Peeling the onion

Each day brings a new revelation about how the America we used to think we lived in has been stolen from us. Some days there's so much news we can't even digest it fast enough.

Earlier this week came word that Bu$hco was spying illegally on American citizens—but only those who were placing calls or sending emails overseas. I laughed that people were actually shocked when they heard that the cowboy was taking the law into his own hands. Today that was followed with a revelation that the spying wasn't limited to just that group; indeed many calls between U.S. citizens at home were wiretapped as well. (I'd be really disappointed if I found out they weren't wiretapping my cellphone or reading my emails. I was so proud of our Homeland Security Department when they found my Swiss Army knife when I was trying to board that flight to Oakland.)

And of course, Dick Cheney had to rush home from the Middle East to break a tie in the Senate so rich people's tax cuts can be continued while Medicare, college loans and other benefits for the poor and middle class are slashed.

Sometimes I like to delude myself by imagining that the day will come when the American people will finally get fed up enough to bring an end to all this madness. But with the rigged voting machines, torture chambers, and general disregard for the rule of law in the Oval Office, it's pretty clear a coup d'etat has taken place and we're all just going around pretending we live in a democracy.