FISA Fight: Just Another Epic Failure in America's History

Today is going to go down as a dark day in our nation's history, as the Senate completes its total capitulation to the Bush administration and its corporate masters, through passing legislation that dramatically expands the government's surveillance powers and immunizes the companies responsible for illegally spying on us.

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Once again, I'm experimenting a bit with the "blog it" button on Digg. Works pretty slick, as you can tell from the above as well as the previous post. (Well, actually, how could you tell that it works pretty slick? Guess you just have to take my word for it.) I think it could do a better job of indicating the item's origins--there's nothing up above there that tells you that the item is in fact by Martin Bosworth, not yours truly, as published in The Huffington Post. You're required to click through a read the whole article, which a lot of blog-skimmers won't do. That should be addressed. Also, it would be nice if Digg gave one the ability to add commentary to an item as he or she posted it to the blog. But I know they're looking at the blogging experience in a different way than I am.

Naturally I'm pretty peeved about how the Senate acted on FISA. I'm disappointed in my senior Senator, Tim Johnson. (Not disappointed in junior Senator John Thune: I knew all along he'd play his usual role of White House dittohead.) I'm disappointed in Barack Obama. Mostly, I'm disappointed in the system, which now leaves me no alternative except disappointment.

After all, what are my choices here? Shall I be ticked off at Tim Johnson and say, Well, that's it, then, I'll vote for the right-winger that the local GOP has propped up to run against him? Hah. Likewise for Obama: I'd've liked it a lot better had he not joined into the mass capitulation to the White House (latest in a series), but I can hardly envision myself ever voting for McCain. So I'm annoyed at the both of them, but they still get my vote.

I have decided, as a result of yesterday's roll-over-and-play-dead in the Senate, that I will no longer contribute to Tim Johnson's reelection campaign. To date I have made no contribution to Obama's campaign, and I shall think long and hard before I do so. It's not much, I grant you, but I believe that their actions should have some consequence, however minuscule.

Note that the idea of not voting doesn't enter the picture. (Well, except for now.) Let's not kid ourselves: To not vote for X is to cast a vote for Y, no matter how many times you say it isn't. As unhappy as I am right now with Senators Johnson and Obama, I'm unwilling to help hand their respective elections to the other guys.

Although, truth to tell, there's a part of me that says it would serve 'em right.

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