Let's start with HAVA: the administration and administration-leaning Congress' effort to pull the wool over the eyes of America's voters by enacting legislation that requires e-voting across the country, on often-malfunctioning and easily-hackable machines, by and large manufacturered and sold by Diebold and other friends of the administration. It's not the scandal it should be - yet - but hopefully it will be prior to the 2008 elections!

Then there's....

K Street's rise and fall

Duke Cunningham

Bob Ney

The "Bug Man" Tom DeLay

The Terri Schaivo politico-mini-drama.

Firing of honest U.S.Attorneys and replacing them with political hacks.

Firing of generals who spoke truth to Bush/Cheney's fiction about the war.

Failure to provide proper body armor or armored vehicles to our inadequately-trained troops---and then making them do repeated tours of duty.

Outsourcing by no-bid contracts support and "rebuilding" activities involved with the war(s) and lack of accountability from contractors about how money was spent.

Outsourcing recovery efforts (via no-bid contracts) involving Katrina.

Outsourcing medical-care management at Walter Reed and other DoD-run and VA hospitals and clinics.

Failure to find Osama bin Laden (he's probably sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom as we speak). Yes, the video showing Bush making a joke about finding WMDs should be near the top of the scandal list!

Under-reporting of numbers of seriously injured and dead American, Allies and Iraqis.

Stacking of the Supreme Court with neocon-leaners.

The list can go on and on and on, listing mini-scandals and would-be scandals that wouldn't come near in scope and seriousness as it involves our citizens and the fate of our country and world peace as the supposed scandal involving Bill and Monica.

The Bush/Cheney administration IS a scandal!

An AP article today reports that Mayan priests plan to purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after Bush visits next week, saying the fact that this man is going to walk on their sacred lands is an "offense to for the Mayan people and their culture." It goes on to say "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the site after the evil one's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace.

Rove's right. Bush will be remembered...but not in any positive way, if this is any example.

Can you imagine what they'd do if Cheney visited that sacred site? They'd probably toss gasoline over it, and burn the entire area to the ground, deeming it a hopeless venture to try to drive out the REALLY, REALLY evil spirits that surround the veep-creep.

Given their lack of comments to this article it's obvious that Salon readers aren't surprised by this revelation that members of the FBI are misusing their authority, citing the Patriot Act to obtain information which, in a previous world, they had no business having---let alone requesting/demanding. After all, we're overwhelmed by propaganda that tells us you don't question a member of law enforcement under any circumstances nowadays. What's become especially egregious is that this isn't happening just at the highest levels (the FBI) but at the lowest levels (local law enforcement) who use the excuse of "national security" to bully people into cooperation and/or silence.

So, a report saying the Patriot Act's "powers" are being repeatedly and blantantly misused is no big deal. Letters-smetters. They don't need no stinkin' letters. All they need to do is say the words "homeland security" and people cave in and give them what they want.

Sorry, I didn't read the other article on this issue before posting my comments on this one. One hundred fifty seven comments (so far) do show that Salon readers care--or, at least, have opinions on this issue.

I guess I'm just one of those cynics like Tim Grieve. With the majority of Americans believing that law enforcement today - for our SAFETY - can obtain anything and everything they want from (and about) us, it's hard to believe that this story will result in much more than "a few days of table pounding, a principled press release from Russ Feingold, tough talk from Dick Cheney about the need to ferret out the terrorists among us, some vague promises that the FBI will do better and then a nice, slow fade to black."

In fact, an UPDATE to Glenn Greenwald's article already contains Senator Feingold's comments.

...3d BCT trooper for your courage to tell it like it is. What's happening isn't just a tragedy, it's evil actions of evil men who care more about their pay levels than their fellow human beings.

I am privileged to be the only one, so far, to respond to the public affairs officer's comments posted on this article.

In a word: BULLSHIT!

How could it be that Mark Benjamin found the ONLY one of 75 soldiers examined who was found unfit for another deployment in Iraq? And, apparently, what it takes is the fusing of not one, not two, not three...but FOUR vertabrae to be medically excused from further combat action!

Kudos to Benjamin, the brave military members who agreed to be interviewed for the Salon article, and Senator Patty Murray for acting so quickly on trying to resolve the problem not only at that base but others.

....to the kudos from readers/writers on the positive changes. Thanks!

Thanks for the upper for today!

But seriously, who couldn't beat Dick Cheney if he were to, by some miracle induced by the fervent prayer and persuasion of the masses by all right-wing, neocon religious powerhouses and talking heads on Fox, steal (I don't use that word loosely here) the Republican nomination? All of the voting machine fixing in the world couldn't put him even close enough for the supremes to appoint him to the presidency. And even they don't disrespect the Constitution that much to put Cheney officially in office. At least, I don't think so.

Oh, there I go again thinking that human decency, voter awareness and just plain fairness would trump over politics!