Shakesville

I'm not holding my breath, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Bush Views Katrina Devastation from Plane

This news story is just begging to be picked apart with snark, but I'm going to resist it for now. The situation is just too horrible. I just want to say one thing:

The president, upon his return to Washington, planned to chair a meeting of a White House task force set up to coordinate the federal efforts to assist hurricane victims across more than a dozen agencies.

Please, please let this be a legitimate success for him. If he does one thing right in his Presidency, if he's able to actually help people without making it into a vote magnet or somehow make this all about 9/11... if he's able to make lives better for these victims without finding a way to stuff money in his friends' pockets... if he's actually able to be Presidential...please, let it be this time.

I will be more than happy to give him any praise he deserves.

(Don't fuck this up cross-post)

Terror in Iraq

Panic engulfed thousands of Shiites marching across a bridge in a religious procession Wednesday after rumors spread that a suicide bomber was about to attack, triggering a stampede that killed at least 695 people.

Scores of pilgrims jumped or were pushed to their deaths into the muddy Tigris River about 30 feet below, but many also were crushed in the crowd, which had jammed up at a security checkpoint on the western side of the Azamiyah bridge. Most of the dead were women and children, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said.

It was the single biggest confirmed loss of life in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.

Tensions already had been running high in the procession in Baghdad's heavily Shiite Kazimiyah district because of a mortar attack two hours earlier against a shrine where the marchers were heading. The shrine was about a mile from the bridge.

Health Ministry spokesman Qassim Yahya said 695 were killed and 180 were injured. Figures from other official sources varied because survivors were rushed in ambulances and private cars to many hospitals, and officials were scrambling to compile accurate casualty figures.

Apparently one of the railings collapsed in the furor. I really hope the number of victims isn’t as high as feared.

I also hope this puts to bed once and for all the urge to suggest we’re fighting terrorists there so we don’t have to fight them here. It’s really just so heartless a suggestion, and this is exactly why.

Everybody out

Governor: Everyone Must Leave New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - The governor of Louisiana says everyone needs to leave New Orleans due to flooding from Hurricane Katrina. "We've sent buses in. We will be either loading them by boat, helicopter, anything that is necessary," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said. Army engineers trying to plug New Orleans' breached levees struggled to move giant sandbags and concrete barriers into place, and the governor said Wednesday the situation was growing more desperate and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.

Ho-lee-crap.

"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," Mayor Ray Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is we have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."

Blanco said she wanted the Superdome — which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people — evacuated within two days, along with other gathering points for storm refugees. The situation inside the dank and sweltering Superdome was becoming desperate: The water was rising, the air conditioning was out, toilets were broken, and tempers were rising.

At the same time, sections of Interstate 10, the only major freeway leading into New Orleans from the east, lay shattered, dozens of huge slabs of concrete floating in the floodwaters. I-10 is the only route for commercial trucking across southern Louisiana.

This is just mind boggling. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. Where in the hell are we going to get the money to help take care of this? How are we going to be able to help these people? Where will they go?

(Growing more and more disturbed Cross-Post)

NOLA

Unbelievable—80% of the city is now underwater, they can’t even begin to calculate how many lives have been lost, and it’s just a total mess. Airports are under water, buildings are burning, there are leaking oil tankers, gas leaks, no electricity or fresh water…I honestly can’t even begin to comprehend the madness down there at the moment. Shamanic’s got some good NOLA links to check out.

Meanwhile, experts are predicting a national gas crisis, and The Fixer looks at the potential insurance fall-out. In Fix’s comments, Michael Hawkins notes that grocery prices are on the rise, which is a (usually unaddressed) consequence of higher energy costs, while at his place mentions that the poverty rate in the US has risen to 12.7%, marking a fourth year of increasing national poverty. And from USA Today reader comments, another sad consideration (hat tip to Michael at AMERICAblog):

New Jersey: With the economic nightmare that Hurricane Katrina is causing for so many people, has anyone thought about how sad it is that in October, the new bankruptcy laws will go into effect? Those people will still be homeless, unemployed and broke, when the new law goes into effect, so filing bankruptcy will be the last thing on their mind. How would you like to be required to go to credit counseling when you are homeless? Stupid President Bush!!!

I don’t even know what my point is. I guess just that everything seems really fucked up at the moment.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Oddjob tipped me to this story in comments with four mad faces. That’s a lot of mad faces. I had only to read the headline and subhead before I reached a four-alarm annoyance level:

Bush gives new reason for Iraq war

Says US must prevent oil fields from falling into hands of terrorists
I repeat: AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

And it only gets worse from there (inserts mine).

President Bush answered growing antiwar protests yesterday with a fresh reason for US troops to continue fighting in Iraq: protection of the country's vast oil fields, which he said would otherwise fall under the control of terrorist extremists. [ARGH!]

The president, standing against a backdrop of the USS Ronald Reagan [ARGH!], the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy's fleet, said terrorists would be denied their goal of making Iraq a base from which to recruit followers, train them, and finance attacks.

[…]

Appearing at Naval Air Station North Island to commemorate the anniversary of the Allies' World War II victory over Japan, Bush compared his resolve to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's in the 1940s… [ARGH!]

Democrats said Bush's leadership falls far short of Roosevelt's. [No shit—ARGH!]

…Bush declared, ''We will not rest until victory is America's and our freedom is secure" from Al Qaeda and its forces in Iraq led by Abu Musab alZarqawi. [ARGH!]

''If Zarqawi and [Osama] bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks," Bush said. ''They'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions. They could recruit more terrorists by claiming a historic victory over the United States and our coalition."

So, let me get this straight—the assertion was that Hussein was conspiring with al Qaida, so we had to invade, lest he give them weapons of mass destruction, but that proved to be utter bullshittery, so now, after swimming through a swamp of twaddle containing nine or so other rubbishy rationalizations for this insane-a-thon in Iraq, we’re there to prevent al Qaida from seizing the oil fields (to which Hussein would never have given them access, by the way—not that I’m defending his sorry ass) so they can, presumably, buy WMDs from some other despot who actually has them?

The head spins. And then it explodes.

KA-BOOM!

Ow.

Media Bias of a Different Color

When black people chest deep in fetid water snag something from a grocery store, it's called looting.

When white people chest deep in fetid water snag something from a grocery store, it's called finding.

Yeesh.

(Via Pandagon, as part of a great post by Amanda on how Katrina's victims are being primed for the blame game as a distraction from potential political fallout.)

Question of the Day

With people affected by Katrina blogging the event, I started thinking about what historical event would have produced blogging I'd be most amazed to read (had blogging been around). The first one that came to mind was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the subsequent engulfing of Pompeii, but that kind of was blogged, in a sense, by Pliny the Younger, so I thought on. And the truth is, I can't really think of anything of which I'd more like to have an unfiltered eyewitness account than the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. Aside from the fact that it would just be amazing, it would also clear up a whole lot of Framers' Intent nonsense.

Short of a blog authored by Christ himself, which would clear up a whole lot more nonsense, I've got to go with that.

How about you?

Unfortunate Son

Sgt. Thomas Strickland, on his blog, two days before he died in Iraq when his truck overturned:

What the fuck has my chain of command been doing? We were winning somewhat when I left. And now we're being pinned down in our own fucking homes? Insurgents are pushing locals out of their homes and taking over my area at will? What kind of fucktarded plan have we been half-assedly executing? Obviously the kind that neglects sound contact with locals. Obviously the kind that gives further distance to unbridged gaps between soldiers and locals. Obviously the kind that has shown enough weakness when confronted by the insurgency that it has been encouraged to grow.

Back home (the USA kind) I have no home, no job, and my commander in chief is on vacation (he's about 20 days behind Ronald Reagan right now in the race to become the most vacationing president ever. Hey W! we all got our fingers crossed! Here's to you and two more years of presidency...er vacationing!). Luckily pretty much everything that is important to me can fit into the back of a truck. Luckily I just paid off one of those.

In their fear to build relationships and get out of their hiding holes the FOBbits above me have fucked my friends and I.

Brutally, horrifically sad. I really don’t know what to say. I have no home, no job, and my commander in chief is on vacation… I have never, ever been more angry at Bush’s lackadaisical attitude about fucking everything than I am at the moment, knowing that Sgt. Thomas Strickland was thinking about his shattered life at home as he fought Bush’s war of choice abroad, while Bush dicked around in Crawford.

What a useless, hideous waste of space he is, this Fortunate Son who wouldn’t know the meaning of sacrifice if it was printed in the dimples of a golf ball.

Support the troops.

(A very nice tribute to Sgt. Strickland from a friend here.)

Politicizing Katrina

I haven’t written much about this because I feel very torn about what the appropriate way to handle this is. I tend to agree with Drum in the sense that it’s not appropriate to lose sight of what’s really happening here—one of America’s cities is dangerously close to being washed off the map. But at the same time, I think both sentiments can exist in the same head simultaneously. Having compassion for the victims of this truly unbelievable disaster can indeed be mutually exclusive from the anger felt at an administration that diverted human and fiscal resources from the region. And although it should be noted by way of clarification that the funding changes to which D. referred would have not made a sliver’s worth of difference in this instance, as they wouldn’t have come into effect until this October (a widely repeated misunderstanding that I myself didn’t understand at first), the larger point about a laissez-faire attitude toward the area’s needs is still valid.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s exactly because I feel so terribly bad for the people struck hardest by this thing, people who will also be facing a horrendous time of hardship as their sources of income drown before their every eyes (inevitably made ever that much harder by a fucked economy preceding this time of struggle), that I feel so very angry about how this administration has repeatedly let people down. It isn’t about scoring political points; it’s about being a human, and feeling really shitty and pissed off. Right or wrong.

[UPDATE: Go read Rexroth's Daughter. Beautiful.]

What a guy

Bush Cancels Vacation to Focus on Relief

Please make those little finger quotations in the air when reading the word "cancels."

WASHINGTON - President Bush decided to cancel the rest of his vacation to concentrate on federal relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina as his top disaster relief official lamented "catastrophic" damage in three Southern states.

Apparently, all that whizzo super amaz-o-tron equipment that allows Bush to direct a war from the toilet that makes G. Gordon Liddy so wet doesn't work so well with disaster relief.

Either that, or Bush is just trying to score some badly needed points. You make the call!

Meanwhile, the White House revealed that Bush was returning to Washington Wednesday from his Texas ranch. "We have a lot of work to do," the president said of the storm damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He initially was to have flown back to the capital on Friday.

Gee, three whole days. Or two, if you're not feeling charitable.

What a guy... he's always there when we need him, isn't he?

Isn't he?

Isn't he?

Isn't he?

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Does it have a feeding tube? I'm there!!

(We can cross-post if we want to, we can leave your friends behind...)

Random Observation

I spotted the following two bumper stickers side-by-side on the same car:

United We Stand

It’s All About ME
The ME on the latter was larger than either the flag or the lettering on the former. It was, of course, meant to be one of those cutesy princess things, but I couldn’t help thinking that’s really the whole problem with conservatives right there. “United We Stand” doesn’t have nearly the prominence as everything being “All About ME.” The ugly American doesn’t even realize she is ugly even to other Americans, or doesn’t care. The ugly American advertises it right on her bumper.

I could probably turn this into an entire essay, but I’m short on time today, so I’ll post it for discussion—and as a solicitation for other stickers, ribbons, and assorted automotive accoutrements that drive you insane.

(As an aside, I saw a good one the other day which read: “Republican Health Plan: Don’t Get Sick.” It was right next to another advocating chaos, ha.)

King Minus

Everything he touches turns to shit (emphasis mine):

A senior United Nations official has accused President George Bush of "doing damage to Africa" by cutting funding for condoms, a move which may jeopardise the successful fight against HIV/Aids in Uganda.

Stephen Lewis, the UN secretary general's special envoy for HIV/Aids in Africa, said US cuts in funding for condoms and an emphasis on promoting abstinence had contributed to a shortage of condoms in Uganda, one of the few African countries which has succeeded in reducing its infection rate.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the condom crisis in Uganda is being driven by [US policies]," Mr Lewis said yesterday. "To impose a dogma-driven policy that is fundamentally flawed is doing damage to Africa."

The condom shortage has developed because both the Ugandan government and the US, which is the main donor for HIV/Aids prevention, have allowed supplies to dwindle, according to an American pressure group, the Centre for Health and Gender Equity (Change).

In 2003, President Bush declared he would spend $15bn on his emergency plan for Aids relief, but receiving aid under the programme has moral strings attached.

Recipient countries have to emphasise abstinence over condoms, and - under a congressional amendment - they must condemn prostitution.

I could rant about this for six million hours, but really, what new is there to say? President Heartless Scumbag would rather see people die a slow and painful death than admit that perhaps his crackpot, faith-based, reality-impaired, abstinence-first dictum is tragically flawed. What a truly soulless man.

Marines Write Letters

Christopher at After School Snack points to a great letter to the editor of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune from a marine serving in Iraq:

What he's fighting for

As a U.S. Marine currently deployed to Iraq, I would like to respectfully disagree with a fellow Minnesotan who stated that people who protest the war hurt troops' morale ("Letters from readers," Aug. 26).

Public debate and discussion are vital to the health of a democracy. It is a good thing when I see Americans exercising their right of freedom of speech.

Seeing people exercise freedoms that many in other countries don't have is something that we all should be thankful for -- whether you agree with what is being said or not. Semper Fidelis!
James Haugerud,
Camp Blue Diamond,
Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

If only I could fit his entire letter on a bumper sticker…

Pat Buchanan Calls for Bush’s Impeachment

Seriously. But not because of any of the following reasons:

Lying to take the country to war
Mishandling the war
Abu Ghraib
Gitmo
The appropriation of 9/11 as a political tool
Mismanaging the economy
Repeated misidentification of dissenters as traitors
Possible involvement of highest advisors in CIA outing
Election fraud
Spending a year out of five on vacation
Demonizing the LGBT community
Cynical exploitation of homophobia
Encroachment on women’s rights
The Bankruptcy Bill
The Energy Bill
The Clear Skies Initiative
The Patriot Act
The Terri Schiavo debacle
Failure to address healthcare crisis
Failure to extend assault weapons ban
Failure to endorse stem cell research
General disregard for traditional conservative principals
Criminal stupidity

Or any one of 1,000 other idiocies I could name. Nope, Pat’s mad about immigration.

Pat Buchanan, a leading conservative pundit and former presidential adviser, quietly suggested House Republicans mull impeaching President Bush -- though not for the liberals' cause celebre, Iraq -- but rather for what he sees as Bush's 'criminal' failure to stem the tide of illegal immigrants, RAW STORY has discovered.

"We are being invaded," the reactionary Republican declared in his column Monday, "and the president of the United States is not doing his duty to protect the states against that invasion."

[…]

"Bush is chief executive of the United States. It is his duty to enforce the laws," he adds. "Can anyone fairly say he is enforcing the immigration laws? Those laws are clear. People who break in are to be sent back. Yet, more than 10 million have broken in with impunity."

Now, of course, Pat Buchanan is saying all this because he’s an inveterate racist, but, in truth, considering the president’s primary election strategy of declaring himself “the security president” and vowing to secure the country’s borders, it is true he’s broken yet another promise to the American people.

Happy Blogiversary...

...to Agi T. Prop!

UPDATE: And a happy second blogiversary to Toast!

(Moved back to top for a bit; new posts below.)

Quote of the Day: Truth in Every Joke Edition

I mean to say, "where's them damn burkas when you need them?"

— Kos, resorting to misogynist humor once again during a debate over “women’s stuff”

------------------------

Go read Media Girl’s very long (but very worth it) post for context.

I should also note Mr. Shakes' response, which was, "Yeah, real funny with what's going on with the Iraq constitution right now." (I really can't stress enough that when something strikes the working class Scot, son-of-a-sailor, decidedly un-P.C. Mr. S as so totally fucking sexist that it pisses him off, it's really not remotely in the realm of an actual joke.)

------------------------

On a side note, I’d just like to say I run this blog day in and day out without visiting any blogs that I’ve found repeatedly offensive, no matter how important they are alleged to be. There’s simply not a blog important enough to oblige my patronage if I’m compelled to hold my nose while I read it.

(The only reason I mention that is because I’ve too often read other bloggers note, as if with a sigh of resignation, how certain blogs “have to” be read. No they don’t; no blog is indispensable—yeah, including and probably especially this one, although I’m fairly certain the world might have spun off its axis if I hadn’t revealed my nerd percentage.)

Fred Phelps: Hate-Filled Maniac with a Death Wish

Yep. "Good Christian" Fred Phelps is yet again picketing the funerals of American soldiers because gays exist.

Or something.

SMYRNA, Tenn. - Members of a church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq.

The church members were met with scorn from local residents. They chased the church members cars' down a highway, waving flags and screaming "God bless America."

Can we please stop calling these mentally ill bigots "church members?" This isn't a church; it's a grouping of hate-crazed fanatics that wouldn't know God if he handed them an iced tea. Call them what they are, a Hate Group.

The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist in Kansas, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws.

The church members carried signs and shouted things such as "God hates fags" and "God hates you."

Okay, we're used to the "fags" one by now, but "God hates you?" Huh? How does that make the slightest lick of sense? If God is supposedly punishing America for "harboring gays" (by the way, a bunch of gays at the harbor or docks is called a white party or tea dance), therefore, God hates Americans, therefore "God hates you," doesn't that include all Americans, including himself? Are there ANY Americans that aren't hated by God? Other than the eight or so screwballs that Phelps has managed to dupe into following him?

I know, I know.. don't try and fathom the motivations of Fred Phelps. That way lies madness.

Hundreds of Smyrna and Ashland City residents and families of other soldiers turned out at both sites to counter the message the Westboro Baptist members brought.

So many counterdemonstrators were gathered in Ashland City that police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers were brought in to control traffic and protect the protesters.

Wowzers. Kudos to the people that showed up to shame Phelps. I've always felt that ignoring him and his followers were the best way to deal with them, but I'm sure it helped the grieving families to see that show of support.

Picketing the funerals of soldiers... Jesus...

Okay, I have a question here, and I'm completely serious. Do you think Phelps is trying to get himself killed?

We are living in one of the most charged political times in our history. While the majority of Americans are against the Iraq war and the President, the opposing side is still fighting back with all the energy, venom and dirty tricks that they can muster. At a time when the phrase "support the troops" can bring people to blows, why in the hell would you picket the funeral of a soldier? We have gotten to the point in this country where you can get away with just about anything if you say that you "support the troops." People were smeared for daring to speak against soldiers that were torturing innocents, for chrissakes.

So why is he doing it? I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that Phelps is a true media whore. He'll do anything horrible and outrageous to get his shrunken-apple head face on television or in print. I'm sure he tells himself that this is a way to "get out the message," and attract more people to his "church," but in reality he's just another microphone cocksucker.

But, is he also trying to get himself attacked? Perhaps killed? Think of all the press he could get if he were attacked. Think of how he could use an attack as a rallying cry for more lunatics.

And if he's killed... Martyr City baby! You can't buy press like that!

What do you kids at home think?

(Your faith was strong but you needed proof, You saw her bathing on the roof, Her beauty and the cross-post overthrew you...)

I'm a Nerd, a Geek, and a Dork!

Shocking...

--------------------------------------
Outcast Genius
69 % Nerd, 52% Geek, 52% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in all three, earning you the title of: Outcast Genius.

Outcast geniuses usually are bright enough to understand what society wants of them, and they just don't care! They are highly intelligent and passionate about the things they know are *truly* important in the world. Typically, this does not include sports, cars or make-up, but it can on occassion (and if it does then they know more than all of their friends combined in that subject).

Outcast geniuses can be very lonely, due to their being outcast from most normal groups and too smart for the room among many other types of dorks and geeks, but they can also be the types to eventually rule the world, ala Bill Gates, the prototypical Outcast Genius.

Congratulations!

THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST
--------------------------------------

(Hat tips to The Green Knight, who was also an Outcast Genius, and T. Rex, who's a Pure Nerd.)

Salons

The Heretik rounds up posts on our national Fortunate Son, and adds his own poetic summary that I really recommend.

Coturnix has a great round-up of lots of stuff being written on evolution and intelligent design. (You’ve definitely got to read this, if nothing else.) It’s kind of half a carnival, half a salon—it’s a carnalon.

And the media bias salon that was spinning around hasn’t ended just yet. Mannion’s still threatening a part three, and in case you missed it all, or any of the good stuff that happened over the weekend, let me bring you up to speed…

Start with Paul’s post here and Digby here. Then read Mannion here and here. Then me here, and Ezra here and here, and then back to me here. And also check out Avedon Carol here.

If I missed anyone, let me know in comments. I’m sure there are blogs linking to one of these pieces that I just haven’t seen.

Double Yuck

Frank Rich is disgusted, and rightfully so, about the lack of leadership being offered from … well … anyone, on Iraq. Out of the entire column, however, this passage in particular stood out to me:

If there's a moment that could stand for the Democrats' irrelevance it came on July 14, the day Americans woke up to learn of the suicide bomber in Baghdad who killed as many as 27 people, nearly all of them children gathered around American troops. In Washington that day, the presumptive presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a press conference vowing to protect American children from the fantasy violence of video games.

Ouch.

Mencken said, “Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule--and both commonly succeed, and are right...” At the moment, it seems neither is particularly dependent upon the other to showcase its inefficacy, nor its self-interested avarice, traits with both parties share, if nothing else. Sure, they snipe at each other, but it’s not even necessary, so manifestly obvious are their flaws, and sure, one party is hell and gone worse for most Americans than the other, but even with such a grave disparity, the better of the two struggles to make headway in winning back congressional seats, so disarrayed is their message as they run ever more quickly and desperately to their right, as if hoping to win by becoming just as bad as their opponents.

The two parties are a collective stinkfest, and the presupposed frontrunners, John McCain (who, in case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t like) and the aforementioned Hillary Clinton, don’t stand to change the directions their parties are headed, as McCain increasingly panders to wingnuts and Clinton veers rightward to protect the children. Rumor has it that Chuck Hagel is considering an independent bid in 2008, and although I don’t give much credibility to that rumor, the fact that it can be even be floated at all is an indication of how widespread the dissatisfaction with both parties really is.

I don’t know what it’s going to take to get a viable and thriving third party in this country. I like the Greens, and I wouldn’t hesitate to vote for a Green candidate if given the opportunity, but they’re such a mess I can’t even get emails returned from my state’s Green party. And, honestly, I think they’re going to struggle until Ralph Nader goes the way of the dodo, because each time he pulls some new crackpot shit, there are going to be people who feel a creeping heat under their collars that reminds them of 2000, and it isn’t fading from their memories whose ticket he was on.

I read awhile ago about a burgeoning labor party in New York, which sounded quite good, but they seemed to be toiling for cash and support, too. It just seems like the two parties are so entrenched that it’s almost impossible to encroach an iota on their well-marked territory. I recall Mr. Furious telling me about having spoken to someone who worked inside Perot’s campaign, and how the two major parties worked together to try to crush him, while running their own separate campaigns against each other as well. If two parties with all the power will and can destroy any viable opposition, we’re not living in much of a democracy.

Campaign finance reform, shortened election cycles, blah blah blah. None of it matters if the political parties care more about power than they do about people.