now, as they swam in vast reserves of useless black gold.

Instead, we received vast tax cuts for the rich, on the blatant lie of trickle down economics. Trickle down economics is the theory that if the rich have more money to invest, it will create more growth, because in their benevolence, they'll share that wealth with the rest of us in the form of health benefits, pay increases, and the creation of new jobs for all. Only it doesn't work that way. Benevolence among the super rich is rare and the only jobs they created were the slave labor jobs in China, India, Thailand, Pakistan, Columbia, Guatemala, etc.

According to Bush's own words in a speech recently explaining his veto of the new funding for LIHEAP, and SCHIP, the programs designed to keep Americans from freezing to death and fund health care for kids, he rationalized the vetoes as well as further tax cuts for the rich by stating that the cuts would enable small business owners to provide health insurance for their employees. Oh. And poor Americans already have health care, he added, they're alled emergency rooms. So I decided to fact check him on that.

I called 50 businesses, ranging from privately owned corner gas stations, to mom and pop grocery stores, restaurants, hardware stores, you name it, I called them. The answers that I received as to how well their employees were covered by company health insurance due to Bush's tax cuts ranged from laughter at the very idea that the tax cuts had made any impact on their bottom line, to those who said it wasn't their responsibility to provide health care. I could not find even one small business owner who had implemented a health insurance program due to any tax cuts. Indeed, I found many of them were laying people off, because they couldn't afford to pay the high price of heating and cooling, let alone pay for health insurance. So, the notion of tax cuts being beneficial to small businesses is a cynical way of suckering the people into going along with his give away to the rich.

So Bush is fighting a war of terrorism all right. But it's a war on the American people. Oh. I know. You're going to come back with the far right position of fighting them over there, blah, blah, blah. But this was a war of choice, not a war because of any threat. The threat was actually stemming from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, so we went ahead and bombed Iraq. Al-Quaeda's safe haven was Afghanistan, so we shoved them aside, and invaded Iraq. Now the Taliban is in charge of over half of the country again, with their eye on retaking Kabul, the capitol. So, how is this a war on terror again?

We need a new war on terror. One that stops this administration from victimizing the poor and the middle class here at home, and concentrates our efforts on rooting out the true terrorists in the world. But that would take a radical change in ideology from this President, and he could care less about the poor or the middle class. The fact is, these new Republicans will speak platitudes to your face, then try to destroy the very foundation and backbone of our country. Someone even suggested to me yesterday that outsourcing all of our jobs was good for the country. Oh. I see. How silly of me. Sending our good paying jobs overseas and replacing them with Wal-Mart jobs is good for the country. Sure. If you're a super rich corporate CEO, who gets paid in the hundreds of millions of dollars range. Batmanchester

Taking Back America

In order to give any sort of analysis on what must be done to reverse the damage done by the Bush Administration, one must first truly take a look into the havoc he has caused. Without even going into the Patriot Acts, or other declarations and signings made by the President that erode out freedoms, all we need look at is the damage that has been to our middle class, and it becomes obvious what the cynical agenda has always been for this administration. The destruction of our country.

By using the so called 'fast track authority' given to him by the then Republican controlled Congress, our President has signed 'free trade' deals with Canada and Mexico that effectively erode the sovereignty of the United States. Already building the Texas Superhighway, that stretch of road will eventually lead from southern Mexico to northern Canada, eliminating the borders of our three countries, and creating the North American Union. Do you suppose that's why they're only paying lip service to anything that resembles border security? The Democrats have not only refused to take this 'fast track' authority away from Bush, but openly encourage an open border policy. Two parties. One voice. And it's not for the American people.

In one of the biggest ripoffs ever conceived in this nation's history, the plan to privatize Social Security moves forward quietly behind the scenes in such a way that no one even notices it. Looking across the country, all one needs to see is that in many states, it is the insurance industry that now runs almost every aspect of medical care for recipients of Medicaid and Medicare. What used to be an ordinary trip to the doctor, now must be cleared through an HMO, with the HMO directing the doctor on what medicines they will pay for and what they won't. The states that subscribe o this massive scam now charge the recipients of Social Security and in most states that have this plan the recipients of welfare, what they all a 'nominal charge' to visit the doctor, or to receive prescription drugs. This 'nominal charge' can pretty much ensure that the person for whom the medical aid was intended, will never receive it, because for what little programs such as Social Security and welfare actually give to recipients, how are they supposed to afford co-pays? The entire idea behind the programs was to give relief, not become a burden on those it's intended to help. But, the insurance industry makes sure to give big dollar political donations, so no one wants to reverse this hideous rip off of the poor.

During the Bush years, we have had fiats proclaiming some workers not eligible for over time, the erosion of the people's ability to form unions, more trickle down down economics, ( the theory being if you give a ton of money to the rich, it'll trickle down to the rest of society, only that doesn't happen.), we even had a declaration that workers going to the areas affected by Katrina were not protected by minimum wage laws, while at the same time, the corporations have enjoyed the windfalls of massive tax breaks, along with the largest subsidies, (read corporate welfare), in the nation's history.

Where am I going with all of this? Simple. If they can effectively bankrupt the nation by outsourcing our jobs, spending every dime they can get their hands on, destroying the very tax revenue we use to run the country, thereby running up these obscene deficits, they can then point and say "We can't afford to keep all of these social programs, privatize everything!" And the people, fearing a collapse, become willing to sacrifice their own self interests, while these hyenas laugh in your face.

So what to do? The answers are right in front of us. First, before anything else, we need to start paying attention to what these guys are up to. They are pitting us against each other every single day. They pit white against black by telling white people that blacks are getting all the good jobs, without mentioning they shipped all of the jobs to China, India, Thailand, Pakistan, etc. They tell working class men that it's women stealing their jobs, pitting gender against gender, race against race. They tell us it's all the gay people who are destroying this country, while half of them are gay themselves! Or it's abortion, or some other triviality. Thereby fueling a fire that has nothing to do with the way our country is being run. And distort the Constitution of our country, (what's left of it), by declaring that if you're against an integration of church and state, against domestic spying, or against pre-emptive war, you must be anti-American. Does anyone really believe this garbage?

The middle class and the poor need to fight back by taking the power away from these madmen. Vote for someone who will work in YOUR interests, and not the interests of the few at the top.

Make them restore 40 hour work weeks for everyone, the right to join a union, and over time pay for everyone.

Force them to abandon this North American Union idea, before there really are no borders, or any jobs left at all.

We need a single payer health care system, whether you believe it's socialised medicine is irrelevant. Wait till you or yours gets sick and the insurance company tells you that it's an 'experimental' treatment, and they're not paying.

Rebuild the infrastructure of the country by creating good jobs that are dedicated to rebuilding bridges, roads, mass transit, and affordable housing for all.

We need a new New Deal in this country, and we have yet to hear more than platitudes from those running for President. The only way to take back America, is to demand that our elected officials hear us and understand hat we are serious. Get those questions before the candidates at he next debates, both Democratic and Republican, and let's hear their answers. Batmanchester

Huckabee Would Be Worse Than Bush

Another one of the candidates emerging from the shadows to become a real threat to the 'top tier' GOP candidates is none other than Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. Ringing soundly with right wing 'Christian' voters, (the 'Christian' voters who call for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, say 9/11 was the fault of lesbians, gays, and well, you know the rest) is Huckabee's assertions that he would get Roe v. Wade overturned.

The gambit here is quite obvious, and hopefully will be seen through by voters across the country. Huckabee knows he has no chance whatsoever in the general election, and so he tries to concentrate all of his energy into the Iowa primary, hoping to finish with a surprise win, or at least a strong showing. In this manner, he can position himself for the Vice-Presidential nod, and should that happen, we are screwed once again. Here's why.

Huckabee makes absolutely no distinction between his brand of 'Christianity', and the Presidency of the United States. He strongly believes that his religion should be the ruling force behind everything he does. So, instead of a President who merely pays lip service to his religion running his life, we'd have a true fanatical right winger in the White House, with Pat Robertson making regular White House visits to consult with the President.

Under a Huckabee Administration, women would lose their right to choose, sending them back to the alleys, and coat hangar days. This decision was made years ago, but the wing nuts who want control over every aspect of your life just keep plugging away, hoping that someday they can pack the Supreme Court with like minded wing nuts. Oh. Right. They've already done that.

On health care, Huckabee advocates for the elimination of job based health benefits, opting instead for mandatory private insurance, whether you can afford it or not. That's Romney's and Hillary's plan, and it didn't work in Massachusetts, where they are struggling to dismantle Romney's boondoggle, so what in the world makes Huckabee support this? Could it be the insurance and medical industries that are paying big bucks into his campaign coffers?

Believing in globalization, Huckabee wants to cut Big Businesses taxes even more. Eliminating Social Security, the IRS, Medicare and Medicaid are also on the top of the list for Huckabee, another in a long line of candidates who are using the 'blame it all on the poor' game.

Unwavering and unconditional support for Israel will be the mantra of a Huckabee Administration. Despite the fact that we send 6 billion dollars a year in aid to Israel, and they use that money to suppress the Palestinian people, road blocking all chances for peace, this government has never truly taken the Israelis to account for their actions. So Huckabee would support Israel no matter what they did, like say, unilaterally bombing other countries.

Using the scare tactics of the last 6 years, Huckabee warns supporters of the Islamic threat to our freedom. Spouting the tried and true Rove party line of fear, fear, fear, and scare them to death political nonsense, he declares boldly that they hate us because we are a free people. What garbage! We're a little more sophisticated to fall for this one again.

But at least he's all for saving the Big Oil companies and Agri-Businesses. He actually believes that Americans should be using their tax dollars to increase the current corporate welfare system, while he advocates for dismantling programs for the poor. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Jesus say something about helping the poor? How 'Christian' like to take away what little they have now and give it to the rich.

But more than anything, at a time when our deficits are skyrocketing and our national debt is astronomically high, all we need to do is look at Mike Huckabee's record as Governor of Arkansas. During his time in Little Rock, the CATO Institute says that spending under Huckabee's administration increased at three times the rate of inflation, leaving yet another deficit in state coffers. This is what he wants to bring to the nation as a whole. More misery.

Combine all of this with his support of teaching creationism in public schools, disregarding scientific facts, and what we have here is another right wing fanatic, willing to say anything, promise anything, use religion, fear and scare tactics, and who talks to God on his cell phone. We don't need any more of this malarkey in this country. We need a drastic change of direction and Mike Huckabee only offers more of the same and worse. It is my sincere hope that all of those who are seeking alternatives to the 'top tier' candidates will see through Huckabee the Huckster, and not give this guy even a foot in the door. Batmanchester

Driving Those Turkeys Crazy

While not your traditional Thanksgiving piece about family, love, huge meals, or how to cook them, this little ditty is still a story of being thankful for some of the happenings or about to happen events.

We can be thankful first and foremost today for the advent of the age of the internet. For without it, we would still be communicating our thoughts and ideas over telephone lines and fax machines, which means we'd still be in the dark about our world and what is really going on. With a nod to Bill Gates, Al Gore, or whoever it was that actually did invent the internet, (I could find out, but the Packers are playing soon, you do understand?), I thank you people and respectfully bow before the altar of my monitor.

Today, we're thankful that the nightmare of the Bush Administration only has a year or so to go, and hopefully we can undo some of the damage he has done. We'll be more thankful if the Congress would do more to keep him and his people in check, like impeaching them all. Luckily, the people are awakening, and driving those turkeys crazy via emails and petitions, and for that we should all be very thankful.

Today's football games are a great reason to be thanking the powers that be, because today's big game is actually a BIG game and not another bust of a dust up as in so many recent years.

Thanking some of the media would be in order also, for their sudden realization that the Saudis may not be our friends after all, they're just the Bush family's friends and business partners, which we have been confusing as one and the same thing since 9/11. Just ask the military. They know where most of the foreign fighters in Iraq are coming from.

The oil companies and OPEC deserve the entire world's thanks, as they are helping the environment by driving the price of oil through the roof, and making it harder to drive your car, thereby reducing green house gas emissions. Sure, they had to lie to us, and scam us into accepting the higher prices by suppressing the production of Iraq's oil, and getting the Saudis to go along with it, but don't worry, they're not done yet. Be thankful that it won't be until next year when gas goes to about $3.75 or $4.00.

Be glad and give thanks to the government of China for allowing us to have such cheap imports by being willing to enslave their own people. Now that's what I call progressing towards a new world order. Oh, wait. They took our jobs to do all that, as did India and Pakistan, but look on the bright side. Now you can learn to speak their languages in case you ever need customer service for anything. See? New world order, we're all one big happy family.

Thanking God or whatever deity you worship is also in order that we don't live in Sudan or Darfur, where a mass genocide is still going on despite recent advances by the African Union in getting everyone to sit down and talk. Al-Bashir plays his games and suckers the world once again, and the slaughter of the innocents continues unabated.

But most of all, today is the day that we can thank each other. For all of our faults, all of our misguided backing of the fool from Crawford, and all of our differences, we still come together with love and compassion in our hearts at least a few days out of the year. We even remember the poor and the homeless on these days, and some of us actually go and help out at a shelter or a church, and I suppose we must be thankful for that much. The poor would be a lot more thankful if we remembered them year round, and actually stopped the government from funding their wars by taking away from those who are the most vulnerable.

Not meaning to ruin your appetite, I'll close this by saying thank you to the rest of the country for still being America, and for recognizing that we are in trouble. And for getting involved in extraordinary numbers to try to stop the neo-cons from getting us all killed. Now it's time for some pumpkin pie. Yes. Before dinner. Only way to go. Batmanchester