Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Battle of the WWII Memorial
The single most infuriating action of this first day of the Shutdown was Republicans claiming they had reopened the World War Two Memorial, brushing aside a few Park Police with no interest in enforcing the closure (& perhaps had been advised not to), moving a couple of sawhorses, then claiming they had done a heroic deed in opposition to the DEMOCRATIC SHUTDOWN. As it turned out, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin was also there for this mild act of mass civil disobedience that was really initiated by a crowd of justifiably pissed off retired citizens who didn't care who the hell was responsible, & didn't require the intercession of any politician/
So here's the Repugs, who had said, openly, that if The President & the Democratic didn't give the Repugs what they wanted - the delay or repeal of the Affordable Care Act (& a list of other stuff) - they, the Repugs, would shut down the government, laying off 800,000, inconveniencing millions, disrupting important Federal programs & operations - claiming on the day the shutdown went to effect that Democrats had caused the shut down. Do you remember Democrats threatening a shutdown? I don't. The Repugs attempt to extort unconditional surrender by Democrats, then say Democrats refuse to "negotiate." But Repugs had nothing to offer in advance.
It should be remembered that when Lee surrendered unconditionally to Grant at Appomattox. the "negotiation" was over where. when & how Lee's remaining Army would hand over its arms. a formality. Grant added, on his own initiative, an offer to to feed Lee's troops (mainly with captured Rebel rations), permit officers to keep their personal sidearms. & allow anyone owning his horse to keep it also. which benefited mainly officers.
What possessed Repugs to think they had won some war? It's really a group of radical Republicans holding the rest of their Party - which is already plenty right wing - hostage. How do they do this? Well, even our conservative Repug congressmen in could be challenged & defeated in primaries by candidates further to the right.
So here's the Repugs, who had said, openly, that if The President & the Democratic didn't give the Repugs what they wanted - the delay or repeal of the Affordable Care Act (& a list of other stuff) - they, the Repugs, would shut down the government, laying off 800,000, inconveniencing millions, disrupting important Federal programs & operations - claiming on the day the shutdown went to effect that Democrats had caused the shut down. Do you remember Democrats threatening a shutdown? I don't. The Repugs attempt to extort unconditional surrender by Democrats, then say Democrats refuse to "negotiate." But Repugs had nothing to offer in advance.
It should be remembered that when Lee surrendered unconditionally to Grant at Appomattox. the "negotiation" was over where. when & how Lee's remaining Army would hand over its arms. a formality. Grant added, on his own initiative, an offer to to feed Lee's troops (mainly with captured Rebel rations), permit officers to keep their personal sidearms. & allow anyone owning his horse to keep it also. which benefited mainly officers.
What possessed Repugs to think they had won some war? It's really a group of radical Republicans holding the rest of their Party - which is already plenty right wing - hostage. How do they do this? Well, even our conservative Repug congressmen in could be challenged & defeated in primaries by candidates further to the right.
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"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
Rachel Maddow did a good job last night explaining the "how and why" the "suicide caucus" doesn't care how the rest of the Republican Party views them (because their districts were redistricted to be 95% white, male, rural and lower on the educational scale). Their constituents want them to shut down the government! Give this a read.
A telling map. Nothing subtle about it.
"The demands of justice should first be satisfied, lest the giving of what is due in justice be represented as the offering of a charitable gift." Second Vatican Council
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"The demands of justice should first be satisfied, lest the giving of what is due in justice be represented as the offering of a charitable gift." Second Vatican Council
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