September 2008: Wrapped In The Flag And Carrying A Cross

Just in case there was ever doubt that Sinclair Lewis' line captured native facism precisely—Sarah Palin debuts on the national stage.

Photo: Joeff Davis

A week later, watertiger spots—

The Sarah Palin Superhero ACTION FIGURE? What is she, The Embezzler?

And about that skimpy outfit—

With the amounts she and her husband have been been stealing from Alaska, you'd think she'd be able to afford some pants.

And with the newly national scrutiny, one of the stories to emerge is that, under Mayor Palin, the city of Wasila charged rape victims for their forensic tests.

As the Republican Convention itself gets underway, Glenn Greenwald reports on 9/1—

Beginning last night, St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city be, even more so than Manhattan in the week of 9/11 -- with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations. Humvees and law enforcement officers with rifles were posted on various buildings and balconies. Numerous protesters and observers were tear gassed and injured.

Amy Goodman and two Democracy Now producers are among the journalists and hundreds of demonstrators arrested by those riot troops.

Before the regime skips town, the stage is being set for the final looting of the treasury. Ian Welsh on 9/20—

What I'm hearing is that the gun being held to Congress's head is the fear of a money market meltdown. These funds are integral to the economy, yes, but 700 billion is far more than is needed to bail them out...

So the gun that Paulson is holding to Congress's head, while not filled with blanks, is a BB gun. He's trying to stampede Congress into giving him more money and more power than he actually needs to fix the ostensible problem by acting as if there's no time to think through, or disaster will occur almost immediately.
Why?

Well, that 700 billion bails out Paulson's friends and colleagues at the highest levels (most of the little people will still lose their jobs). It preserves the world that Paulson worked in all his life. It means that Wall Street and the Banking industry doesn't have to change how they do business. The people in charge of it will stay in charge and they will stay rich.

A few months later, Matt Taibbi will illustrate that the Goldman Sachs previously led by Paulson has manipulated the market and been behind every economic bubble since the Great Depression.

I haven't been able to locate the quote, but one morning I hear a radio news clip of Paulsen making a Bushian threat, along the lines of, "I can't keep the economy safe if Congress doesn't authorize the money."

Yes, our economy and selves are in the safest of hands...

Hurricane Ike slams Texas, and local authorities have taken their lessons from the Feds' Katrina record. As seen in the apparent effort at cleansing undesirables—

Galveston Island residents were told to flee Hurricane Ike or face "certain death," but the Sheriff has inexplicably decided not to evacuate 1,000 prisoners from the county jail, even though serious flooding has already begun.

It's bad enough to risk the inmates' lives, but downright bizarre to me that the Sheriff is willing to risk his deputies...

As well as learning the lesson of muzzling media coverage of fatalities.