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The Right Hook, a weekly segment which covers the machinations of the right wing, from the Republican Party to the Tea Party Patriots, and beyond. By Chris Bennett

Los Angelenos may one day look back to days of police helicopters circling over their neighborhoods at 3 a.m. as the good, old days. According to Nick Mottern of Truthout, President Obama will likely sign into a law a bill to bring Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAV’s, aka “drones” into the general U.S. airspace. But it’s representative Candace Miller’s (R-MI) comments that are disturbing for people who live on the ground. Miller is on the homeland security committee and said “Currently . . . across the country, from Customs and Border Protection to local police departments, et cetera, are ready to embrace the new technology and to start utilizing UAVs in the pursuit of enforcing the law and protecting our borders as well.” With drones’ notorious inability to distinguish nine-year-old children from Al Qaeda fighters, it’s that et cetera part of Miller’s comment that could be lethal to American citizens. Not that there’s any connection between Candace Miller’s campaign contributions and her willingness to sell the Posse Comitatus Act down the road. But, for her 2010 race, Miller received some nice air drops of cash from drone industry companies: Honeywell gave Miller $10,000; General Dynamics gave Miller $8,500; and Ford, who makes engines for a Boeing drone gave another $10,000 to Miller. Big Brother is ready to fly the friendly-fire skies.

After disaster capitalism comes Financial Martial Law. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is planning another assault on democracy, according to Rick Ungar of the Policy Page. Walker’s American Dream consists of forcing financially-strapped municipalities to submit to financial stress tests. If the town’s books come up short, Walker may install a financial manager of his own choosing into local governments. This financial manager would have the power to cancel union contracts, and to remove elected officials and school board members. Walker calls the story “bogus,” but a highly placed GOP source confirms the anti-democratic plan. Rick Ungar’s sources say the legislation is being drafted by the law firm of Foley & Lardner. Walker is in a hurry to introduce the plan to the legislature in May. Before the recalls get rolling. We’ll see what those freedom loving, small-d-democracy Tea P artisans have to say about this corporate takeover of government.

A new Public Policy poll shows New York City billionaire Donald Trump leading the Republican field of hopefuls with 26% of likely voters. The Donald has transformed himself into a freewheeling, free-associating Tea Partier. He’s even on record saying he does not want stricter gun control. To prove it, he’s going after the hunting vote by dye-ing his face and hair day-glo orange. Trump could even go on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney and probably come out all right. But the big news here is that it’s all a conspiracy. The Donald is really the Tea Party Manchurian candidate. It goes like this: Trump and Obama cooked the whole thing up to prank the Republicans. Trump goes to a Tea Party disguised as a space alien from Planet Birth and rallies every freak he can into the Big Tent of the Republican party. Where the t.v. cameras soak it all in. If only George W. Bush could be eating a giant pretzel alone when he sees this freak show. I do have a few actual facts to support this theory: since 1999, Trump has given almost $600,000 to politicians, two-thirds of that to Democrats. The pols Trump’s given the most to are Andrew Cuomo, Alan Hevesi, and Elliott Spitzer.

And British Petroleum is celebrating the first anniversary of it Deepwater Horizon oil spill by spreading even more dispersant to try to hide the black oil and dead fish. But this time, the dispersant is in the form of cash. And BP is pumping it directly into the Capitol. BP’s North America Political Action Committee filed its annual report Tuesday. The report showed that BP gave $29,000 to federal campaigns. House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton each graciously accepted $5,000 from the petroleum giant. This is clear, scientific proof that the oxygen-sucking dead zone in the Gulf has spread all the way to the Potomac River.

The Right Hook– Reality Based News and Views.

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