Part of what this is about is an assault by the Republicans in congress and the White House on the power of the courts. I would expect that no court will go along with this.

There's some mighty stupid judges out there, Roy, but let's hope so.

Good job, Duckman. People I know are reeling in disgust, amazement and shock over this latest insult to the American citizenry.

That little ditty from my not altogether mis-spent youth that has of late, ohhh... four years or so, been running around the back of my brain is getting closer to the front, getting louder...

Now's the Time for You and Me!
Got to Revolution, Got To Revolution!

The dems will do nothing to fight this coming Theocracy. The dem party is dead - its cowardlyness killed it. The only hope for this country is for the true conservative repubs to fight against this. That is a slime hope.

My advise - invest in a berka manufacturing plant. They will be required fashion for half of the population soon.

It must be tough being a liberal.

* It's okay to kill babies.
* It's okay to kill the disabled.
* It's not okay to kill serial murderers.

So, your position seems to be that the innocent are okay to slaughter.

Yet, you support national health care. Which is bizarre, since it'd seem a cinch that if a disease or tragedy struck somebody, you'd be for letting nature take its course without intervening. (Unless it was a felon, probably.)

Then, you rant about the courts making these kind of decisions and imposing them on people. Yet, you don't have a problem if a legislative body passes laws imposing higher taxes on people; which, is basically confiscating people's money.

You seem like a confused and contradicted lot. IMHO.

Muck, you're like clockwork, right on time as usual.

Have you seen or even heard about the CAT scan preformed on Terry Schiavo's brain.

Now rather then ranting I'll ask. What constitutes a human being? Please answer with detail Muck, and not "because God told me so".

JJ, I had two berkas made. When my seamstress said "why do you want these things," I said "just in case." ;-)

If there was ever a time when we all should have taken to the streets, it was this Violation of our rights. However, we did not.

Thomas Ware is right. I personally believe that the time to sit behind a computer on Blogs, write letters, contribute, or make phone calls is over. I have posted this before, but without the media we are doomed. If the MSM will not call attention to the fact that our Country is being taken over by these people, then it is our responsibility to do so.

The average American, I believe, is so distracted with just surviving on a daily basis, that they have little time for anything else. Their energies are drained by worrying about how they are going to pay next month's mortgage, or educate their children, or keep their jobs, or pay for medical insurance or a varity of other life's issues. This leaves little time to educate themselves on what is happening in the world except to catch the faux news at 5:00. I don't blame them, I blame those of us who know what is happening and have not organized ourselves enough to take the message to the streets of this Country. When people are too preoccupied with surviving, they tend to not be well informed, or if they are, they don't have the energy and time to protest. Isn't that how Russia kept their people under control for years?

Frankly, muck, are you purging through a new orifice?

But then again, thanks for the insight.

Money is the flesh of the body.

Reveals much.

Reality is indeed confusing, best leave it for those who live in it, I say.

muckdog,

Stick to economic issues where you don't make a total ass of yourself.

I'd like to see the CAT scan results of some of the folks here, frankly. I'm not seeing much evidence of brain activity from your posts.

I'm actually having a hard time believing some of the recent muckdog comments are actually from muckdog.

He usually has at least some insightful substance to his comments.

Nothing but ad hominems lately.

Muckcat,
The reason why muckdog has nothing but ad hominens is because the GOP is coming off very badly on this whole issue.

Muck
You should take a look at the 1999 law Jr. signed into law in Texas. By your own reasoning, he is a serial killer. BTW, most serial killers are Republicans. Ted Bundy anyone?

Yeah, the trolls just can't control themselves. They just have to log on to see what we are saying, and then post something that none of us give a rat's ass about. Speaking of no brains, try to follow their confused comments, if you can.

* It's okay to kill babies.

Oh! Why, you're talking about a woman's right to an abortion. How droll that a neo-con who supports policy ensuring the death of babies in the United States and world community should talk about abortion. Tsk, tsk. What a silly little man, and one with much baby blood on his hands at that!

* It's okay to kill the disabled.

For neo-cons in Texas, yes. Of course, the issue is: can neo-cons force a bain dead woman to live through artificial means so that the neo-cons can then masturbate with visions of piety and sanctity (and 06 evangelical votes) in their pointy little heads? Just think, muck, if you have a CVA leaving you brain dead you may have no right to cease exisiting. Maybe your family can dress you like a dancing monkey and pretend the wheezing of the ventilator is organ grinder music. Make sure to have some cans of Lysol handy to cover the smell for when you shit and piss your diapers. Maybe you'll get bedsores the size of dinner plates and an infection will treat you mercifully...maybe.

* It's not okay to kill serial murderers.

I've no clue where this argument fits in. Are there serial killers on life support somewhere? Tell me where there are serial killers on life support. Oh, please do. Did you get this from Rush-the-Lush. Maybe Han-jobity? Glen "The Ranting Tard" Beck?

"You seem like a confused and contradicted lot. IMHO"

While you, muckdog, are just a Bush ass kisser and an idiot.

Th psychtc dth clt rlly gts wrkd p vr ny ppstn t thr ftsh.

Botdito doesn't seem to understand projection either.

Steve: add this to your list.
If you have adopted a child and the birth parents squark that the adoptive parents are not
so-called Christians (or some other objection), the adoption should be voided and the child returned.

I am not normally a parianoid, but having adopted both my children, one from a birth mother
whose child was removed from her by the court, I am now.

With this awful act, no court ruling is final.

any news on revoking frist's medical license?

As Mucktroll's boy George slips further and further away from public acceptance of his failed policies and his "non-plans" that make things worse, the troll's attitude has fallen off the cliff, just ahead of Bush's approval rating. His dim comments are sounding a bit nervous. Like the initial realization by the ship's rat that water is starting to gather at it's feet.

Perhaps muckdog saw this editorial in today's New York Times about all the vacancies at Treasury.

:(

Good post, good writing.

I flipped out when they stole the election from Al Gore, yet everyone else seemed to sleep-walk through it. We had lost our country right then--democracy was over. Period.

What now? More of the same? Every day that answer becomes less and less relevant, as the commenter above states. I can never think of anything that isn't destructive or self-defeating, but I'll think about it again.

The country...is...gone. The freaks who "govern" us truly want and do rule. The media blows them for it.

I'm sorry I just don't have much hope left. We're spiraling down the drain this very second and we won't be able to claw back. By 3000 the north American continent will have fractured in at least 3 or four shabby states. We can't survive like this.

This sad predicament has been escalated out of the reasonable jurisdiction of courts applying applicable law, medical professionals applying their best expertise, and the next of kin applying judgement about what is best for their loved one and into the realm of politics in a truly pathetic manner. The GOP is using this in a manner that is purposely divisive and provacative. We all see it. They thrive off intense divisions within the body politic. Until we stop being so easily distracted and divided, this manipulation will continue as our democracy devolves. The logical end of this process is unacceptable.

The "Culture Wars" will end, but it will be a bloody end if we don't realize the divisions are a fabrication of an ugly cabal of corporatists intent on achieving other ends while we watch the show.

Or muckdog might just be extra grumpy because he has to re-vote for his favorite on American Idol tonight.

:(

Question;

Can someone interpret the meaning of covering one's mouth with a piece of red tape that has the word "LIFE" written on it for me?

Perhaps in my psychotic death trance I'm missing something but shouldn't the tape say "DEATH"?

The way I see it the protestors seem to be saying they are being gaged by LIFE.

Muckcat,

At least they DO have tape over their mouths...

Geez, 25 comments on Duckman's wise analysis and 12 are replies to a rabid canine.

I repeat, Terry Schiavo has, literally, nothing to do with this case; this case has everything to do with you and I.

This is the crux. And, as we have seen from the polls, the majority of Americans do not agree with what Tom DeLay, Randall Terry and their minions are doing in this case BECAUSE it touches so close to home. This despite what larre notes below has been extensive lying about Terri Shiavo - lying amplified by a megamedia that I really thought just a few months ago couldn't get any worse, but has.

When the media lie (by commission or omission) about elections or Iraq or bankruptcy bills or Social Security, a lot of people don't get it because they have no personal truths to compare the lies with. On this matter, they do, and they aren't drinking the Kool Aid.

Because of this, I'm not quite aligned yet with you, Paradox, being unwilling to give up resistance even in my superannuated condition. I'm hoping that some lie, maybe this one, will finally break the widespread unwillingness of Americans to accept that the theoiligarchs and their media megaphones are, in fact lying to them about nearly everything and that they CAN do something about this.

But, if I'm wrong and you're right, I think you've overestimated by about 950 years how long it will take for North America to devolve.

Excellent post, Duckman. Gets right to the heart of what I've been thinking as of late. I pray that the Supremes take hear the issue only so they can smack the other 2 branches into line, and maybe turn the Amercian collapse around. Hard bad odds, I know, considering The Court started us on this path to begin with.

professor,

Point taken.

due to the recent hiccups in GOP/Bush control of the public mindset, I've seen several bloggers starting to predict that the long sought "tipping point" may have arrived on the back of Bush's meddling in personal things (SS, mercy killing).
The Control these GOP Overlords have is much like the mystery men in X-Files. They have much more at stake than even many of us blogosphere people can realize. They will fight if needed. Ask Wellstone. Don't forget the 52 unheeded warnings about airlines before 9/11... they will do what they have to do. Again I say, we'll need something big to stop this.....bigger than a fight over some poor lady's feeding tube.

The worst of it is...we are only 2 months into a 4 year term. If they can do this much damage in such a short time, aye carrumba! Please be the tipping point..please can we stop this insanity.

word to muckpuppy, ummm talk about conflicted, you are the one here who is constantly whining and complaining about people like us for at least have compassion, common sense, and common decency, realizing the need to pay taxes to care care for people like Mrs.Schiavo. In your many past posts...you have whined incessantly about "entitlement lovers" and about people not paying their "fair share" into the system...ummm Mrs. Schiavo certainly didn'tdo that and is now costing the system easily $80,000 yearly of your tax money muck. She didn't pay her fair share into social security either muck, but now your tax dollars are paying for her...that must be eating you up inside and how do you deal with such an inner conflict muck... You always complain about that...yet you insist she not be allowed to die with dignity which were her wishes but oh the humanity those taxes you despise paying need to be collected by the legislature and used for her care.

Mucky- they raised the enlistment age. you should be in Iraq by now!

paradox, i'm tempted to share your despair (and sometimes i do), but political overreach (on this and SS) still might have the power to overcome the bush-fellating media. this latest circus may contain the seeds of political destruction for frist, delay AND jeb.

buck up one more time, buddy. if we can somehow get the senate next year, we'll get the chimpeachment started.

otherwise, you're right, we're completely fucked.

emal,

If we can take over the legislature in 2006, hopefully we can cut off some of this madness, hopefully.

well they are pulling the tube out of the earth mother up north in ANWAR.
its pretty distaste full. the end of empire.
heh, this country has a history of pulling out the feeding tubes.
worse they are pulling the feeding tubes out of the next generation. their own children. social sec.
this is cannibalsim in the name of what?
jeebus.
your view of jeebus is sick.

Nothing is this Act shall constitute a precedent with respect to future legislation.

Perhaps the most dishonest and/or delusional sentence ever incorporated into a bill passed by the United States Congress.

thanks, toby. iirc, there was a similar line in Bush v. Gore

Indeed, just because you say it ain't so, the fact that it happened makes that sorta difficult.

It's like when you take the kiddies to the zoo and the elephant there unsheaths his "sword."

You can pretend that thing isn't waving around like a monstrous pink telephone pole, but it is, children, and no amount of denial can take that picture away.

I pray that the Supremes take hear the issue only so they can smack the other 2 branches into line, and maybe turn the Amercian collapse around.

The Supreme Court has a long history of dodging constitutional showdowns where possible (with at least one notable exception...).

If they take this case--and I think that would be extremely unlikely--it probably won't be to deliver a smackdown to Congress.

Ya well I'm feeling better. It was a long day, what can I say?

I'm not going anywhere and there is no alternative but to fight. Sorry to get whipped and, as always, sorry for the bad math.

Hmmmm-ah-hmmmmmm, I'm thinking about what to do. This constant lying and media freak show cannot last. I just cannot--all of my life experience screams that the truth cannot be hidden.

Been that way for me. All the rest of the planet sees the lies. How do these freaks really think they can get away with it?

Muckcat, I don't quite get it either. Maybe it symbolizes that she is being denied food (tape over mouth) which sustains "life." Who knows. Actually, who cares. Republicans love cute little things like this, as though you can take a tragic or complicated event and turn it into some simple symbol. Remember the bandages at their convention?

The sheer arrogance of the Repuglicans (sic) is destroying our Constitution and our country. I am reminded of Macaulay's poem "Horatius" in which he describes how united and brave Rome was at one time and how it collapsed.

Here is Horatius fighting to save Rome.

"Horatius," quoth the Consul,
"As thou sayest, so let it be."
And straight against that great array
Forth went the dauntless Three.
For Romans in Rome's quarrel
Spared neither land nor gold,
Nor son nor wife, nor limb nor life,
In the brave days of old.

Then none was for a party;
Then all were for the state;
Then the great man helped the poor,
And the poor man loved the great:
Then lands were fairly portioned;
Then spoils were fairly sold:
The Romans were like brothers
In the brave days of old.

Now Roman is to Roman
More hateful than a foe,
And the Tribunes beard the high,
And the Fathers grind the low.
As we wax hot in faction,
In battle we wax cold:
Wherefore men fight not as they fought
In the brave days of old.

Jonathan

Paradox:

You are not alone. I spend way too much time on this Blog, however, it is because I need to touch, daily, some sense of sanity. I think there is an air of depression and hopelessness that has been brought about by this president (small p). A president can either lift a Nation to great heights or they an destroy a Nation through their leadership or lack there of.

Some days I feel impotent. Other days I wonder if I could leave my family and move to Mexico. Then I get mad and want to fight in the streets to take this Country back. In other words, I vascillate between hopelessness and rage. Perhaps we somehow encourage one another here at TLC. At least here we can vent and not have someone think we are nuts. LOL By-the-way, I scream alot too.

p,

perfectly permissable and utterly understandable.

They don't expect, the ones with actual thought processes, to get away with it forever, just long enough to stash a lot of cash in the mattresses.

Judith,

I feel the same as you. But we should not leave. That is exactly what the Repuglicans want us to do.

WE MUST STAY AND FIGHT THESE BASTARDS, AND RECLAIM THE COUNTRY.

Jonathan

Jonathan, your right of course. However, there are days I want to just chuck it all and leave this Country and let it go to hell. Fortunately, I have always been a fighter, and coming from a long line of strong and capable women, I will choose what is right and fight until the end. They are not going to drive me out of MY COUNTRY.

WE MUST STAY AND FIGHT THESE BASTARDS, AND RECLAIM THE COUNTRY.

There won't be much of a country left to reclaim once they're finished, but you're right nonetheless. If Sisyphus could push a rock up a stupid hill forever, I guess I can fight lunatic Right-wingers until I'm dead.

Oh, wait. Sisyphus wasn't real. Fuck it, I'm moving to New Zealand while the getting's good.

Matt,

The Repuglicans must have felt the same kind of impotence in 1993 and 1994. Yet they won control of the House and the Senate in Nov.1994.

I know we are not the vicious, low-lifers that the Repuglicans are. But we can take a leaf out of their playbook.

I would suggest that we should start by focusing on:

- How can we turn Lakoff's theory into practice? Lakoff is a linguist; he has given us the tools to understand what is wrong. But we need progressive versions of Frank Luntz and Newt Gingrich to win. Can we persuade Howard Dean to help?

- What can we do to stop Arnold's "special election"? Is there a counter-petition that we can and should develop?

Jonathan

Of course, once again this is also about controlling women. If the patient in question was named Bernie Smith, who would care?

Of course, once again this is also about controlling women. If the patient in question was named Bernie Smith, who would care?

On the "keep him/her alive" side, probably nobody. On the "give him/her the dignity s/he wanted" side, probably all of us.

Absolutely correct Matt.

It must be tough being a rethug

* It's okay to murder tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis in an unnecessary and illegal war.
* It's okay to torture and murder POWs.
* It's okay to mislead this country into a ruinous war based on a laughable tissue of lies and bullshit.
* It's ok to turn budget surpluses into an ocean of red ink and bankrupt this country an orgy of tax cutting and profligate spending.
* It's ok to have a pathologically lying, inept, feckless, and thoroughly corrupt war criminal dipshit in the oval office.

does anyone have a list of non-deportation English speaking countries? Pretty soon there'll be a draft on.

And to think we have almost four more years of this kind of crap. God help us.