Message from Brother Jeff Degan

Just for today I'll be handing over das RANT to my brother, Jeff Degan. This is only the second time that I have turned this site over to another writer. You may recall the piece that my old pal Kevin Swanwick wrote last Autumn called "Our Hearts of Darkness". This one is just as good. I scarfed it from something he posted on his Facebook page:

Just a few words....

Before we all go and canonize this latest whistle-blower for the heroic stand he has taken in revealing what everyone knew but no one cared to admit (and somewhat ignominiously dumping his exotic-dancing girlfriend in the process), let's wait to find out what were his true motives and, perhaps, who is bankrolling his Hong Kong holiday.

And speaking of Hong Kong, it turns out that that bastion of liberty (read FREE MARKET CAPITALISM) does have an extradition treaty with the United States, unlike dirty old corrupt France, which does not but actually does have something of a tradition of liberty of expression (why do you think they call them “Freedom Fries”?). I am not sure the boy genius spy guy really thought this thing through.

Now let's look at that. I mean, who in their right mind would take a bold stand for freedom and democracy and then jump on a plane for the People's Republic of China? That's right. No one in their right mind.

And speaking of minds on the far right, our hero twice gave money to Ron Paul. Now just because he gave money to a candidate I don't particularly care for does not mean that he loves freedom and democracy and apple pie any less than you or I do. It does, however, mean that he probably has a pretty deep-seated opposition to the current administration and its policies and that fact ought to be borne in mind when evaluating his actions.

And while we are on the subject of opposition to the Obama administration, let us not forget that that is the only thing holding the Republican party together at the moment. If in nothing else they are as one in their determination to do everything and anything they can to ensure that the President fails. At every turn they have tried to whip up any misstep by anyone in the federal government into a Watergate-level scandal that would give them a reason to impeach the President, whom they can never forgive for having the audacity, in addition to being a black man in the White House who isn't shining shoes and being to all appearances a model father, is handsomer, smarter, and a better golfer than pretty much the entire Grand Old Party combined.

Finally, I would just like to conclude by saying that, unlike so many people in Washington, apparently, I am not at all surprised by these revelations. This is precisely what a number of outspoken critics of the so-called Patriot Act said at the time WOULD happen if we passed that particular piece of legislation. So, as egregious and as heinous as these assaults on our individual liberties may appear to us, we really have no one to blame but ourselves for voting these rascals in in the first place and then re-electing them after we saw what they were capable of doing in the name of our freedom.

To steal a line from Edward R. Murrow, who himself borrowed it from the Bard: The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

Good night and good luck.

Jeff Degan 

Well, what did you expect? The guy is a complete commie. An eternal shame to the good name and reputation of the Degan family. Not only does he live in France - AND LIKE IT THERE - he has a French wife and two French daughters! But seriously, folks, I think he gives us something to think about here.

AFTERTHOUGHT:

Hugs and kisses to my lovely sister-in-law and my two beautiful nieces. There's no French bashing going on in my house!