I wasn’t going to post anything today but (famous last words, right?) I was just thinking about how much better things, not to mention the future, look after the past couple of weeks. Everything wrong with the country’s direction – the arrogance and smugness of the criminals and their wingnut supporters, the excusing of torture and murder, greed, lies and finger pointing – has suddenly taken a huge hit in the gut.
Not only do “they” know that, the tables and tide have turned since the election in such a huge way, and the contrast couldn’t be more obvious. So, I was thinking of what we can be thankful for – thankful in ways that didn’t seem possible as recent as a few months ago, let alone last year at this time.
While this is just the very beginning of a long road of recovery and return to sanity, and there is much to be done, I can say that I am a bit more thankful this year than in the past few years.
Of course I am thankful for having such a wonderful wife, good health in the family, and the good year that we had. And since we plan on having little clammyc’s running around in the next few years, I can, for the first time in years, say that I am thankful that they will grow up in a country and world that may not end up to be as bad as we all thought it would be just a few short months ago.
I am thankful for sanity in Congress:
During the campaign, Democrats outlined an agenda for the new session. Many of the items seem likely to win over support from moderate Republicans — and, therefore, are likely to pass — such as raising the minimum wage, reducing interest rates on student loans, and passing the 9/11 Commission recommendations.
Bush’s agenda — on everything from taxes to education to judges — will also face significantly larger hurdles than it did before. Democratic leaders have offered assurances they will not raise taxes on the middle class, but some of Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans may be rolled back.
Thankful that we won’t have people like this guy or this guy to kick around anymore.
Thankful to see headlines like this exposing frauds, charlatans and hypocrites while sending the “true believers” into a defensive frenzy.
Thankful that there are some sane republicans out there who are looking out for our troops.
Thankful that there are still some in the press who are doing their jobs:
On CNN, New Yorker journalist Seymour Hersh reported that a new CIA assessment concludes that “there’s no evidence Iran is doing anything that puts them close to a bomb.”
Thankful that there won’t be Congressional complicity in shredding the Bill of Rights.:
Before Democrats take control of Congress in January, they [the lame duck Congress] must pass legislation authorizing the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program.
His [Bush’s] plea for a legislative stamp of approval on the controversial spy effort is an “important priority in the war on terror,” Bush said. The response: deafening silence. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist quickly dispatched aides to put out the word on Bush’s request: Not gonna happen.
Thankful that these criminals, sexual predators money launderers, takers of bribes and corrupt ringleaders aren’t holding highly influential positions in how our country runs.
Thankful for many many other things – a long list (thankfully). And last but not least – certainly thankful for these people.
Have a happy Thanksgiving all…..
also in orange
Bless you for your optimism. Of the isolated items you listed, several really are worth our thanks. (Losing Santorum is a huge blessing in and of itself.)
I’m thankful for your optimism, as long as those who are feeling optimistic do not think that the job is done. Dems are just the flip side of the same coin and all we’ve done so far is finally shown this administration what “checks and balances” means.
Nevertheless, the administration has never been more determined to hold onto its venomous, insane agenda. People like Cheney do not take to being “lame ducks” – they just get more desperate to hold onto the power they think they have, which means we have to stand up to him even more now than before the election. But what do we get? More conciliation from Congress, which is NOT what Independents voted for. We want this administration effectively SHUT DOWN to prevent it from causing more damage. But NOOOO, we have to “work together.” (And since when did THEY ever work together with Congress?)
At least that’s how it appears now. Maybe they are lulling the administration into a false sense of security before bringing the hammer down, but it still leaves the citizens out in the cold, and we’re already dying of hypothermia out here.
Us Independents who made this power shift possible are feeling angry and betrayed. It was our votes that gave the Dems the national mandate and allowed them to overcome the estimated 5 million vote deficit due to voter disenfranchisement.
It would be nice to be thankful at least for Rumsfeld leaving, but even that is tempered by the idea of Robert “Iran-Contra up to his eyeballs” Gates raplacing him. And the plans for Rumsfeld to leave have been ongoing for some time anyway, they were just waiting to see how the election turned out.
This is the most hypervigilent and sleepless Thanksgiving I’ve had since 2002, when it seemed clear the Bush gang was determined to go to war in Iraq. Now it’s Iran, and if we think Iraq is quagmire, going to war with one of the strongest nations in the region is an invitation to WWIII, especially as we have to watch Israel and Turkey like a hawk too, and AIPAC seems determined to distract us, to the point that Olmert can try to boss OUR Congress around. (THAT takes some seriously wack cojones. And that’s not even considering the mess that the Israeli leadership has on its hands right now.)
Taking away our sovereignity is wrong, no matter who does it or how well-intentioned they may be. 2007 will be the make or break year, we either save our country and our democracy (with some help from some chastened Dems) or lose it entirely to an insane authoritarian regime that makes Stalin look only mildly strange by comparison. (Don’t forget the definition of insane: Doing the same thing over and over again hoping to achieve a better result. As if any of us have that kind of power over others.)
I will offer thanks for the freshman team and hope they don’t become too corrupted too quickly.
A former Wasington Insider
Among the things to be thankful that you didn’t mention is the sight of Pharmaceutical lobbyists scurrying around to recover the ground they lost in the last election. I am hoping that the House holds hearings and puts some of the CEO’s on the stand and on oath to explain their role in the Medicare bill. There is a lot of blame to go around here, but a shot across the bow of the CEO class, which has laid back and let the politicians take the hit while they walked away with the money, would send a salutory message, and I think would play well with the public, most of whom have only the vaguest notion of the kind of income these guys (and women) pull down.