Considering Bush's deplorable record on, well, everything, I, like other Democrats and the other non pod-people, had hoped the election would be a no-brainer; alas, it was: George Walker Bush was reelected.

So what now? Five months into the second coming what should disheartened Democrats do to pass the time? Should we view the glass as half-full or the nation half-stupid? Should we continue to enjoy that favorite American pastime: slumber and wait for salvation to arrive during the next presidential election? 

My suggestion is we don't wait for this path to take us. The stakes are too high, and the bad guys, apparently, never sleep.

In the next few days the Republicans will try to use the "nuclear option" – a parliamentary trick used to eliminate the filibuster. 

Since most Americans know more about Kirstie Alley's diet than their own political system, I will explain: the filibuster is a political tactic of using deliberately long speeches to delay or obstruct legislation. It is a longstanding device used by dissident minority senators to disrupt the passing of laws or nominations that can not be prevented in any other manner. Quite simply, when used for good, the filibuster can be the last roadblock against the  tyranny of the majority irrespective of which party might enjoy that luxury.

In this most recent case the filibuster would enable Democrats and Republican moderates the right to extend debate on controversial judicial nominations.  

The "nuclear  option" supported by Tom DeLay and Senate majority leader Bill Frist is yet another ploy by the reigning Republicans to further undermine our nation's already weakened system of checks and balances by seizing absolute power to appoint judges who will erase decades of progress in protecting worker rights, the environment, and privacy.

One of the first judges the "nuclear option" would force through is Janice Rodgers Brown of California, who has been  nominated for the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals, a common stepping stone to the Supreme Court. 

Brown carries with her no unique qualifications that would make her ideal for this seat – except for one. She is yet another of Bush's extreme conservatives who will further tip the balance of the D.C. Circuit further to the right, which at this point might likely disrupt the earth's rotation.

Brown follows an extremist judicial philosophy that calls for the courts to block Congress from guaranteeing such radically socialist notions as the forty-hour work week, the minimum wage, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act. 

For conservatives who hesitate to believe my America-hating liberal bile, simply review some highlights from Judge Brown's record:

* She publicly stated that "today's senior citizens blithely cannibalize their grandchildren because they have a right to get as much 'free' stuff as the political system will permit them to extract."

* When Brown was nominated to the state Supreme Court in 1996, the state bar evaluation committee found her unqualified, based not only on her relative inexperience but also predilection for "inserting conservative political views into her appellate opinions."

* Prior to joining the California Supreme Court, Brown served on the California Court of Appeal. There, she authored an opinion that would have invalidated a state law that required paint companies to help pay for screening and treatment of children exposed to lead paint. 

If for no other reason, we should prevent the acceptance of her nomination because she hates children, old people, and free stuff.

This is not a mere turf war between the Democrats and Republicans. It's time for everyday Americans to decide what course of action to take. We must do something. We must no longer comfort ourselves with the bliss of ignorance. The time to take the fight to Bush and his ilk has arrived because, like life, the gradual decimation of our democracy is what happens while we're busy making other plans.

Michael Haddock is a freelance writer and Professor of English living in Jacksonville, Florida.