What we have lost under BushCo.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing click to enlarge The laundry list of things BushCo has done against us is pretty staggering and can even make real Conservatives (honest-to-God Goldwater folks) cringe. But seldom do we look back at what we have lost under this regime. We have lost more than we have gained as a Nation. If we could just have these four things, Bill of Rights, The Twin Towers, the lives of our soldiers and New Orleans, what would we give up in hindsight? And what are we willing to do about it? From If This Be Treason: Given the continuing unwillingness of our federal representatives to end the war, restore Constitutional protections or address the high crimes and misdemeanors of a lawless leadership, 911truth.org urges all freedom-loving Americans to spend September 11, 2007, rediscovering the compelling democratic history of people’s movements and the general strike. In response to increasing calls for a general strike on this year’s sixth 9/11 anniversary by grassroots coalitions such as www.strike911.org, 911truth.org is encouraging participants to maximize the transformative impact of the day with a few inspiring hours of study. Janice Matthews, executive director of 911truth.org, states, “We face a grave array of dangers caused, exacerbated and/or ignored by a non-responsive government, and we must therefore remind ourselves how victims of other authoritarian regimes rose up to reclaim basic democratic rights and popular sovereignty. Not all succeeded, of course, but we can learn from their mistakes as well as their victories, and considering the rate our Constitutional protections have been evaporating, the nation needs a crash course in peoples power right now.” I know what I WON'T be doing, how about you?

Bill Maher on "Sacrifice"

Video via Crooks and Liars here. And finally, new rule: liberals must stop saying President Bush hasn't asked Americans to sacrifice for the War on Terror. On the contrary, he's asked us to sacrifice something enormous: our civil rights. Now, when I heard George Bush was reading my e-mails, I probably had the same reaction you did--George Bush can read?! (Laughter.) Yes he can, and this administration has read your phone records, credit card statements, mail, internet logs... I can't tell if their fighting the War on Terror or producing the next season of Cheater. (Laughter.) I mail myself a copy of the Consitution every morning, just on the hope they'll open it and see what it says! (Laughter and applause). So when it comes to sacrifice, don't kid yourself--you *have* given up a lot! You've given up faith in your government's honesty, the good will of people overseas, and 6/10 of the Bill of Rights. Here's what you've sacrificed: search and seizure, warrents, self incrimination, trial by jury, cruel and unusual punishment. Here's what you have left: handguns, religion, and they can't make you quarter a British soldier. If Prince Harry invades the inland empire, he has to bring a tent. (Laughter). You know, in previous wars, Americans on the homefront made a very different kind of sacrifice. During World War II, we endured rationing, payed higher taxes, bought war bonds, and in the interest of national unity, people even pretended Bob Hope was funny. (Laughter.) Right--like you laughed at him! Women donated their silk undergarments so they could be sewn into parachutes. Can you imagine nowadays a Britney Spears or a Lindsay Lohan going without underwear? (Laughter.) Bad example, but look, George Bush has never been too bright about understanding "furriners", but he does know Americans. He asked *this* generation to sacrifice the things he knew we would not miss--our privacy and our morality. He let us keep the money. But he made a cynical bet, that we wouldn't much care if we became a Big Brother country that has now tortured a lot of random people. And yet no one asks the tough questions, like "Is torture necessary?", "Who will watch the watchers?" and "When does Jack Bauer go to the bathroom?" (Laughter.) I mean, it's been five years--is he wearing one of those astronaut diapers? In conclusion, after September 11, President Bush told us Osama bin Laden "could run but he can't hide". But he ran and hid. (Laughter.) So Bush went to Plan B: pissing on the Constitution and torturing random people. Conservatives always say the great thing Reagan did was make us feel good about America again. Well, do you feel good about America now? I'll give you my answer. And to get it out of me, you don't even need to hold my head under water and have a snarling guard dog rip my nuts off. (Laughter). No, I don't feel very good about that. They say evil happens when good men do nothing. Well, the Democrats proved it also happens when mediocre people do nothing. If you don't get HBO, Bill Maher's "New Rules" is available via iTunes: I, by the way, *don't* get that particular premium channel, so I am not positive how this works--it is my impression that "New Rules" is a segment of Real Time with Bill Maher, but I don't know that for sure. Anyway, this is supposed to be the "Real Time" link below.