david sirota: A Day That Will Go Down In Infamy

[cal04]

Very rarely in American history do moments come along when our Congress publicly and openly flaunts the fact that it has stopped even trying to pretend it cares about this country. Usually, the disdain lawmakers have for ordinary citizens and the nation's well being is hidden behind fake promises of altruism and idealism. But today is one of those truly rare moments - a moment that should go down in infamy for its nauseating candor.


Today, the United States Senate - supposedly the greatest deliberative body in the greatest representative democracy on the planet - spent its precious time having a heated debate over whether to amend the Constitution for the first time in a generation so as to ban flag burning. The U.S. House last year spent its precious time on the same issue. Regardless of how one feels about this issue, the admission of irresponsibility inherent in Congress spending time on this issue is truly historic. We are a nation that is in the throes of a very serious crisis - one that is costing us hundreds of lives every day. The numbers explain what I am talking about far better than prose.
Consider this - the U.S. Congress and cynical pundits and political operatives in Washington are polluting our country's political discourse with a debate over flag burning at the very same time that (list at link)


(snip)
There are truly no words for a Congress that would have the nerve to spend its time creating and then "debating" an "issue" like flag burning at a time when this is going on - especially when, last I checked, there is no plague of flag burning overtaking the country. But even if there was that plague, there still are no words to describe the irresponsibility and negligence of the cynical, soulless politicians who would allow such a debate to even take place when these life-and-death realities are unnecessarily unfolding before our eyes - realities that these politicians have the power to stop.

Our founding fathers would be ashamed. Our country's historical icons who fought to make this country great would be appalled. My own ancestors - who risked their lives to free themselves from tyranny, get to this country and help build it through public service - they would be disgusted. And the next generation will rightly look upon this day - and this era - as an embarrassing cautionary tale in the history of a country that allowed the worst forms of greed and self-indulgence from the most vile political opportunists in both parties to imperil the very foundation this nation was built upon. They will wonder how we, the people, didn't all scream at Congress from the top of our lungs: "How dare you?"

more
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/27/234758/062

[patricia92243]

1. Yeah!! They need to spend their time on important stuff - like naming Fren

French Fries - Freedom Fries. Gag!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

2. SO PICK UP THE PHONE AND TELL THEM!

IM GOING TO. DON'T BE AFRAID TO TELL THEM " HOW DARE YOU" PHONE THEM OVER AND OVER, TIE UP THE LINES. PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. WHEN THE OFFICE STAFF SPENDS THE DAY HEARING THIS THEY DO GET THE MESSAGE. THIS IS AN OLD TACTIC BUT IT WORKS WHEN YOU HAVE THOUSANDS DOING IT. DON'T E-MAIL. PHONE ALL WHO VOTED FOR THIS AND GIVE THEM SHIT!

[niyad]

5. welcome to DU--and keep up the good work!!

[snot]

3. rec'd and kicking nt

[lonestarnot]

4. Make them pay with your vote and pray it's not stolen!

[renate]

6. "creating and then "debating" an "issue" like flag burning"

That's the part, as much as the free-speech-quelling, that bugs me about this particular issue at this particular time.

Why aren't more people--the majority of Americans who, for all their apathy, aren't BushBots--going :wtf: ? Flag burning? Now?

I guess they're all just burned out--so used to our government failing to address real issues that they just don't see the point of caring any more.

[thecrow]

7. American Flag Ettiquette

American Flag Etiquette.

Federal law stipulates many aspects of flag etiquette. The section of law dealing with American Flag etiquette is generally referred to as the Flag Code. Some general guidelines from the Flag Code answer many of the most common questions:


The flag should be lighted at all times, either by sunlight or by an appropriate light source.

The flag should be flown in fair weather, unless the flag is designed for inclement weather use.

The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.

The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.

The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.

The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.

The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind placed on it, or attached to it.

The flag should never be used for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.

The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.

When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.

http://www.usa-flag-site.org/etiquette.shtml

[Solly Mack]

8. Doing their job would mean impeaching Bush

and holding accountable all those guilty of war crimes and abuses of power

A manufactured flag burning crisis is ever so much easier than actually doing what needs to be done

It really is a true measure of just how useless Congress has allowed itself to become under Bush...dog and pony shows to distract from the fact that Congress isn't doing it's job.(Maybe their real job is to maintain the illusion of a representative government while filling their own pockets and I'm the one confused about it all)

Course, it could be a case of being just as corrupt and just as complicit as the Bush Regime....

Maybe even a combination of several factors

Regardless, the result is the same

Americans are not being served by their government. And that's putting it mildly.

[iconoclastNYC]

9. David really tells it like it is

When you aren't on the DLC corporate profit-first gravy train you can talk about the issues we face in a clear passionate manner. You can put the blame where it belongs. And you can make policy suggestions that are a cure rather than a band-aid.

If you are a DLC "centrist" Democrat you have to ignore the problem and hope it goes away because it might displease your corporate paymasters.

David's new book Hostile Takeover is amazing...each chapter is on a different topic like Taxes, Unions, Wages, Energy and self contained. This book gives you the facts to argue the populist progressive position on almost any major issue.

Each argument is backed with cold hard facts and framed beautifully. David Sirota is America's most skillful progressive spokesman.

Here's a except from "Hostile Takeover" on why labor unions matter:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/iconoclastNYC/86

The Internet and the new progressive media are exposing us to people like David Sirota that the corporate media would normally ignore. We now have the tools to take our party back from the right wing who have been laying roots in our party to neutralize opposition to corporatism.

We will witness the rebirth of the party of RFK and JFK in our lifetime. Take our government back from corporatism, and reestablish America as the shining light of freedom and equality.

[Amonester]

10. K & R - n/t (means "no/text," just an IMPEACH BU$H avatar) &

a :kick:

[chill_wind]

11. Sirota is wholly unowned by the plutocrats and he's fearless.

I'll kick and nominate his message to the masses *every time.*

[burythehatchet]

12. I cannot explain the disdain I feel when I see Bill Frist

pontificate on the importance of these "issues" as explained to him by Karl. The good news is that there is nothing, NOTHING, they can do to change the tide now. They have played every single card they know how to play. They got nothing left, and everyone knows now how to read their stupid, idiotic games.