Newt in Manchester

The Newt is at it again, our favorite salamander said that nuclear and biological threats make it necessary to curb speech to protect the society that makes the First Amendment possible. aaaggghhh. The Union Leader report http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Gingrich+defends+free+speech+curbs&articleId=13419de8-bb62-42f4-9b34-64315f906af3 contains other jems. He, the Newt, suggested that we depart from heavy partisanship - cough - and some other stuff like energy independence, cure for alzheimers. He also managed to drag in the 6 Muslim clerics pulled off a flight.

There's something seriously wrong with this nation when "political leaders" can spout this crap and be taken seriously. It's as though there were a massive viral infection after September 11, a plague of cowardice. We are visiting on ourselves the degredations of 3rd rate tinpot dictatorships and I see no sign of these people being taken to the woodshed.

Oh sure, there's blogosphere rants (here's one) and the ACLU pushes back a little and from what I can see, Congress is going to sit on its hands. Is it that they don't want to be percieved as soft on terror? There have been four years of intensifying attacks on our civil liberties IN LAW and that's not the first thing up? It's not as though the minimum wage hasn't been languishing for years and a delay of a couple weeks would intensify its ills. Fine, if it's that politically important, do it first, but why isn't The Patriot Act and it's associated junk legislation even on the radar? Are they waiting for the ACLU and the Supremes to deal with it?

Does anybody think that the Salamander would even dare broach such an idea if there wasn't previous cover? This stuff escalates by piling on to previous piles. We set this train in motion with our tolerance of "gun control," Rico, and other assorted infringements based on security. Those were the baby steps, now George II is busy establishing some mutant theocratic monarchy. This is exactly what happens when you decide that some despised minority's rights are immaterial.

I suppose I should mention that this was at a Republican party to honor some Republicans, surprise, surprise.