Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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September 20, 2007 9:40 AM
Have You No Sense of Decency?
The United States Senate is right now debating a resolution to censure Moveon.org for a newspaper ad. Let's just step back for a moment and really think about the broader meaning of this display.
Let's go beyond the simple fact that STILL not a single person in the United States of America has proven is factually incorrect. Let's go beyond the inherent message of this resolution - and, frankly, the underlying message of Democrats' own counter resolution - that says questioning anyone in the military about anything is treason, and that thus America should really become like Turkey - a country where even elected officials can be thrown in jail for publicly questioning a general. Let's go, instead, right to the battlefield in Iraq.
Right now, as the millionaires in the U.S. Senate spend taxpayer money and precious time debating this resolution, there are American soldiers being shot at and likely killed. At this very moment. As the career politicians in Washington grandstand in front of the C-SPAN cameras and kick back on the leather seats in the lavish Senate cloakroom, our troops are hunkering down right now at this very moment in places like Baghdad - hunkering down in a war without end, having just been told by this same Senate that they should not be able to get even the requisite rest they deserve.
Think about it. Someone - perhaps many people - will lose their lives during the time this resolution is debated. And for that, everyone involved should be embarrassed - the Senators, the operatives on the right pushing it, the media eagerly covering it, heck - even Moveon should be embarrassed no matter how much money the whole thing raises them or attention it gets them. They should be embarrassed, not because what is going on is their fault, but because something they have done has spiraled so wildly out of control that it has led to this - an insulting debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate while American troops are getting killed. What a travesty.
We, the American public, should be asking these Senators - all of them - one thing and one thing only. We should ask them what someone asked this same Senate 53 years ago: "Have you no sense of decency?"
UPDATE: The final insult is here. Apparently, the U.S. Senate cannot find bipartisan consensus on ending the war - a position that almost three quarters of America supports - but they can find bipartisan consensus to waste time condemning a factually accurate newspaper ad.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
If you think troops in Bagdad are in bad shape, try Afghanistan. The Taliban are in near control and Al Quaida is getting richer and stronger thanks to the neocon NAZIs backdoor funding them from our taxpayer dollars ! By the way, America created the Taliban and Osama as well as heavily arming, training, and funding these fascists. The Senate would be better off working to ABOLISH the CIA, FBI, FCC, DEA, etc ...
Unbleeping believable. More gymnastics in this sick circus -- Will they roll out dancing dogs with accordions next?
I don't know that MoveOn should be embarrassed as much as insulted and outraged. For the U.S. Senate to actually debate a resolution to 'censure' MoveOn.org for their ad to save lives proves to the rest of us that human life means nothing when it comes to grabbing what's left of those oil fields.
This catchy phrase applies to virtually the whole GOP and some demos. I'd forgotten about it. I would rephrase it, "have you no sense of shame?", since everybody knows politicians have no sense of decency. Most of them are lawyers, after all. That's just semantical nitpicking I guess, because they have neither. They must think they're above such mortal emotions. I vote hurray for moveon.org and anybody else who can pierce the self-righteous hypocrisy of these bought traitors to the American constitution. This is one of the little victories we pipsqueak opposers can savor. Let's lick our chops in glee and have fun with it. It's our due and a harbinger of things to come from the power of the internet. Be happy, have fun. Parity Democracy online for the cure.
You know just when you think our politicos hit rock bottom they find another way to go even lower.
Sickening.
Yo David Sirota,
What do you have to say for the three senators Casey, Webb, and Tester who ran on a populist campaign only to show their BETRAYAL against their voters? If "populist" Democrats such as these fools can happily betray their constituents just like the GOP has been doing, they are NOT populist when they openly show their bias against a people's group by censuring them for no reason. Mr. Sirota, when will you STOP supporting the Democratic Party and start moving INDEPENDENT ? If you don't think these same Democrats will BETRAY us like this again, you must be NUTS !!! Please show some more courage and give INDEPENDENT candidates all over this country a show. It's bad enough that both parties are FORCING independents off the ballots through frivolous lawsuits just like the one against Ralph Nader in 2004 and keeping them off the news until voters find their names at the booth !
P.S. : I can now see even more why PANSY-FACE Leahy was so fucking silent when Cheney told him to GO FUCK HIMSELF and yet like an abused spouse Leahy bites the hand that feeds.
Also, I forgot to mention Byron Dorgan !!! What the fuck is he doing criticizing moveon.org ?!?!? And if he's a fucking populist, why the fuck did he vote for the war in the first place and keep at it ?!?!? I mean Byron's great when it comes to the economic front but if he REFUSES to stand up and end this war and support the pro-people groups who are fucking fed up with this war, Dorgan should get the FUCK out and let someone else replace him and even if it's a Republican in North Dakota, TOO FUCKING BAD !!!!
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