Check this out.

It is a story about anti-American terrorists plotting to kill police officers and a federal judge.

It is about the same “real Americans” that twit Palin spoke of during the 2008 elections. The folks she represents. In Alaska that means folks who collect thousands of dollars a year from the government, yet hate welfare. Who say they love America yet join a secessionist party.

There won’t be any hearings about this kind of “patriot”. They won’t be labelled as the enemy. They won’t be vilified. Their religion won’t be considered Satanist or in love of violence.

But they DO hate. They DO hate our country. They DO plan for violence assassination. Their houses of worship DO despise our nation. Because seriously, what the hell church should welcome assault weapons into the chapel?

But they are white, and Christian and we let it go.

Until when exactly?

Some interesting thoughts on the future of libraries in this nation.

Now, while I agree with some of the ideas, I completely disagree with the premise.

There is a lot of confusion about the public domain of late. Look, schools and libraries and police and fire departments are not supposed to turn a profit. They are supposed to provide a public service. Bashing libraries as failures because commercial bookstores are going out of business is irritatingly stupid.

I go to libraries. Everywhere I have ever lived I’ve managed to find the local one in the first week. Even here in Rochester where new books are either slow to come in or not at all apparently. I’d argue I’ve got a more complete collection in some topics than the library does. Pitiful, but not an argument for shutting the place down.

Now should the library expand to happen some future needs? Yes. But as an extension of what it already does, not to replace what someone sees as not working.

Let me put it this way. I went to pick up a book on reserve on Monday and took Gabriel to see some Dr Seuss movies and pick up some books on Saturday. If I have more reasons to go, I will, but I am already using the place quite well as it is, thank you.

Robert Reich gets heated up about a lot of things. I always approve of the energy if not always the conclusion. That said, his call for a People’s Party to channel the energy of those opposed to the anti-union halfwits struck me as a bit too wonky.

That said, it is growing on me. I don’t like the comparisons to the Tea Party, that’s just a bunch of racists taking over a pack of folks who want all the benefits and none of the tax responsibility. A mob overwhelming a “me first!” parlor movement isn’t exactly a model to follow.

That said, if you can do this while educating people, staying civil, and following the law, maybe it’s not so bad of an idea.

He follows up with a manifesto to follow that someone sent to him. Okay, fine, a “statement of principles” if you feel queasy about the other term. Whatever floats your boat.

We’ve got a president that truly bends over backwards to listen to his opponents. Even the ones who insult his family and besmirch his patriotism. That’s admirable, but someone needs to call them out for what they are, point out why they are doing what they are doing, and offer reasonable and factual counterpoints and an agenda that doesn’t call for enriching the rich and screwing everyone else.

This country isn’t broke, the money is just piled up in one place. And those folks don’t care about sharing the pain of patriotic responsibility with the rest of us. We fight their wars, pay for their gambling blunders and keep the trade lanes, stores, and networks safe for their profits.

And if a People’s Party can do a better job of getting that message out, then more power to them, please.

Republicans hate democracy.

No, really, they do. They refuse to admit the United States has any. Just ask them. “We are NOT a democracy,” they’ll tell you.

Democracy, you see, equals Democrats in their eyes. We are a “constitutional republic” they argue. Funny, I don’t remember Reagan or Bush or any earlier Republicans parsing over the concept of “exporting democracy” to other nations. Granted, that was mostly at the point of a gun but even they believed it.

To prove their point, Republicans are on the march, trying to restrict the right to vote across this land.

Get busted for a dime bag? Felony charge, lose your right to vote. Old? No special buses to the polls. You need an ID. Paper please basically?

Immigrant? Did you learn about this country, take a citizenship test to PROVE you are worthy of being an American instead of just accidentally being born here? Too bad, no help for instructions in your language. Speek Amurkan furriner!

Are you a college student from out of state spending extra to get an education here? Too bad, you have to go home to vote. Keep your potentially idealistically liberal hands off of the levers of power.

And so on, and so on…

More on the Republican effort to drag styrofoam into the 21st century.

Which makes sense for them really. They love coal. They adore the concept of finding new forms of poll taxes to stop minorities from voting. They can’t wait to ban abortion so they can tell women what to do with their bodies again.

Immigration reform in their eyes is just a great way to corral immigrants into better controlled work camps.

So the children will be down in the mines again. You know, after we defund the EPA and fire all the unionized socialist teachers they won’t have any reason NOT to work.

Bradley Manning committed a crime. He violated military law to release information that showed that this nation was in violation of war crimes laws. He did what he had to because he realized that the United States is capable of cruelty and barbarism just like any other.

So he’s in prison, and he probably deserves to be.

That said, dumping bogus charges on him and making him sleep naked is not helping anyone, except maybe Manning’s case.

How we treat our own is just as important as how we treat “enemy combatants”.

How we respond to news that we are in the wrong is just as important as obeying the law. ESPECIALLY when folks like John Yoo, et al. have twisted the law to say anything they need it to say.

Give Manning his boxers back. Charge him on crimes of releasing documents without permission. He’s no traitor. Hell, if anything, he’s more American for doing what he did than any of the bastards from Bush or Cheney or Rumsfeld on down who let this nation torture people and shoot civilians willy-nilly and whatever the hell else went on intentionally, with proper orders in our overseas wars.

“I have two teenagers and I tell them that nothing good happens after midnight. That’s even more true in politics.”

– Scott Walker, Dictator of Cheeselandia

At least we agree on something. Walker ran on a promise not to have bills passed after 10 pm because nothing good can come from legislation passed that late.

He’s right. The Wisconsin Assembly voted to take the rights from public workers in that state at 1:17 AM this morning. Dear Leader might be a lying snake, but he knows the truth about bad legislation when he sees it.

File this under Required Reading.

This is the best damned explanation of the conservative agenda I’ve read in quite awhile.

If you believe in freedom and democracy in the United States (and even if you are a Republican and don’t), give the following a listen. Abbreviated transcript here.

A liberal blogger recorded this on Skype. He swears it is true and David Korn over at Mother Jones says the governor’s office confirms it. More confirmation here.

Mother Jones has some more on the story and some background on Walker’s debt to the Koch Brothers.

One of the points by “Fake David Koch” was to get Walker to agree to infiltrating the union protesters with violent plants to cause trouble. Walker, who already thought of this and for the moment rejected it, demurs.

That said, Tea Baggers are already doing this<‘/a>.

In Georgia, Tea Bagging Traitors are planning to bring guns to a SEIU solidarity rally. Yeah, it isn’t enough to want to take your rights, conservatives want to start a gun battle.

Guess I was never wrong calling them Talibangelicals, was I?

In Indiana, a Deputy Attorney General there wants to use live ammunition on the protesters.

Such “compassionate” conservatives these are.

But let’s be honest here. These folks would NOT be in power if voters would pay attention to what they are voting for, and the programs the cretins running are to pass.

Well, I found ONE thing Republicans LOVE: censorship.

Only conservatives could want to censor a website that wants to Defend Wisconsin.

Granted, that site wants to defend the rights of Wisconsin public employees to not be steamrolled by pro-business Republican governors/dictats, but the sentiment is the same.

When those in power work to limit the speech of the ruled, particularly those they are hoping to oppress, you know what side justice is on.