let them play and the left missed the point...

governor blagojevich decided to do his job and appoint someone for the vacant illinois seat in the united states senate afterall. in doing so he picked someone that most likely was never being seriously considered before all this happened (although we may never actually know) in roland burris. burris seems like a nice enough person and has a historical spot in illinois politics, having broken the racial barrier in a statewide election. and he meets all the constitutional qualifications...and while he may not have anything major to his name, one must remember that hillary clinton didn't have much major to her name, and what has caroline kennedy really done? but everybody swears they don't have a problem with burris himself, that their beef is with the governor only and that anyone the governor picked would necessarily be excluded from the senate. but am I the only one asking why? the man is still governor until the people of illinois have him removed through the legal channels they have instituted...we do still have due process in this country do we not? (however much the boy king and his cronies have tried to dismantle it over the last 8 years). the people of illinois are getting the shaft by not having an equal voice in the senate, as was always intended. they put in place procedures to replace a duly elected senator if they were to exit office prior to the expiration of their term (and contrary to all the blowhards at the sun times, a special election was not it). those procedures have been followed, the man satisfies the constitutional criteria. and yet democrats are declaring they will not allow it to happen...that if he gets through the state, the senate democrats will not let him sit in their exclusive club. which raises the question...why the hell have we allowed the senate to become such a ridiculously exclusive club mostly filled with long-time party shitbags? hell, that's the main reason I'd love to see al franken in the senate...anyone that other senators don't want there is probably exactly what the senate needs. we claim to be a nation of law, of due process and a presumption of innocense. so to senate democrats...prove it.

the left has its collective panty all up in a bunch over obama's choice of rick warren to give the invocation at the inaugeration. (personally, I wonder why he have an invocation at the inaugeration anymore...especially after we've seen the wonderful christian works done by the president that speaks to god). yes, rick warren is a homophobic asshole. and no, I will not be one bit surprised when we learn he was sharing a meth-head male prostitute with that creepy howdy-doody look-a-like whenever he visited colorado springs. but he is a different mold from the right wing "agents of intolerance" for the most part. and it isn't like he was appointed to oversee government efforts to address gay rights. don't get me wrong, I totally understand being upset at this, especially for groups that are seeing major setbacks in their quest for basic dignity. what bothers me is all the talk of "he better not forget the people that got him elected." every time I hear that I cringe - the speaker obviously missed the most basic message of the obama campaign. if he has shown anything, it is that he will not cowtow to the "base" anymore while worrying about the next election. he has a damn job to do, and it is going to require getting everyone to sit down and bring their best ideas forth. have we become so hatefilled all around that we cannot even talk to each other? what exactly do we lose by talking and listening? don't be surprised if warren's stance on gay rights softens. and be assured that attacking someone for incredibly boneheaded ignorance is the most sure-fire way to entrench them in that ignorance.

whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. and when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you. - F. Nietzsche