previous issue June 10

Ricorso on the Potomac The Murderers of Democracy Return by Chris Floyd Today the United States Senate voted by a wide margin to gut the Fourth Amendment and give the president dictatorial powers to violate the privacy of every American citizen, while also granting immunity to wealthy corporations who colluded with the president for years in a patently illegal program of warrantless surveillance. The vote was 69-28, with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama breaking with the (slim) majority of Senate Democrats who voted against the measure and joining instead with the Republicans, who voted in their usual zombified lockstep with the president's wishes. As is well known, Obama once vowed, unequivocally, to support a filibuster of any bill that included the immunity provision for the president's corporate co-conspirators; today he voted with the zombified Republicans to choke off any attempt at a filibuster, so the bill could proceed to the final vote of approval.

Today's Quote:

"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.""

- Haile Selassie

Editor's Notes & Rants:

Life imitates art. Paradise, CA — subject of the Eagles song The Last Resort, and inspiration for the Showtime series Weeds — evacuated for wildfire. "Somebody laid the mountains low, while the town got high."

Barack Obama is proving himself to be little more than Joe Lieberman in blackface. Oy gevalt.

Cowardly Dems in the Senate (Led by Obama the Coward) passed FISA, out of fear that big meanie Bush might say something bad about them if they didn't. As if he won't, anyway. Duh! [detail]

As much as I dislike Hillary Clinton, at least she had the decency to vote against it.

John W. McCain didn't even bother to show up for the vote...

The ACLU has announced it will fight the unconstitutional law in court.

Civil Liberties? WHAT civil liberties??? Bush kills Civil Liberties Board .

Time to put on your jack boots and Seig Hiel! US military to monitor internet to quell dissent.

Standing up for the truth. NC state employee quits rather than lower flag for toxic Senator Jesse Helms.

Ted Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, surprised the Senate by showing up to vote on the Medicare bill yesterday.

The screwing of America. Food manufactures quietly shrinking product sizes, while keeping same packaging and prices.

Marriage equality. MA Senate to consider repealing law that prevents gays from other states from marrying there.

Phil Graham has a mental slowdown, and calls USA a nation of whiners for caring that the GOP has destroyed the economy. If only we'd just focus on how much better off the filthy-rich are, and forget about everyone else.