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Normally, Saturday afternoons are reserved for the never-ending, wasteful clusterf*ck that is war profiteering in Iraq. But with Tuesday's historic midterm elections on the horizon, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge its importance. 

One that will ultimately shape this nation for, certainly, the next several years, but quite possibly for the next few decades.

With voters going to the polls in less than 72 hours, I wanted to bring up a little bit of history.

In the early days of the Cold War, Senator Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) infamously alleged that State Department officials in the administration of President Harry S. Truman were passing state secrets to communists.

Senator McCarthy delivered the "Wheeling speech" in West Virginia in February 1950 and proclaimed that there were enemies from within Truman's State Department. Only months prior to McCarthy's shocking declaration, the Soviet Union detonated of a nuclear weapon in late August 1949 and Chinese nationalists were on the retreat as the nation fell to Mao Zedong's communist forces in October 1949.

Fears of communism spreading and of subversives at work in the U.S. were intensified with high profile espionage cases such as Alger Hiss.

The United States was faced with national security and foreign policy failures of epic proportions. Senator McCarthy capitalized on the anxiety of Americans:

"While I cannot take the time to name all the men in the State Department who have been named as members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring, I have here in my hand a list of 205."

Does the plot sound a bit familar?

A nation falling into the hands of the enemy (Iraq). A rival going nuclear (North Korea). Republicans exploiting the fears of Americans in a perilous time (GOP since 9/12/01).

However, President Bush and his cronies in the "Do Nothing" Congress of our time, have gone further. Much further.

Irresponsible tax cuts, while simultaneously waging two wars. Coupled with out-of-control spending, stagnating wages, and a concentration of an immense proportion of America's wealth among a select few.

A national debt that has increased so much that the Congress had to raise the debt limit five times. That's not fiscal responsibility. Maxing out the national credit card and asking for a higher credit limit is completely antithetical to the idea of "fiscal responsibility."

Did I mention we owe China about a trillion dollars?

What about those "freedoms" we are fighting for? How are those doing? 

Habeas corpus — eliminated. Freedom of Americans — limited. Torture — legalized. Moral authority in the world — destroyed. Privacy — non-existent.

For shame! Who are we, as a nation, anymore?

This is not the America I know. This is not the America I love.

This Tuesday, we must, collectively, fight back.

When you head to the polls, vote for change. Vote Democratic.

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