Eeeeeooooooraaaaauuuuuugh... the headaches are beginning again.... where's Overlawyered when you need them?

Ahh, hell with it. let's just let the insanity roll, shall we?

California — the Land of Enchantment — beseiged by myriads of foreign citizens from (no doubt) all sorts of countries and not just ones to our immediate south, which burden threatens to collapse state healthcare and other infrastructure systems. California — the Eureka! State — scrambling out of a financial crater in an attempt to regain investor confidence. The state Governor Schwarzenegger wants to take the lead on medical (stem-cell, anyway) research and environmental protection. California — Breadbasket to the World! Tax Haven to None! Repulsor of Small Business!

So — what do YOU think our politburo err, legislature is spending time on? Certainly not some individual, crank legislation?

California Senate Votes to Place “Vote Us Out of Iraq” Proposition on the Presidential Primary Ballot

Wrong again! No less than President pro Tem [which simply must be Latin for "President sans Brain"] Don Perata has authored and pimped SB 924! we'll show those bums in Washington that our legislature knows how to show those bums!

By a straight party line vote with 23 Democrats in support and 11 Republicans opposed, the California State Senate voted to place a proposition on the February 5, 2008 election giving voters an opportunity to express their views to President Bush as to whether the United States should immediately withdraw troops from Iraq in an orderly fashion.

Now, everyone in California can be Commander-in-Chief for a day!

It's courageous! I'm sure President Bush is waiting with breath abated to hear how Dianne Feinstein's state is going to vote on this one!

It's timely! February 5, 2008 — just in time to demand an "immediate" and "orderly" withdrawal from the lame-duck administration in its final months of power!

It's powerful! I'm sure that's what completely non-binding implies!

Best of all, it's an extraordinarily wise use of our cash-strapped state's time and money!

If I had an irony gland, it would have ruptured by now. Maybe that's where the headaches come from.

We [the California Progress Report — ed.] will have more details regarding the Senate debate and what Perata told the press later. For now, here is Perata’s prepared floor statement for the bill:

Following are some excerpts:

During the Vietnam War, I was a high school civics teacher.

I taught young people about the virtues of democracy, free speech and representative government.

But what was taught in the classroom wasn’t what students saw happening in the world.

The peace movement helped end a war – but it wasn’t pretty.

It was angry and divisive. It tore communities apart. Leaders lied; Liberties trashed; Reputations ruined.

And it made an entire generation cynical about government and distrustful of its leaders.

Edmund Burke said:

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. He was right.

Once again, we’re a nation at war. And once again, people want peace.

Wasn't it Winston Churchill who once said, "when you are preparing a written statement that hinges on popular, 'wise sayings,' you should always remember to double-check your sources?" I'm pretty sure it was. But set that aside, and meditate on the tone of the content for a moment or two.

Now; let us observe a moment of silence for Senator Perata's ex-pupils...

"... and the little C+ students shall lead them." Amen.

Me? I'm still waiting for the bit in our history where we're a nation at war, and we want more war. Only a Howard Zinn could even begin to hallucinate that scenario.

The soaring costs of this war mean less for schools, less for health care, less for the things we need here in California to keep our democracy strong.

Hold on aminnit while I check Senator Perata's record regarding the illegal immigration human tidal wave... (pause for laughter)... okay; let's resume:

People say this isn’t our business. We’ve got enough on our plate.

Or that somehow by speaking out, we’ll disillusion our troops or give comfort to terrorists. Yes, just like war, peace is controversial.

There's more. But why bother? You get the jist. Somehow, it's merely gut-bustingly humorous when some egomaniacal city (read: Berkeley, San Francisco, Coachella) makes grandiose gestures of no real consequence. Although — come to think of it — when I was a lowly elected official, in a lowly small township, even such poses in our parks district meetings were considered (by me) wastes of taxpayer monies better spent on water fountains and sod.

But when Mr. President pro Dem Perata attempts to turn the whole state into a political laughingstock, and waste that kind of money? I ain't laughing anymore.