Happy Hour Is Now Enforced By Law

Watching the libsphere in hysterics over Sarah Palin has been entertaining, and no attack on her is considered too low or too coarse to post in a comments section. Apart from her reactionary positions, the main lib beef, as I recently noted, is with her inexperience. Liberals demand seasoned insiders like Joe Biden to help guide the empire, someone who can properly manage the machinery of state, bomb the right countries, spy on the right people, and above all, normalize imperial matters after eight years of "wrong" turns. Palin is an affront to their sense of professionalism. Thus the constant abuse.

Given this, I'm somewhat puzzled by liberal concerns over police state tactics in St. Paul. Less than a week ago, most of them were cheering on two men who openly promised more war and more cops; but now that the logical extension of such promises is on display as Republicans gather for their infomercial, many of these same people are outraged and worried about constitutional freedoms. They now champion marginal peace groups that couldn't get their attention in Denver. Could it be that when the GOP bashes, pepper sprays, intimidates and arrests peaceful dissidents, it's considered much more damaging to democracy than when the Democrats do the same thing? Especially in a historic election year such as this? I'll leave such jaded thoughts to angry purists and other losers.

The bottom line is this -- we live in a bi-partisan police state, and it's only going to get worse, no matter who wins in November. The elite are protected by SWAT and Delta teams, riot cops, razor wire, automatic weapons, pepper spray, tasers, and clubs. The Feds spy on those who manage to organize some resistance, no matter how ineffectual it actually is. The police raids on homes in St. Paul are direct reminders of who has the power, a federal "fuck you" to those who have the audacity to openly dissent beyond state-sanctioned "free speech zones," walled-off holding pens surrounded by heavily-armed cops.

Much of this happened in Denver, and except for Glenn Greenwald, who made some critical noise about the overwhelming police presence protecting the corporate few, not many libloggers created a fuss, especially once the Dem superstars emerged to beckon and wow the faithful. At that point, any possible concern liberals might have had about police state measures flew out the window. Meanwhile, antiwar dissidents were clubbed, pepper sprayed, and arrested by Denver's finest, while the majority of Democrats were applauding their political bosses and weeping about "change."

I'm told by Glenn and others who are in St. Paul that police and federal actions there are worse. I'm sure that's true. After all, the Repubs are the incumbent party, and the sitting president himself was to attend before bowing out in order to "focus on" Hurricane Gustav. The same would be the case if a President Gore or Kerry attended their conventions. When the imperial manager and his advisers blow into town, police actions decidedly amp up and crack down. If Obama is elected and fulfills his promise of more cops in the streets, with expanded war overseas, just wait until the 2012 Dem convention. Imagine all of the new weapons and repressive tactics that will be developed over the next four years -- with our tax dollars! Will there be the same liberal anguish then as there currently is in St. Paul?