I attended a funeral this week, but I was the only one aware that there had been a death.

Actually, it was my county’s monthly Democratic Party meeting, but it wasn’t a party I recognized anymore, although, at least to all outward appearances, it seemed exactly the same. The chairman gave his usual pep talk with the same earnestness and excitement and spoke excitedly about the election and Democrats’ prospects for victory. And the crowd responded with the usual cheering and applause.

After hearing Harold Ford Jr. justify the FISA sellout at the Netroots Nation Conference today I decided to post this on Kos.  I posted it on Street Prophets last week.

The autocratic Mayor of Yellow Belly, Texas has whipped up terrorist fever.  Fellow citizens have been deputized to spy on anyone in town who has contact with foreigners.  A college friend of yours who has returned to his native Iran travels to Yellow Belly for a visit.  The brigade of Howdy Doody deputies descend on your property using binoculars to peer in the windows.  They hack into your phone and e-mail to monitor the Iranian’s communications.

Im sure you've all heard by now but Harold Ford received some very harsh criticism from the the crowd at netroots nation.  Article from Huffpost below:

Eight days ago, I saw the video of the second meeting Veterans for Peace held with Congressman John Conyers and ran completely out of patience.

The wrongdoing of this administration is clear. We have been presented with lie after lie and excuse after excuse by this complicit Congress for a lack of movement on the impeachment issue. The Bush administration has been cited with NINE subpoenas by Congress that they have completely ignored.

Yesterday the excuse was that "they aren't getting enough calls". Are we not supposed to know due to the media blackout on the subject that Veterans for Peace presented 23,000 signature petition for impeachment on June 11th? Are we supposed to be unable to see the 1011478 signatures here or the 249184 signatures here?

I wrote and emailed a letter (several weeks ago) to Speaker Pelosi, as did many people who were disgusted with her actions of late related to impeachment and FISA, and then, subsequent to this, I believe, realizing that her political career might actually be in jeopardy due to her failure to honor her sacred responsibility to defend the constitution, she made a decision to attend this year's NETROOTS convention, thinking, I believe, that she can play some spin-doctoring to change the opinions of the blogging world, given our rising power in politics ... additionally, she has made an empty gesture by sending the articles to the Senate (see video below)

... well, my request to you all in attendance at NETROOTS ... please SLAM her and let her know that her empty gestures will NOT salvage her political career!

Note: Cross-Posted, as a comment to Hunter's wonderful diary Welcome to Netroots Nation.

Aged liberal luminary Nat Hentoff describes Obama as the flimflam man and compares him to Boston's Mayor Curley (who was reelected by the people once while he was in prison) and not the heroic FDR whom Hentoff and his mother adored. SacBee Article  Hentoff focusses on Obama's rejection of public financing, his support for delivering social services through religious institutions and his decision to support FISA with the retroactive immunity provision still in.  Hentoff is overwrought and his piece is Exhibit 1 of the danger of purists when it comes to political change and leadership.  Nat Hentoff would do well to study the 1932 election when FDR ran to the right of Hoover in some ways to get elected.  In 1932 he was not the liberal savior on a horse but a competent alternative to the failed Republicans who had lost public support.  The New Deal came later.

Here is what those numbers mean:

Right now we may be in a situation where winning is losing. Big time losing. During a disaster be it earthquake, hurricane or other, there is little or nothing you or anyone else can do except hang on, duck or hide. Economic disasters take years to develop and this one is just beginning.

The stock market crashed in 1929, but it was not until 1933 that the full extent of the economic and consequent social disaster became clear to everyone but the most dogmatic conservatives. Progressives swept the 1932 elections and FDR and the Progressives could do just about anything they wanted to change America from a "top down" system of wealth is power to a "bottom up" system of people power.

Democrats came to power at a time when proper government actions could actually make a difference, a big difference, for the future.

Not so much today. Both the 128/23 numbers and the timing are against us. Today the financial meltdown is just beginning. Realistically there is actually nothing we can do to even slow down the developing economic disaster, much less turn things around. Do we really want to be in charge as this country pays the price for 30+ years of Republican top down worship of wealth and power?

Yesterday, in an event most of you probably did not even notice, the United States took another step down the path to extremism and authoritarianism.  Does that sound hyperbolic?  Read on and let me know if you still think so when you reach the end.

In a 5-4 ruling, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the President of the United States has the power to order the detention in a military prison of anyone in the United States -- citizen or not-- and hold them indefinitely without charging them with a crime and without affording them the most basic Constitutional rights, such as the right to stand trial and attempt to prove their innocence.  Read that again and understand the implications.  All it takes is an assertion by the President that the individual arrested is an "enemy combatant."  The President does not have to  prove the person is an enemy combatant, at least in any conventional sense, just merely assert that he or she is an enemy combatant.

First:  This is, more or less, a defense of Senator Obama's ultimate position on FISA, even though I disagree with it.  Yes, the world is a very complicated place.

Second:  A warning.  I'm not doing any research here.  I'm a very, very lazy man.  I could link to documents, quotes, news reports, other blogs, etc, but I won't.

Third:  I waited until heads cooled a little bit before I put this up for a reason.

Fourth:  This is long and rambling.  Key parts bolded for those as lazy as me, so they don't have to read the whole thing.

Okeydoke.  Actual content "after the jump."  I promise.

The American people are angry over the FISA vote. Criticizing Obama's FISA vote on Daily KOS is even fair game.

We demand that our leaders are held accountable to the rule of law. We're watching Big Brother carefully. Are you listening carefully? Hint: We want Bush impeached.

And I'm going to demonstrate how closely we're watching by describing the evolution of an Obama hit piece.

My e-mail in response to Feinstein's spineless position:

I would expect more than lies from you, Senator... "Passing no legislation, meaning that surveillance on specific terrorist groups would expire and our Nation would be laid bare."  Bologne.  Even if the current unconstitutional law were to expire, the Government could go to the FISA court for a warrent for "specific terrorist groups" or individuals.  Your pathetic attempt to justify your disregard for the oath you took to uphold the Constitution doesn't fly with anyone who has taken a high school civics course.  

I can only assume that you are trying to cover your own rear end because you knew about the program before it was "legalized" and did nothing to stop it... thus making you an accomplice to the shredding of our Constitution.  You and your neo-con puppeteers say "everything changed on 9/11."  Wrong... the Constitution didn't change and you should have the guts to stick up for it.  I look forward to working for your opponent in the next primary.

I sent alot of senators, emails. Only got back a few responses. Including this one from Diane Feinstein. Please share your opinions.

I read once, "funny how people get peaceful once dead".

If our Congress' capitulation to Bush is supposed to somehow sate his thirst for total power over us, and if by surrendering or acquiescing to his demands we are to believe that by scrapping the 4th Amendment he will not make any more assaults against our Constitution, then we are truly dead. Surrender equates to the death of our republic-and us, just a surely and as quickly as standing in front of a firing squad.

And all the rationalizing away of the consequences of the FISA capitulation and saying, "we'll get him next year" when Obama takes office is a copout, and well, it's simply living in a dream world or alternate reality. It shows a total ignorance of the lessons of past history. Follow my rant under the fold...

Sean Tevis was sick and tired of his state legislature representative in Kansas, an anti-evolution, anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-surveillance nutjob named Arlen Siegfreid (tell me THAT name doesn't sound evil). So Sean put his name where his mouth was and decided to run against the guy. And he needs your help.

From the making lemons into lemonade file. When Barack Obama appoints his new attorney general (I'm hoping for John Edwards) he should immediately charge him or her with using the new now legal ability of the executive branch to spy on Americans almost without limits to bug all communications by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their aides past and present.

It's incredibly important that these evildoers be brought to justice and not just because it'd make us feel better. There's several good reasons as I explain below.

Last week Congress approved a House compromise package amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which dramatically increases the scope of government surveillance of international communications.   Prompted by Bush Administration insistence that new communication technologies require an overhaul of FISA, the amendments allow for bulk monitoring of international phone calls, email, and other electronic media, without any showing of probable or even reasonable cause to believe the communications relate to national security or terrorism.  

Those who are coming to this story today have jumped into the middle of quite a tale. I put myself in a tough position last time by promising to link a British "garden of lust", Benjamin Franklin, and 18th Century bloggers into a narrative that concludes with the nascent United States of America and its shiny new Fourth Amendment.

So far, amazingly enough, I’m pulling it off.
If you need to catch up, here’s what’s been going on:

When last we met...it was in a world of scandal and intrigue; with King George III and the Earl of Bute (and of course, their assorted minions) very upset with John Entick, author, and John Wilkes, author and world-class raconteur (and drinking buddy to Franklin), because they had the temerity to...well, blog.

The Earl of Bute had taken so much abuse from the Johns that he had been forced to resign from his position as Prime Minister...leaving the minions under his control, many said, only now from behind the scenes.

Something needed to be done...and when you have minions, you put them to use.

Doug Tudor recently received some national media exposure for opposing the Democratic compromise on FISA.  Tudor's statement:

"On five occasions during my Navy career, I raised my hand and affirmed 'to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.' Members of Congress take a similar oath. I believe that those members who voted in favor of HR 6304 did so in violation of their oath of office. I would have voted against this bill."

Blue America rewarded him with a donation.  But Tudor needs more help, as he is running against Telco donation magnet and Republican elitist Adam Putnam (Putnam received $12,500 from the telecoms this year).  But it's time to get the word out about Doug Tudor and give him the netroots support he needs.