The New Dominion is a fledgling Virginia magazine/website with circulation around the state. It describes itself as “a quarterly news journal … (offering) readers in-depth coverage of issues in local and regional politics, society, economic trends, pop culture, sports and more.” Arguably, GMD front pager kestrel9000 (aka Ed Garcia) fits into any of those categories (well, that is if harassing Republicans can be considered a sport). From the latest issue:

People never look the same in person as you would assume they would by listening to them on the radio, but Eddie Garcia comes closer to the image that I’d had in my head than most – average height, slight build, understated, casual dress, words coming out of his head and mouth 1,000 miles a minute, like he’s had way, way too much of the caffeine.

Heh heh. You go Ed. More of my favorite bits from the piece below the fold…

“The way you phrase that sounds as if you’re proceeding on the assumption that I have adjusted (to life in Virginia). I haven’t. And I don’t see how it’s possible,” Garcia says.

Life in Vermont, his most recent tour stop before Virginia, was even more like home than Northern California.

“Our whole life was different. For instance, in Bennington, our house was like a social center. We had a bunch of friends, most of them younger than us, and the issue used to be, How are we going to get these people out of here on Friday nights so we can get the kids to sleep now?” Garcia says.

heh heh again.

Which isn’t to say that his blogging hasn’t led management at Magic 95.5 to their own rubber rooms from time to time.

“You can’t please everybody all the time. You can’t do it. So we’re not even going to try,” says Joe Collins, the program director at Magic 95.5, who has taken more than his share of calls from listeners irate over a particular Garcia rant on the air.

Garcia admits to wanting to push buttons in that respect.

“I perceive this country to be in a crisis right now,” he says. “We have a president who has defied the will of the American people, defied the results of the election, is not supporting the troops, is denying them the money they need to complete the mission. Very realistic timetables, flexible withdrawal dates were set, and this guy is just stomping his foot and throwing a tantrum like a little spoiled child – and he’s going to do whatever the heck he wants.

“I think George Walker Bush is probably the most impeachable president in the history of this country – him and (Vice President Dick) Cheney both. And I frankly will not be silent. I say as much as I can get away with. And I’ve been chewed out for it more than once,” Garcia says.

It’s not just conservatives who are in Garcia’s crosshairs. No, Fast Eddie gets “hacked off,” as he told me between oldies, at liberals and local Shenandoah Valley Democrats just as easily – and readily.

woo-hoo!

“I’m sick of his left-wing views on the radio,” a listener complained to Magic 95.5 program director Joe Collins in January – after Garcia dedicated his daily “Top 5 at 5″ list to “America at War,” finishing up the selections of oldies but goodies with John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” and The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.”

“He’s insulting the veterans, and now he’s playing satanic music!” the caller continued, before raising issue with Garcia’s on-air defense from several months before of a liberal activist who had been roughed up by a staffer of former senator George Allen.

I almost wonder if Garcia isn’t somehow bothered by this – if he isn’t energized by the occasional outburst from the political right, if he wonders if he might be getting stale, and that’s why people aren’t calling anymore.

I mention this to him – and the cauldron reignites.

“This is the fourth state that I’ve lived in – and the politics of division, the hatred, the pointing the fingers. Democrats are traitors, homosexuals will destroy your marriage, the Muslims will kill you when you sleep – and people take this seriously. I find it disgusting. It’s revolting,” Garcia says.

“It goes against everything that I believe in, everything that I was raised to believe was right, proper, true and correct. Bigotry and hatred in this area seems to have a license – and all I can do is stand against it.

“If there are consequences, then there are consequences – but I am who I am. I have my values, and I compromise them for no one.”

Well said, Ed.

Kollwitz, The Propeller

Having shown over the last seven months, since taking control of the legislative branch that they are at least equal to the Republicans when it comes to avarice, the Democrats set out this past weekend to demonstrate that, when it comes to cowardice, to blatant, unmitigated, ass covering politics they are every bit a match for Republicans.

Who impeaches the Congress? What in our Constitution protects the citizens of this country from a completely rogue government? When all three branches have abrogated their constitutional obligations, who will stand up for, who will represent the people of the United States?

Where must we search, to whom do we go for protection from the power of the wealthy corporate classes who are stealing our wealth, our livelihoods, and our future, who are spitting on our laws and our history as they sacrifice our Children and Grandchildren on the profane altar of their greed, in their eternal wars for profit and power?

Where is the opposition? Where do we go for redress of grievances when every institution of government is in the hands of the enemies of the people?

After suffering through five long years of watching a rogue executive blow it’s nose on the American Constitution and wipe it’s feet on our laws and bill of rights, it was with some relief and a glimmer of hope that I watched the election results last November as the Democratic party was returned to control of the legislative branch of the federal government. The pendulum is returning to the center I told myself, surely it will soon move to the left and show benefits to the working people of this country again.

I was somewhat apprehensive of course, I wrote several pieces warning my fellow Democrats to clean their own house and to do so loudly and publicly, to show the electorate that they were worthy of the public trust and to be on guard against the toxic infections of the corporate lobbyists and special interests that had so corrupted the Republicans they were replacing.

My voice and the more powerful and eloquent voices of others with the same message might have been crickets chirping in the wilderness, they could not be heard above the howl of the bitter wind driven by the building stampede.

The great headlong rush was on. The Democrats looked like the riotous crowds of Pamplona in their frenzied dash for campaign funds, for their rightful share of the political plunder that had, for so long, been denied to them. Like the mobs of Pamplona except they were chasing after the bulls, racing madly down the streets of our capitol, through the storied halls of our public monuments, their larcenous rotting hearts exposed, their shameless, greedy, grasping palms outstretched, drooling mouths at the ready, eager to suck at the poisonous teats of public corruption and corporate largess, it was a sight from hell.

The relief of last November is now long forgotten amid in the fear and loathing of July, the wars continue unabated, the so called opposition party has joined in dividing the spoils and trampling the law, the hope is gone and, I belive, it is time for every American who cares for this country, for humankind to face up to the sickening and unavoidable reality of our times.

The government of the United States is thoroughly and completely corrupt. From top to bottom, from one side of the aisle to the other, at all levels, whether we look at the federal system or in our statehouses, our government, our institutions, our military, our courts and schools and regulatory bodies, each and every one, has fallen under the control of criminals. And they are being aided and abetted by the treacherous and treasonous majorities of both of our so called political parties.

We need not travel 12,000 miles and comb the dusty caverns of remote mountain ranges, or the empty blazing deserts of Arabia in a search for terror and evil. All the terror, all the fear, all the evil we could ever desire to discover is centered in the chambers of our government and commerce and the evil hearts and minds of those who control them.

The government of the United States now operates under the careful tutelage, direction and control of enormously powerful international corporate interests which have no respect for the people of this or any other nation, not their laws, not their values nor their common histories and least, their humanity, their very lives.

The only interest of these piratical, plutocratic vermin is to take the labor from our backs, to strip the fruit from our trees and the crops from our fields, to mine the ore and pump the oil from our earth, to discover a way to steal the water from our seas and the very light from our sky and make it their own, to control it all, to control it all in their thirst for profit, in their worship of Mammon, of Moloch.

Look not to the media, the self exalted press, those journalistic guardians of the past, have become the corporate stooges of the present, the once independent protectors of the people no longer exist, they were bought, bought and sold in the same trades as the judges, as the preachers, the pastors, bishops, and the healers, bought as cheaply as the public servants, their souls are owned by the houses of wealth and power. All the saviors have sold us out, there is no one to save us but ourselves.

I find no further hope in the ballot box, another election of the darlings of the captains of industry, be they the favorite of the energy or drug companies, of the hedge funds or the arms merchants, I see no prospect for change from them and feel no desire to entrust the future to those so beholden to the slave masters of the past and the prison guards of the present.

I see no alternative, to wait further is to wait in vain, to continue on the path of non involvement, to ignore the evil that confronts us is to accept the shackles of our slavery willingly. We have only one strength, the strength of numbers and of the rightness of action against tyranny, for it is tyranny that we face.

If the law does not restrain the tyrant, it need not restrain the oppressed.

Some may call this the ravings of a paranoid mind, so be it. If my reaction to the reality of the world being created in our name, the reality of the sights and sounds of the miserable poverty, the continuous promotion of death and destruction, to the cries of the displaced and the maimed, the weeping of the mourners amidst the laughter of those who manipulate events to their own private ends is deemed paranoid then I accept the diagnosis. I welcome it. I am afraid, for myself, for my family, for my country, for my fellow man.

This government has stirred the fears of the populace for years, they toiled mightily to create a state of paranoia and keep it in the forefront, fear has been their currency. They have succeeded mightily, the populace is afraid and although I fear, in some measure, the danger they point to, I fear much more, much more, those who bear the pointing finger.

It is time I think, for massive nonviolent protest, for marches, acts of civil disobedience, general strikes, slow downs, sit ins, park ins on major thoroughfares, mass boycotts. It is time for people to resort to any nonviolent means of bringing this bloodsucking system to a standstill, to force the criminals into the prisons in which they belong and to transfer control of our government, our institutions and our resources to the people.

Paranoid? Perhaps. Over the top? Maybe.

Is any one else afraid of those who rule over this dark age?

Bob Higgins
Worldwide Sawdust

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People are starting to go gonzo over Senator Shumlin's. – er… “odd” – notion that Republican Senator Vince Illuzzi is the man that Democrats should support as an independent challenger to Jim Douglas. And the damndest people seem to be picking up on the idea. Allow me to do my part with a bucket of cold water.

First of all – full props to Illuzzi for many of his stances. He often votes in seriously un-Republican ways on environmental matters and on bread-and-butter Dem issues such as the minumum wage. He also broke ranks and supported Peter Welch for Congress (although he supported Ruth Dwyer for Governor). This isn't a guy who's going to win any popularity contests among the GOP faithful.

But all of this smacks of desperation – especially at this point in the process. People want so badly to retire Jim Douglas that many are falling into the trap of trying to think “strategically” about who some self-identifying Republicans would allow themselves to vote for. I would remind folks that we suck at that, and we do much better when we put forward clear, ideologically consistent candidates that do not appear to be doing too much triangulation (and as you'll see below the fold, Illuzzi is quite a triangulator). I firmly believe that the fault of Racine, Clavelle and Parker were in their campaigns, rather than their qualities (although the Prog label might have doomed Clavelle with a wide swath of the electorate from the beginning).

In any event, it behooves us to look clearly at who we'd be voting for if we backed a GOP maverick in lieu of a Dem in the election. If you're concerned about civil rights, campaign finance laws and abortion rights (for starters)… you might want to take a look below the fold…

There was a profile of Illuzzi in the Boston Globe magazine back in 2001, and not only does it lay out some concerning quotes and perspectives, it also makes for some interesting juxtaposition against his voting record (h/t to poster “anonymous” at vtbuzz who compiled most of the legislative links). One curious thing to consider is just how so many different people – even of similar political ideologies – see such completely different things when they look at him.

His enemies contend that it is this willingness to throw his weight around that explains his clout in the Legislature. “People are afraid to cross him because he has this reputation that he'll stop at nothing to get revenge,'' says one former official, and even Senator Elizabeth Ready, a Democrat who is one of Illuzzi's closest friends, says, “He doesn't forget the people who have hurt him.''

But Racine, who often disagrees with Illuzzi, finds him tough but not venge- ful. “He does push the limits here,'' Racine says. “He's always testing. But he's flexible and reasonable.''

Others say Illuzzi succeeds in the Legislature because there, if not everywhere, he is a straight shooter. “The thing about Illuzzi is that he does what he says he'll do, and he doesn't do what he says he won't do,'' says a senior member of Vermont's tiny legislative staff. “He's a man of his word.''

That is not a universally accepted judgment. “Vince Elusive'' is one of his local nicknames, and, in fact, it is sometimes hard to tell just where Illuzzi fits into the political spectrum.

But what's more concerning is his storied history with the legal establishment and the extraordinary fodder it would make in a statewide campaign, where he would be introduced to voters outside his district for the first time:

Zipping northward from his home near Montpelier for his first day on the job, Illuzzi got a speeding ticket. The next day, Null wrote to Washington County's state's attorney that Illuzzi had been going so fast only because he was “responding to an emergency call regarding a homicide investigation.''

He was not. In short order, the Vermont Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Illuzzi for “requesting that his employer fabricate a story aimed at persuading another prosecutor … or for acquiescing in the false report.'' Not a great career opener.

Less than a year later, Illuzzi allowed the police to interview an accused person whose lawyer was not present even though Illuzzi knew that the fellow had a lawyer. Then he never got around to giving the lawyer a report or telling him what happened. The result was another Supreme Court reprimand, but a private one this time.

In 1983, Illuzzi – no longer a prosecutor but a senator and a lawyer in private practice – got his second private reprimand for “knowingly concealing facts or making a false statement'' when he implied to the court that his client remained in the poky even though he had been released pending trial on other charges.

And in 1989, he broke a rule often broken, especially in rural areas: He communicated directly with an insurance company in a personal injury case, even though the company was represented by a lawyer. 

After other, more personalized conflicts with a rival attorney, Illuzzi's story continued:

In the summer of 1993, Collins's investigation concluded that Illuzzi had violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and moved to suspend his law license. Illuzzi fought all the way to the state Supreme Court, but the justices ruled against him, determining that “his conduct was aimed at interfering with a pending legal proceeding.'' On September 1, 1993, his six-month suspension went into effect.

There's more. During his suspension, Illuzzi apparently continued to represent clients. The first letter of apology he promised to write to Suntag somehow never got sent, and the next one, which Illuzzi insisted had been mailed, never got to the judge, who had not changed either office or home addresses for five years. The third letter made it.

His combined transgressions cost Illuzzi 4 years of enforced hiatus from the practice of law, and the bar counsel (no longer Wendy Collins) moved to have him disbarred. But on March 19, 1998, more than a month after his latest suspension expired, a hearing panel unanimously recommended that Illuzzi be reinstated as a member of the bar.

The Supreme Court sat on the recommendation until July, and some Vermont lawyers are convinced that the justices accepted the recommendation only out of fear. In Vermont, all judges must undergo periodic “retention'' review by the Legislature, and the retention votes for all five Supreme Court justices happened to be on this year's legislative schedule.

I mean, seriously – these are campaign commercials that write themselves.

Then there are the actual issues…

From the 2001 Globe piece again:

He is an abortion-rights advocate, he's against the death penalty, and if two guys want to marry each other, “It's OK with me.''  

Apparently he changed his mind since 2001's article, as he's since co-sponsored a parental notification bill, voted against civil unions, and even co-sponsored a baby DOMA “marriage amendment” to the Vermont Constitution that says in it's title “That marriage is a special label for a partnership between a man and a woman”.

In more recent history, he voted to uphold the Governor's veto of modest campaign finance regulations during the just passed veto session. He did vote for the global warming bill – and again, props to the Senator for that – but only after getting approval on an amendment that watered it down, by inserting a questionable opt-out clause allowing “the secretary of natural resources, on application from an affected party, to extend the implementation date of the rule if the available technology cannot satisfy the air quality standards in the rule“.

Another vote of interest to lefties might be his cosponsoring of the Gun Ownership Protection Act: “This bill proposes to prohibit the state and municipalities from suing a firearms manufacturer, importer, distributor, or retailer without the approval of the general assembly.”

Look, I'm not trying to beat up on the guy. If he's the candidate for you, by all means start stuffing envelopes.

I just think, if you consider yourself a progressive or liberally minded voter, you should probably take a second look.

The Democratic led Congress has opted to give Cheney/Bush/Gonzales wider latitude and less no oversight!

Oh yeah, the Democratic led Congress also forked over another $450 billion for non Afghanistan/Iraq related war spending. Can't wait for that second half of the bill.

But the Dems did accomplish something … they got to go home for summer break!

The only difference between today's Democratic and Republican parties is the way they talk. The end result is the same … over and over and over and over and over and over ad nauseum.

Military spending, war authorities, the war on the American people aka the drug war, voting machines and elections malfeance, spying on the American people, secretive government, corporate protections at the expense of the Jane and John Does of the world … you name it. We as natural persons have done nothing but see our powers and protections erode year after year, decade after decade … under Democratic and Republican control. 

If you really want to whip the Democratic Party into line, you would simply not support them for one election cycle. Face it … things really can't get any worse as the Dems are already giving facism everything it wants. After one election cycle a much chastened party will be willing to take the serious issues of freedom and democracy seriously. 

Oh wait – I forgot – the Dems gave the poorest workers a seventy cent pay raise (while the Dem politicians managed to garner a multi thousand dollar salary increase)!

Whew! And I thought they weren't busy doing good things.