Eternal war vs. internal war

Good GOLLY, miss molly, it's rather difficult to be chipper / upbeat / light-hearted / hopeful these days, when it comes to Mr. Bush's axe-grinding prospects for our federal well-being. He's not just grinding his axe, he's starting to swing the damn thing, lopping off programs left and right that just aren't performing well enough to line his friends' pockets.

When these guys have a pow wow to decide what programs and services need to go, I think it's just Dick Cheney casting a surly eye at his portfolio (in "blind" trust) and seeing what's good for him and his and James Bakers' vacation homes in Jackson Hole.

The rich are not just getting richer these days, they are getting absolutely brilliant at ripping off the rest of us.

And how? One great trick George Orwell predicted in "1984." Eternal war, a never ending state of war, where military spending runs rampant and everything else is expendable and can fall by the wayside. And boy HEIDI, are things falling by the WAYSIDE!!!

Amtrak is a good example. This country ought to be spending BILLIONS - YES BILLIONS - MORE on a first class nationwide network of superior train service. Trains aren't a thing of the past so much as they are a thing of the future, and the good ol' (fasioned) USA just ain't getting on board, much less "all aboard." Bush has had his axe-cutting eye on Amtrak all along, even as he is eager to subsidize the less efficient (and more decadent) alternatives - autos and airlines. He's gonzo for those, but why are so many the enemy of rail? It's great stuff, and if designed and built to the standards of the Japanese or the Europeans, we'd have another world class transportation alternative (very comfortable, SAFE, and fuel efficient) to choose. But NO. Bush is lumping Amtrak is with scores of other 'under performers.' He says all the government's struggling programs need less, but sometimes, as we know, programs and services need MORE to COMPETE.

So Bush is using "war time" to pervert our priorities. What a crock! What war? I don't see a war. I see an imperialist aggression. Seems like there ought to be a distinction there between a "WAR" and some oil-friendly/Muslim-averse nation building.

Instead, it's about time we had an INTERNAL war. It's time the Democrats gave up the soft sell and went for the HARD sell, a la Roosevelt, a la Truman. Don't just politely reprimand the Republicans - RIP them, SHRED them, SHAME them. Maybe that's why Howard Dean is making such a strong comeback to lead the DNC. There are lots of us who know NOW is the time to fight for what's best for America and the world.