It’s so hard to know what politicians are up to now and days. Take this latest example of complicated political wrangling going on. We have Rep. Mark Foley (republican from Florida) apparently engaged in a years long struggle to get him self some young male ass to fondle, while the powers that be cover up his depravity so that they will not lose a seat in the house to the Democrats (which is a wholly fucked up situation in and of itself).

from here

In addition to explicit sexual language, former Congressman Mark Foley’s Internet messages also include repeated efforts to get the underage recipient to rendezvous with him at night.

“I would drive a few miles for a hot stud like you,” Foley said in one message obtained by ABC News.

The FBI says it has opened a “preliminary investigation” of Foley’s e-mails. Federal law enforcement officials say attempts by Foley to meet in person could constitute the necessary evidence for a federal charge of “soliciting for sex” with a minor on the Internet.

In another message, Foley, using the screen name Maf54, appears to describe having been together with the teen in San Diego.

Maf54: I miss you lots since san diego.
Teen: ya I cant wait til dc
Maf54: :)
Teen: did you pick a night for dinner
Maf54: not yet…but likely Friday
Teen: ok…ill plan for Friday then
Maf54: that will be fun

The messages also show the teen is, at times, uncomfortable with Foley’s aggressive approach.

Maf54: I want to see you
Teen: Like I said not til feb…then we will go to dinner
Maf54: and then what happens
Teen: we eat…we drink…who knows…hang out…late into the night
Maf54: and
Teen: I dunno
Maf54: dunno what
Teen: hmmm I have the feeling that you are fishing here…im not sure what I would be comfortable with…well see

Foley resigned Friday after ABC News questioned him about the Internet messages.

He says he has checked into a rehabilitation facility to deal with alcohol and behavioral issues.

At the same time the civilian death toll in Iraq is averaging 100 a day. And we have a new book out by Bob Woodward making clear and direct accusations that certain people in the Bush White house were directly warned about 9/11 and did nothing about it.

from here

An average of more than 100 civilians per day were killed in Iraq last month, the United Nations reported Tuesday, registering what appears to be the highest official monthly tally of violent deaths since the fall of Baghdad.

…

United Nations officials said Tuesday that the number of violent deaths had climbed steadily since at least last summer. During the first six months of this year, the civilian death toll jumped more than 77 percent, from 1,778 in January to 3,149 in June, the organization said.

This sharp upward trend reflected the dire security situation in Iraq as sectarian violence has worsened and Iraqi and American government forces have been unable to stop it.

In its report, the United Nations said that 14,338 civilians had died violently in Iraq in the first six months of the year.

So what are we the general public to do with all these different bits of info. Are we supposed to immediately latch on to the shocking revelations that the Republican leadership would rather allow a man to prey on young boys than lose a seat in the house? Or are we supposed to set aside this horror for the greater one of the civilian death toll in Iraq, compiled by the increasingly horrible casualties taken by our own soldiers, (and for what goal I might add.) Or should we grow increasingly appalled at how the administration that was supposed to keep us safe was unable to do so even though the evidence was presented to them in such a way that only an idiot or a madman would fail to grasp it.

Or are we supposed to be torn in so many directions that at the end of the day we don’t care about any of it. Are we supposed to get so upset that we give up hope in the whole system and stay home on elections day. Allowing only the most hardened political zealots to cast our votes for us. It’s very important that we do not allow this to happen.

Instead we must take each bit of information and carefully parse it. We must realize that all of these actions, when combined with past outrages (torture, secret prisons, illegal wire taps, suspension of Habeas Corpus, back room deals for no-bid contracts, secret energy policies that favor the cronies, etc, etc) paint a pattern, an unmistakable pattern of incompetence, and failure. This administration has been allowed to fail the people in such a grand way that the only ones that can be held to blame are the American people themselves.

That’s right, its our fault. We are not out in the street, we are not calling for impeachment, we are not clogging phone lines, in-boxes, and mail slots with our outrage. Voter turnout is still drastically low. If we allow them to break us down with a constant and unending stream of atrocities (both big and small) we have let them win.

I urge you all to put your chips back in play this November and vote. Vote like your life and your freedom depends on it, because in a very real way it does. Nothing short of a large revolution at the polls is going to rid us of this filth (both democratic and republican). The Republicans are to blame for all the horrible things they have done, and the Democrats are to blame for allowing them to get away with so much of it unchallenged.

We need to elect new, progressive leaders, in both parties, and in both houses. We need a season of investigations, followed by a season of impeachments and imprisonments. After we have cleaned house we need to undo what has been done, change the laws back, regain our civil liberties, take our country back. If your current rep, senator, governor, whatever wont/cant help do this, its time for a new one. Or we can allow the slide into fascism continue… it’s up to us.