mrsmithgoestowashington

mrsmithgoestowashington https://www.dailykos.com/news/mrsmithgoestowashington News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:05:08 +0000 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:05:08 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) I Hope Bernie Stays in the Race: "You Fight Harder for the Lost Causes Than for Any Others" https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/20/1518207/-I-Hope-Bernie-Stays-in-the-Race-You-Fight-Harder-for-the-Lost-Causes-Than-for-Any-Others I realize the loss in New York was devastating. There is probably very little chance Bernie Sanders could become the nominee now. But I hope he doesn’t give up. I thought of that famous final scene in the move, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, featuring Jimmy Stewart. Here it is, with the text below. We mustn’t give up, even if it seems like a “lost cause.” That is how I feel anyway. I’m ready to start phone-banking Pennsylvania (my neighbors to the east) tomorrow. I am a very shy person, and I can only seem to do 15 minutes a day. However, that adds up to almost two hours per week, so I figure it’s something, anyway. This election may be a “lost cause.” But so much hangs in the balance. And the Democratic platform is still up for debate. I want Bernie Sanders there with as many delegates as possible to promote our progressive agenda. Thanks for reading. And tomorrow, I’m going to donate $28. I read that the average for March was only $26.20. Gotta get that up to $27 again! But first, I’m going to go watch this scene again. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=s6UbYHCkoZs" data-height="281" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s6UbYHCkoZs" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a> </div> <blockquote> Jefferson Smith: [His voice very hoarse] Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes, if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties. And, uh, if that's what the grownups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boys' camps started fast and see what the kids can do. And it's not too late, because this country is bigger than the Taylors, or you, or me, or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again! I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. All you people don't know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for, and he fought for them once. For the only reason any man ever fights for them; because of just one plain simple rule: Love thy neighbor. And in this world today full of hatred, a man who knows that rule has a great trust. You know that rule, Mr. Paine, and I loved you for it, just as my father did. And you know that you fight harder for the lost causes than for any others. Yes, you even die for them. Like a man we both knew, Mr. Paine. You think I'm licked. You all think I'm licked. Well, I'm not licked. And I'm gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause. Even if this room gets filled with lies like these. And the Taylors and all their armies come marching into this place. Somebody will listen to me. Somebody will listen... </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Late Boomer) BernieSanders DemocraticPlatform Dontgiveup jimmystewart lostcauses mrsmithgoestowashington _1518207 Thu, 21 Apr 2016 03:47:30 +0000 A Not So Sudden Loss https://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/2/6/1275586/-A-Not-So-Sudden-Loss The loss of unity in the state of our union is not a sudden loss, but rather, a methodical and meticulous undoing of more than just the equality of economic opportunity.   <blockquote>To divide and conquer, division must come from both above and within.</blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (mrollando) ArtisticCreativity BillionaireBridgeBully ChrisChristie Exceptionalism FoundDead GOP Huckabee Libido mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington Nazi PhilipSeymourHoffman rightdirection State of the Union StateoftheUnion SuddenLoss Trickle Down TrickleDown unclesugar VirginiaMedicaid WestVirginiawater _1275586 Thu, 06 Feb 2014 19:48:06 +0000 Irrelevant Crap: Cynicism and pop culture depictions of government https://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/2/3/1274329/-Irrelevant-Crap-Cynicism-and-pop-culture-depictions-of-government <div class="dkimg-c"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/67760/large/Kevin-Spacey-in-House_of_Cards_-_Season_2_-_Teaser_Trailer_-_Netflix_-_HD_-_YouTube.jpg?1391397383" alt="" width="550" height="247" /> <div class="dkimg-cap">Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood in Netflix's House of Cards</div> </div> I've always been fascinated by the 1950s and 60s depiction of Space Age optimism. Since I wasn't alive at the time, I have no idea as to whether it's an accurate portrayal of the cultural zeitgeist, or just a layer of marketing plus a rose-colored nostalgic remembrance of things past. But in design and technological aspiration, there seemed to be positive feelings about the future. As a culture, we've always had problems and inequalities, but we built things in hope of a "<a target="a" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Society">Great Society</a>," and dreamed of things that may never be. We built roads, we built bridges, we built towers that stretched into the clouds, and rockets that went to the Moon. And people imagined days in which we would live in domed cities here on Earth and in outer space, wear silver jumpsuits, drive flying cars, and everything would be nuclear powered. However, things didn't turn out exactly as planned. Next year will be 2015, and still no <a target="a" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkyLnWm1iCs">hoverboards</a> and Nike isn't making shoes with <a target="a" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Wa5L-fkkM">power laces</a>. Whatever optimism that may have existed in the culture so many years ago, has given way to a significant amount of cynicism and distrust. All of those dreams of tomorrow are too expensive or too hard to even imagine anymore. And it's a cynicism that's pervasive throughout society about both public and private institutions. In 1958, 73 percent of the public said they trusted the federal government to do what's right. Last year, that number was <a target="a" href="http://www.people-press.org/2013/10/18/trust-in-government-nears-record-low-but-most-federal-agencies-are-viewed-favorably/">19 percent</a>. Part of it is the continued rhetoric of right-wing conservatives who've been running against, and trying to defund government programs, for the past 40+ years. But it's also a feeling held by some on the left, just in a different way. While they trust government with health care and regulation, they are also deeply suspicious about the NSA, drones, corporate influence, and even the ability of the United States to use "soft power" to influence on the international stage. When I was thinking about a topic for this week's column, I wondered about how the depiction of government in pop culture plays into this calculus? Usually in most movies and television shows, government is depicted as inept, inefficient or corrupt. So does that feed into those feelings of cynicism and erode a belief in government among the public? Or is it just a reflection of what already exists? Continue below the fold for more. rss@dailykos.com (Doctor RJ) 24 homeland HouseofCards IrrelevantCrap Movies mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington ParksandRecreation Pop culture popculture Scandal Television TheThickofIt Veep _1274329 Mon, 03 Feb 2014 21:18:37 +0000 Great Moments In Senator Ted Cruz's Senate 'Filibuster,' The Imbecilibuster [im-buh-silly-buster] https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/8/1245260/-Great-Moments-In-Senator-Ted-Cruz-s-Senate-Filibuster-The-Imbecilibuster-im-buh-silly-buster Michael Matthew Bloomer, Originally published on September 27, 2013 The Small Kahuna @ They Will Say ANYTHING! -  a decidedly left of center blog for some, if not all By now even the youngest citizen of the remotest village on the remotest island on our planet knows of the Texas Ted Cruz imbecilibuster [im-buh-silly-buster], his 21 hour-long soliloquy to accomplish basically nothing legislative or responsible. It did, however, help him wrap up the support of the über right-wing for 2016. Using the Senate floor as a campaign stop was, of course, not a first, but Cruz’s creative imbecilibuster was. Below is our video record of Senator Cruz’s path breaking speech, including music and whistling provided by his backup band, the ObamaCan'ts. <center>(It's best viewed in full page mode) Note: a poll lies below the video. It's slightly mandatory</center> <center><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DZ5WEUa1AjU?rel=0" frameborder="0" defang_allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center> rss@dailykos.com (latestbloomer) Congress defundAffordableCareAct defundObamacare funny GreenEggsandHam Humor Imbecilibuster MichaelMatthewBloomerauthor MichaelMatthewBloomerslideshow mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington NevilleChamberlain PoliticalHumor PoliticalNews PoliticalSatire Satire Senatespeech snarky Ted Cruz TedCruz TedCruzAffordableCareAct TedCruzAshtonKutcher TedCruzDarthVader TedCruzfilibuster TedCruzfunny TedCruzHitler TedCruzimbecilibuster TedCruzNazis TedCruzObamacare TedCruzquotes TedCruzslideshow TedCruzspeech _1245260 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 17:41:24 +0000 The Top Ten Best Political Films https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/2/24/1189567/-The-Top-Ten-Best-Political-Films It’s Oscar time again and our thoughts turn to the movies. This year’s roster contains 3 overtly political films: Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty and Argo. While the case can be made that almost all films are political on some level, these three feature political history prominently. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict Argo as the winner of Best Picture. Because Hollywood loves politics and itself and Argo has both, I think the combination will prove irresistible to Academy voters. Surprisingly, only one overtly political film has won an Oscar for Best Picture and it’s on my list of top 10 political films. This list was gleaned from the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Films Of All Time, an informal poll among friends and fellow movie lovers, and my own preferences. I claim no special insight or influence, I’m just a woman who loves movies and enjoys discussing and dissecting them. So, without further ado, here is my list of 10 of the best political films ever in no particular order: rss@dailykos.com (Purple Priestess) All The President's Men AlltheKingsMen AllThePresidentsMen Dr. Strangelove DrStrangelove JFK milk Movies mrsmithgoestowashington Oscars politicalfilms Recommended The Candidate TheAmericanPresident TheCandidate TheManchurianCandidate VforVendetta _1189567 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:30:54 +0000 The Politician, the Pledge, and the Pilfered Government https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/7/22/997384/-The-Politician-the-Pledge-and-the-Pilfered-Government (Check out our homepage: <a href="http://www.alittlebitofliberal.com/">http://www.alittlebitofliberal.com</a> ) One of my favorite movies is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  The film tells the story of a regular Joe named Jefferson Smith, who is propelled to the Congress by the governor of some unnamed Western state.  Smith is both wholesome and naïve—two traits that Jim Taylor, a corrupt political boss, plans to use to control his senate votes.  See Mr. Taylor has this plan: he wants to pass a Public Works bill that builds a useless dam while padding his pockets and the pockets of his supporters.  Taylor controls a bunch of the politicians in the Congress, who respond to his every whim and desire, so he thinks he’s got this dam locked up.  However, once Smith learns of Taylor’s embezzling scheme, he takes to the Senate floor and filibusters the graft bill, talking continuously until he passes out.  Of course, this is a movie, so in the end, Smith wins, the bill fails to pass, and the government becomes a little more pious and people-serving.   Unfortunately, life is not a movie, and the current Mr. Smiths in Washington are losing to a new version of Mr. Taylor.  This fellow, like Taylor, holds massive sway over our politicians and goes by the name of Grover Glenn Norquist.  He is the president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and a fellow Harvard alum (needless to say I’m very proud).   Under Norquist, the ATR sponsors the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which at its core, compels the politicians who sign it to oppose any form of tax increase ever.  Like ever.  Like even in the case of war, flood, and famine ever.  I mean seriously, here’s the language of the <a href="http://www.atr.org/userfiles/Congressional_pledge(1).pdf">pledge</a>: <blockquote>I, _____, pledge to the taxpayers of the __ district of the state of___, and to the American people that I will:  ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax  rates for individuals and/or businesses; and  TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and  credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates </blockquote> It clearly doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for flexibility.  Now, at this point <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/atrfiles/files/files/070711-federalpledgesigners.pdf">236 Representative and 41 Senators have signed the bill</a>, nearly all of them Republicans.  Why do they do it?  They need to in order to get elected.  Stuart Rothenberg of the <a href="http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.com/">Rothenberg Political Report</a>puts it like this: <blockquote>Politicians used to look to guidance from parties. Now they look to guidance -- or threats -- from interest groups…I think there's a tendency for candidates to believe they have to appeal to the base, and there's a kind of threshold of credibility that they need to achieve, and that leads them to signing these pledges…if you don't sign the pledge, it can define you as a candidate, and you might spend the rest of the campaign defending and trying to move away from that issue. </blockquote> Our politicians—particularly the Republicans—are faced with a sort of join or die situation.  They can sign a pledge that will tie their legislating hands in Washington, or they can stay home and not make it to Washington at all.  Confronted with this kind of logic, I can see why they do it.  The choice even for Moderate politicians, I imagine, must go something like this: “I can sacrifice a small amount of my principles now and get elected or I can allow somebody even crazier and more extreme than I am to sign the pledge and beat me.”  Signing just makes sense.  But the fact that politicians are forced into Grover Norquist’s pledge means that our government doesn’t really belong to the politicians or the people anymore—it belongs to Grover Norquist…and that might have been his plan the whole time.   Now, I know a lot of Conservative folks read our blog, and so you guys might be thinking, well so what?  I don’t like taxes.  I’m with Norquist on this one.  But I would submit to you that most of the recent budget crises that have taken place in our government both on the state and national level are in large part due to Norquist and his pledge.  Want to fix the debt ceiling dilemma with a combination of large spending cuts and small tax increases on corporate jet owners?  Too bad, <a href="http://nevadanewsandviews.com/2011/07/13/atr-does-not-support-any-specific-debt-limit-contingency-plan/">you can’t</a>.  Grover Norquist says no.  Want to stop the Minnesota state government from shutting down by mixing spending cuts with miniscule tax increases on Minnesota millionaires?  Guess what?  <a href="http://www.atr.org/norquist-minnesota-republicans-dont-wobbly-a6303">You can’t</a>.  It doesn’t matter that the last time we actually balanced the budget was under President Clinton who raised top marginal tax rates from 31% to 39.6%.  All that matters is that Grover Norquist, with his ideological aversion to any and all forms of taxes, gets his way.   We need to stop this anti-tax nonsense immediately and keep our government from heading down a dangerous road.  I’ve repeatedly written about the <a href="http://www.alittlebitofliberal.com/2011/07/republican-plan-avoid-default-by.html">consequences we will face if the debt ceiling is not raised</a> (in case you haven’t been following the situation, Republicans are refusing to lift the ceiling if it means increasing taxes).  Look, economists are worried; Moody’s is worried (which is why it has threatened to downgrade U.S. treasury bonds from their AAA rating).  Even Republican politicians have <a href="http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/86012/tom-coburn-traps-grover-norquist">shown signs of revolt against Norquist</a>.  Heck, as I’ve been composing this article, stories have come out that suggest that <a href="http://letters.salon.com/tech/htww/2011/07/21/grover_norquist_stunning_tax_heresy/view/">Norquist thinks Norquist is being too ideological</a>.   This pledge and ones like it don’t have a place in politics.  Period.  We need our leaders to have flexibility in their governance.  We need the Mr. Smiths of Washington to step up and give this Mr. Taylor the boot.  It’s time for Norquist and his pledge to go—it’s time for compromise.   rss@dailykos.com (Tony Sterle) americansfortaxreform Debt Ceiling DebtCeiling Grover Norquist GroverNorquist mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington TaxpayerProtectionPledge _997384 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:58:36 +0000 TGIF: Great Film Speeches and Monologues https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1/14/936379/-TGIF-Great-Film-Speeches-and-Monologues <table cellpadding="3" border="2"><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#000000"><table><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#660066"><table border><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <img width="300" align="right" src="http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z205/JekyllnHyde_photos/January%2014th%202010%20-%20Movies/network_3001.jpg" /> The Money Speech You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I won't have it!...  You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen and howl about America and democracy.  There is no America.  There is no democracy.  There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon.  Those are the nations of the world today. What do you think the Russians talk about in their councils of state -- Karl Marx?... We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale.  The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business.  The world is a business, Mr. Beale.  It has been since man crawled out of the slime. -- Arthur Jensen (Ned Beatty) pitches Howard Beale (Peter Finch) in Network (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI5hrcwU7Dk">YouYube</a>) </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> rss@dailykos.com (JekyllnHyde) AFewGoodMen BreakerMorant Casablanca FullMetalJacket grapesofwrath HenryV HowGreenWasMyValley jaws monologues Movies mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington network OntheWaterfront Patton Recommended Speeches taxidriver TGIF TheSpyWhoCameinFromtheCold _936379 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:31:02 +0000 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - and Gets Painted with the Same Broad Brush https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/28/798109/-Mr-Smith-Goes-to-Washington-and-Gets-Painted-with-the-Same-Broad-Brush The story is iconic; the upright and noble 'boy ranger' who wants nothing more than to do good, be good, and work hard. There is no doubt that in some ways Barack Obama is that boy ranger who epitomizes our belief in our ability to do good and make good things happen. So we sent Obama to Washington to do good. It turns out that good is pretty ugly. rss@dailykos.com (James Andre) Barack Obama BarackObama boyranger Capitol Change Congress Democrat Hope mrsmithgoestowashington Politics Republican Washington _798109 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:26:56 +0000 Mr. Smith goes to Washington 2009 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/5/713936/-Mr-Smith-goes-to-Washington-2009     <blockquote>     There is no compromise with the truth. </blockquote>     Watching the paper boys fighting to get their message out against the Taylor machine reminded me of all of us here in the blogosphere, typing away our hearts, all the while knowing that we fight what might be a lost cause against a power far greater than our own. <object width="425" height="344"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cKGrAzh8Gyo&hl=en&fs=1" name="movie"></param><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"></param><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"></param><embed width="425" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cKGrAzh8Gyo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344"></embed></object>     <blockquote>     And that Government of The People by The People and For The People shall not perish from the Earth. </blockquote>     Those who do not learn their history are forever doomed to repeat it.     rss@dailykos.com (MinistryOfTruth) 1939 2009 Barack Obama BarackObama Classic D.C Fiction Fox News FoxNews GOP Hope JamesStewart JimTaylor Joe Sixpack JoeSixPack Lies LostCause mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington politicalmachine RupertMurdoch Senate super-rich theBillofRights theConstitution Truth Washington We The People WeThePeople _713936 Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:59:41 +0000 Bushvilles, Hoovervilles and Lost Causes https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/4/712475/-Bushvilles-Hoovervilles-and-Lost-Causes     Love thy neighbor.         <object width="425" height="344"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y14Y9B3DXvM&hl=en&fs=1" name="movie"></param><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"></param><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"></param><embed width="425" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y14Y9B3DXvM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344"></embed></object>     That clip is from January 2009 <object width="425" height="344"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eih67rlGNhU&hl=en&fs=1" name="movie"></param><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"></param><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"></param><embed width="425" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eih67rlGNhU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344"></embed></object>     History seems to be repeating itself.     More below the fold . . . . . rss@dailykos.com (MinistryOfTruth) AmericanHero attacking bankster baron BoardMembers Bonuses bruningtentcities Bullshit Bush-Cheney Bushville cards CEO Cities Class War Class Warfare Classic ClassWar ClassWarfare CO Commission Conservatives Consumers Corporate Corporation Corporatism Corruption Credit Crime Criminal Crisis crony Cronyism Debt Deficit Democrats Depression Disaster disgrace disproportionate Distribution duplicity Dying Economy Education Elitist Fail failedideas Failure Families fault FreeMarket George W. Bush GeorgeWashington GeorgeWBush GOP GreatDepression Greed Health Care HealthCare Heartless Help HerbertHoover History holdersEricHolderSpecial Homeless Homeowners Hooverville Idiot individuals Inequality Interest investor jimmystewart Justice lap dog lapdog Leadership lenders Lies Loans Losers lostcauses lostjobs LowWages Meme Middle Class MiddleClass Monument mrsmithgoestowashington nepotisism ninja Obama oppresion Poverty predatory presidents Prohibition prosecutor rates Reaganomics _712475 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:05:50 +0000 One. Just One https://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/9/625952/-One-Just-One I felt the need to get this off my chest. I've moved from exasperation to anger to discontent back to anger to bewilderment. How did it get this far? The shouts of "terrorist" or "kill him" and barely a peep from the Republican leadership? When will they do what's right? rss@dailykos.com (RMP) Morality mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington republicansenators _625952 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:41:41 +0000 Who does Sarah Palin remind you of? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/2/618261/-Who-does-Sarah-Palin-remind-you-of Okay,this is a question for movie buffs.  I have four choices right now, and welcome more additions. 1)  To Die For Nicole Kidman's character, Suzanne Stone,  in "To Die For."   She's a pretty bimbo who just wants to be famous and on TV. And she's willing to do anything to get what she wants.  Her idiotic monologues delivered directly to the camera are a scary imitation of the real thing. rss@dailykos.com (metropro) BeingThere Fargo FrankCapra jimmystewart mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington NicoleKidman PeterSeller Sarah Palin SarahPalin Todiefor _618261 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:55:31 +0000 Barack, Filibust'em! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/22/540424/-Barack-Filibust-em AN OPEN LETTER TO SEN. BARACK OBAMA REGARDING THE FISA BILL: Dear Sen. Obama: Once again, History has handed you a unique and unparalleled opportunity. In the upcoming Senate vote on the seriously flawed FISA compromise, instead of letting the Republicans box you in to a losing choice, to either vote "Yes", and disappoint your base on the seminal Civil Liberties vote of the 21st Century, or "No" and be branded "Soft on Terrorism" for the duration of the campaign, you have the power to take the initiative, and redefine this moment on your own terms. The issue of protecting the Fourth Amendment, and, by extention, the entire Bill of Rights, from over-acquisitive intelligence agencies and the national security state is one which crosses philosophical lines.  Properly framed, many Americans, on the Right, Left, and Center, share the conviction that no cicumstance we have yet seen would justify an abrogation of our Constitutional Rights, our national heritage. - more - rss@dailykos.com (Press to Digitate) 4thAmendment Bill of Rights BillofRights Constitution FISA Fourth Amendment FrankCapra jimmystewart mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington singularity Surveillance transcendence _540424 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:12:32 +0000 Mr. Smith's B__gers Go To YearlyKos https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/4/215804/-Mr-Smith-s-B__gers-Go-To-YearlyKos <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/quotes">Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</a> is on Turner Classic Movies again right now, and 67 years later it's more topical than ever.  Pliant, corrupt politicians slip giant earmarks into bills for corporate cronies.  Graft and bribery.  Publishing and public opinion totally controlled by Mr. Taylor's corporate owned media.  And news reporters so cynical, they treat Washington reporting more like entertainment than democracy. Except for one idealistic group of enthusiastic, inexperienced fledgling journalists, with their own presses and their own technology for spreading the truth.  Daring to speak out. B__ ger - "Taylor's running things, isn't he?" Governor - "What does Mr. Taylor have to do with this?  I won't have talk like that....  I'm in no mood to listen to childish prattle. B__ ger - "When are you gonna get the guts to stand up to them and be your own man?" Who are those brave B__gers? rss@dailykos.com (Levity) Bloggers Corruption Filibuster Media Movies mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington Net Neutrality NetNeutrality Press Russ Feingold RussFeingold Yearlykos2006 _215804 Sun, 04 Jun 2006 23:04:38 +0000 Syriana and Rant https://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/29/175054/-Syriana-and-Rant Saw Syriana today. Pretty good (non) fictional movie. I didn't have much trouble tying the different segments and plots together so I had a good time watching it. I agree with <a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2005_12_04_digbysblog_archive.html#113407985812599654">Digby's take</a> on it, that oil is king and everyone is scrambling to get it at no matter the cost. Of course this hit home for me, which in a large part got me thinking about America's role as the world superpower and its influence. rss@dailykos.com (chocolatemoose) Arrogance Hope mr. smith goes to washington mrsmithgoestowashington Responsibility sin Syriana _175054 Fri, 30 Dec 2005 05:45:23 +0000