If there is no organized political "force" committed to and capable of shaking the masses from their collective slumber regarding the very fundamental frontal assault on the rule of law in America taking place, then what can be done?

At what point does the Democratic Congress and their Hope Spokesman convincingly demonstrate to their backers that they are naked?

Health Care Reform will be, as predicted, a bust because they sacrificed the one sane "policy" option from the get-go perpetuating a systemic problem rather than actually addressing one.

Hope King will escalate his hopeful freedom and liberty spreading experiment in nation-building, claim some sort of "victory" down the road thus legitimizing and perpetuating a systemic problem rather than addressing one.

Hope King and his economic advisors will gut or avoid any fundamental changes to the equity markets and banking industry thus legitimizing and perpetuating a systemic problem rather than addressing one.

GLBT rights--ditto. Organized labor and trade--ditto. Israel--ditto.

Adnoto was and is right. We are losing this fight because we aren't fighting it the right way.

The power center of the Democratic Party is in no way liberal or progressive.

The question becomes why support it in any way? At this point I don't fear a return of the GOP because I see their return, and what they'll bring with it (and it will be overtly ugly), as the only force capable of waking people from their slumber.

Until the extent of our systemic problems are brought into full relief and the consequences that flow from the myths and flawed worldview that give rise to them, we are just whistling past the graveyard.

But it needs to get uglier before it can get better. The ugliness and stink needs to affect more people not less.

Pointing out the hypocrisy of each Party only serves to tell people what they already know--politicians will say and do anything to maintain power and the illusion of control. But at the same time it legitimizes the idea that "only if more and better Party Members" were in positions of power things might change. But it is the systems themselves that produce the flawed politicians (with rare exception and those are largely ineffectual against the greater machinery because they generally buy into LOTE legislative strategies again with rare exceptions).

Those playing by the systems' rules can't produce outcomes other than what the system is designed to produce. Attempting to work within its confines is pointless.

Something like a Paul/Kucinich-Kucinich/Paul Revenge of the Constitutional Nerds Tour 2012 is about our last best hope. Maybe if elected they'd at put the epic lies front and center. The Hope King sure isn't doing that.

He and his court are just running around yelling "We're not naked".

A Chinese court sentenced two men to death and a dairy boss to life in prison for their roles in producing and selling infant formula tainted with melamine, a deadly industrial chemical added to watered-down milk to fool inspectors and increase profits.

The swift trial and the harsh sentences Thursday show Beijing's resolve in tackling the country's stubborn food safety problems and an eagerness by the communist leadership to move past the embarrassing scandal.

[snip]

That fury has been further stoked by reports of an apparent cover-up by companies involved and safety officials ignoring tips and warnings from parents and doctors. Many Chinese are suspicious that high-level pressures for a successful Beijing Olympics in August made people aware of the crisis afraid to speak out, even as babies were dying.

[snip]

"It was a problem of the system, but they were brought to court as scapegoats," said Li Fangping. "No government officials were charged for failing to fulfill their inspection responsibility. . . . But promises of official oversight fell flat in the booming dairy industry."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/22/china-milk-scandal-2-get-_n_159908.html

Is that the sort of "face saving" and "justice" you were thinking is such a big part of Chinese culture and easily influenced by America being critical of Chinese business and government. A cover-up, pay-offs, and some scapegoating with none in government held accountable? Sounds familiar.

I think it, as ScuzzaMan said, is indicative of one trend and one trend only--perpetuation of hypocrisy among state actors.

I'll say it again. You have some very well constructed delusions about how the world really works, our place in it and our capacity to influence it from positions of hypocrisy.

" . . . every time I get pulled over for speeding I tell them [x] and get a warning."

The fact you got a warning more power to you.

But in what way did it stop you from "speeding every time" which implies multiple transgressions despite the law which proves my point that the law was powerless to prevent any individual from doing any particular thing if he so chooses?

What might have prevented future transgressions is citing or prosecuting you retroactively for your proved violation of the law. And then publicizing that fact.

That in itself has force to change others behavior, just as holding KSM accountable for his "alleged" deeds by proving that his violations of law were unacceptable and redressable by the law. It demonstrates that if you choose to violate the law and it is proved fairly YOU WILL BE HELD ACCOUTABLE. The officer giving you a ticket only promoted your cavalier attitude toward the law.

And now we've got fuck all because the capacity to yield "justice" has been compromised.

Do you really not get the dynamic at play here? Or would you rather just shoot straight to the lynchings based on what you read in newspapers subject to no consistent judicial process?