Under a Gibbous Moon

Who the fuck needs a warrant or probable cause or any of that. Evidently a judge has decided that the outside surface of your car is public property. I never understand people that comment on stories about violating constitutional rights. Apparently if you aren’t doing anything that you feel is wrong, then you shouldn’t need the Constitution. I want to quote Ben Franklin here, but I think we all know which quote I’m going for.

Governments never take a dramatic action to remove freedom. They always will one step people into total tyranny.

Radio broadcast

Proof that we are all doomed.

One thing that always infuriates me, is how many people believe whatever comes out of a political pundits mouth, no matter how outrageous or idiotic. Of course, psychologists would say that people are just looking for someone with authority to confirm their own views.

Personally, I’d rather look at it from a far more logical perspective. All these people make lots and lots of money. The louder they yell and the more shit they shovel, the more people tune in. The simple fact is, the more outrageous the lie, the more they profit and this provides a strong incentive for them to lie and fan flames.

The only way to return any kind of sanity to the political spectacle is, counter-intuitively,  stop paying attention to them. I’m not saying ignore politics but just change the channel and turn the dial when the blow hards come on, eventually they’ll just go away.

The senate filibuster is wrong, it has alway been wrong and so it shall remain. I don’t care who uses it or why. The reason for this is simple,  we live (ostensibly) in a democratic society. Typically in a democratic society the will of the minority is not allowed to overrule the will of the majority.

That is, though, exactly what filibuster is. One (or sometimes a small group) senator is able to indefinitely delay the passage of a bill. The House of Representatives does not allow this, why does the Senate? Selfishness.

All senators hate the filibuster because it can get in the way of what they want but at the same time, they all love it because it allows them to get what they want. The best part of it is, that not wanting to be inconvenienced, senators are not even required to stand and talk to filibuster. The filibustering senator merely says he is and then everyone can go home.

While the Constitution gives the Senate the power to form its own rules, this is downright stupid. Unfortunately, the only way around their selfishness would involve getting them to either change it directly or through a Constitutional amendment. I don’t see either of those things ever happening.

Apparently, Republican support for Soldiers is only good until they have something else that they want more.

Democrats blocked an attempted Republican filibuster attempt early this morning. The stated Republican goal was to stop the spending bill so that the healthcare bill would be delayed until after Christmas.

I’m blown away by this. Over most of the last decade the Republicans have, at the very least, led the charge to make sure that the military had the money and supplies that they needed. It seems that that was all a sham. They did it only because it was politically expedient and as soon as another cause came along that they cared about more, they were willing to pull the plug as a political maneuver.

And why were they willing to risk Solider’s lives? As Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan) put it:

“I don’t want health care.”

What a bunch of bastards.