Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Jolly Roger

I won't be hanging an American Flag from my front porch tomorrow. I won't be listening to songs of praise for America on TV. I will ignore as much of the patriotic drivel as I can and I'm sure as hell am not going to pledge allegiance to that grimy and blood stained flag I'm supposed to worship like a religious relic.

Do I have to explain why? Our proud ship of state,as Lyndon Johnson used to be fond of calling it, is now a rusted hulk infested with pirates and rats. Its cargo has been sold off, its passengers robbed and locked up - all except for one.

I was listening to Air America in the car today and there as everywhere, the talk was of the commutation. Professional traitors like Fred Thompson are proud of Libby and think he's done a lot for the country, others wonder what Martha Stewart is thinking. I'm wondering what Record producer Weldon Angelos is thinking as he serves a 55 year sentence for selling three little bags of weed to an undercover cop. He didn't get 55 years because he had some crazed hanging judge, but because "conservatives" as fascists call themselves in America, like mandatory and draconian sentences. Even the sentencing judge, U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell, an appointee of President Bush, called the sentence "unjust, cruel and irrational." He is right. Hijack a plane, rape a child, embezzle a hundred million bucks and you'll get a shorter sentence. But so Republican is the Supreme court, they upheld the sentence.

Severe sentences are the nectar and ambrosia of the Republicans. They breathe heavily at the thought of locking someone in a box forever, they love torture, they love executions of the retarded, the insane and the underage - but they don't love those mandatory sentences when it happens to one of them. They do a lot for our country as Republicans and that makes up for any felony.

Swashbuckling George wouldn't commute Angelos' sentence, but Scooter? All Scooter did was to help cover up a felony that could have resulted in the impeachment of the Vice President. It's ridiculous to talk of a double standard when there is no standard. It's ridiculous to talk about the rule of law when the law changes to suit the whim of the leader.

Libby won't pay that fine or the million bucks or so his lawyers charged him - that's taken care of by a Republican group headed by Fred (just like Reagan) Thompson. Before long he'll have a nice book deal and a certain pardon. Angelos will spend his life in a cell.


The hell with the flag and the parades and the marching and speeches about the troops. Hang out the pirate flag, call your congressmen and call them again. Tell them you support impeachment and impeachment right now. Tomorrow may be too late.

3 comments:

expatbrian said...

To get a feel for the drastic disintegration of our country, imagine posting this a week after 9/11. You would have been hunted down and stoned to death as the worst kind of crazed traitor. Now, with the shame and dishonor Bush has brought to the presidency and the country, you are perfectly justified. Impeachment should be the least of what happens.

RR said...

amen..

impeach now.

d.K. said...

I did hang the flag today, but with mental qualifications. It makes me feel sad to feel that way. I completely understand all of your points, but I'll hang it not to honor our government, but to honor what that flag should mean.

Anecdotes such as the one regarding Mr. Angelos above (are they still anecdotes), scare the living hell out of me.

But I think we can fix it. We can elect (I hope we can still elect people) who will read the Bill of Rights and us it to guide them.

I'll let you know where I stand on flag waving a year from now. That's the stopwatch I've set for myself.