[mburbank]

I also, obviously believe in government. I just wish it was coupled with transperancy, rigid ethical laws, rigid campaign finance laws, strog checks and balances and surrounded by watchdog organizations that had some damn teeth.

To my mind, the purpose of government is to be a collective force for our collective best instincts. Of course we'll argue about what those are, of course we will frequently fail, but we need to be trying a whole lot harder. Right now it seems as if we're saying "Just keep us safe, and in return we won't ask any questions". There's a name for that system of government, and it isn't democracy. We're letting this administration say "We can't protect the people and protect the constitution at the same time". There's a name for that too, it's failure.

I'm ashamed of the Democratic party, but I have nowhere to turn. My sincere hope is that new generation of candidates will rise up and say the what we have allowed to happen to our country is wrong. Sure they won't get the money other play it safe candidates will, and they'll probably loose, but maybe, just maybe they'll pave the way for future change the way Adalai Stevenson and Gene Mccarthy did. Maybe Feigngold is doing that right now. It has to start somewhere.