Nope. I didn't make it up. It's from the subtitle of a book by Steve Bhaerman, under the pen name Swami Beyondananda. I have to admire the guy. At least he can laugh about it. But Americans should do more than laugh or cry. We need to vote the rascals out.

Now I'm no big fan of the current Democratic agenda, so I'm going to parrot the earlier advice of the usual editor of this website and encourage folks to hold their nose and vote for a change of majority in the House and Senate. It's our only hope at this point. That means voting for Democrats - even those with vacuous campaign slogans like "I support change in Iraq", or those that won't suffer their constituents the courtesy of a visit, or worse, have them threatened with arrest for visiting their office. Yep, they're a sniveling bunch of nincompoops, but at least they are not criminally insane.

I am also not categorically against Republicans. I loved Dan Evans! But it is clear to me that the Bush Agenda aims at a strategic restructuring of the U.S. economy. Remember all the fuss about WTO and "Free Trade"? Have you noticed nobody is demonstrating anymore? It's not because the issue was satisfactorily resolved. It's because nobody dares to demonstrate anymore. They get beaten up and arrested by cops in military style riot gear.

The Bush Agenda is designed to cram down our uniquely diverse middle class and replace it with a uniformed and armed middle class beholden to the establishment for their benefits and authority. Think about it: Ship all the jobs overseas and saddle the taxpayers with never-ending debt and a declining value for their dollars. If those pesky progressives demand a level playing field by clamoring for "fair trade", then let them have it - in spades. Let them compete with workers in China and Korea. Those who want decent wages and access to health care and education will sign up for the war without end and will support the administration's irrational and aggressive foreign policies. This assures continued war profiteering for Cheney's buddies at Haliburton, the Carlyle Group and beyond. That's criminally insane!

Don't believe me? On October 27, Bush adopted shocking changes to the Insurrection Act of 1878 (10 U.S.C.331 -335). Public Law 109-364 allows the president to declare a state of emergency anywhere at any time and to move United States troops to suppress any public disorder. It also allows the president to take control of any state troops, forces, or national guard - even without the consent of the ostensibly presiding Governor. This completely subverts the posse comitatus restrictions that prevent the military's involvement in domestic law enforcement. Wake up, Americans! Why do you think this did not make the news? O.K., you can go back to sleep now.

Unfortunately, voting may not be enough to quell this trend. Do you really think these guys will let a few votes stand between them and all those dollars? It has now been fairly well demonstrated that Bush stole the 2004 Election. In Ohio alone, more than enough votes were subverted to hand Kerry the election - if they had been counted. This year expect to see all manner of election fraud in the most tactically succinct places. Cheney's friend Diebold, the guy making the voting machines, has made sure that the machines can be rigged. Several recent reports have shown how easily this can be accomplished. Another tactic is to disenfranchise the opposition by making sure they can't vote. Remember Florida? This is why the administration works so hard to get their ducks, I mean judges, lined up. Again in Ohio, a draconian new voter identification requirement that threatened to disqualify thousands of voters was just overturned, but has been urgently appealed by prominent Republicans. Make no mistake, these "out-of-the-box, win-at-any-cost" political operatives will target key districts to either jimmy the vote or rig the results. It's all about winning, not about American democracy.

Gentle citizen, it has long been your civic duty to vote. It has now become your duty to see that your vote is counted, and to further assure that all votes are counted fairly and accurately. Then, should you remain unconvinced, it will be your (our) duty to raise holy hell until it is sorted out and done properly.

A word to the wise: Despite the revolutionary heritage of this great land, It may now be inadvisable to attempt anything that might be characterized as "insurrection".