Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

Looks like Lurita Doan has some interesting ideas as to why she was fired:

In an e-mail to Government Executive at 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Doan said a dispute over whistleblower complaints filed last year by four former IG attorneys "remains an enormously serious issue, which I still believe ought to be addressed ... I would rather get fired for something I believe in, and a cause I was willing to fight for, rather than to believe in nothing worth being fired for."

[snip]

Doan blamed Miller for her problems at GSA, arguing that the IG was retaliating against her for attempting to cut his budget and increase oversight of his office.

In a statement, [GSA Inspector General Brian] Miller said, "We hope that this change at GSA will enable everyone in the agency to work more closely together now in focusing on important tasks. Doing the very best for American taxpayers should be our common goal."

Doan's unconventional tactics were on display last Wednesday at a GSA conference in Anaheim, Calif. At a dinner sponsored by a contractor trade group, she appeared on stage with arrows sticking out of her head, shoulders, arms and legs, according to a transcript of the speech posted on GSA's Web site. Using the arrows to illustrate her challenges at GSA, Doan said she had been taking shots from the media, Congress and those who represented the "status quo."

While neither GSA nor the White House would provide a reason for Doan's dismissal, her ucensored public statements and involvement in the Miller case had clearly become a ditraction.

Isn't it adorable how Republicons caught doing wrong suddenly become poor, persecuted, misunderstood folks just crusading for just causes? Nothing to do with corruption at all.

Continuing along the "making friends and influencing people" continuum, John McCain's winning public relations points today after Capitol Police arrested a bunch of wheelchair-bound folks who wanted to discuss a few minor healthcare issues with him:

WASHINGTON - At least 20 disabled activists, most of them in wheelchairs, were arrested outside Sen. John McCain's offices Tuesday after being refused a meeting with the GOP presidential nominee-to-be over a bill to expand Medicaid coverage to more people who want in-home care.

[snip]

Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said about 20 people from the group were arrested outside McCain's office in the Russell Senate Office Building on Tuesday and charged with unlawful assembly.

Well, I was wondering which Constitutional right would be the next to go. Apparently, freedom of assembly is right out now. Take note, ye paraplegics: you're now fair game.

Of course, you can always pray for your release after getting bundled off to jail for exercising your Constitutional rights. There's plenty of official government prayer days to choose from:

It’s not a widely recognized “holiday,” but today is the official National Day of Prayer. (Ironically, the NDP and “Law Day” fall on the same day.) The name is rather self-explanatory: It’s a day, set aside by law, in which the federal government encourages the nation to pray. And if you’re thinking it’s none of the government’s business whether you pray or not, we’re on the same page.

The problem is obviously not with worship, but with government involvement. On principle alone, the idea that there’s an official “holiday” in which government promotes and encourages prayer is just odd in a country in which the state is supposed to be neutral when it comes to religion.

For a while, I was keeping track of just how many days Bush set aside as official government prayer days. About two years ago, I counted 25 — more than any other president in American history — and I assume by now he’s topped 30. (If you search the White House website for “day of prayer,” you get nearly 70,000 results.)

This, my darlings, is what happens when we let a born-again narcissistic numbskull get his grubby hands on the White House.

How long is it 'till January, again?