Magic Spot Flowing

The man himself speaks.

Keep emailing or calling your Senators.

From Glenn Greenwald, after the Judiciary committee version (no immunity) was tabled:
The pro-immunity, pro-warrantless eavesdropping Democrats: Rockefeller, Pryor, Inouye, McCaskill, Landrieu, Salazar, Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Mikulski, Carper, Bayh, and Johnson. Neither Clinton nor Obama bothered to show up for any of this.

And they’re going to provide leadership to us in the next four years? Really?

If any of your Senators are the people listed above (or you once lived in that state, or you’re just looking for more people to email) then try these nitwit non-Democrats.

Greenwald also sums up why I’ve just completely lost my patience with these ‘Democrats’ in Washington.

“Democrats find themselves in the same corner they were in last summer: on the one hand their base demands they block expanded domestic spying powers for the Bush Administration; on the other, they can’t risk looking soft on terrorism, especially nine months before national elections. Senate majority leader Harry Reid is angling for another month’s extension of the PAA, but that would only give the Republicans a third bite at the apple in late February….”

Here we have a perfect expression of the most self-destructive Democratic disease which they seem unable to cure. More than anything, they fear looking “weak.” To avoid this, they “cave” and surrender and capitulate and stand for nothing. As a result, they are, as here, endlessly described in the media as “caving” and surrendering. As a result, they look (and are) weak. It’s a self-destructive cycle that has no end.

Until we elect some Democrats who don’t do this, I suppose. I swear, we need a litmus test of our own, only it’ll be based on the Constitution. “Sorry, Mr. Rockefeller, Mrs. Feinstein — you can’t run for office as a Democrat if you don’t believe in the Fourth Amendment.”

This is The Road. The Road is where cars and other vehicles travel. You are pedestrians, you’re walking in beautiful, safe Menlo Park. We have sidewalks here. On both sides of the road. Nice and smooth. Please use them. Please do not act like I’m in your way when I’m traveling legally on the road. I’m not going to hit you, but you don’t belong in the road, and you don’t have an invisible force field around you, so I’m going to indicate that you are traveling hazardously, possibly using my bell or horn. Just in case maybe it actually occurs to you, after said indication, that 1) this is The Road, and 2) someone else might hit you, even if I didn’t.

Yes, I’m a frequent pedestrian. Yes, I walk in the road, occasionally. Going the right way, as near to the side as possible, after checking that there’s no traffic coming. Or crossing, preferably at an intersection, after checking to see that cars and bicycles are either absent or aware of my presence and stopped or clearly planning to stop. There are times and places to use the road. The middle of the road, randomly, walking like a drunk person? No. The bike lane, because you’re just too cool and fast to run on the sidewalk a foot away? No. These are not times and places to use the road.

And for counterbalance, my letter to Mr. Roadshow, which hasn’t been published (yet — come on, Mr. Richards, it was a well-written letter on a relevant topic, and you didn’t publish any other letter of the same type — you ought to drop it in!)

Dear Mr. Roadshow,

Drivers: Allow pedestrians their legal right-of-way at intersections, especially when turning right. Stop before you turn. Remember, just because the intersection doesn’t have painted crosswalk lines doesn’t mean it is not a crosswalk. Pedestrians may cross at any intersection unless otherwise indicated by a sign. Come to a complete stop (not the famous California rolling stop) at stop signs and allow pedestrians who arrived first to cross before you go. Pay attention to your surroundings. And don’t wait for the next Drive the Speed Limit Day to SLOW DOWN. Speed is lethal.

Guys, it’s time for action on FISA again. NOW. TODAY. I was on blog silence last time this came up, but it’s time again. Start with Glenn Greenwald for a decent overview of the politics. There should be a link in there somewhere explaining the principles too, if you’re not already familiar with the fact that the NSA spied on Americans without warrants, and the telecoms companies (mostly) spinelessly caved and cooperated, despite the fact that it’s completely illegal. Now the telecoms want to be saved from their own idiocy and the NSA wants to keep wiretapping us without warrants. I say no way. Write to your Senators, and Senators Reid (pro-spying) and Dodd (willing to risk a ton of political capital and filibuster any bill with immunity provisions), as well as Sens. Obama and Clinton, who are doing fuck all to help Dodd here because they are more interested in holding office than in doing something with it.

Here’s my letter to Reid. I am more than a little pissed off at him. I resisted using the word “toady” in the letter, but only just.

Senator Reid,

[signed]