The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

From Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”

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Queen’s Comments – Have Democrats REALLY learned their Lesson?  Some of them may have, but it appears that many others have a long way to go before they shed the last visages of the DLC.

After reading Colombia Reports this morning, I was reminded once again of how much work is left to be done–not only in the USA, but the world, to undo the damage that conservative right-wing ideology and its demagogues “who know best” have done.

Alvaro Uribe, President of Colombia, urged the Colombian people to prevent “interference in the Democratic Security with rash accusations by Human Rights Groups.”  [I wonder what Uribe means exactly when he speaks of "Democratic Security".  Does he perhaps mean the right of USA Corporations like Chiquita International Brands to hire people who murder unionists?  Does he perhaps mean the right of his government's paramilitary to murder indigenous people of its own country who refuse to move off land that they have farmed for generations so that Uribe's aristocratic friends can lease the land to US corporations?  What and whose "security" is Uribe referring to?]

“Colombia can not allow they interfere with the Democratic Security. Especially because the Colombian government at no moment has failed to take the initiative in searching for the truth about whatever denouncement. The government too should denounce,” he added.

Uribe reacted to statements made by Americas director of Human Rights Watch who said Uribe’s attacks on human rights NGOs are “unworthy” of a democratic leader.

The Uribe administration has been accused of gross violations of human rights. The UN classified the exrajudicial killings of civilians by the army “widespread and systematic” and warned Colombia risks being charged before the International Criminal Court.

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When extreme right-wing governments, like the one we have had in the White House for the past 8 years, are allowed to rule unchecked, the result is gross human rights violations and the increase of power and wealth in the hands of the few.  Nothing so clearly demonstrates that as does the treatment and detainment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghrad and the fact that the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class to the to1% happened in the last 8 years.

With right-wing conservative governments, such as the current Republican administration, the end ALWAYS justifies the means.  This explains why they can so easily run the smear campaigns that they do.  They really do not think that it is wrong. Whatever it takes to get what they want.  That is how they operate–like thugs.

I hope that America  is turning their backs on that.

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I hope that the Democrats have learned their lesson. If they are thinking that they can just continue on with a DLC water-down version of Republicans–they are wrong.  They will only prove that they have not been listening to the American people any better than the Republicans.  We elected a Democratic Congress in 2006 on the mandate to end the war in Iraq.  And what did they do?  They continued to act like Republicans.  We called our elected officials in Congress 100 to 1 to tell them that we did not want to give $700 billion dollars to bail our Wall Street and what did they do?  They ignored us.

Americans want a Congress that is responsive to us–not one that act like an aristocrat once they are elected. We expect to participate in our government and we don’t like it when our elected officials ignore us.

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Do  you know the ONLY reason why Mitch McConnell kept his Senate seat in Kentucky? It’s because his democratic opponent, put in place by conservative Democrats didn’t look that much different.  I don’t know what the Democrats in Kentucky were thinking–perhaps that people wouldn’t notice?  I don’t know.  The conservative Democratic opponent has a history and links to corruption that are at least as bad as McConnell’s.  The progressive faction of the Democratic Party needs to take over the full reigns. If we want to keep our power, we cannot continue to run Republican-look-alikes.

McConnell carried the day because he made a strong economic appeal as well. McConnell’s history of delivering earmarks for the state of Kentucky was a key factor in his win.  He has delivered over $500 million for the state.  McConnell argued that his opponent, a first time Senator would not be able to do nearly as well.  A smart progressive Democrat would have boldly argued attacked Mitchell on his very ‘strength’ McConnell was caught earmarking $25 million for a British armsmaker, BAE, “that is under criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and suspected by American diplomats of a ‘long-standing, widespread pattern of bribery allegations.  Additionally, McConnell’s democratic opponent could have better argued that many of McConnell’s earmarks for Kentucky benefited big business and not ordinary citizens.

Even their Democratic governor, Steve Beshear is a wimp. Among other things he made the preposterous statement that “mountaintop removal can be done environmentally under existing regulations.” Mountain removal has destroyed approximately 2000 square miles of  eastern Kentucky land and forests and significantly damaged nearly 200 miles of Kentucky waterways.  Mountain top removal enriches the mining companies and instead of creating jobs, it reduces the need for labor by some estimates as much as 40%.

Proclaim the Queen!

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