Dispatches From the Front Lines of the Culture War
On November 2, 2004, the United States of America officially died.
On July 1, 2005, with the start of the handover of the last branch of government to the fascist party, the process to officially convert the new nation to Jesusland commenced.
U.S.A. R.I.P.
William R. Coughlan is one of the founders of Tohubohu Productions (so even on pictures he doesn’t direct, he can squeeze in an Executive Producer credit) and in-house video producer for The Advisory Board Company. He dabbles in screenwriting, acting, 3-D animation, and writing autobiographical comments in the third person. He is also a published illustrator, has provided schematic graphics for several HBS case studies, designed the acclaimed Protégé clay poker chip line, wrote for the (now-dormant) online literary magazine Inkblots, and acts as editor for the MotherReader weblog (which is not-so-coincidentally written by his wife). He currently resides at a secret compound in Burke, Virginia, with his wife Pam and their two daughters.
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6 Comments:
Hyperbole warning.
If so, not much. Rehnquist leaving was survivable. O'Connor, not.
Bush has made his intentions perfectly clear, and short of a surprise like nominating torture-monger Gonzales to the post (which nobody really thinks is anything more than an idle fantasy), this will be a gift to the right-wing freaks who've been salivating for just such an opportunity.
In all honesty, in the wake of this news, I will not be celebrating Independence Day this year. Our independence is gone; we merely have a new master — the religious right. In fact, I find it hard to believe I will ever vote again. I have said before that if this is what "America" wants, then I can't see any benefit to sharing "democracy" with such mindbogglingly ignorant, narrow-minded savages. Are they the majority? No — but the majority seems more than content to let them run the nation, and I can no longer be complicit in that action. The infamous Daily Mirror headline, "How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?" has never been proven more accurate.
We wage war on the basis of moral right against dictatorial oppression, torture and irrational religious extremism, but this event (which, granted, taken as a standalone item would not be catastrophic) just drives home the point that we have no moral high ground. When we sacrifice the very bedrock of our country, what exactly is it that we fight to preserve?
Speaking from a strictly pragmatic standpoint, I'm not planning to leave the country (much to the chagrin of the aforementioned freaks). And as such, I will continue to obey the law of the land, if for no other reason than the overwhelming force of arms compels me to do so. But any moral identification with the larger community known as "America" no longer exists for me. I reject any notion that I have a "duty" to participate in what has become an outright joke.
Sure, I may feel differently later. Particularly if a miracle happens, and either a moderate conservative is nominated or the Democratic party grows the balls to fight to the death against the alternative. But for the moment, "America" is on its own.
I realize you can't see but for your anger and frustration, Bill, but looking at Gonzalez's record, he's a strict believer in jurisprudence and that the powers of Congress are enumerated, as well as the Executive's powers.
His statements regarding the Geneva Convention have been blown out of proportion by the left, who see them as permissive of torture, not at all, he's instead asking the RIGHT questions: We need to re-consider the Geneva Conventions for modern times with non-state actors. Because clearly the people at Gitmo don't fit either role, but deserve a decent legal status that allows us to properly process them one way or another. That's what Gonzalez was trying to say, but of course the media just picked out a few sentences and the left went batshit.
I think Garza or Edith Jones' Choice is more likely.
But, hey, Bill, if you want to give up and stop voting, like a pussy, that's your problem :)
Argh! Them there's fightin' words! :)
All other things being equal, in terms of the nomination of a largely moderate conservative like Gonzales, I could live with it. But I think you're being a little overly apologist in your defense of his actions. But I will reread the original memo with a critical eye — that's only fair.
But largely beside the point, as his nomination is extremely unlikely (at least according to most prognosticators). Bush is most likely to throw the rabid right some fresh meat, keep them motivated for the next round of elections.
But yeah, I'm angry and frustrated. But I'm going to Patton's show tonight, so maybe I'll be a little cheerier tomorrow.
Then again, given the political content of his show, I may just be angrier.
You can always hope that he puts Ron Paul on the Bench. That would be awesome.
Gonzalez is a better replacement for Rehnquist than O'Connor. We may see him try to put Edith Jones on the bench.
I think that having to write the dissent in Kelo v. New London probably sent her over the edge. It would have made me crazy. I still can't believe that we've actually officially destroyed the takings clause, and I was on the side of Scalia.
Sometimes I love a moderate strict-constructionist, and on those days, I'll think of Justice O'Connnor. Also, I liked her robe ruffle. Brought a little pizazz to the court, and set a nice fashion precedent for Ginsberg.
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