it IS scary…

i don’t see things purely in terms of left and right. i see them in terms of right and wrong. it is right to criticize bush; on that point, even you agree. it is he who has shown no respect for his office and the nation. it is wrong to intimate that by criticizing bush, i somehow impugn the office and the nation. it’s also wrong for you to claim that bush is merely the latest in a continuum. history doesn’t support your view. other presidents who have tried to assert some version of the unitary executive theory have been beaten back by the other branches of government. bush has broken the law while claiming to be above it, all the while supported and enabled by a compliant congress and a right-leaning supreme court.

lest you think i’m holding democrats up as shining examples of what is ‘right’ these days, i’d suggest reading my post detailing the letter i sent to barbara boxer’s campaign manager. that said, many people far more knowledgeable than i on matters of political history and constitutional law agree that the bush administration, today’s republican party, and the religious right who have enabled both are far and away the most egregious offenders in the history of this nation when it comes to pushing us towards the chasm.

from your most recent post, it sounds like the impetus for your initial comment has less to do with my positions (it seems as if you fundamentally agree with me, though i sense a distinct libertarian anti-government tone in most of your comments… which juxtaposes oddly against the desire for respecting the office of the president.. but i digress) and more to do with the tone i use to express them. that’s encouraging, as it suggests that there is something more behind that IP address than someone who stopped by merely to insult me (i refer you back to your initial comment’s first paragraph).

if you really want to establish yourself, however, as someone outside of the “right vs. left” dichotomy, you might consider retiring phrases like “your socialist agenda.” next thing you know, you’ll be calling me a commie pinko. and somewhere joseph mccarthy will be smiling.

when all is said and done, i am truly grateful that you stopped by and are passionate enough about your beliefs to have left comments for me. most people just listen to the music.

Your view is myopic in its own right. You seem to see only left and right. As for the chipping away of our rights, you are actually correct on that point. The problem is that it is not Bush and Cheney that are the cause of our problem. While they are complicit, they are only cogs in a larger machine. I am sure you could find plenty of evidence of the same agenda being driven by the Clinton/Gore administration. Our leaders, Democrat or Republican, are all pushing us toward the same chasm.

Yes, this administration has continued the work of previous administrations. Soon it will be time to switch roles in the good cop/bad cop game they play. Taxes will be raised again, more legislation will be passed and our once free country will morph into a nanny state.

We will continue to be micromanaged in our personal lives by laws passed by people who serve themselves rather than their constituents. We will do what you and I are doing. We will type. They will act.

I Googled Ted Haggard. I remember that news story now. It is the tale of a hypocritical false teacher who lied to himself and everyone around him. I don’t defend his actions. I couldn’t care less about him or Larry Craig or Mark Foley. They are imperfect people who caused themselves and others unnecessary pain by hiding behind a facade of piety.

As for my education, you know nothing of me. I know nothing of you. I suspect it will remain as such.

Have a day.