Wake up and Smell the Coffee, DU!

[Totally Committed]

Took my usual look at Buzzflash over my morning coffee, and found their usual way with words especially inspiring. Not only do their stories, and the headlines they provide horrify and appall this morning, they actually tell a story.

*A federal intelligence court judge earlier this year secretly declared a key element of the Bush administration's wiretapping efforts illegal. So what do the Busheviks do, ask Congress to make their illegal activities legal. If Reid and Pelosi give Bush and Cheney more totalitarian power, they might as well resign as leaders of their respective houses. Bush and Cheney should be impeached, not emboldened to conduct more spying on Americans.

Ruling Limited Spying Efforts
Move to Amend FISA Sparked by Judge's Decision

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202619.html?hpid=topnews

*TIME Magazine: "Once again, it's President Bush against just about everyone else. This time, he's vowing to veto the Water Resources Development Act, a wildly popular collection of 940 Army Corps of Engineers projects, including $3.5 billion for post-Katrina Louisiana and $2 billion for the Florida Everglades. The House passed it Wednesday night in a 381-40 , and the Senate vote should be similar; archliberal Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer of California and archconservative ranking Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma can't agree on the color of the sky, but they're both pledging to override a veto."

Setting the Stage for More Katrinas?

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1649403,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

White House Backs Pollution of Lake Michigan by British Petroleum
EPA backs BP dumping
Lake will get more pollution

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-bp_01aug01,1,6406355.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

*Bush promises to screw Katrina victims yet again. In a sharp and unexpected blow to Louisiana, President Bush threatened Wednesday to veto long-awaited legislation that would enhance hurricane protection along a Gulf Coast still struggling to recover from the devastating storms of two years ago.

Levees, coastal projects at risk
Bush threatens to veto costly bill

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1186038179288290.xml&coll=1

And, then there was this... The Coup de Gras; The post-script to Bush's cruel, and probably intentional failures to lead -- at home or abroad; Mage me want to spit up my coffee!

*If you wonder why Congress doesn't do well in the polls, one of the easiest moves would be to raise required mileage standards for new automobiles. Thanks to Pelosi, House Democrats have decided against the increase when they take up energy legislation later this week.

House Drops Tougher Auto Fuel Economy
By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

After weeks of uncertainty, House Democrats have decided against a confrontation over automobile fuel economy when they take up energy legislation later this week.

Two proposals to boost the required mileage for new automobiles were submitted Wednesday for consideration as amendments to the energy legislation, but they were withdrawn by their Democratic sponsors.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2007/08/01/national/w161437D77.DTL

Do you see the pattern? Failure after failure to lead, protect and defend the people of the United States while failing to provide what was "promised" abroad, thereby besmerching our reputation, globally. We all knew this about Bush, didn't we? But, to see it laid out this way in this sordid and shocking little microcosm of "news" is still horrifying, isn't it?

Just as I was dealing, though, with the horror of reading about what Bush was up to, the last headline and story -- the one about Congress rubber-stamping yet another FAILURE of this administration, while doing NOTHING to stop him MADE ME GO CRAZY.

Wake up and smell the Coffee, my friends. We are being F*CKED OVER and the Congress, "led" by Nancy Pelosi, is aiding and abetting it... over, and over, and over again.

I'd say e-mail, write LTTE's, call, fax... but to whom? None of this has helped so far. So, any ideas about what to do NOW? The media, the government, and our own Congress is giving us scandal after scandal, while screwing us over on the important issues. They keep us so busy looking here, and looking there, and mad about this and mad about that, that we can't even FOCUS.

I am at my wits' end. Any thoughts or ideas? We have to get our sh*t together, and rally to support each other, because no one else is, or can.

*Thanks to buzzflash.com

TC

[marmar]

1. I'm convinced that the country is irretrievably f**ked.....

Perhaps it needs to collapse, then embark on a New Deal rebuild.

[connecticut yankee]

2. Agreed

I thought a Democratic majority would help, but they're really no better than the Repukes.

[YOY]

5. Strong and undenyable economic downturn is on it's way

To accompany the nasty ecnonomic red flags that have been here since dippy took office. Let's hope it doen't hit too hard, but hard enough to wake folks the hell up to what many of us have been saying for the past 27 years: Neocon fiscal policy and "Reaganomics" are not good for the economy and never have been.

[MuseRider]

3. No ideas

none. We have done everything that we are supposed to do to make our desires as their bosses known and still this continues. We can't even be assured that we can vote them out anymore since it seems that they are not interested in making our elections safe.

I am at my wits end with this. I can't even begin to formulate any ideas or plans. It is all wasted effort it seems, all we have done.

I want to say NGU, and I know I will NGU but...I am not certain there is anything left to hang onto.

[Dr.Phool]

6. Say FUBAR.

Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition.

Up is down.
War is Peace.
They hate us for our freedoms. So, please take them away.
We don't have the votes.
We have the business of nothing to accomplish.

FUBAR
Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition.

[Totally Committed]

9. I think you might be right.

FUBAR.

Any ideas what we can do to get us out of this mess?

Looks like the people we elected will be no help whatsoever.

TC

[stillcool]

10. the phrase "Never Give Up"..

has taken on a much deeper meaning for me lately. Rather than implying giving up on others, or giving up on something outside myself over which I have no control...it now is of a personal nature. I think of all the authors of books and articles, written over the last several decades and realize the search for, and exposing of truth never ends. Many of them are still doing the do, even though their shared knowledge has probably not produced the results they had expected. My hope, or faith in the human spirit to endure, adapt, and grow beyond to a better place is what I now can not give up...and that requires me to seek, learn...and pass it on...and never give up.

[Totally Committed]

11. Wow. Awesome post.

You should write a book... or at least a thread about that!

Thanks for the mini-peptalk!

TC

[MuseRider]

17. I have been winding myself in

knots for so long over this that I began to do just what you are talking about without even noticing it. Stresses in my life right now are adding to the confusion, misery and anger but that is rapidly coming to a close and I see the chance to stop and breathe finally coming close.

Thank you. Part of seeking a solution and making the change is first getting yourself to that place. "Be the change you wish to see" (or however that goes) really is the truth rather than just an overused phrase.

It is time, I think, for us all to stop and make smaller connections with our surroundings. Start there and move up. I just really wonder if we have the time for that, if all will be totally dark before we can start changing things. I suppose that we can do it, or our children if we only keep the history and pass it on.

Confused and angry in Kansas, lol. We can do this but we have to move more people out of complacency. Maybe the near future will help with that enough that we don't have to sink as far as I think we are going to. Dunno but thanks. You are correct that that is where we have to start. No matter how hard we may have tried we are all corrupted to a certain extent by what has been going on for the last 30 or more years.

[stillcool]

19. yupper..

It's hard to keep any kind of balance when the inexplicable actions taken by mere mortals, result in such a world of hurt...and so many others seem immune to the understanding of that kind of suffering..but when I think about it..my awareness..and the change within myself has been incremental... it's been more about synergy..like the input from many members of DU.. than a singular massive moment of "Aha!" It's the illusion of security that keeps me stuck. This country has not been 'my country' in a long time..maybe never. Fantasy does not equal reality. My own definition of 'my country' needs to be amended before I can even think about 'change'.

[Totally Committed]

20. You still should take your "Never Give Up" post and expand it

to an OP... It was really good.

TC

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[msongs]

7. nancy Pelosi is not man enough to go head to head against the tyrant bush nt

[Totally Committed]

8. I hear what you're saying, and agree with the sentiment, but...

being "man" enough isn't what's needed. As a matter of fact, it could be ehat's gotten us where we are today. Pelosi, sadly, has modeled herself after the male political hacks around her to get ahead.

What's needed is someone with a heart, a mind, and a SOUL -- all intact and and firing on all cylinders. A person who knows right from wrong, and is willing to do what's right instead of what's EXPEDIENT.

Unless a person like that steps forward to lead us, we are truly F*CKED.

TC

[elmerdem]

12. sounds to me

like you just described Al Gore.

"What's needed is someone with a heart, a mind, and a SOUL -- all intact and and firing on all cylinders. A person who knows right from wrong, and is willing to do what's right instead of what's EXPEDIENT."

an oscar, the nobel prize & the presidency, sounds like firing on all cylinders to me.

[Totally Committed]

13. Yes, I support Gore, and RFK, Jr., and others who could still step in and save us from this mess.

I'm not sure any of those I'm waiting for are willing to step in, though.

But, we'll see.

Gore would be good, though, eh?

TC

[elmerdem]

14. I think

Gore/RFKjr. would be the best! It would definitely be the environmental & foreign affairs antithesis of what we have now.

[Totally Committed]

15. Be still, my heart!

It would be an awesome ticket, indeed.

Have you signed the petition to draft RFK, Jr. yet? The link is in my signature line.

TC

[elmerdem]

16. I'll sign it now

NGU!

[windbreeze]

22. I may have hope after all...

thank you TC....
wb

[Totally Committed]

18. If you don't think we are in trouble, read babylonsister's thread...

"House Erupts in Chaos"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3423922

Tell me we aren't all in trouble when something like this happens.

TC

[midnight]

21. These sure are some serious ailments that are plaguing us.

Maybe we should ask Doctor Dean how to heal these complaints? I wonder what he would say about this mess. Al Gore doesn't want to touch it. I'm not sure but I can't believe all this chaos that has been thrown at us and it's going to have to wait.

[Harry Monroe]

23. Perhaps it is time to take a sledgehammer to the whole rotten foundation of government...

...and rebuild it, before it collapses under it's own corrupt weight.