Reflecting in the Gloom

Tags

American Exceptionalism, bluedogs, Democrats, election 2010, Florida, GOP, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Politics, polling, Sarah Palin

Well, now. We’ve had a few days to digest the *blech* election, *hic*. There is always, if you search diligently, humor to be found.

Florida, home of the “hanging chad” comes back into the running for stooopidest state in the country. We’ve already established that Iowa comes in there pretty high, but, I dunno, Florida may be the winner.

The dude that won the governorship was CEO over a company that took Medicare and Medicaid for record fraudulent claims. Record fines. So the dude is a criminal. And the fine octogenarian and sun-soaked and pickled minds there decided that was just the ticket for them. Sure, go ahead. Turn over all your hard-earned taxes to a thief. I mean irony? Do you think?

Meanwhile, Mitch (the Turtle) McConnell is doing the chicken walk, struttin’ his stuff and talking about job ONE is not gettin you one, but ousting the dark one from the White House. In other words, politics as usual. Mitchy of course says it’s about doin’ the people’s will. If the Chief will condescend to repeal everything he has done and then do everything the Repukelikins want, why things will be just fine.

Meanwhile, John (the Orange) Boehner is choking up, quite literally. I mean he did everything but break into big sobs at how such a poor boy had come so far. Except, well, he does that about once a year just for fun. He started sobbing when he unveiled the Reagan something or other for goodness sake. Poor boy, who spends all his time in the tanning salon and golfing. Yeah, he learned whose trough to swill from didn’t he?

And then there is Sarah (where’s the money?) Palin. She has concluded that she and she alone is the direct and cause of the GOP windfall. How she knows that–well we should trust her. I guess she forgot that a few of her “choices” chose to absent themselves when she came to town. And some of her stellar picks went down in flames–the craziest ones mostly. She claims Toomey as hers, yet I suspect in anything she pulled Toomey down and gave Sestak a better chance. My analysis is as valid as hers–just opinion.

Seen her new video? Oh yeah, just strings of her usual drivel, “takin’ back America,” shakin’ things up,” “common sense conservatism,” and then a nice grizzly howling at the moon. Yeah, Sarah is running and boy it’s gonna be a hoot when the fur starts to fly. (no mixed metaphor there folks)

What I love is that she brooks no opposition. When some GOP regulars suggested that some of the health care law need not be revoked, but was actually good, she raised on her haunches and growled that there would be none of THAT. None of that compromise, no sirree!

***

I saw some results on who polled best. If I read it right, USAToday/ABC did the best and Rasmussen and Foxy Noise the really worst. No big surprise there. Gallup was lousy though too, and that was a surprise. Pew was alright too as I recall.

***

Oh, I just packaged 35 3/4 lbs of deer meat. Ground and packaged and in the freezer. Lota meat. Lota work. But worth it. Stuff is great in chili and added to meatloaf and tacos and stuff like that. Takes seasoning well, hearty flavor, too dry for hamburgers though. We grind it all.

***

As I understand it, the brunt of the damage was to BlueDog Dems, and frankly, I say good riddance. They kept the Dems from having a filibuster-proof majority again and again in the Senate. Given the Rethuglian intransigence, it amounted to voting with them, which they did often enough anyway. Frankly, I bet that those Dems who ran away from health care and stimulus spending fared worse than those who stood up and defended doing what they felt was right. Correct me if I’m wrong.

My advice to the Dems? Yeah, I know, who am I? But anyway, I’m saying that everything that comes out of their mouth should include the word jobs. All legislation should have jobs in the title. Let the GOPers say no all they want, because voters will only remember that the Right rejected jobs bills.

***

Julian Sanchez has a point about American Exceptionalism. Why do we need to think we are better than everyone else? Perhaps because for those of us who are essentially powerless and feel inadequate, it’s the best way to get free “power” just by being born here. Interesting thought. And we wonder why we are so often thought of as the Ugly American. Come to think of it, I suspect a whole lot of the rest of the world kinda laughs out loud now at our pretentious airs. And they are probably pretty right to do so.

***

It’s been a long day already. Gear up for the weekend!

Channeling Shirley Temple and Butterfly McQueen

Tags

Anita Hill, Christine O'Donnell, Clarance Thomas, election 2010, Harry Reid, Latinos, Nevada, racism, Sarah Palin, SCOTUS, Sharron Angle, voting

“My Gooonnesss, my goooness,” and “Miss Scarlet, Miss Scarlet!”

I think there are actually important things to talk about in this world, but how CAN you ignore the tomfoolery (who is tom and who is he foolin’ with?) goin’ on in the e-lex-shun run-up.

I mean, geeesh, how many folks can you offend in one week Ms. Angle? First she claims that Latinos are sort Asian, and can’t you see that she looks pretty darn Asian herself.

Then, in defending an ad aimed at dirty Hispanic illegals crossing from Mexico, she claims it was really aimed at dirty Hispanic looking Asians crossin’ from Canada. The Foreign Minister from Canada awaits in vain an apology that his country is acting like a sieve for terrorists.

And then she finishes it all off with an ad that implies that Harry Reid is in a “conga line with Michelle Obama.” I looked this photo over real good, (it being a WH conga line, I’m assured) and I can’t see either one of them. Can you? Inexplicable, but then we are talking about Sharron Angle after all.

Oh and get this. One of those shadow groups, “Latinos for Reform” (yeah right) is urging Latino Nevadans to stay home on election day to teach them dirty Democrats that they can’t take you for granted. I mean the cahones for goooooness sake! They don’t even have the nerve to ask Latinos to vote for Republicans. . . . They simply urge them to not be good citizens. The ad has since been taken down. Pundits everywhere think Harry just got the gift from heaven.

***

Think about how many times you have heard or read male Sarah supporters mention how good-looking she was. As if that trumped her stupidity. (intentional stupidity albeit. Sarah is not actually dumb, she just is so lazy that she doesn’t find it necessary to learn anything beyond what she thinks necessary to make that next buck.) Maureen Dowd speaks to the issue of brains versus beauty in her latest NYTimes piece, Making Ignorance Chic.

***

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed a whole bunch of new cardinals. I have something to say about that, but I think I will post it over at Walking in the Shadows. Look for it in the next day or two.

***

Ginni Thomas is the wife of Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, the ultra conservative justice who I believe thinks that the states have a right to set up “State” churches, not believing apparently that the 14th amendment is applicable. Be that as it may, his wife is a real piece of work.

Ginni is politically active, something that few if any spouses of the SCOTUS are for obvious reasons. The members of SCOTUS try mightily (Alito’s head shaking and silent words at a State of the Union speech were a shocking  failure of protocol) to appear above politics.

Inexplicably, Ginni left Anita Hill a voice mail asking her to finally apologize for her treatment of Ginni’s main-man, Clarence. She later, in explaining, claimed she was reaching out to heal old wounds–though a tape of the message hardly bespeaks that. Hill has never retracted her testimony, and Clarence has slapped at her in his book about his life. This one makes no sense, except to say that there is something “in the water” when it comes to the right-wing.

***

After perusing some 200 entries, I’ve yet to see anything amounting as a defense by Witchypoo about her “where is separation of church and state in the Constitution.” The only thing reported so far, is a lame “she meant that the actual words were no where in the Constitution.” Well, yeah, we all know THAT. Anyone who has watched the video knows better in any case. Her demeanor was smirky and just oozed “gotcha” as she pretended to taken down verbatim Coon’s answer. As the audience snickered she turned, puzzled, then smiled broadly looking for backup that she was right, and clearly quite afraid she was wrong.

I’m guessing the girl has decided to just shut up. It’s a cooked goose, and it’s still a month until Thanksgiving. It’s Ovah Witchypoo. Course it always was, but we needed one phenomenal GAFFE of monumental proportions to seal the deal so the MEDIA can move on to something that matters.

***

And to close ‘er out, we have this from the Salon.

Related Articles

• The Galling Thomas: 20 Years Later, Ginni Thomas Calls Anita Hill To Demand An Apology (crooksandliars.com)
• FBI Contacted After Clarence Thomas’ Wife Ginny Calls Anita Hill Asking For An Apology (mediaite.com)

Do Not Read Unless Heavily Drugged

Tags

1st Amendment, brainwashing, Christine O'Donnell, election 2010, George Romney, Politics, wingnuttery of the right

Bedtime story for Adults:

Once upon a time, in a universe in another whole dimension, there lived a woman (a human female) and she resided on a planet called, oddly enough, Earth.

Now upon the Earth, she lived on a continent some referred to as the City on the Hill, meaning that the God of that particular universe, having created the whole thing, chose for His/Her own reasons to specially favor the inhabitants who lived upon its terra firma.

The woman, lived in the state of Michigan, which was some bastardization of a Huron native people’s word, which is all too boring to relate right now. When she was in her second decade or maybe it was still her first, or her third–she’s gettin’ old and memories aren’t what they used to be.

Any-the-way, she had a governor, meaning not that she birthed one, but that one existed as the highest officer of her state. His name was Romney. Not a Mitt, since he was not catcher, but a George, who would birth a Mitt, who would also be a governor, but of another state.  Confused? Don’t be.

There came a time in the century known as the twentieth, as humans reckoned time in those days, when George decided that he wanted to climb to a higher office, or lesser, depending on how statey righty you are. So he threw his hat in the ring, which was a good thing, since he had “good hair” like his son. (You may want to check, for this may be an attribute of a religion called Mormonism–a thoroughly interesting religion, but again we digress.)

Now, at the time of this running to be the new POTUS, there was a war and it was called Vietnam. There was no particular reason for the land of US to be there, but it had something to do with the game of dominos as I recall. Mr. Romney had gone there to talk to the generals in charge about what the “hell was goin’ on.”

He got himself into a flip-floppy sit-chi-ation, where he was for the war before he was agin’ it. You remember this from a guy named  Kerry, who was also in this Vietnam war, but it had nothing to do with his alleged flippy flop.

To make a long story short-er, George (not Dubya who did not serve in any war) but Romney, said that the reason why he changed his mind about the goodliness of the war was because he was brainwashed by those military sorts in Vietnam.

Now this, was received with horror. George was susceptible, according to the press, his opponent (a dude named Tricky Dick, not to be confused with Dick “the Dick” Cheney, though there are plenty enough dicks in the GOP I’d reckon), and even the public, to being snookered by just about anybody, and it wasn’t safe to put the country in his hands.

So George, surely meant that he had been mislead by lying conniving military warriors who wanted the war continued, because that’s what they DO after all, but couldn’t get out from under the cloud that he was a childish dupe. So he withdrew.

Fast forward many decades until we have turned the heavy page to another whole century. People are still running to run things in the country of A-Mer-Ik-a, and they are puttin’ their foots in their mouths at the same general rate as before.

You hear things like this:

• A silly gal by the name of Sarah (where’s the money?) Palin who said she could see Russia from her front porch, and of course she couldn’t and that’s not a very good explanation of foreign affairs knowledge anyway.
• A crazy loon called Tom (I like mammies) Tancredo said that we should return to “literacy tests” just like in the good old Jim Crow days.
• A lady who lives in Nevada of all places, name of Sharron Angle said that Latinos looked an awful lot like Asians, even some of the Latino kids right in that classroom might be secret Asians for all she knew (come here to resume the Vietnam war no doubt).
• A dude called Buck in Colorado said that homosexuality was like alcoholism, sorta, but mainly being gay was the choice to love a dude rather than a lady–see? you CHOOSE.
• Plenty of these candidates, all runnin’ under a banner, mostly of teabaggery, claim that the earth is flat and was created by God in six days, and they ask  to preside over science and technology in our country.
• But the best is the  lastest of them all.

A crazy lady who can’t manage her own finances and lies about most everything, and is also a creationist, who dabbled in witchcraft, and talks to the “I can see Russia from my porch” lady, has in public, while being recorded, with a microphone in front of here, and in response to a question, asked a question.

I didn’t bring my constitution with me today. Can you tell me exactly where in the  Constitution you find “separation of church and state?”

She did this in all honesty, with wide-opened doe eyes. She has nary a clue. Nope. And it’s all over the air today, everyone was talking and laughing about how stupid and unqualified she is.

And her opponent, a sharp tack called Coons, gently told her that it was in the 1st Amendment, to which she replied:

You’re telling me that’s in the First Amendment?”

But don’t expect her to quit the race, cuz none of the others have. You see, the people who support these nut jobs are even stupidier than they are, and don’t care. So once upon a time, a single word could doom a candidate, but today–hundreds of gaffes are treated as makin’ a candidate “REAL” folk like us.

So take another good slug of that Vodka my friend, and lay your weary head to rest, and remember the moral to this story:

Evolution may be true, but not every mutation moves forward the human race.

OR:

Alien travelers may wish to erect a warming buoy: Avoid: Still SToopid Here!

All the News That’s Fit to Read

Tags

climate change, college students, DADT, Dick Cheney, election 2010, empathy, EPA, gay rights, GOP, GOP Machine, House of Representatives, insane right wing evangelicals, Iowa, John McCain, Megan McCain, potatoes, Recipes, wingnuttery

The Iowa Independent reports that a Sioux City “church” has made a video which it has been disseminating on YouTube, claiming that our same-sex marriage legalization will ultimately lead to legalized incest. Such unholy crap has been used again and again by the morally bankrupt right.

“Pastor” Cary Gordon is under IRS investigation for trying to organize other churches to back his efforts to unseat the three Iowa Supreme Court Justices who are up for re-election.

Groups are frantically trying to stem the tide of such bullies as Vander Platts and idiot boy Steve King (R-IA).

***

I’m not fan of John McCain’s spawn, but I have to admire his daughter Megan who said that Christine O’Donnell was  a “nutjob” and had no qualifications to run. We hear O’Donnell came back with a question about Megan’s credentials. OOOOh, that was a sharp comeback witchypoo.

***

Michael Tomasky has a piece on a study done on whether college students are more empathic today than in the past. Seems empathy has fallen off sharply among present-day students. The fact that these kids were raised under conservative Republicanism is certainly no shock is it. Tomasky wonders how GOPers will twist out of this argument. It’s little wonder we got this teabagger–I’m out for myself–mentality so strong in Merika these days is it?

***

As I’ve said before, I have trouble figuring out why right wingers are against the concept of man-made climate change. But they are. Some say it’s biblical, but frankly, that seems only the extreme fringe nut jobs. Most right-wing Christians that I’ve talked to claim they just came to it, based on the “lack of evidence.” Code for, I only listen to Foxy Noisebox for my news and information. Because certainly the evidence is there, in volumes, from every reputable science organization in the WORLD.

Rethuglians claim it is a left-wing conspiracy, though for what purpose I am not yet sure. Most are simply bowing to their corporate benefactors–filthy lucre sad to say. Some I think don’t much care, and it’s just part of the say NO to everything that comes from Democrats, country be damned. 

This goes back to Cheney and his revision of EPA reports, sanitizing them of all references to climate change due to human endeavors.  And Cheney, who benefited while in office from Halliburton success, apparent white-washing of everything to do with the subject has prevailed from 2000 onward. Sadly, Republicans cannot think for themselves, and care nothing for the country or the planet.

***

Always fun, the Daily Beast gathers the top 25 wing nuts in the House. All our favorites are there! Yes, yes, crazy-eyes Bachmann and Steve (Needs a bag on head) King are on the list!

***

Speaking of the utterly disgusting: the man who said he would abide by the decision of the military brass on DADT, and then of course, reversed himself to make himself appropriately palatable to the insane right just said this in reference to DADT:

“The President of the United States has no military experience, no impact with the military, went over to San Diego and called the corpsman ‘corpse’ man. I guess he thought it was ‘The Day of the Living Dead’. And has made this decision because of a political promise to the gay and lesbian community. Absolutely I will filibuster or stop it from being brought up until we have a thorough and complete study on the effect of morale and battle effectiveness.” – John S. McCain

Up yours John Sidney, dishonorable two-faced f**ktard of the decade.

***

I guess I have to admit it, the Democrats are buffoonish organization-wise. Although Obama ran a brilliant campaign for election, he has run a pretty awful administration, all things considered. Democrats are never on the same page, never in line, never it seems tired of bickering among themselves. While I can admire that in some sense–they are somewhat more “real” as politicians, frankly it’s not enough when so much is at stake.

The GOP on the other hand, keeps its ducks lined up rather perfectly, and much as we boo them for it, it doesn’t seem to harm them. The message is always crystal clear, down to the exact phrasing. E. J. Dionne in an article for the Wash Po, says they have the 1-2-3 punch that is hard to beat. Yeah, I have t admit to being a bit jealous.

***

Okay, You didn’t ask. But I’m tellin’ ya anyway. Cook’s Magazine has a simply to die for method for making “oven fries.” I know, I know, the Chicken Tandoori was a bust, not because it didn’t taste good, but it didn’t taste like CHICKEN TANDOORI. But  the oven fries, I made ’em Saturday, and they were terrific. More work than usual, but still better than deep-frying and all that MESS.

Oven “Fries”

• 2 very large russet potatoes (enough for say three people)
• 1 TBSP oil
• 1 tsp salt

Pare and then slice into fries, trying to keep the size uniform as you can. Place in big bowl, with oil and salt, mix. Cover the dish with Saran wrap TIGHTLY and microwave for  2 1/2 min. Remove, shake bowl to remix and back in microwave for another  2 1/2 min.  Remove and lay out on tea towel or paper and thoroughly blot, letting them cool as much as you can while:

• Heat oven to 450
• Place 5 TBSP of oil in a jelly roll pan

When oven heated, put the pan in the oven for 3 or so minutes to heat up the oil. Remove and quickly lay out the fries keeping them apart of course. I got them all on one pan  but it was tight. Into the oven for 15 min. Remove and turn them over. (this is a total pain, but necessary because they are browning on the underside and will be too done on the one side if you don’t). I used a wooden skewer and my fingers to tip them over. Return to oven for another 10-15 min.

Spatula them off to a plate covered with towelling and then use more to blot off excess oil. Add some more salt.

They are simply the best!

On the stove today: slow-roasted barbecued boneless pork ribs, grits with jalapeno and cheddar cheese, cole slaw.

Related Articles

• Think Progress v. Chamber of Commerce | Michael Tomasky (guardian.co.uk)

Sometimes Things Just, Well Work Out

Tags

Christine O'Donnell, corporate America, election 2010, GOP, Harry Reid, Nevada, political ideology, Politics, right wing, Sharron Angle, teabaggers

I woke up hearing that the Contrarian was on the phone. No big deal, except that it was around 3:30 in the AM. A moment or two and I knew why.

“I switched to you guys because I was having trouble getting on with ATT. This is the second time in as many months that I haven’t been able to access the Internet. I’m getting frustrated.”

Oh boy, I thought. Not good. Sigh. . . .

I awoke at around 7:20, and got up. The Contrarian mumbled,”babe we can’t get on the Internet. They are going to call, we’ve at level two.”

I scratched my head. “They are going to call?”

“It’s them, not us. I don’t know.”

Well, that set a tone. I could avoid certain thing no longer.

I started my coffee, then slipped in and gathered a basket of dirty clothes. Once that was running, I poked into the fridge and took out the four granny smith apples I’d purchased on Sunday. Then the sugar, then the flour, some shortening. None of this looked the least bit fun.

I did morning prayer, my rosary, and then got my bagel and cream cheese, some more coffee, and my EFM material and sat down to study a while.

Then I got up and made a half recipe of pie crust, and put it in the fridge. Then peeled, cored, and cut up my apples, added the usual cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg, sugar, salt, cornstarch. Rolled out my dough into a rectangle and put it on top of my deep dish pan. Into the oven. We have “Apple Pandowty” for dessert tonight. Turned out quite nice. Good with a scoop of ice cream.

Then I folded clothes, tore down and remade a fresh bed, swept all the uncovered floors. Taking a break, the phone rang.

“That better be them!”

You have no idea how much I hoped THAT were true.

It was, and they figured it out. “Sometimes when our guys shake hands they sort of miss each other. They don’t line up.” That’s what the Contrarian said.

I figure that the truck backed up to the trailer and was off-center. That happens in the Intertubes sometimes I guess. Anyway, they just have to switch out our password, and try a fake one, and then re-enter our password. Then magically, it all untangles and lines up right again.

Don’t ask me the why this works. It does. I’ve learned when computers are concerned, well let’s make that any machine, it’s best just to accept success and not question the hows and whys of it.

And hey, I got a lot of housework done. I vacuumed after our return to Internet access. So that proves that I am a reliable good person surely.

***

For reasons I have no clue about, (we somehow miss-taped it) we missed the Angle-Reid debate. I don’t understand that it was very good for Reid. He was, well as he is. . .not exactly a dynamic speaker. So Angle by merely being “as good” probably helped her cause. I think it’s looking dim for Reid. Guess Nevada will get a nitwit. Who knows, perhaps they richly deserve it. Or maybe he will win. It’s too close to call.

***

Joe Klein has been my friend since he threw in the towel with John McCain in the 2008 election, calling him simply a dishonorable scumbag. Okay, my interpretation, not his. He looks at the likes of Christine O’Donnell, who like her model, Palin, is authentically ignorant, seemingly by choice. They are revered by some, who think they are like themselves. Sadly the “average” guy and gal, used to be informed and willing to learn. That is the difference here. Klein calls them our ignoramuses. In other words, Klein asserts that the ignorant now pass as “authentic” and thus “one of us” to the teabaggery folk. This comes, he asserts from the best and brightest in a sense betraying the public trust with their utter greed. Interesting take .

***

Frank Rich has an astoundingly cogent article in the NYTimes on how Christine O’Donnell and those of her ilk are making a great camouflage to what is really going on behind the scenes. Big corporate billionaires support these candidates, because in the end their redound to the benefit of the GOP, which IS going to do their bidding if they come to power. Rich lays it out well how all the “shadow” organizations are behind the teabagger movement funded by big business interests. These billionaires share zero of the agenda of the teabaggers, as is also true of the routine GOP professionals. They both find the teabagger candidates and their silly voter/followers useful in putting them back in power.

***

Related Articles

• Worst. Debate. Ever. But, Advantage Angle (outsidethebeltway.com)
• FIGHT FREE: Verdict: Reid, Angle debate a snooze (politico.com)
• Watch: Christine O’Donnell Compares Serving Openly Gay in the Military to Committing Adultery (pinkbananaworld.com)

Amen, It’s a Good Day

Tags

cake, Chilean Miners, Christine O'Donnell, Congress, DADT, election 2010, Humor, life in the meadow, Recipes, Sharron Angle, teabaggers

As I write, fifteen of the thirty-three trapped miners in Chile has been returned to the surface. So far everything is going smoothly. Amen to that.

I suspect there is one proud Papa looking down upon us this day, happy that at last, in this moment of time, his children have managed to put aside all their petty arguments, and are working in true togetherness to perform this miracle. For miracles can only occur through humans willing to give of themselves without reserve.

Would that we could do the same with all our other troubles. It is a lesson we should examine carefully for the clues that might lead us to deal more honorably, more tolerantly, more humanely, with each other on other problems.

***

On the home front, we are once again reminded that life in the meadow is sometimes most primitive. A new generation of raccoons has arisen that have no memory that a wide berth is to be given the acre or so around the house. One ventured too close, and we were startled during a showing of Mad Men with a horrendous explosion of snarling, and breaking of twigs in the underbrush. What emerged was Bear and Brandy each on one end of a poor “Little Ricky.” Bear is 13 and Brandy 11, so after several minutes they were unable to dispatch the straying coon. It lay crying in pain, they standing over it panting and whining.

I was able to call them off and into the house, while the Contrarian donned shoes and went out with shotgun. A loud report, and the coon was no more. I grieve for it, as I do for all innocent animals. It was doing nothing but living its life, sadly it made a fatal mistake. Both dogs were pretty sore the next day, stiff from muscles long unused. They are fine again today.

***

Andy Borowitz has a great new post on Sarah and Christine. Don’t miss it. It’s important to get a good laugh every day.

***

Ree Drummond has a really decadent cake called Tres Leches. It’s a great cake for company, and doesn’t take much time. Three Milks would be a translation. It’s exceedingly rich. Take a look.

***

Election 2010

• O’Donnell is debating Coons tonight at 7:30 on CNN, but check local listings
• Angle debates Reid on Thursday. No further info on that yet.

***

On the DADT front:

      Us Federal district Court Judge, Virginia A. Phillips has put a stop to all military discharges as a result of DADT. Now, since Obama campaigned on ending this awful practice, shouldn’t he instruct the Justice Department not to appeal? There is no one else who has standing as far a I know to appeal. Barney Frank is urging that if there is an appeal, the Administration wait until the last moment in their 60-day time limit, so as to give the Congress a chance to repeal the act before hand. As I said, I’m not sure why this isn’t a no-brainer. Or am I missing something?

***

Killing the Buddha offers you a quiz today. See if you can give the right answer to 12 questions. Who said it? McCarthy, Beck or Palin. Should be fun!

***

We watched the first episode of Dancing with the Stars, and then quit, sure that Bristol (my mama is a Grizzly) Palin would not be voted off no matter how badly she could dance. True to form, she sucks, and is not being voted off due to “massive teabagger voting”. What a joke this show becomes.

***

And if there were any more news, I’d tell ya.

Related Articles

• Watch: Olbermann Interviews SU’s Alexander Nicholson, Barney Frank on the Judge’s Ruling Barring Enforcement of ‘DADT’ (towleroad.com)
• A locked-up win for Chris Coons in Delaware? (cnn.com)

America in the Midst of a Temper Tantrum

Tags

America, American psyche, election 2010, maturity, Politics, psychology, sociology, stupid people, wacko right wing

I keep trying to make sense out of what doesn’t make sense. That can drive you a little nutty all by itself.

Still, those of us who consider ourselves reasonably sane and mature are having a nearly impossible time with the wacko Right. We are just so tired of stoopid people. And it makes us cranky.

Imagine how the rest of the world feels. We act for all the world like the 75 IQer in a 6’5″ frame weighing  320lbs. Scary huh?

I sit in the wee hours of the night, sipping on a Merlot and ponder. And, well I think I got this figured out. A little bit anyway.

Ya see, we are by all accounts just pre-adolescents, here in the New World. I mean, sure the continent is as old as the others, but humans have not walked it until the last few tens of thousands of years, whereas in Europe at least man has skipped along the hillsides to the sound of music for hundreds of thousands of years.

Stay with me here.

Europeans, have had a loooooonggggg history to contemplate; one filled with wars, numerous transfers of power, and plagues. Death, for centuries was a near constant companion. Life was not usually all that good for most people, most of the time. As the psalmist said:

The span of our life is seventy years–eighty for those who are strong–but their whole extent is anxiety and trouble, they are over in a moment and we are gone. (Ps 90: 9-10)

Change for the better for most of the world came slowly and with great effort.

In the Americas, humans arrived by tortuous means, first across Alaska when a land bridge existed, and by some accounts parts of the western coastlands of South America were visited by great seafaring Polynesians. Whether by geography or pure bounty, there wasn’t nearly the issue of land scarcity. There was room to evade  conquerors.

When Europeans arrived upon the North American continent, they found it relatively uninhabited, and even where it was, there was enough for everyone. As the white hordes increased, Native peoples were nudged, often not gently, out the of the way.

As we started to offend each other, there was always space to move onward and Westward. And, every immigrant who arrived learned that they could remake themselves with little effort. One chose one’s field of interest and apprenticed oneself, and in a few years, one was himself a blacksmith, a printer, a lawyer. It was easy, it only took determination, time, and effort.

In other words, one could improve one’s lot in life in one’s own lifetime, whereas in Europe, even a whole lifetime might not secure much better for one’s offspring. One was limited by class, something that for a good period of American history did not exist.

In our adolescence, we succeeded at most everything. We have all the resources that were now becoming scarce in Europe, we had the will. We could create our destiny. We expected and expect to succeed, and we somehow feel most entitled to do so. We are pretty much willing to do what we need to, to gain what we wish.

In a word, we are still prepubescent. We are the kid with a decoder ring in one hand and the nuclear codes in the other. That is how the world sees us. They have right to fear us. We are indeed like a shaken bottle of champagne, ready to explode when the cork is pulled. No one knows who will get doused.

At home, it explains so much.

Virtually everyone from Washington on down through Dubya has had reason to warn the American people that this or that would take patience and TIME. We don’t hear that. Ever. We are used to instant gratification, or we still desire it, much as the babe in crib screams to be fed or changed. No explanations about “heating milk” or “going for diapers” will quell the howling. There is no logic to the babe, and there is none to us.

The GOP has learned to exploit our desire for everything NOW. When it doesn’t come, they are quick to point the finger at the “failed” policies of the Democrats. Fear that we will never get what we want if we don’t turn to them, is a powerful seduction. It works.

Europe can look at problems and see solutions that will take years to accomplish. Individual countries can unite under a banner of being oil free or having  free education through college, and work steadily for that goal, often taking a generation to attain. But they get some where.

We give our politicians about two years to give us what we claim we want. We are brats, bullies, touting our “exceptionalism” all the while being mostly unlettered and intellectual duds.We are slipping badly on almost all indices.  But we are as dangerous as any bull in a china shop always is.

We only know what we want, and that we want it now. We have no clue about the intricacies of global economics, global political realities, and global pandemic. We sit on our little cushions of superiority and glare at a world that increasingly won’t do our bidding, and we shake our fist in both defiance and warning.

And we hate, and we fear, and we are, it seems, about to do some very stupid things in about three weeks. And the world waits. . . .and too many of us it seems are too busy smoking behind the barn, to notice or care. 

Related Articles

• Eugene Robinson: These spoiled-brat voters are having quite the temper tantrum, aren’t they? (hotair.com)
• Darrell B. Nelson’s Temper Tantrum Tuesday: Jobs (grantlawrence.blogspot.com)
• Bob Cesca: Despite America’s Temper Tantrum, It’s Still a Center-Left Nation (huffingtonpost.com)