In the Rear-View Mirror...

As 2005 draws to a close, I look back and am disgusted by what our country has become. For over 200 years, the United States was a beacon of hope, a promise of a better life for millions of immigrants. We were the great "melting pot", the one nation where people were free to live their own lives without political, religious, or moral oversight from the gummint (as Walt Kelly called it).

I suppose one could make a valid point that the liberal social policies that molded American society starting with FDR would eventually lead to a pendulum-swing back to the right, but I think the current situation is revolting. Okay, maybe we went overboard with affirmative action and welfare, and some other programs, but that does not justify the current efforts of the far right-wing neocon wingnuts to establish a 13th-Century theocracy.

Of course, nothing but corruption, greed, and a total disdain for the Constitution (that "goddamned piece of paper"), explains the current administration. Spying on Americans, fer Crissake! And having the unmitigated gall to claim that the War Preznit has a God-given right to do so, under the War on Terror. The NY Times reported the other day that the extent of the spying was even greater than had been initially reported last week. Even more shameful, Colin Powell -- who spent much of his professional life defending America -- finally completed his total sell-out by seeing "absolutely nothing wrong" with Shrub's attempts to establish his own dictatorship.

Perhaps the only ray of hope is the fact that the administration has gotten so out of control that even some conservative Republicans are starting to back off. The "usual suspects" -- Hegel, McCain, Snowe, and a couple of others -- have been joined by Senators and Congresscritters who have realized -- albeit belatedly -- that their continued support of these theocratic thugs could result in their defeat at the polls.

In an interesting development, there is a growing number of voices -- not just in the blogosphere (great word, Skippy) -- but in the media and in the general public mentioning the "I" word. Some people are saying that the Republicans themselves will probably have to introduce impeachment proceedings simply to save their won collective ass. Otherwise, they will be painted with the same corruption as Bush and his immediate clique. I find this amusing, as these are the same people that have absolutely no problem with "guilt by association"... as long as it's applied to others.

More later...