Another thought or two
regarding Obamethics from my earlier post: Ethics also = exceptions to the "strictest" rules (from Slate: "An Obama executive order bans lobbyists from working in jobs related to their work for their former employers. William Lynn, slated to be deputy defense secretary, was recently a lobbyist for Raytheon, a major defense contractor. Gibbs was unfazed. He said there needed to be exceptions to this new rule, and that Obama's rules amounted to the toughest ethical standards in history.") Got it. His ethical rules are the toughest for other people, but come on, He is the Messiah. He's infallible. It'll be okay. Trust Him.
Interesting tidbit: Executive orders within first 3 days by Presidents who started the job in my lifetime:
Ford: 0 (1st after 5 days - regarding export controls)
Carter: 1 (on 1/21 he pardoned all the draft dodgers)
Reagan: 0 (1st on the 28th of Jan. - deregulated oil prices)
Bush: 0 (1st on the 25th - established Fed Commission of Ethics Law Reform)
Clinton: 1 (requiring an Ethics pledge from his cabinet.)
Bush: 0 (on the 29th - regarding faith-based community initiatives)
Obama: 5 (2 on the 21st - the lets try GWB for war crimes EO and the I demand Ethics from everyone except those I deem are above ethics EO; 3 on the 22nd - close gitmo, waterboarding bad, and now what the fuck do we do with all these terrorists?)
Totalitarianism (from Wikipedia -not the most reliable source, but I like the gist - my comments in parentheses): Totalitarian regimes or movements maintain themselves in political power by means of an official all-embracing ideology (hope, change, yes we can) and propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media (Matthews: I got a tingle up my leg; Brokaw - Take that, rednecks; Stefanopolous reportedly crying at the inauguration; Larry King - my son wants to be black, black is "in"), a single party that controls the state (what few conservatives we have left in the halls of power are painfully quiet), personality cults (oh come on, HE'S THE MESSIAH), control over the economy (thanks for getting the ball rolling George), regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism (probably won't even bother with the "fairness doctrine" and just shoehorn in some restrictive legislation in the stimulus bill), the use of mass surveillance (an executive order-happy president could easily turn the patriot act inward), and widespread use of terror tactics (I guess we'll see what happens with His state-funded Black Panthers and with the Weathermen running the education system).
Interesting tidbit: Executive orders within first 3 days by Presidents who started the job in my lifetime:
Ford: 0 (1st after 5 days - regarding export controls)
Carter: 1 (on 1/21 he pardoned all the draft dodgers)
Reagan: 0 (1st on the 28th of Jan. - deregulated oil prices)
Bush: 0 (1st on the 25th - established Fed Commission of Ethics Law Reform)
Clinton: 1 (requiring an Ethics pledge from his cabinet.)
Bush: 0 (on the 29th - regarding faith-based community initiatives)
Obama: 5 (2 on the 21st - the lets try GWB for war crimes EO and the I demand Ethics from everyone except those I deem are above ethics EO; 3 on the 22nd - close gitmo, waterboarding bad, and now what the fuck do we do with all these terrorists?)
Totalitarianism (from Wikipedia -not the most reliable source, but I like the gist - my comments in parentheses): Totalitarian regimes or movements maintain themselves in political power by means of an official all-embracing ideology (hope, change, yes we can) and propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media (Matthews: I got a tingle up my leg; Brokaw - Take that, rednecks; Stefanopolous reportedly crying at the inauguration; Larry King - my son wants to be black, black is "in"), a single party that controls the state (what few conservatives we have left in the halls of power are painfully quiet), personality cults (oh come on, HE'S THE MESSIAH), control over the economy (thanks for getting the ball rolling George), regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism (probably won't even bother with the "fairness doctrine" and just shoehorn in some restrictive legislation in the stimulus bill), the use of mass surveillance (an executive order-happy president could easily turn the patriot act inward), and widespread use of terror tactics (I guess we'll see what happens with His state-funded Black Panthers and with the Weathermen running the education system).