Public Policy and American “values” (two)

What a week it was, it really was.


The quintessential poster boy, Joe Barton (Texas Red goper), of the compassionate conservatives pervasive throughout this land apologized to the oligarchs---in this case BP.

“The Texas Republican, the House's top recipient of oil industry campaign contributions since 1990, apologized Thursday for apologizing to the chief of the British company that befouled the Gulf of Mexico with a massive oil spill.”

It is understandable that Barton did so. He is after all beholden. I often speak of the bootlicking, rock star wannabe steppin’fetchit lapdogs of the oligarchs. It is not so often I have a perfect example (to say little of articles and youtube video) to share.

In terms the compassionate conservatives are most likely to understand, if Joe had been present at the Valley of Elah, site of the showdown between David and Goliath, Joe would have been Goliath’s cheerleader.

What’s a rock star wannabe to do? It’s either do the bidding of the oligarchs or go find a real job. The job of representatives was never meant to be a career Joe. Members of congress were supposed to represent their constituents, the folk of their respective districts---not their corporate sponsors. Such is the state of our republic.

Speaking of the state of our republic---last time I checked we still have a Bill of Rights, though you really can’t tell. We’re becoming more and more of the police state George Orwell saw in 1948.

NPR reported this week that, “In an email message to his supporters, obtained by The Daily Beast, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, says he is preparing to post a classified video of an air strike on an Afghan village.

According to reporter Philip Shenon, the incident is "believed to be the most lethal combat strike in Afghanistan — in terms of civilian deaths — since the United States invaded the country."

In April, WikiLeaks decrypted and released a video, shot from an Apache helicopter, that showed the killing of a group of Iraqis, including two Reuters employees.

Last week, Wired's Threat Level blog reported the Pentagon had arrested Specialist Bradley Manning, "an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of State Department records to whistleblower site WikiLeaks."

Meanwhile some gopers want to deprive you and me of more of our privacy rights. That’s right, they want no more prepaid cell phones (you know like the one Matt Damon uses in the Bourne movie) without knowing who’s buying it. Why? “Terrists” of course---but don’t lose sight of the fact that before it was “terrists” it was “communists.” It’s always going to be some boogey man opportunists use to frighten Americans into giving up privacy, civil rights or beit freedom.

I agree with Benjamin Franklin’s take, “those who willingly give up civil liberty for security---deserve neither.”

Hasta Siempre,


Public Policy and American “values” (two)
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-18764-San-Antonio-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2010m6d19-Public-Policy-and-American-values-two#



WikiLeaks Preparing To Release Video Of Afghan Air Strike, Site's Founder Says

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/06/16/127878528/wikileaks-preparing-to-release-video-of-afghan-air-strike-site-s-founder-says

Wikileaks.org

http://wikileaks.org/

Such a night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX2LOu5gzic  

Rep. Barton Apologizes for BP Apology

(WASHINGTON) — Who's sorry now? Rep. Joe Barton, that's who.

The Texas Republican, the House's top recipient of oil industry campaign contributions since 1990, apologized Thursday for apologizing to the chief of the British company that befouled the Gulf of Mexico with a massive oil spill.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1997693,00.html?xid=rss-politics&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Fpolitics+%28TIME%3A+Top+Politics+Stories%29#ixzz0rIPUo5ul

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1997693,00.html?xid=rss-politics&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Fpolitics+%28TIME%3A+Top+Politics+Stories%29

Rep. Joe Barton Apologizes To BP For $20 Billion Claims Fund

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv0siXm2cpc

Joe Barton, gopper

http://joebarton.house.gov/Default.aspx

WikiLeaks releases secret video of journalists, civilians killed in Baghdad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyQsgkncxcc&has_verified=1