In 1913 the U.S. Constitution was amended for the 17th time to allow for the direct election of Senators.
Sounded like a good idea at the time. After all, who isn't in favor of democratic elections?
in this case, well, me.
The original Article I, Section iii of the Constitution provided for each State Legislature to choose their Senator, thus fostering an even greater link between State and Federal Governments with higher authority being held by the former. You know, Federalism. This modern system has turned the U.S. Senate from a chamber acting on behalf of their State, the State that sent them to Washington D.C., into a an American version of the House of Lords.
And this is a bi-partisan bastardization of Federalism. From Ted Stevens (found innocent) to Ted Kennedy (never found guilty) and every Biden, Dodd, Thurmond and KKK member Byrd in between, the Senate has morphed into an Upper House dedicated to self-preservation and nation priorities and even hereditary rule.
When Bobby Kennedy decided he wanted into politics, after LBJ fired him from the DOJ, he moved to a State with an open seat and a democrat/Catholic population that would sympathetically vote for him despite being underqualified. Some 40+ years later First Lady Hillary Clinton did the same thing. Neither cared about New York. Neither were New Yorkers. I'm sure they loved the City and even though Bobby enjoyed schtuping Marilyn Monroe at The Plaza on 5th Avenue and Hillary loved her Fundraisers in East Hampton, neither extra-curricular activities should constitute residency. A State Legislature would not pick such carpet baggers who would use and abuse 1/100 of the Senate while mounting a Presidential bid.
After Senator Clinton was named Secretary of State (remember how Senator Obama attacked her foreign policy credentials as nothing more than tea time with first ladies? After he won the primary I guess she became qualified. Funny how that works. Obama, after all, had more foreign policy experience. He was born in Indonesia. But that's another story) Caroline Kennedy decided she wanted to job. And in the American House of Lords, that should be enough. Family name and personal wealth are sufficient credentials.
John Corzine also desired to be a Lord. So he bankrolled a few million dollars into a campaign to buy his dutchy of New Jersey. Then headed to Washington to tell people in other dutchies what their education program should look like.
Recently Beau Biden decided to renounce his father's seat, kept warm for him by a temp appointment. At least one Biden is smart. Scott Brown's victory over the witless, gutless, clueless Martha Coakley is a step in the democratic direction. Baroness Coakley assumed that little effort would be needed to assume her position as a Lady of the Senate. After all, should she "stand out in the cold at Fenway?" to greet the peasants on her Feudal Manor? Hell no! She was the successor of Sir Edward Kennedy, Duke of Hyannisport, Lord of Chappaquiddick Bridge and Jamison Fine Irish Whiskey. Martha would not, should not need to "work" for this position like a candidate to The Commons. Martha by right, by inheritance, was above such efforts.
Damn that green truck and its 200,000 miles.
Lord Robert Byrd has hung in the throws of death for about 15 years. He has been a Senator since the battle of Bull Run (he calls it Manassas Junction and still laments the war's outcome.) Sir Christopher Dodd is finally stepping down. And Sir Arlen Specter may too be ousted from his, yes HIS, seat.
Scott Brown taught us a good lesson. It is not Ted Kennedy's seat- or anyone's seat. All true Senators should know that they are classic interlopers. May the people, the rabble commoners, now called "tea baggers" by some Lords return the Senate to its purpose and intent: defending the rights of the States from the crown, er, President.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Dead President
Tonight, President Obama's political power officially died.
So too died the atrocious Obamacare, Obama's Cap and Trade, Obama's immigration reform- basically Obama's whole legislative agenda.
In effect, it's the best thing that could happen to him. It saved his legacy. Just ask Bill Clinton what Newt Gingrich's House did for his Presidency.
To recap- in the past year Obama went to Copenhagen to win the Olympics. And Failed. He headed to Virginia to campaign for Creigh Deeds (I got stuck in the traffic in McLean) and failed. And he went to New Jersey to support John Corzine. Failed again. Then, in a scramble amidst the Haiti crisis, Obama went to Massachusetts to woo the Chowdah Heads with his non-negro dialect.
And failed.
Remember- this is the the man who is a "a honey-tongued Frankenfusion of Lincoln, Gandhi, Cicero, Jesus, and all our most cherished national acronyms (MLK, JFK, RFK, FDR)" according to New York Magazine. Evan Thomas was awed at how he stood above us "like a god".
Not a very strong god. Or at least, not a long lasting god. I mean it's only been 364 days... and the "god" cannot deliver a win in Teddy Kennedy's hometown?
I hope you had a good year, President god. Welcome back to earth.
And mortality.
So too died the atrocious Obamacare, Obama's Cap and Trade, Obama's immigration reform- basically Obama's whole legislative agenda.
In effect, it's the best thing that could happen to him. It saved his legacy. Just ask Bill Clinton what Newt Gingrich's House did for his Presidency.
To recap- in the past year Obama went to Copenhagen to win the Olympics. And Failed. He headed to Virginia to campaign for Creigh Deeds (I got stuck in the traffic in McLean) and failed. And he went to New Jersey to support John Corzine. Failed again. Then, in a scramble amidst the Haiti crisis, Obama went to Massachusetts to woo the Chowdah Heads with his non-negro dialect.
And failed.
Remember- this is the the man who is a "a honey-tongued Frankenfusion of Lincoln, Gandhi, Cicero, Jesus, and all our most cherished national acronyms (MLK, JFK, RFK, FDR)" according to New York Magazine. Evan Thomas was awed at how he stood above us "like a god".
Not a very strong god. Or at least, not a long lasting god. I mean it's only been 364 days... and the "god" cannot deliver a win in Teddy Kennedy's hometown?
I hope you had a good year, President god. Welcome back to earth.
And mortality.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
"The System Worked"
Much has been written and said about this poorly uttered phrase of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. Surely it has been added to the lexicon of political gaffes along with "Where is the 'O'" and "I did not have sexual encounter with that woman".
But I disagree with most conservative writers and commentators who assert that said phrase was not just incorrect but highlighted the incompetence inherent in the Obama White House. The system did indeed work.
For the muslim terrorists.
Since the birth and life of mohammad the false prophet in the 7th century, his followers have used violence, fear, terror to spread their religion. Let's not forget: "islam" means "submission". The muhammadans began their campaign in northern Africa and moved into Persia, stopping of course in the Holy City of Jerusalem where mohammed died, conveniently adding a third religious group to Jerusalem's already crowded streets. Where was Titus when you needed him...
The advance of the muhammadans continued into Byzantium along the Adriatic coast in the eastern edge of Caesar's mare nostrum and across Gibraltar into the Iberian Peninsula in the western edge of Christendom. Opposition was few and far between. A chaotic dark ages of civilization had plunged Europe into disorganized feuding fiefdoms and collectives without army, defense and structure.
But leaders did indeed emerge from the ashes of Rome's greatness. Charles the hammer Martel and his progeny Charles the Great, Charles-le-magne. Muhammadans, people of a certain religious faith that spread their belief through the sword, had been stopped along the Pyrenees. And Christians from Covedunga began their southward crusade pushing the muhhamadans back into Africa over the next 500 years. When the House of Aragon and Castilla united in marriage in the late 15th century, their combined forces finished the job.
"Spain" is the only region once held by muhammadans that has been restored to the west. Iberia is a phrase the Ayatollah invokes as a war cry. When I lived in Spain I remember an imam in Madrid saying something about "reconquering Spain without firing one shot". Well- all it took was a bomb on a train and the rage in Spain falls mainly on... cowardice.
For homework, look up the Battle of Lepanto of 1571 and Pope Pius V. Then, read about Jan Sobieski and the Battle of Vienna of 1683. History shows us that the west has been in FUNDAMENTAL CONFLICT with the muhammadans for 1400 years. We have never lived peacefully side by side. We have never experienced mutual collaboration and fraternity.
There has been prelude to war, war, defeat, and muhammadans defeat. The last defeat gave us a few hundred years of quiet. We are quiet no longer. Since 1979 the west has been at war again. Our president can bow to Saudi kings and pronounce islamic terms with an islamic accent and call the koran "holy". He can falsely exaggerate islam's achievements (the arch? geometry? really? who wrote that Cairo speech and had he ever heard of Pythagoras or Euclid or the ancient Romans?). He can, and probably will, make many more overtures of appeasement. But that will not bring peace or coexistence.
Look at history.
So when Janet Napolitano says "the system worked" she is speaking a truth. The system as intended by post-W Obama is a roaring success. It keeps his head firmly in the sand while terrorists make gains. It forces tens of thousands of American travelers to take off their belt and shoes and dance through scanners in security kabuki instead of pulling asides 18-35 year old men named Akhed who checked in without luggage. It grants civilian trials to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and permits Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab miranda privileges while forcing us all to "hold it in" during the last hour on a plane so as not to detonate our briefs.
The system works. It suspects all equally while appeasing the enemy in the hopes that he stop killing us. Obviously our President does not understand our enemy. If he thinks Lepanto is like Waterloo, then he is sadly ignorant of facts. Those stubborn facts.
In this age of darkness when the west is once again plagued by failing economies, dispair and fear have become commonplace. Muhammadans take this opportunity to advance their cause as they have always done in history. But I am certain our Hammer, our le-magne or Sobieski will rise up again and drive them back. And like Scippio, may he salt their fields of religious evil so that nothing may grow again.
Then we won't need a system.
But I disagree with most conservative writers and commentators who assert that said phrase was not just incorrect but highlighted the incompetence inherent in the Obama White House. The system did indeed work.
For the muslim terrorists.
Since the birth and life of mohammad the false prophet in the 7th century, his followers have used violence, fear, terror to spread their religion. Let's not forget: "islam" means "submission". The muhammadans began their campaign in northern Africa and moved into Persia, stopping of course in the Holy City of Jerusalem where mohammed died, conveniently adding a third religious group to Jerusalem's already crowded streets. Where was Titus when you needed him...
The advance of the muhammadans continued into Byzantium along the Adriatic coast in the eastern edge of Caesar's mare nostrum and across Gibraltar into the Iberian Peninsula in the western edge of Christendom. Opposition was few and far between. A chaotic dark ages of civilization had plunged Europe into disorganized feuding fiefdoms and collectives without army, defense and structure.
But leaders did indeed emerge from the ashes of Rome's greatness. Charles the hammer Martel and his progeny Charles the Great, Charles-le-magne. Muhammadans, people of a certain religious faith that spread their belief through the sword, had been stopped along the Pyrenees. And Christians from Covedunga began their southward crusade pushing the muhhamadans back into Africa over the next 500 years. When the House of Aragon and Castilla united in marriage in the late 15th century, their combined forces finished the job.
"Spain" is the only region once held by muhammadans that has been restored to the west. Iberia is a phrase the Ayatollah invokes as a war cry. When I lived in Spain I remember an imam in Madrid saying something about "reconquering Spain without firing one shot". Well- all it took was a bomb on a train and the rage in Spain falls mainly on... cowardice.
For homework, look up the Battle of Lepanto of 1571 and Pope Pius V. Then, read about Jan Sobieski and the Battle of Vienna of 1683. History shows us that the west has been in FUNDAMENTAL CONFLICT with the muhammadans for 1400 years. We have never lived peacefully side by side. We have never experienced mutual collaboration and fraternity.
There has been prelude to war, war, defeat, and muhammadans defeat. The last defeat gave us a few hundred years of quiet. We are quiet no longer. Since 1979 the west has been at war again. Our president can bow to Saudi kings and pronounce islamic terms with an islamic accent and call the koran "holy". He can falsely exaggerate islam's achievements (the arch? geometry? really? who wrote that Cairo speech and had he ever heard of Pythagoras or Euclid or the ancient Romans?). He can, and probably will, make many more overtures of appeasement. But that will not bring peace or coexistence.
Look at history.
So when Janet Napolitano says "the system worked" she is speaking a truth. The system as intended by post-W Obama is a roaring success. It keeps his head firmly in the sand while terrorists make gains. It forces tens of thousands of American travelers to take off their belt and shoes and dance through scanners in security kabuki instead of pulling asides 18-35 year old men named Akhed who checked in without luggage. It grants civilian trials to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and permits Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab miranda privileges while forcing us all to "hold it in" during the last hour on a plane so as not to detonate our briefs.
The system works. It suspects all equally while appeasing the enemy in the hopes that he stop killing us. Obviously our President does not understand our enemy. If he thinks Lepanto is like Waterloo, then he is sadly ignorant of facts. Those stubborn facts.
In this age of darkness when the west is once again plagued by failing economies, dispair and fear have become commonplace. Muhammadans take this opportunity to advance their cause as they have always done in history. But I am certain our Hammer, our le-magne or Sobieski will rise up again and drive them back. And like Scippio, may he salt their fields of religious evil so that nothing may grow again.
Then we won't need a system.
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