Fuck

[filkertom]

One of my goddamn senators, Debbie Stabenow, voted for torture.

And overturning habeus corpus. And letting the fucking frat boy have his way, again, using our Constitution and the Geneva Conventions for toilet paper.

They could've filibustered. But they voted for this insane "legislation".

These people are not leaders. They are not even American. They have no basis by which to call themselves American. Not any more. Our country, our laws, our people, our heritage are much, much better than that.

They may have their hands on the wheel, they may be shoving the pedal to the floor. But they are not Americans in my eye. And when the shit-eating chimp boy king goes to the Hague, I hope to Christ that the people who voted for this, all of them, all the ones in the House and all the ones in the Senate, go down with him.

HOW DARE THEY CALL THEMSELVES LEADERS.

HOW DARE THEY CALL THEMSELVES AMERICANS.

Comments

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

If you'd like the heads-up on the Green Party candidate for Senate in Michigan, I know him personally...

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

Because voting Green Party worked SO WELL in 2000, right?

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Your Senator voted for it, and one of mine /wrote/ the damned thing. I hate this so much.

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree with you!!

I keep seeing people writing that it will likely be thrown out by the Supreme Court (hopefully) though I'm not sure when that might be.

But for right now I am shocked and ashamed.

[solarbird]

Only of John Paul Stevens stays alive until 2009, and maybe not then. There are four "unitary executive" theorists on the bench. They'll let the executive do whatever it wants to do. A fifth, and this game is over.

[bardicwench.livejournal.com]

Fuck...

FUCK!!!!!!


I can't think of anything else to say.

Except that I thought more of Debbie Stabenow... she really really pissed me off by this vote.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Don't worry. She's up for re-election this year, and you acn work to elect her opponent, who would no doubt have led a principled filibuster against the Republicans. Oh, right.

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

I just sent a harsh email to Ken Salazar (supposedly D-Colo). Not that it will change anything and not that he will care, most likely....

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Why do they have Lieberman down as D instead of R?

Thankfully, Schumer and Clinton both voted against it.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Because, for inexplicable reasons, the useless lying son of a bitch hasn't been thrown out of the party.

[emiofbrie.livejournal.com]

many Democrats voted for it because they didn't want to be seen as "Soft on Terror" in an election year :(

[poltr1]

I don't disagree with you, but I gotta ask: Other than catharsis, what do you hope to accomplish by venting your anger? It's not going to make the problem go away.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

No, but it will help our blood pressure and prevent eggs from frying on our foreheads while steam hisses out both ears...

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

Shit, shit, shit shit, shit!

Now I have a real problem. I really don't want to reward Stabenow for behavior like this, but I do want the Senate out of Republican control.

(BTW, I tried calling both my Senators today. Nobody ever answered Stabenow's phone.)

[timewalker.livejournal.com]

Now I have a real problem. I really don't want to reward Stabenow for behavior like this, but I do want the Senate out of Republican control.

Substitute in Harold Ford Jr and you know what it feels like to be a progressive in TN this year.

[realinterrobang.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry, Tom and everyone else. :(

This is a terrible, terrible precedent, not just for you but for the whole world.

I can't vote in your elections. I can vote in mine, though, and I think the big campaign issue has just become "sucking up to Bush."

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I swear before God -- not for my sake, because I don't personally believe in him, but before your God of choice -- we didn't sign on for this. There are unfortunately still a bunch of shitheads who support this goombah reflexively, but I swear that nobody in America signed up for this. And, if they hadn't got bludgeoned into a 24/7 Terror Terror Terror Fear Fear Fear mindset by BushCo, I don't think they would now. Truly, nothing to fear but fear itself.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Somewhere in Iraq, there is a captured American soldier.

His captors are telling him, "Don't worry--we won't treat you in any way that isn't sanctioned by your own government."

[underpope.livejournal.com]

Brilliant. I'm stealing your quote.

[dragonscholar.livejournal.com]

Pathetic isn't it? The president then came out and - blasted the democrats as soft on terror. The consultant-driven Democratic Party isn't doing shit.

What bothers me is that so many Americans just don't care. I hope enough do to raise a stink to high heaven.

Also, Toronto and Vancouver are very nice.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Yup. The Bible says it's a bad deal to get the whole world in trade for your soul, and yet members of our own party did it for NOTHING. They didn't even get 30 pieces of silver and a pat on the head for being good little bipartisan fascists.

[cwsensation.livejournal.com]

I hate this government as it currently stands. Truly hate it. I hate the leaders that won't take a stand against Bush's Path to Hitler, I hate the rank-and-file who are selling their souls to look moderate. I can say that my Congressman, David Wu, and one of my Senators, Ron Wyden, didn't. Gordon Smith did, but fuck him anyway. Can't wait until he gets his ass kicked out.

--Jer

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

YOU fuck Gordon Smith!!!

Ewwww.

[louisadkins.livejournal.com]

I can't give a coherent opinion on this subject. I wish I could, but if I think about it too closely my brain starts to cloud over in a red (rage) and black (disgust) haze...

[secanth.livejournal.com]

I don't even have to look to see how my so-called 'representatives' voted. I live in Ohio. But as a West Virginian in exile, I'd like to boot a certain rich boy congress critter in the ass.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Well, that looks like it's the beginning of the end.
And it's not much better here, since the principle candidates are compeating as to who can thrust their tongue furthest up Bush's backside. [Britain, not Canada... not that you could tell at present].

I guess western civilisation is basically screwed. heh, and people thought I was nuts 5 years ago when I saw where things were going and said as much [and look how much further we've come now! Never would've thought Bush&Co would go this far.]

Only thing left to do is get ready to water that old tree of liberity. Because no amount of words is going to stop this frikin' juggernaught.

[aulayan.livejournal.com]

The Democratic Party, unfortunately, are not leaders. They're soft. They get scared if they see their own shadow. They won't stand up for what's right, and only want to be seen as NOT BUSH, or NOT CORRUPT REPUBLICANS.

What the fuck is so wrong with them that they can't stand up and lay out a long plan for what they would do while in charge, stating their opinions loud and proud, and have a spine?

I noticed this back in '01 when they had the Senate. They were more of an opposition party then, yes, but they still didn't have a plan. It was all about mouthing off and being in the way. Now they can't even do that.

Shit like this makes me want to vote third party.

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Can we please put an end to the "spineless Democrat" thing? Do you understand exactly what went down yesterday in terms of Democratic opposition to the bill?

Yes, there are some craven politicians in the Democratic party. Things are hard for a politician not in the ruling party, especially when you have to deal with an opposition as unscrupulous as the Republicans. But at this point, sticking together to fight the Republicans is the only way we're going to stop this slide into tyranny.

[boywizard.livejournal.com]

American democracy is in an accelerating process of collapse. This is one more nail in the coffin. I weep for our nation.

[rsmit212.livejournal.com]

Well, while you're looking at her record, check out her latest ads while you're at it. She is running on the idea she protected people's pensions. A laudable idea, to be sure. Give the people the money they earned and put into the pension.

But she's also voted to give Social Security money to illegal immigrants... In other words, if you gave your money to a corporation for a pension, you'll get it, no matter what. But if you give it to the government, no wait, we'll take it whether you want to or not, we'll give it to other people who have not given a damn dime to the government... Hypocritical much?

This sucks but it can be beaten...

[nimitzbrood.livejournal.com]

I never thought that in my lifetime I'd see the flower of our freedoms choked by a bush. B-(

But Tom - you're one of the most creative songwriters I've ever seen. Couldn't you get together with a bunch of other filkers and start putting out catchy protest songs. Give them away for free, sing them on street corners, inundate the congress-critters with CD-R's of them. Short but sweet little songs that stick in the minds of the public. Anger is a good motivations for getting the ball rolling on things like that. (Just my $.02 worth.)

Me, I don't know what I'm going to do but I'll find something. Some action that I can do to help make some sort of difference. I can't sit by and watch it any more.

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

What really chaps MY ass is that one of the principal authors of this legislative obscenity is John Freakin' McCain, who spent YEARS being subjected to exactly this type of behavior at the hands of the Viet Cong and damned well ought to know better, Republican or not. And the sad but unsurprising news that one of the Senators from my very red home state, Mary Landrieu (a frigging Democrat!), voted for it.

I'm with nimitzbrood; let's write some catchy protest songs...and then go out and find a way to take meaningful action.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

And I want to thank you both: I suddenly got an idea which I don't think anyone has done, and I've stopped all work on the two songs I was waffling between for this week's (late) iTom, and I think I'll have something BRAND BRAND NEW up later this afternoon. Quick, easy, it's writing itself. Thanks, guys.

1 small hope

[capplor.livejournal.com]

That this will go to court and be deemed unconstitutional.

another hope: that November will see the beginnings of impeachment proceedings.

they are WAY overdue.

Re: 1 small hope

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

I'm expecting Bush to pull an Andrew Jackson when this gets struck down, sadly. (Though I almost want him to, if just push folks' backs enough to the wall that Congress or the population might do something..)

Detailed voting records

[wyldraven.livejournal.com]

H. R. 6166 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll491.xml)
S. 3930 (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00259)

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

We're supposed to be fighting a war on Terror...
So why do people insist on continuing to be terrified?

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Because the Republicans are using fear as a campaign tactic, and the media has been fully complicit in it, so a majority of the people in this country don't actually know any better because they haven't heard any dissenting voices.

[mama-terra.livejournal.com]

I wandered here from metaquotes. And I find another Michigander upset at our stupid ass senator. When I saw the vote earlier I was amazed. Or horrified. I'd say more horrified.

I thought for sure she'd vote Nay. I would love to her her so-called "reasoning" on voting for this. There is no way I'm voting for her to be relected.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Welcome! And, yeah, it's a dilemma. I called her office this morning and the woman basically blew me off, so at least she's getting heat about it. But... gaaaah. If the alternative weren't even worse....