It’s official. The USA Patriot Act is no longer the greatest social achievement of our time. The Baucus/Lieberman Perpetual Serfdom Act has just been awarded that distinction. Obama is immensely proud of it. “Pragmatic” progressives are saluting it. They’re telling us we should be grateful for the crumbs Democrats toss us, they’re ridiculing us for taking a stand on principle, they’re calling it “wanting our ponies”, they never shut up, their condescending lips are always flapping, their lips never stop flapping until police state decrees like this are issued from on high . . .
After hearing passionate arguments from the Obama Administration, the Supreme Court acquiesced to the president’s fervent request and, in a one-line ruling, let stand a lower court decision that declared torture an ordinary, expected consequence of military detention, while introducing a shocking new precedent for all future courts to follow: anyone who is arbitrarily declared a “suspected enemy combatant” by the president or his designated minions is no longer a “person.” They will simply cease to exist as a legal entity. They will have no inherent rights, no human rights, no legal standing whatsoever.
Every time Obama channels Cheney and goes all medieval on us, his Obamabots fall silent. All we hear is crickets. Until the next greatest social achievement of our time is announced. Then the festivities begin anew and anyone who doesn’t join in gets burned as a witch.
For corporate fascists keeping score at home, that’s two great social achievements in one week! For “pragmatic” progressives, it’s one great social achievement and a minor disappointment. Nothing to dwell on. Clap louder and it’ll go away. For actual progressives, it’s the final evidence that we no longer have any choices left. There is only one way to fight back now. We have to boycott the major parties in the 2010 Midterms. Vote 3rd party. Vote for a write-in candidate. Take electoral action in whatever way you think is most effective.
Iranians can die for democracy . . .
But we can’t even boycott an election?
Don’t argue about it. Do it. Call it what you want. Get to work organizing it. Get to work publicizing it. Help in any way and every way you can or get the hell out of the way.
Democrats told us they couldn’t Impeach because “we don’t have the votes”. They told us they couldn’t pass single payer because “we don’t have the votes.” They told us they couldn’t give us a strong public option because “we don’t have the votes.” They told us they couldn’t even give us a watered down public option because “we don’t have the votes.”
When progressives boycott the Midterms, Democrats will discover the true meaning of “we don’t have the votes.” They’ve been using it as a bullshit excuse, we’re going to use it as a warning, as a nationwide declaration that we will no longer tolerate betrayal.
“Pragmatic” progressives will freak out, we’ll be lectured about “reality” by people who think that gutter they’re crawling in is the Yellow Brick Road to Incremental Change. They’ve been crawling in that gutter of “political reality” ever since their anti-Impeachment days. They weren’t worth listening to then and they never will be.
We’ve supported Democrats over and over again, election after election, but nothing ever changes. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is insanity. It’s insane to keep reelecting corrupt politicians who keep betraying us.