End the ubiquitous and eternal “War” on Terror by repealing the AUMF and I bet the legal justifications for extra-judicial killing goes away along with a lot of other unsavory practices by our government. When you are at war and everywhere is a battlefield and anyone can be the enemy, any act can be rationalized as necessary for national security, whether rightly or wrongly – Bush/Cheney taught us that. We keep acting like we are at peace but we are really still at war.

I give props to Rand Paul for actually taking the floor for his filibuster and for shining a light on a very real problem for our country but I doubt he’s willing to take the steps necessary to actually do anything about it.

I’ve always found the Libertarian adoption of Ayn Rand amusing since she loathed Libertarians.

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_campus_libertarians

… said John “Here’s your check from the Tobacco lobby” Boehner.

Good first step in dealing with the banks. Would like to see a push for cities and counties to divest themselves of too-big-to-fail banks whose reckless use of our money has done so much harm to those same cities and counties; enabling those banks really doesn’t seem cost effective in the long run.

Is this really the path the authorities want to be going down?

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/23/occupy-movement-spins-off-occupymarines-and-occupy-police/
http://occupymarines.org/
http://www.occupypolice.org/

Privatizing violence is always a mistake. Every time I hear about the U.S. hiring mercenaries to fight for us I can’t help but think of Rome and the Goths. Better to return to the practice of having U.S. Marines protect our people; not only would it be cheaper but it would ensure positive control and ensure that the our military retain the skill set necessary for such a sensitive mission.

Alienating your base in the pursuit of the center with bad policy is not a net gain. Progressives may not vote for Republicans but they still need a reason to vote for Democrats; apathy is the result when voters can’t see any difference between candidates.

The rating agencies haven’t exactly been covering themselves with glory lately despite their recent not so subtle hint to raise the debt ceiling now so it’s no surprise that they would try to get in on some of that sweet extortion action that the Republicans have got going.

I really, really wish this idea would just die. The only people who would even consider it are those who have never had to do physical labor year after year often in unhealthy environments. Congress is filled with rich people (it’s practically a prerequisite nowadays) who think hard work means giving up their Thursday golf game; they should not be the ones determining when workers get to retire.

“… they would be better served trying to figure out how they can convince the vast apolitical majority of Americans to get into the voting booth…”

Yes. I am increasingly convinced that how people vote is less important than if they vote at all, that pursuing the Independent vote is less important than mobilizing ones base. Republicans seem to have come to the same conclusion as shown by their sharp turn to the Far Right to shore up their base along with their coordinated voter suppression efforts at the state level.

However, ultimately, the 2010 election will be won or lost on jobs and the strength of the economy; embracing conservative policies that kill jobs and slow the recovery seemingly to pander to “Independents” is thus ultimately self-defeating. It’s the economy, stupid; the deficit “crisis”, a budgetary matter, is a manufactured distraction created by Republicans policies for Republicans ends.

You are teh worst troll, ever.

Perhaps Republicans are worried that they’ll have to fly commercial if corporations cut back on their private airline. Of course, that would be a good thing for the economy as I’m sure the airlines could use the business. End corporate welfare.

“By failing to prove she actually has the will and/or the power to say no, Pelosi has shown the President she has no leverage.”

The same might be said of the Democrats in general as they continue to make concessions to Republicans to raise the debt ceiling – something Republicans are going to do anyway eventually. Republican’s use of the Tea Party to pull a Crazy Nixon is no excuse either since it’s such a transparent tactic.

It’s dangerous to underestimate Sarah Palin by assuming she is stupid. She may be arrogant, lazy, and undisciplined but she she has been smart enough to get elected Governor and make millions on nothing more than a failed bid for the Vice-Presidency, her antics since notwithstanding.

What I find most disturbing about Palin is that she is a prime example of politicians, both current and former, representing no one but themselves, and “news personalities” cynically using politics to make bank with the complicity of a media that has abandoned any editorial authority as it chases the latest biggest and brightest shiny story. Newt Gingrich also springs to mind. If your primary concern is to make money, you’ll say and do whatever necessary to maximize your cash flow without regard to any damage that might ensue to those who follow you much less to public discourse as a whole. Palin has already demonstrated her priorities when she quit the Governorship of Alaska in mid-term to become Sarah Palin, Superstar!

As Rep. Weiner’s resignation shows, all Republicans have to do is just intimate the mere possibility that there is a hint of some scandal somewhere, maybe, (with the smug complicity of a tabloid media) for Democrats to capitulate to their demands. Granted, Weiner actually did what he was accused of doing and then lied about it but he has been charged with no crimes and his actions were consensual. As long as Senator “Diaper” Dave Vitter keeps his seat, it’s clear that the story is the story itself and not pictures of Weiner’s wiener.

Van Jones, ACORN, Sherrod, Weiner, all based on manufactured outrage. What will it take for Democrats to recognize when they are being played?

One report does not a reality make:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/stupid-stimulus-tricks/?smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&seid=auto

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/cepr-blog/the-stimulus-did-not-create-jobs-the-35496th-try

http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/did-stimulus-really-destroy-million.html

Indeed.