Livingston couple experience shock of their lives while vacationing
When Langley and Leonora Hughes left Livingston for Washington, DC in mid August, they were set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary by visiting the nation's monuments. The self avowed "patriots" and supporters of George W. Bush's two failed bids to be actually elected to the presidency had never been to Washington and said they were "looking forward to seeing the majestic symbols of our country's greatness."

But recent events in Washington took these loyal Americans by surprise. They arrived at the Lincoln Memorial as volunteers and hired hands were enacting just one of the steps in the Republican promise to "chip away" at American institutions.

Like so many Americans, the Hughes couple were not aware that, under the leadership of Karl Rove, Republicans had publicly expressed their plan to undermine various civil liberties, constitutional protections, a woman's right to choose, and African American voting power by chipping away instead of attacking them head on.

Certainly the Hugheses had seen vandalism before as it had grown to epidemic proportions in Livingston over the summer. But nothing prepared them for the sight of an eager  worker taking hammer and chisel to  the 19-feet tall sculpture of Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French at the west end of the National Mall.


Perched on Lincoln's shoulders, a stone cutter chips away at the base of the Great Emancipator's head. Americans like this volunteer from Texas have shown their willingness to help the Bush administration chip away at American icons and institutions.

"The whole trip was a big disappointment," said Leonora after her return to Livingston. "First of all, the National Mall was nothing like a mall at all. There was no Sears, no Eddie Bauer, no Sunglass Hut, and no damn food court. What kinda mall is that?"

Although he said he missed seeing a NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway store, Langley was more upset about the "losses to America as a whole." Langley said he was considering changing his voter registration to Democrat.

Apparently a planned tour of the White House also ended in disappointment for the couple from Livingston when the White House was locked down for 4 hours after President Bush dropped by from his vacation and launched a full-scale search for a cherished bass fishing rod that he left behind in his hurry to depart for the Lazy W Ranch in Crawford, Texas.

 

Up next? The Supreme Court. A worker (below) sets up his tools in readiness to do away with "EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW."