Summer Breeze and Scooter's in the Wind

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood—perfect temperature, brilliant blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. All we need is a hammock and a breeze. We really want to write something mellow—EXCEPT there’s this news we heard yesterday that started like a splinter in the foot. We’d like to ignore it and keep chilling, but then it would get infected and full of pus and then gangrene would set in and we’d have to have the foot amputated. So, we have to get it out—because as Virginia’s grandmother used to say “There’s more room out than in.”

?????!!!!!HOW COULD BUSH PARDON SCOOTER LIBBY????!!!
(There is a screeching scream here, lest the punctuation not be a dead giveaway.)

Are we surprised? Hell no—score another one for Team Good Ol’ Boys. Are we appalled? Hell yes—another loss for those of us who play on Team Regular American. We suppose we should be grateful he stepped in now and saved us the charade (and cost) of the appeals process. But why put the nation through the expense and colossal sham of the trial in the first place, if he was planning to declare the results null and void--because why? The trial didn’t turn out right and he is The Decider?

We were going to fire up the keyboard, but we received an email from our friend Victoria and decided we couldn’t have put it better. So we’re sharing a letter she sent to her friends and her New York senators which pointedly articulates the outrage we feel.

Dear Senators,

I demand that as my elected representatives you stand up for me, your other constituents, and our fore-fathers and mothers, and bring impeachment and treason charges against this President, Vice-President and their entire cabal of criminals.

This President has slapped the American people and all patriots in the face and proclaimed that he is above the rule of law by commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, and that he alone decides which criminals serve time and which do not. This administration conspired during war time to identify a CIA operative because her husband disagreed with their WMD allegations. How are we supposed to have a strong national security when our agents or operatives know that at any time, if they disagree with the administration, their lives, and those of their families may be jeopardized, and all without legal ramifications or consequences?

To me this is a very clear and straightforward example of this administration’s consistent attitude of disregard for its citizenry and the international community. No wonder we can't even hold our heads up in the international community. We are a shell of our former collective selves. This administration has taken this country hostage and WE HAVE ALLOWED IT!

No more. I demand that you stand up in our nation's capitol and lead the charge for the removal of this man and his cabal. We are a nation in crisis, unlike any other time in our nation's history. We are at war, not with foreign peoples in a foreign land, but with our own administration and their abuse of power and complete disregard for the tenets upon which this nation was founded. President Bush and his cabal are our despots. We are living not in a democracy but a dictatorship - YOU MUST STAND UP NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I demand accountability, and I am starting with you, my representatives. Go represent me, go represent the constitution, and go represent this nation - NOW.

OK—the splinter is out. We’ve written to our federal elected officials to let them know how we feel. We encourage you to do the same. Still feels like we’ve sprinkled salt in the wound and poured alcohol over it, but some things are supposed to hurt---and this is one of them.