Me Wampum Good Teepee Mister Mask Man

I'ma gonna let you finish, but first I'd like to point out something that almost no one is talking about. Football. And even more broadly, sports in general. I promise you, it's relevant.


I went to high school called "South High". We were "The Rebels". Our mascot was a confederate solder in grey. Our flag was the confederate flag. All because we lived on the south side of town. Real imagination there, generation prior to mine. I went looking yesterday for photos on-line from the 1980s to back this all up and discovered that my old high school had changed its flag many years back. It's now a shield and swords - the confederate symbolism is (mostly) gone. They're still the Rebels and that soldier is still there, but the confederate flag is long gone. I'm not sure that the soldier matters much given how little about the civil war students are taught any more. It wasn't a great school.


In the past few days thanks to some truly awful events and a truly bone-headed series of responses the confederate flag has become toxic - as it should be. State houses have been removing it, on-line and retail outlets have been removing it from their shelves - even the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard is getting a makeover. Politicians are even starting to acknowledge the racism attached to this symbol of the losing side of the civil war.


So while we're talking about racism can we talk about another prevalent, uniquely American, form of racism; that against the people who were here before those of us of vaguely European descent arrived?


There are lots of sports teams, many of them at the high school and college level, that name themselves after Native Americans. The Seminoles. The Apache Warriors. Some of these names are meant to evoke the fighting spirit of these peoples. But then there is also teams like The Indians. The Braves. The Redskins.


In the case of teams with names like these I hear over and over again how the names are meant to represent the fighting spirit of these peoples. That it's an homage. Funny how it's always white people saying that. The people who gave these people the condescending nicknames in the first place.


So let me set the record straight with my miniscule amount of Pawnee blood.


To me, the guy who is 1/16th (or 1/32nd - the family lore gets fuzzy) Native American, "Braves" sounds like me wampum good teepee Mister Mask Man. Mr. Cartwright has the wisdom of the elders. Imagine how it must sound to someone with a real stake in the heritage of these peoples.


To me, "Redskins" sounds like a trophy collected by the whites in place of scalps.


To me, terms like this seem horrifically racist. Imagine what it must sound like to a person who lives every moment of their lives as a part of the culture and heritage of the people who were in this country before we stole it from them.


Do you remember when the Washington Wizards were known as the Washington Bullets (and prior to that the Baltimore Bullets)? Do you remember why the name was changed? Because of violence in the neighborhoods around where the games were played made the owner uncomfortable with the name. Progress.


As we all know, the outrage over the confederate flag is due to optics over the shooting of blacks in a state where the flag is flown at all times by law. Progress.


Is someone going to need to shoot some Injuns in order to facilitate changing the names of sports teams from names with overtly racist baggage to names that have more to do with the federation and competition that sports is supposed to be about? I'd like to think that our track record would suggest that we're better people than that.


But we're not and you know it. Still, it is long past time for these things to go.


Cheap Shots (whiskey today):


You know what? Fuck all y'alls.




And he promises that the NBC Page Program will say nothing bad about Iowa.


I think that the answer to her question is "Hell no."


So no, you can't sign a petition calling for the legalized murder of gays. A judge says so.


That said, this is still possible.


If I interpret this correctly, this man wants to be flaming should marriage equality survive the Supremes. Or maybe he's just getting a jump start on eternity.


Hmph. Starting to look like the Democratic Party of old.


There is a band called Blackberry Smoke that you should be checking out:

There are police chiefs who do not like "open carry".


I'd like to point out that Bill Kristol is never right about anything, but here he makes a basic mistake. They're not bowing to Political Correctness. They're bowing to just plain Correctness.


Stevie Wonder can "open carry" in Iowa. Although being a black man maybe he shouldn't...


Yeesh. This makes it sound like he drank too much fucking Red Bull.


Not really the funniest thing since Betty White, but still amusing nonetheless.


Um. A) She was born in South Carolina, in a town smaller than a flea - that means she's an American, plain and simple. B) Sure, it was the greatest - right behind all those armies that WON instead of LOST (and behind a number of others that also lost too, come to think of it). C) You're just a bitch.


No, the Blue Marlin is NOT sinking. If you don't understand Japanese just look at the pictures. It will make sense.


Don't Stop... Believin'  Even if you need Omar Hakim to fill in.


Trumpwatch: 112 days until he drops out of the race.


If this were actually true we'd be forcing you to call Grits "Polenta", Biscuits and Gravy would be "Creamed Chip Beef on Toast", and Fried Chicken would be called "Oh dear Lord no no no!"


I keep telling people that we have until October to get this right.


I admit that I'm surprised. This is a fairly decent apology. No clue if he actually meant it, but it doesn't excuse anything. I'm not a supporter of the death penalty but there simply wasn't any other way this was going to go.


And here's an apology from The Big Easy.


Boy, talk about missing the point entirely.




Everyone been making noise about the guy who caught bare-handed a foul fly ball while holding his infant child (and forcing a call of fan interference as well). This story is MUCH Better.


Um, wow. Just... wow.






And now, for a lengthy moment of Zen, a song that always manages to calm me down:

Cheap Shots

I really don't have anything new to contribute today so let's head straight to the...


Cheap Shots (sake today my friends):


Is it bad that I don't give a rat's ass about any more Spiderman? There's so much more to the Marvel Universe that I'm not really interested in the 8th Spiderman in my lifetime.


Damn. I've studied this man's work. He was impressive.


There is a half-man/half-monkey trying to make sense of it all, in comic form. You should be reading his work.


Revenge porn, politics style.


He put it in his where?


The Senate shouldn't make him angry. They wouldn't like him when he's angry. (spoiler alert: they did anyway)


"If we destroy creation, Creation will destroy us."


Continuing yesterday's theme: "However, Americans are somewhat less likely to see the benefits of protests among black Americans"

Because this song is just plain awesome, I present to you Thumpers:

If you are one of the fuckers who votes for this legislation turn in your decency card. There is only one reason to vote for this: you hate poor people. Same to any store than enforces it.

This. Is. Awesome!

This could be a pretty big fucking deal.


What, he's not in first place already? Fire somebody!




And now your moment of zen (did you smoke da whole joint?):



Ask a black man.

There's been an awful lot of talk about racism lately spurred by an awful lot of awful. It's a conversation that needs to be had but a lot of the people getting the most press about it don't seem to actually understand what the conversation is supposed to be - or even understands what the ground rules are supposed to be.


Or even know what racism actually is. Almost every single person making the mistakes is white. Even one of the greatest Uncle Tom's in our present day gets it - so we're not talking about left vs. right here although it does seem to fall along these line all too often.


So here is a quick Primer on what qualifies as racism.


"Nigger." That's racist. Okay, that was an easy one. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Making a joke about hanging the current President of the United States is racism. You might not remember much about lynching but I do and so does every black man in this country. Hanging = Lynching. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


A confederate flag. That's racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.



Running a new report on gun violence and framing the conversation as being about gun violence and yet only talking to convicted black men is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Putting in a contract that Spider Man must be a white heterosexual is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Calling Floyd Lee Corkins II a terrorist and Dylann Storm Roof just a criminal is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Receiving money from well-established racists for your political campaign and not recognizing that it taints everything you stand for is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Changing your stance to recognize a political trend just to appeal to the black community for their votes is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


If you are a member of the C of CC then you're a racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man. (Replacing you K's with C's only works in a Monty Python Sketch)


That fact that you can't even recognize that these things are racist is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Your confederate bumper sticker is racist. There are no qualifiers. Ask a black man.


Ask a black man.


Or ask a black woman. Oh, and that A&E joke you just told yourself in your head is also racist.



Cheap Shots (on my wife's recommendation, today's spirit is aquavit):



Nigga Please. (ooh, I'm going to get flack for that one - and I should)


Um, I think the takeaway is that while yes, it does happen in other countries when it does everyone drops what they're doing and changes things. Australia enacted nationwide gun control after it's FRIST mass shooting. There hasn't been a second. The key point that you're missing is that he said "it doesn't happen with this kind of frequency." And he's right.


Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark.


HowWeFamily


It's not Vrbana Bridge, but still impressive.

And now some gratuitous violence with a GREAT song, Dumb Luck by We Are Scientists

Not 2/3 but 1/2.


Enjoy your retirement, Captain.


Damn. I got to see this man work. He was gifted.


Good lord John Oliver is just amazing.

Love him or hate him, he's not wrong.


Francis kick ass. Again.


If the world were a just place the first species to go would be the Over-protected Right-Wing Bloviator. Alas, the world is not a just place.


Big Blue tells Baton Rouge to go fuck itself, and rightly so.


Bill, Bill, Bill. What the ever-lovin' hell happened to you? Face it, this don't look good.

And now, your moment of Zen...

.

Schizophrenia

A few days ago I saw for the first time the tests given to children home schooled under a specific program that calls itself “Christian” (specifically “Accelerated Christian Education”). The program claims to be part of the accepted curriculum in over 6,000 schools and in districts all over the country. What I saw actually disturbs me. For example: Q: Wisdom – The pastor spoke with great wisdom – Wisdom means (a) a test, (b) Godly thinking, or (c) tasty milk. Here’s another example: (Sports coaches, Piano tutors, Librarians) can touch the lives of their students – pick the correct answer. The answer is Piano tutors, which the student is supposed to know because it is in a passage learned in a previous school year. One more example: Answer True or False: Leif Ericsson played short stop in the Icelandic League.


Seriously. These are questions for high school level students. No wonder many of these people can't think.

 

6,000 schools in the U.S. use this horseshit. It places that use vouchers it gets used as a required basis for education. It is, in short, teaching our children a different set of facts than the actual facts of the world. A different set of truths, and it has been doing so since 1970. 45 years. In case you wonder how some people can seem to be so stupid it’s because they were taught to be by people who want the world to be what they want to see, and not what it is, and because it has become as prevalent as it is we have a serious problem coming up.

 

It’s not yet fully diagnosed, but we as a country are showing signs of schizophrenia.

 

A shooting takes place in South Carolina: a young man who by his own admission is driven by racism shoots and kills 9 black people and parts of the country spin it as an attack on Christianity, not on Blacks. The Pope – the religious leader of one of the largest religions in the world issues an encyclical telling us to be kind to planet earth and is told by certain people to keep his nose out of science – despite the fact that it is the Pope and not these certain people who has a Master’s Degree in Chemistry. Certain people blame one of the victims of the murders in South Carolina because he told people that they shouldn’t come armed to church (listen, if I punch you in themouth and you bleed it’s your fault because you aren’t carrying boxing gloves). There are people running for president who believe in torturing people. There are people who say in a single breath that Obamacare is destroying America while celebrating that they can now afford health care. There are people who say the economy is in terrible shape while it has improved by leaps and bounds. There are people who look at pictures of military bases closed under the administrations of Bush and even Reagan and call them “Obama FEMA Reeducation Camps”. There are people who post pictures on Facebook calling for the arrest, trial, and hanging (whether convicted or not) of one of the world’s leading Constitutional Scholars - who also happens to be the current President of the US - without a) seeing the irony of this or b) realizing that they calling for the public lynching of a black man. We have an entire country arguing over a trade agreement that actually has nothing to do with trade but what laws are enforceable in which jurisdiction. We have people arguing that global warming is a hoax despite an alarming increase in hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and parts of Miami already underwater. There are people saying that Obama wants to take your guns when in reality despite all of the rhetoric gun laws have been relaxed under his leadership.

 

We tell anyone who doesn’t support any war we get involved in that they are against the troops but when these same troops ask for help for problems related to the wars we asked them to fight we tell them to fuck off. We call ourselves Number One in the world in everything from business to sports to science to education when it reality we most often don’t even break the top 20 in anything other than prisons or weapons of mass destruction. Maybe that’s why no one calls us on it – but the fact that we are also bullies is a separate issue.

 

Schizophrenia. I’m not a clinician but I don’t know what else to call it. I also don't know what to do about it - except maybe, just maybe, get us al on the same damn page as to what reality actually is.

That isn't going to happen. But there is something I know - things tend to not end well for untreated Schizophrenics.

Cheap Shots (everyone remember the rules?):


Required Reading.

By the way, Accelerated Christian Education comes from Texas - just like this woman.

Air drumming with the MVP!

Slutshaming is more common than you might think in more enlightened places than you'd think.


"Almost" doesn't cut it, dickhead.

CHER!

Alone in the wilderness.

I thought these guys had beef with one another but apparently they've buried the hatchet, and in a truly awesome way.

Wow. Did this fucker just call a shooting where 9 were killed an ACCIDENT? (It's Rick Perry, so the answer is - spoiler alert - yes he did).

Who you gonna call?

Since I last ranted both Twitter and Tumblr became things, and I branched out from just music to comics as well. On Twitter I am @Animeraider. I am the same on Tumblr and a couple of other places. I do not have an instagram account. I will be posting to pages I think you should check out and I'm starting with Jin Wicked. She draws two comics, blogs about her life, wears an awesome top hat, and love rats.

Blunt Talk.

Relentlessly TEH GEHY!

So will dad to time?

Franz Ferdinand and Sparks aka FFS. Just about a perfect match (and if you're not watching Later with Jools Holland then why the hell not?):

Mmmmmm Bacon!

And a final note: It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, maybe, just maybe, I'm back. Remember, one drink for every time I swear. I'm drinking Gin today.

And now your moment of Zen:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

"Obamacare". You already have it.

I get really sick of people arguing against the new health care system. Most of it hasn't kicked in yet but the stuff that has is really good. It has affected my own family in that my son has insurance even though he is away at college - he would have been dropped from my coverage before the new law. I'm biased and I admit it.

That said, one thing I'm sick of is the whole "I'm not going to do it" or "I'm going to burn my non-existent Obamacare Card" or "If it's so great why don't members of Congress or the President go on it?" The argument is false and most people don't seem to realize it.

EVERYONE is on Obamacare. I am. You are. Congress is. The President is. People who get Medicare are. All of us. The system was designed so that a low-cost mechanism could be created for people who didn't have health insurance. Those of us who already had it keep what we had. In other words, in keeping what I have I have Obamacare.

This is the system working. If you've already got health insurance nothing has changed. The new law says you are covered exactly as you have been. Better even, now that there are no lifetime ceilings on coverage and prescriptions. This is because you have Obamacare.

The politicians telling you Obamacare is going to ruin everything have health care. They have Obamacare. The ones telling you it is the greatest thing since sliced bread have health care. They have Obamacare. Every single pundit and pontificator with a suit and an opinion you see on TV and hear on the Radio has health insurance. They have Obamacare.

People who don't have health insurance coverage aren't the people telling you what to think. Telling you what to think pays well and generally comes with health insurance. In other words, people who have Obamacare are telling you not to get what they have and enjoy. That's just wrong.

If you don't have insurance now this is going to cost you money. Let's be honest about it. You weren't spending anything on health insurance and the law requires you to do so. But if you're fortunate enough to live in a state that is setting up their health insurance exchanges like the law prescribes (California, New York, New Jersey) the cost of getting health insurance has come down dramatically, and it's going to get lower once federal subsidies kick in. If you live in a state that isn't following the rules (Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi) or making up their own (Arkansas) then you're probably a bit screwed. It's hard to tell just yet, but it's funny that the loudest complaints are coming from people in these states who are trying to tell you not to get Obamacare. Remember, these people actually have it themselves.

But even with all of that, it's going to cost you more if you actually get sick speaking for myself, I get 2-3 colds a year. The cost of seeing the doctor and getting the medications, plus lost work, all add up to more money than the insurance would cost. I've also dislocated my shoulder twice, had 3 hospital stays, and a surgery where an organ was removed. If you had been me without health insurance you'd be fucked.

And I'm pretty ordinary.

The law requires you to have auto insurance. We don't call that one "Auto-care". We call that one common sense and protection for us all. Obamacare is the same way. It's for everyone, and everyone benefits. And in point of fact, the odds are good that if you can read this, you're already on it.

I handle money for a living, and I know this.

Cheap shots:

Speakng of Obamacare, why does the Republicant party hate God so much?

Sometimes I worry about the youth of this country. Sometimes I don't.

Colbert makes the most of getting Daft Punk'd by Mtv.

I would do anything for love, but I won't do that.

"Grandpa?" Really? That's the best you've got?

You know who knows a Barbie the best? Ken. And Ken has no dick.

SCANDAL!!!!

And because I love you, Chilliwack!

Detroit as a parable for what Republicans want to do to Social Security

The financial mess that is happening in Detroit right now is terrible. A lot of people are probably going to lose their pensions. But there is a bigger picture that I would like you to consider about this - that this is a micro-cosmic example of what the Republican Party wants to do to Social Security and the country as a whole. It would be a disaster for us all and the parallels are easy to draw.

You see, government employees in Detroit and many other cities in Michigan don't get Social Security. Instead of paying into Social Security like the rest of us do they paid into a pension fund and this fund is where their retirement monies come from. The average payout per year is $19K. Some people make more, but most of the ones who do have earned it. Policemen. Firemen. One retired police captain makes $90K in his pension but he got shot at 6 times and stabbed twice. I think he earned it.

Let's be clear about this - the only pensions what are subject to being slashed are those who belong to city employees and retired city employees. No one else. These people paid into the system, many times treating the monies as deferred income - taking a pay cut in the now to have the money later, and that money is going to be gone.

The city of Detroit has been badly mismanaged. No doubt about it. It was once the 4th largest city in the U.S. and now has a population of about 700,000. Many parts of the city look like a ghost town. Sure, there are external factors like a terrible economy and an auto industry on the skids for a while, but ultimately the job of the city managers is to anticipate for these events and ride out the hard times. They failed, and now these people have nothing.

The Republican party talks about vouchers and retirement funds as a replacement to Social Security. They talk about using the stock market to bring about a better return on your money than putting your money aside in Social Security would provide. And done right it can work. So do you think the managers of Detroit thought they were doing it wrong when they invested the pension plans and lost so much money?

That's the real problem - while it can be done right and you can be made rich by investing the truth of the matter is that a lot of people don't. A lot of funds lose money and many experts get it wrong as to how each will perform. Remember when the analysts on CNBC predicted that people's money at Bear-Stearns was safe and they collapsed the SAME DAY? A lot of people who play in the stock market these days are looking for a get rich quick return and most of those people lose money. Investing is for the long haul and if you try to do anything else all you are doing is gambling.

This, among other things, is what happened in Detroit and why 91,000 people are going to find themselves in poverty or worse because their pensions have been taken away from them. Because they used a system other than Social Security and it got screwed up. No one, not ever, has lost their savings because of Social Security. Despite what you hear, until people fuck with it, Social Security is doing fine and doing what it is supposed to do.

Nothing else can make that claim when it comes to pensions. Or private accounts. Or anything like what has happened to the people who relied on the city of Detroit for their retirements. Next time you consider alternatives to what has happened here, really take a closer look at Detroit.

I handle money for a living. I know this.

Hillary, please don't run.

Dear Ms. Clinton:

I am addressing you as such because you’ve held so many titles over the years I don’t really know which to use. Madame Senator? Madame Secretary? Hillary? I’ll stick to what I’d use if I were writing a letter, which coincidentally is what I am doing. I am here to urge you NOT to run for President.

Don’t get me wrong – I think you’d be a good president. I’d vote for you. I think that Bill Clinton would make a great first lady. I’m just not sure that you or anyone else could survive what you will have to go through to become President and to run the country effectively. You’re a good campaigner and 2008 showed that. You put in one hell of a race and the Democratic Party loves you. If you were to run you could probably get the nomination without too much trouble.

That’s not the problem. It’s the general election that will be bruising. It will be the ugliest Presidential election in the history of this country. Much uglier than when the opposition were just trying to stop the black kid.

For starters, let’s remember that there are people in the Republican Party who believe in all their hearts that you murdered a man. All the crap you had to put up with on Benghazi is nothing compared to the movies that will come out regarding the death of Vince Foster. Hell, they’ve been ready for eight years for this one.

Because you’re a woman, and a smart woman, you will have to face things that the Kenyan-Muslim-Marxist black boy never had to face. Come across too strong and you’re a bitch. Come across too week and you’re a soap opera. Come across too smart and you’re ugly. Come across too dumb and you’re a Fox News anchor. It’s a very fine line and most women with your skill set don’t have to deal with it because they don’t need to be liked by huge segments of the population – but you would have to. It’s not fair. It’s horribly unfair. But it is what it is.

Remember that campaign stop in 2008 where you did a shot and a beer with the locals? That’s going to be used against you. You’ll be portrayed as a “Girls Gone Wild” cautionary tale.

Nude photos of you exist. You know this because of the college you went to – they took photos of everyone as part of a study conducted. Those photos are going to come out. So will many many fake ones. Women who look like you are going to get paid a lot of money to pretend to be you in porn.

You are going to be portrayed as an old hag. Face it, you’re going to celebrate your 69^th birthday in the middle of the campaign (Full disclosure – I will be celebrating my 52^nd). The last three Presidents, including your husband, were young men with a penchant for appearing virile in public. After a quarter century of young men in the job being an older woman is a disadvantage in a country that dropped Brooke Shields from magazine covers shortly after she graduated high school. Notice that the men being groomed on the Republican side for 2016 are all young – this is no accident. Again, it’s not fair but it is what it is.

You’re going to be portrayed as out of touch because you’re not holding public office currently. Yes, it will have only been for a short time and others have done it successfully, including Bill Clinton, but it’s still going to happen.

You’re going to be portrayed as an ultra-liberal. You’re not one (Full disclosure – I know this because I AM one and you are very little like me) but it’s still going to happen. It takes a village? Health Care Reform? All of the child advocacy work you’ve done in your life?

You’re going to be portrayed as a war-mongering reactionary. You’ve supported wars and military actions over the past 15 years that Republicans have also supported, but have only done so half-heartedly when someone in the opposition also supports it. Drones became a part of foreign policy under your watch and they’re going to hang that around your neck, especially if Rand Paul becomes the Republican nominee.

You’re going to be pilloried because you have been a successful lawyer. If there is anything that the Republican party has shown public disdain for, it’s a litigator and you’ve been a very successful one. Never mind the fact that there are many successful litigators in office who are Republicans. Remember, trial lawyers are the problem with the legal system and the huge awards that get handed out when a corporation gets caught doing wrong.

Whitewater. It’s coming back and Darryl Issa will be leading the charge. Or something.

The ghost of Monica Lewinski will make a comeback. Not Ms. Lewinski herself but the specter of what she meant and the damage done to your marriage. It will be used as character assassination and people will use the fact that your husband strayed as a judgment on you. It’s not fair, but it is what it is. Women get blamed for their husband’s infidelities all the time. Ever see a movie?

Your re-shaping of the role of First Lady will be examined in minute detail. So will the anticipated role of your husband as First Dude. Who will be in charge, Bill or Hillary? You will be portrayed as a vessel and a puppet of the master manipulator that is your husband. You will be portrayed as nothing more than a shadow and the instrument of Bill Clinton running the country again.

Your hairstyle, whatever that will be and whatever it was, will be a campaign issue.

Dick Morris’ head will explode, and you’re going to be blamed. Okay, that one’s a positive. I have to grant that.

You are a smarter person than any of the men being groomed to run on the Republican side for 2016. How do men react when confronted with a woman who is smarter than they are? Do they accept it graciously? Hell no. They lash out and find any method of attack they can. Men in general do not have a great track record in reacting to the words of a woman who is smarter than they are. Men don’t want women to be smarter than they are. It’s horribly unfair, but it is what it is.

If you win the nomination the Republicans are going to try to resurrect Mike Huckabee. Mike Huckabee would be the worst thing this country could have as a President. He’s a misogynistic jackass who knows how to portray himself as likeable, has a history in the same state you have, and like any other preacher has no business running this country. But he could win – he’s very good at public appearances and has more charisma than you do.

All kinds of bullshit is going to climb out of the woodwork. In an age where a college dropout can edit video together so that it means whatever he wants it to mean and forces a charity to close their doors the level of meanness that will come out will be unprecedented. You are going to have to deal with things far worse than I have written about here – things even I haven’t imagined. It’s going to be ugly as all hell and more expensive than any election prior.

We need a Democrat to follow up the Obama administration. If that doesn’t happen, all of the good works he has accomplished will be dismantled. That is what the Republicans are going to run on in 2016, do not doubt that. You are the front-runner right now. But I’m not certain the country can take a situation WORSE than one where half of congress thinks of the President of The United States as “that boy who doesn’t know his place.” If the next President is someone that an entire branch of government thinks of as a person who “doesn’t know their place” the obstructionism we are experiencing now will look like the good old days.

Having said all of that, I want to be wrong. I will happily be wrong. I also don’t see anyone else in the party stepping up or even being capable of stepping up. I don’t have a better solution. Also, listening to me would only prove that you have no business running anything – I should not be your advisor under any circumstances.

So I guess we wait and see if I’m wrong or not.

Cheap Shots (remember to drink a shot for every curse word. I’m drinking rum today):

Hey, guess what! Tell the truth about the consequences of fucking and teen pregnancy drops by HUGE numbers!

Friends!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I may never be able to visit Virginia again. That blows (drink!)

I haven't been to Detroit since I was a kid. This is sad, but it's been engineered.

Ops!

What is it about these people and fucking animals?

If your congresscritter is one of the people who voted this down, you should hunt them down and tase them.

Really? This guy? Please please please please please make him the nominee. On another note what the HELL happened to politico.com? Someone turned off their bullshit detectors...

Well, since I started writing Detroit went un-bankrupt. Mostly because a federal judge called bullshit on how it was done.

And because I love you, Daft Punk featuring Paul Williams.

The Desire to be The Greater Fool

Hey there kids! Did you miss me? I haven't ranted in more than 9 months. Not that I haven't wanted to and believe you me there has been plenty to talk about. It's just that I don't find this as much fun as I used to. I'm also busy as all hell these days.

We have reached a point in American discourse and politics where parody and sarcasm can't keep up with reality. As a nation we are whipping ourselves into a lather over things that mean very little if anything at all, and are just sitting in complacency as our political system becomes so fractured that it can't put together more than a dozen laws in 6 months. And two of those name office buildings. One calls for national peanut butter month.

I honestly wish I knew what to do about it. What concerns me is that I'm starting to think we've bypassed the point where it can be fixed. Are you aware that there is a massive protest going on right now because a beer company, trying to sell beer, didn't mention "God" in an ad? Are you aware that the current approach to pass the farm bill in the house of representatives includes repealing the law that says they have to pass the law? Are you aware that an 18 year-old kid is facing terrorism charges because he was sarcastic on the internet? Are you aware that the owners of the plant in West, Texas that blew up a couple of months ago were just awarded a NEW tax break in Texas?

Are you aware that the government of Florida may have accidentally banned the internet (to my friends in Florida - viva la revolucion!)? Are you aware that the current government shakeup in Egypt is even more profound than the one covered two years ago by all the news networks? Are you aware that there are thousands of servicemen, all discharged under don't ask don't tell, who cannot find work because in some states their discharges are considered felonies? Are you aware that it is illegal for a man to buy more than 3 drinks at a time in Nevada?

Are you aware that fracking caused an explosion yesterday that killed 4 people? Are you aware of the tanker explosion in Canada that killed 40 this past weekend? Are you aware that Pearl Jam just announced a North American tour? Are you aware that Randy Travis may be drinking himself to death? Are you aware that a bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would allow you to legally record conversations between you and your government without notice?

Are you aware that the sequester is still in effect? Are you aware that California has a balanced budget and a monetary surplus?

How does one even respond to all of the bullshit flying through the air around you? You can only hang your head to the side and shrug saying "you're kidding" under muted breath for so long before you strain something aside from incredulity.

For a long time now I have fought against those who would promote stupidity believing that they were in the minority. That no longer appears to be true. Stupidity is taking over at such a pace that most no longer recognize it as such. This is a trend that goes back 50 years, but the people who were bit-by-bit eroded of the ability to get an education are now the people in charge and they're all saying "well, if it worked for me!" without recognizing the fact that it DIDN'T WORK FOR THEM EITHER. But alas, again, stupidity reigns.

I have said from my earliest days that we need to fight the stupid, and I have come to the realization that I'm not smart enough to know how. Colonel Kurtz is muttering "the irony, the irony" under his breath just as Martin Sheen hacks off his head.

But, I do consider myself one of the Greater Fools, so I'm probably not going to shut up and you would be wise not to bet on it. I don't know how often I will rant in the upcoming days/weeks/parsecs. But it will be a number greater than zero. I will at least try.

Cheap shots (take a drink for every swear word - my elected poison is gin):

Doesn't this essentially amount to fraud?

Face it, the Supreme Courts is just making shit up at this point.

Holy shit.

So the Russians beat us with a Seagull.

I move that the political lexicon be changed. It's not pro-life. It's pro-birth. If you're pro-life then you give a shit after the child is born as well. Otherwise you should be forced to scream into the newborn's face, "This is SPARTA!!!"

Mos Def goes someplace you would never want to go. If you don't find it disturbing then shoot yourself in the head - you won't feel that either.

Rand, I hate your fucking guts, but I have to admit, this is a damned good burn.

Sparks McGee, Into Darkness.

16 innings and they still couldn't win the damned game.

And because I love you, Boys Club (in two parts):