Hullabaloo

Thursday, February 14, 2008

 
Wahhhh, Wahhhh, Wahhhh

by dday

The President had another temper tantrum like a little girl child (it was not my intention to use "girl" as a pejorative, I humbly apologize) wanting to leave the mall with their parents. Republicans in the House followed suit by walking out of Congress in protest. They're claiming that Americans everywhere will be killed in their beds if we don't suspend the Fourth Amendment. And get this, Bush might suspend his trip to Africa if the House doesn't pass the FISA bill. "Give up or I will inconvenience myself!!!"

People aren't watching this closely and they aren't drilling down into the details. Britney did something nutty and the Oscars are coming and their favorite shows are going to be back in the air. Anyway there's a Presidential race on. The fearmongering is falling on deaf ears.

So it's very clear what should be done. Let the Protect America Act expire. Pass the contempt of Congress resolutions. All anyone will understand is that the Democrats, finally, stood up to an unpopular President. The only people that buy his spin are the 24% bitter-enders. There is no need to sacrifice liberty for security, and returning the nation to the FISA standard will in no way impact the national security of the United States. Furthermore, these contempt citations are necessary to legitimize the existence of the legislative branch.

So far, so good. The contempt citations passed. Now hold firm on FISA.

UPDATE: Some sage advice:

Tantrums should be handled differently depending on the cause. Try to understand where your child is coming from. For example, if your little one has just had a great disappointment, you may need to provide comfort.

It's a different situation when the tantrum stems from a child's being refused something. Toddlers have fairly rudimentary reasoning skills, so you aren't likely to get far with explanations. Ignoring the outburst is one way to handle it — if the tantrum poses no threat to your child or others. Continue your activities, paying no attention to your child but remaining within sight. Don't leave your little one alone, though, otherwise he or she may feel abandoned on top of all of the other uncontrollable emotions.

Sounds good to me.

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dday 2/14/2008 11:42:00 AM |