Thursday, June 22, 2006
The Second Best Revenge
They say that success is the best revenge. It is no doubt true, but if it is not to be personal success, then the second best revenge is to help one who has wronged you attain their most precious desire where that is something they are not prepared to have or do.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
The State of Denial
Here in the heart of the Red states, there is only one word for the right wing noveau riche Republicans that make up the majority:
Denial.
Last month we had a Statewide election with an anti-gay marriage ammendment on it. Keep in mind, same sex marriage is already illegal in Alabama so this ammendment was as redundant as G.W. Bush's left ear. Why was it on the ballot? I think it was the usual politics of distraction, but it was also a way to rally the faithful. How did it do?
It passed with an 89% approval. Yep, nine out of ten voters approved the measure.
These same people are holding rallies to show their support for G.W.s war record and still trying to keep the Dixie Chicks off the local radio.
On the other hand, the free rangers are getting louder. I was on jury duty last week sitting in the holding pen (the venire room) when the announcement of G.W.'s grandstand visit to Iraq came on CNN. A lady in front of me guffawed and the man in front of her called her unpatriotic. Can you say, screwed up? The man, in this case. The woman, it turned out, was a soldier fresh from Afghanistan and she chewed a hole in that man that he couldn't cover with his flag. According to her the troops' morale doesn't improve when politicians come for their photo ops using Amercian soldiers as props. She said it makes them angry because of everything they have to do to protect them and it takes them away from their jobs of keeping each other alive.
He moved to another chair. I thanked her for going.
Still, the denial brigade is far from done and desperation in the face of the inevitable collapse of their worldview which at this point I can only describe as willfully dumb and naively evil, they will become mean. I've seen this movie before. The same people who believed in Nixon waited for a chance to resurrect their egos and their ideologies. These people will too. Stupid people aren't smart enough to admit a mistake in their worldview, and too worldly to give it up for others.
If the nation continues to elect this crew, we may deserve them. There are no excuses left and the State of Denial is full of immigrants from the rest of the red states. I don't see any Statesmen on the horizon except Colin Powell, and he is too smart to want their jobs.
Denial.
Last month we had a Statewide election with an anti-gay marriage ammendment on it. Keep in mind, same sex marriage is already illegal in Alabama so this ammendment was as redundant as G.W. Bush's left ear. Why was it on the ballot? I think it was the usual politics of distraction, but it was also a way to rally the faithful. How did it do?
It passed with an 89% approval. Yep, nine out of ten voters approved the measure.
These same people are holding rallies to show their support for G.W.s war record and still trying to keep the Dixie Chicks off the local radio.
On the other hand, the free rangers are getting louder. I was on jury duty last week sitting in the holding pen (the venire room) when the announcement of G.W.'s grandstand visit to Iraq came on CNN. A lady in front of me guffawed and the man in front of her called her unpatriotic. Can you say, screwed up? The man, in this case. The woman, it turned out, was a soldier fresh from Afghanistan and she chewed a hole in that man that he couldn't cover with his flag. According to her the troops' morale doesn't improve when politicians come for their photo ops using Amercian soldiers as props. She said it makes them angry because of everything they have to do to protect them and it takes them away from their jobs of keeping each other alive.
He moved to another chair. I thanked her for going.
Still, the denial brigade is far from done and desperation in the face of the inevitable collapse of their worldview which at this point I can only describe as willfully dumb and naively evil, they will become mean. I've seen this movie before. The same people who believed in Nixon waited for a chance to resurrect their egos and their ideologies. These people will too. Stupid people aren't smart enough to admit a mistake in their worldview, and too worldly to give it up for others.
If the nation continues to elect this crew, we may deserve them. There are no excuses left and the State of Denial is full of immigrants from the rest of the red states. I don't see any Statesmen on the horizon except Colin Powell, and he is too smart to want their jobs.
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