Ian -- Enjoyed your perspectives on Bush, opposition politics, and needs of progressives, as well as your roundup of Lieberman sins. You have an admirable "balance" in the real world.

Obviously, many of us have sat, gape-mouthed, while the Republican co-fascist wing of Democrats have aided and abetted. For me, the gape-mouth went away in the roll-call vote to approve the cloture motion, ending the Alito filibuster before it began.

From Avi Rubin's study of Diebold's Hack-O-Matic I, published February 2004, I've watched the Democrats fall all over themselves to say and do NOTHING offensive about the privatization and negation of our electoral system through the Machiavellian HAVA and the Diebold vote-counting abomination. The suspicions all piled on when 19 Democratic Senators voted to end any possibility of an Alito filibuster, 30 January 2006.

Of those 19, 10 are standing for reelection in November, Lieberman included, of course. I deeply suspect that their votes for putting a sworn enemy of our 14th Amendment liberties on the Bush Bench were quid pro quo'd with promises that the goosesteppers will use Diebold's Hack-O-Matic II, the "nuclear bomb" of vote counting software, to get them reelected in November no matter how their constituencies actually vote.

It's just suspicion. I've no hard evidence. But those 19 had already dug themselves into deep holes, and goosestepper voting fraud might have looked liked the best way to keep social, economic, and political power.

Oh, hell, I don't need any hard evidence. At this point in the corruption marathon, if it walks and quacks like a mega-corrupt duck, it is a mega-corrupt duck.

Demofascist Lieberman is joined in the November balloting by Demofascists-For-Alito Akaka (HI), Bingaman (NM), Byrd (WV), Cantwell (WA), Carper (DE), Conrad (ND), Kohl (WI), Nelson (FL), and Nelson (NE). If I get my druthers, none of them will ever be elected to anything ever again. Well -- not in this country. Maybe Halliburton can get them elected in Djibouti or Tbilisi.

Election 2006 should be the advent of the progressive tough-love pledge. No signed pledge, no vote support from progressives, moderates, independents, or anybody else outside the Evil Empire.

We need a standardized form, tough-love pledge. Make them promise in writing that they will actively support the impeachment and removal of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Rice, Chertoff, about seven treasonous Supremes (the fascist thugs who triggered the unconstitutional anti-law regimes of Bush v. Gore, Raich v. Gonzales, and Kelo v. New London, with their felony conspiracies against rights as defined in 18 USC 241 -- felony forfeits judicial immunity), NSA and AT&T hierarchies about five deep, and any of the other criminals that we can catch in our legal hammermills.

Make them promise in writing that they will actively work for a new "Special Prosecutor" law, and its veto override, so that we can cut through the DOJ's treasonous obstructions of justice and get to criminal prosecutions for the many felony conspiracies against rights spawned by the Bush-Cheney Illegitimacy, in violation of 18 USC 241.

Make them acknowledge in writing that they understand -- reneg on the promises and we turn today's love and supporting votes into next election's everything-to-the-wall diselection.

Must sit down today and write up a proposed tough-love pledge form.

Stephen Neitzke
Founder, Direct Democracy League
http://ddleague-usa.net
DD Revival -- The Blog
http://ddrevival.blogspot.com

He leans out to keep moderate asses dry.

Charmingly cocooned little group --

Tell me, candy, how do you propose we the people gain the leverage over power so that we put ourselves in a position to demand answers and investigations? No squeaky wheels and all mealymouth? And little baby half-steps? Might it be that such unassertive stuff plays right into the hands of those who have the power to say no to their opponents and yes to their friends?

And, Rick -- do you really want to make the issues I've raised invisible because of my buzzy words? Words, I might point out, that I've pretty substantially defended in my charges of the go-along on Diebold hack-o-matics, the installation of anti-rights Alito, and the three-branch collusions over blatant, unconstitutional anti-law regimes generated by precedent-setting Supreme Court judges, whom we can hold responsible for knowing exacting how treasonous their judicially generated anti-law regimes truly are. We can hold them responsible for distinct knowledge of the legal grounds for the precedent-setting findings of treason against the seccessionist state legislators in the 1860s.

'Treason' is not a buzzy word word here, Rick. It is a legally accurate description. It starts with Bush v. Gore violating the Constitutional rights of all Americans to have a president elected in accord with the Constitution. We have a very stern little law against the violation of rights. It is 18 USC 241. You should look it up. Probably too many buzzy words in there for you, but you should look it up anyway.

18 USC 241 defines felony conspiracy against rights. Clearly, the assenting judges in Bush v. Gore are guilty of violating that federal statute and the Constitution under which it falls. As soon as they did that, they violated their oaths to uphold the Constitution and to protect the rights of Americans as defined in the Constitution and laws. The act with which they accomplished those things is a precedent-defined act of treason.

Ah, but we shouldn't insist on the rule of law here, right? Might turn off some voters? Because of the words we used to describe how it is that they elevated themselves and the Bush-Cheney Illegitimacy above the law? That's pretty freaking ridiculous, Rick.

At this point, I could run in about a hundred snide remarks about why we are in the mess we're in. I'll pass. All three of you know what I mean.

Still, I'm going to get a little snarky on you. Let's all just be real careful not to offend anybody while the dual-party, 3-branch, Bush-Cheney proto-despotism has its unconstitutional, felonious, treasonous, war-crimes, and crimes-against-humanity way with us and the world.

Whatever you do, you three, do not read my blog. A fair reading would tie you in a thousand little knots for the rest of your lives. Cocoons are good. Stay in 'em. Much better than helping with the constitutional amendment initiatives that will reduce about 10 corrupt partisan bicamerals to relatively incorrupt, nonpartisan unicamerals on the successful 1934 Nebarska model. Nebraska's 69 years of success with the nonpartisan unicameral just has too many buzzy words in it. Getting civics lessons to flow like water, clear across the country, just so the political sophistication of the 100-million-plus, withdrawn-from-politics citizens would increase to problem-solving dimensions, would be more than you could bear.

Stephen Neitzke