Blinded By The Night

TRANSGRESSING TO THE DARK SIDE--with only one way out.

One of the more memorable moments on Meet the Press today was when Tim Russert asked the gold rolex wearing Vice President whether he had traversed to the "dark side." Cheney's response was that he has done any and everything-whatever it took to "make America safer." The few people in the inner circle of the CIA who have not been fired for being too "reality based" only know how many faustian deals the Vice President has actually struck and where they actually took what was left of his soul-and how he got the multi-millions to buy his palacial estate in an exclusive Eastern Shore town. But what we do know for certain, is that he isn't leveling with us about much and couching everything in the usual hyped paranoid Fear Factor spin. He snortled condescendingly, laughed smirkingly with a side snarl and refused to answer other questions. I was left with the impression that this man is gloating all the way to his far above government salary pied-a-tier estate in Saint Michaels on the Eastern Shore for having pulled the biggest in plain view heist ever pulled by a "government servant."
The latest RNC hysterically absurd talk point is that the Islamo-fascists want to turn half the world into a seventh century "Caliphate" which sounds scarier than a nineteenth century Ottoman Empire (that might malign our Turkish buddies.) Apparently we have concluded that the states like democratically elected Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Aman, Kuwait, Dubai, Saudi, etc. all somehow risk being run or want to be run by the same wild eyed fundamentalist clergy who fashion themselves after a seventh century "Caliphate" -as if they ever would accept one monolythic voice for all their litany of woes. Were it not uttered by someone couched in all the credibility of one of the highest political offices of the land wearing a gold rolex, we should all be laughing hysterically and wondering whether John Cleese will enter stage right doing the goose-stepping silly walk from the Ministry of Silly Walks. It's such an off the wall notion as to be completely hysterical that all of the Muslim world is in some risk of falling to one dictatorial tyrannical "caliphate" character. It flies in the face of what we know about sectarian conflict in Iraq alone (something you never hear Bush mention and wonder if he grasps), not to mention the issues that Iraqis have with the rest of the Muslim world. If we don't have a Ministry of Silly Walks, we might just have a Ministry of Ragheaded Bogeymen and Other Things That Go AsalamAlekam in the Night.
The choice in the Mid-Term is clear. It is not at all a question of whether the Republicans can do a better job at combatting terror- they already proved they are the source and perpetuators of terror. The question is as basic as this:

Do you believe in a World where more fear and terror defeats terror, and more war stops wars, or do you believe that the only thing stronger than hate is Love? Do you believe that peace is achieved by war or that peace insists that swords be beaten into plowshares?

This election is a referendum at the crucible of our National Soul.

It is a referendum on whether the United States believes in the force and Power of Love over Hatred, Peace over Violence, Forgiveness over Revenge, and Hope over Despair and Destruction.

Whose side are you on- Jesus said if you are lukewarm- I spew you out of my mouth. The way we get out from under the power of the Darkness is to clean House (and Senate) in November.
---and a little prayer and fasting like Mahatma Ghandi wouldn't hurt.