I remember seeing Cabaret (stage musical version) when I was very young. There is a scene in the stage version not seen in the movie...the most riveting moment I have ever seen in theater. A moment that changed how I viewed politics.


The engagement of Sally Bowle's (singer/dancer) land lady (a Catholic) to her fiance, a fruit and veggie vendor (a Jew) is being celebrated. Attending the lively party is Sally, and her boyfriend Cliff (a writer and English teacher from Britain). A gorgeous blond youth with a brown shirt (fropm Hitler's Youth group) begins singing a cappella... He has a voice of an angel as the Jewish fiance and a drunk oblivious Sally Bowles joins him in song. The land lady and Cliff do not smile, and they stop celebrating...knowing this moment is the portend of things to come... Blackout! A god spot comes on...a figure is seated with his back to the audience...a trail of smoke from his cigarette as the MC (greek chorus) turns to look knowingly at the audience. AND, yes we all know...and wish we could just scream at Sally to wake up and warn the fiance to run for his life!

This was the best class in poliitics I have ever attended. I never doubted why our American system of parties has worked so well over the years. Despite at times the childish bickering.... between members, the checks and balances keep certain leaders from having too much power to lead us to a full fledge facisim state...

Unfortunately, CG, the current administration is doing what it can to strengthen the executive branch while simultaneously weakening the other branches.

It's a terrible thing to do to America and its constitution and its people.

. o O (Oh look! There's one of those partisan thingies WanderingSpryte was talking about.)

How can you not be partisan when your country is at risk? And it's not really partisan, it's simply true.

I asked this on other threads....I can't remember which ones. What will an increased power of the executive branch have on a guy like Obama? Will he return the power to equalize our governement...or will he use the new found power offered him as President? I'm just not comfortable with this... but I'd rather trust Obama than McCain, who I know is now a puppet of Rove...and his neo con (fascism) philosophy.

If you read what WS wrote in one of the Interfaith forums you would realize she promotes equality... the "WE" thing...balance in the universe.

. o O (Wow! Another one of those partisan thingies. How predictable!)

When you vote for anythingie party to do with Karl Rove you are voting for his Neo Con agenda..... fine if that is what you want...but I know my Republican inlaws (John Birch society ) are very disenchanted that what they thought as their Republican position has been replaced by a straussian type agenda...leaving "real" Republicans with no voice in their own party.

So, getting back on topic, I'm still interested, WanderingSpryte, in your interpretations of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence regarding political partisanship. I enjoy discussing the U.S. Constitution.

The original method of choosing a president was superior. I wonder if this method of choosing a president would have kept our federal government more balanced? Not part of the constitution...but...


[Original method of electing the president and vice president.6]
(The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President; and if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; A quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the States, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate should choose from them by ballot the Vice President.)