another war casualty

It occurs to me to think that the strength of the Republican Party is the strength of a bully on a playground with no adult in sight. No matter how often you try to reason with him, the bully will simply knock you in the dirt, then laugh as he kicks you. It will require an adult, or a person bigger or stronger or madder than the bully, who will then make a display of physical force upon said bully, since this appears to be the only thing the bully understands.

In the playground of the United States of America, George Bush and his ilk are the bullies. It's obvious now that no Republican adult is going to take George and his Gang by the ear and kick their asses home with no supper. Sadly, the Democratic Gang is too scared of George's gang to try and stand up to him. Are there any other non-partisan adults or authority figures to knock some sense into the Capital City Locos?
No.
The result is that the nerds of the playground, the reasonable 60% or so (Poindexter Public), are getting kicked on a regular basis and having their lunch money stolen, with no end in sight.

Nerds like Cindy Sheehan, who has announced that she is quitting the Anti-War protest.

And who can blame her? She has been mocked and derided, scorned and ridiculed. She has been called a traitor, and accused of trying to cash in on the death of her son.
Why?
For the crime of speaking out against a war she feels to be wrong, for the heresy of questioning those in power, and for wishing to confront those who have made the decisions that led to the pointless death of her son.

When will the bullying end?

Perhaps America will grow up, and the bully will no longer be large enough to kick us. Or maybe the bully will continue to beat us, until we leave this lawless playground that we grew up in, but now no longer enjoy being at. Or maybe, one day, we'll just simply reach a point where we've had enough, and we will turn upon the bully, and proceed to kick the living shit out of him*.
Or maybe the bully will continue to pound us whenever he feels like it, and we'll just take it.

Who knows?

"Thank you, sir, may I have another!"

props to United We Lay, who first broke the story, at least to me.

*remember Ralphie in A Christmas Story?

(dis) honoring our war dead

This is the number of soldiers killed fighting for freedom, justice, and the American Way:

619,236

This is the number of people killed on September 11, 2001:

2752

So, the ratio of dead civilians that horrible day in September to soldiers who died fighting for America is:

1 : 225

Now, think of the Bush Administration, and its legacy of lies, wiretapping, torture, no-bid contracts to cronies, destruction of American Prestige and moral authority, usurpation of checks and balances, corruption, subborning of the Justice Department, stacking of the Courts, removal of habeas corpus, jailing of prisoners without trial or legal representation, extraordinary rendition, mocking of the electoral process, mail searchs, placing of wolves to watch over our regulatory sheep, the triumph of money over policy (or money as policy), and out-and-out ignoring of the will of the American people in favor of a "base" made up of the Un-American religious zealots who make up about 25% of the population, and (more importantly) the richest 1% of the nation*.

Got that image in your head?

Now look at that last ratio, because that is the number of soldiers who have been betrayed in the name of each the 9-11 dead, not just by the Bush Administration, but by every single American who still supports the Republican Party that enables King George's Cabal. We can also include the Democrats in Congress who sent Bush the war funding bill he wanted in exchange for 40 pieces of pork, betraying those who voted them into "power" last November.

These are all people who are more interested in their careers and their wealth and in petty political gain than they are in the maintainance of the Constitution as an instrument of freedom and choice, regardless of personal sacrifice. That's what the dreams of our Founding Fathers have come to.

Someday, when some Viet Namese scholar is doing his doctoral thesis on the collapse of America, they'll point to these times, and the lack of foresight, insight, or even on-the-tip-of-your-nose-sight that Americans display these days. I hope they can make some sense of it, because I sure cant.

Betrayed

That's how I feel. That the nation has been betrayed by the Democratic Party, the party which was put back into power after being out for 12 years on the idea that Republicans had gotten the nation into a wasteful, immoral and unwinnable war, and that only the Democrats could get us out. And yet, when faced with the simplest of tasks, to merely set a timetable, to tell the president, who administers the laws created by Congress, that the war needed to end by a certain date, please, they could not.
Dear me, but they were worried about a presidential veto, and the bad things that Republicans might say about them.
Boo-hoo!
Fuck the veto, send that skeezy bastard in the White House bill after bill if necessary, because in the end, it would be he and not Congress that was denying the will of the people.
But, no, showing the same lack of backbone that has characterized their "leadership" throughout this entire clusterfuck of a "war on terror" (since even before 9-11, really) the Democratic Party gave a deluded fascist what he wanted, ignoring both the polls and the voters. Apparently, Democrats actually believe Republican spin, so instead of bringing our people home, they have instead given in to the Terrorist holding the troops hostage in Iraq, afraid that to do otherwise wouldnt be "supporting" those same troops, who have been placed in harm's way in the first place by our own King George (and dont fool yourself, George Bush is our mistake).

There are some who say, Oh, give the Democrats a break! They've only been in power since January, they cant do everything at once, they've got a slim majority, Joe Lieberman, blah blah blah.
Sorry, no break. They had one priority, to wrestle control of this shameful years-long episode of foriegn policy incompetence away from The Decider, and either fix it, or get out of it. Neither, apparently, will happen. Big Daddy Dubya continues to abuse his "children", cheered on by an increasingly isolated batch of "Christian" Soldiers.

Republicans are hailing the Democratic wimp-out as a victory. And they should, they should.
It was definitely a loss for the American People, a group that the GOP no longer represents (if it ever really has in the last few decades). But who are the big winners here?
Well, certainly the terrorists win, as America continues to dance to their tune. Bin Laden is still free, and if tomorrow he declared baseball to be alright with Allah, you can bet that the Right would attempt to destroy it the very next day (they might throw in apple pie, too, just in case).
The biggest winners, I think without question, are the oil (and oil-related) companies and especially oil-producing nations (like Saudi Arabia, that nation where most of the 9-11 hijackers came from; or Iran, whom the Bush Administration claims to want to weaken).
Checked the price of gas lately?

The biggest losers? Well, okay, obviously it has been the Iraqi people. But (and I realize this sounds awful) this post isnt about them, it's about us. And folks, we're fucked¹. This war, for which we've now been committed to spend another $120 billion dollars without any real controls or goals, is going to be a debt burden to us for the rest of our lives. And what have we gotten for it²? Thousands of dead bodies, a compromised justice department (although, arguably, one could say that BushCo wouldve screwed us there anyway, war or no war), lost world prestige, and our "moral authority" shit out the bunghole of George Walker Bush and flushed down the toilet (after he wiped his ass with the constitution, of course).

Let me give you a little before and after analogy. Once upon a time, we were a bit like Bill Gates. Okay, so we werent anybody's favorite, but we had money and respect and power and we actually did stuff that was useful and if we came by people would at least act like they were happy to see us (and hopeful that maybe we'd give them some of our money).

Now, we're more like Donald Trump.

So I'm pissed off. So pissed off that it's tempting just to quit. To put my head down, keep my mouth shut, and hope I can survive until this diseased and bloated edifice we call a nation collapses under the weight of its own corrupt hubris.
At which point things'll get really hard.
I thought, maybe, that by adding to the buzz, by voicing my opinion and exploring ideas and information, I might make a small difference, one which would add up, with all the other small voices, to a large roar. And it did, it did. But to what end?

None. What. So. Ever.

The Baboon still rules, the Democrats still drool, and the craziest part of our nation still has the loudest voice and an ear that listens. We are well and truly screwed.

I'm going to finish up with what Andrew Bacevich, "a retired Army officer who served in Vietnam and has become a noted conservative critic of the war in Iraq" has to say about the war in Iraq³:

"what kind of democracy is this, when the people do speak, and the people's voice is unambiguous, but nothing happens?"

'Nuff said. 'Nuff said.

1. But no, not as fucked as the Iraqis. Perspective, Dave, perspective.
2. props here to the Liberal Doomsayer. Also, tooting my own horn, here is what we could have spent the money on.
3. I've kind of quoted/paraphrased this in several comments elsewhere, but this is the actual thing he said.

popcorn, laughs and 1 sad clown

Inexplicably, the Carnival of the Liberals (#39) has once again accepted me into the line-up, this time honoring "my nation's baby wont return my calls, redux". Head over there and see if I'm the exception or if there's just something wrong in Coturnix's head.

mixed message

Okay, to be honest, I dont see why you might care, unless you're a serious closet Davophile, but I'm going to let you all know that I've merged an old, secondary blog that I kept on the side for more prosaic stuff which I called "Dave's Evil Twin". That blog was supposed to be about boring domestic stuff, but it was so good at being boring that I had no interest in writing for it. Finally, I got tired of having that unused space, and so I've taken the "best of" that blog and merged into this blog. As for the old blog space, I've changed it into an Art Blog (see the sidebar; for google-protective reasons of self-censorship I dont want to give you name of my Art Blog, but you can figure it out.) Enjoy!

Below is the stuff from Evil Twin which I've incorporated into Daveawayfromhome:

September 4th, '05 - "how to catch a fly (well, maybe)"
September 6th, '05 - "Seven Things I swore I'd never say, or, the foolishness of youth"
September 8th, '05 - "curious compliance code can cripple kiddie's calliope"
(and again) - "Purging myself of a meme"
September 13th, '05 - "Kittens! Kittens! The Kittens are Here!!"
September 20th, '05 - "Reason no.58 why I need to get back to school and get a new job"
September 23rd, '05 - "Shiver Me Timbers!"
September 27th, '05 - "Nostalgia throws me a Loop"
September 29th, '05 - "We're NOT havin' a heat wave"
October 1st, '05 - "Reason no.59 why I need to get back to school and get a new job"
October 1st, '05 - "the home family in linear form"
October 3rd, '05 - "The Boy and His Other"
October 8th, '05 - "But I dont feeeel old!"
October 11th, '05 - "shopping with Dad was fine with me"
October 11th, '05 - "the importance of proper headgear"
October 11th, '05 - "last entry today, I swear"
October 24th, '05 - "t-shirt"
November 11th, '06 - "tripping thru memory lane"

---

On a darker note...

I feel like a Tom Waits song. How's that for a metaphor?

I dont know what it is lately, but I'm just not very confident about much of anything. My gut is queasy, I feel all anxious, and my confidence is slipping into a slippery-sided hole. Maybe it's just the job-hunting blues, but maybe not.

To be honest, I'm feeling less and less sanguine about the future of America. The Republicans show no signs of shaking off destructive elements of the Religious Right, and the Democrats show no signs of having much (if any) moral or intestinal fortitude. The Justice Department has been compromised, perhaps fatally; the military is falling apart; much of our social infrastructure has, or is being, dismantled for profit, and the only people who continue to gain anything are those who already have so very very much. Throughout all this, the People seem more interested in watching TV and eating at chain restaurants than they are in demanding reform. As for the people who supposedly "represent" us in the government, they show no sign of really giving a damn what we want, unless our "needs" are accompanied by cold hard "campaign contributions".
I'm beginning to think that the only answer (assuming you dont plan to desert this sinking ship) is to go to ground and hope that your grandchildren have a reasonable place to enjoy their old age (or that you have grandchildren at all). Get a house with a backyard, buy yourself some gardening tools, and hunker down for the Long Run, 'cause apparently We as a nation feel the need for a Hard Lesson. someday, maybe, this and other blogs will provide valuable material to future historians as they write the story of the decline of America, because it's starting here, today, courtesy of the Moral Majority, the "free speech" of campaign contributions, and the dogma (that's the "dogma", not the idea) of the Marketplace.

How's that for a fun post? Especially one coming, as this one does, on the 2nd anniversary of the beginning of this blog. Still, arbitrary time-markers must be observed, right?

Actually, I cant feel too bad, since Los Fabulous Cadillac's "Matador" just gave me a nice boost.
I love my I-pod. Have I mentioned that?

a question or two

I have just one question: Why doesnt the new immigration legislation contain provisions to fine or jail those who hire illegal immigrants? Would they even bother to come here if they couldnt easily find work? Ask yourself again why King George, who is no friend to the poor but is a big friend to Big Money, is so interested in a program to let in foriegn workers? Even in Europe, where all those crazy liberal policies occur (like providing health care to all citizens without making profits for private insurance companies), they are trying to pass such laws. What's so hard that we cannot do it? It seems to me a simple answer to the immigration problem, based on a simple question: If the jobs arent available, will they stay here or go home?

out of left field

The other day for some reason I looked in on Dennis Kucinich's campaign site, wondering just what the little homonculus stood for (a cruel description, I know, but he smiles too damn much for me, and it kind of creeps me out). Would you like to know just what kind of a wacko Kucinich is? Well here's his list:

1. Universal Health Care
2. International Cooperation: US out of Iraq, UN in
3. Jobs and Withdrawal from NAFTA and WTO
4. Repeal of the "Patriot Act"
5. Guaranteed Quality Education, Pre-K Through College
6. Full Social Security Benefits at Age 65
7. Right-to-Choose, Privacy and Civil Rights
8. Balance Between Workers and Corporations
9. Environmental Renewal and Clean Energy
10. Restored Rural Communities and Family Farms

This is the agenda of one of the most radical candidates on the Democratic side??? Would you like to see what the Democrats wanted in 1956? Or the Republicans?
Better yet, check out the Democrats in 1908 (the more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?). And how about Teddy Roosevelt and the Republican party:

The great accomplishments of President Roosevelt have been, first and foremost, a brave and impartial enforcement of the law, the prosecution of illegal trusts and monopolies, the exposure and punishment of evil-doers in the public service; the more effective regulation of the rates and service of the great transportation lines; the complete overthrow of preferences, rebates and discriminations; the arbitration of labor disputes; the amelioration of the condition of wage-workers everywhere; the conservation of the natural resources of the country; the forward step in the improvement of the inland waterways; and always the earnest support and defence of every wholesome safeguard which has made more secure the guarantees of life, liberty and property.

That was not today's Republican party. Hell, it's not even today's Democratic Party.

Want to know what the Socialists in this country want:

Democratic Socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives.

Crazy, huh? No, not really. You want crazy, try some of the folks on this page (scroll down past the Big Boys), where you'll find Nazis, hippies, Franco-ite fascist Christians, and the marijuana party.

Of course, all this tells you is what each of the parties is/was saying about themselves, which isnt quite reality. No, strike that, it isnt reality, period.

Do I have a point? No, not really. It just seems to me that how people feel about candidates, and what the candidates and parties say about themselves and each other is completely irrelevant to anything that actually goes on. So how do we choose them? And why?
Let's look at Kucinich again. Is there anything on that agenda that is really nuts, or a threat to national security, or national well-being? As far as normal people are concerned, I mean, not as people like Dick Cheney would say. No, there's not (okay, Americans dont seem to get the universal health-care thing, but we're stupid). Some of the things he calls for I'd even consider to be generally conservative/Republican ideas (like numbers 8 or 10).

It's a beauty contest folks. We dont pick them because we like their ideas, we pick them because we like them. When you come right down to it, the anti-abortion crowd is actually more intellectually honest than most of us, because they at least vote according to one issue, regardless of what a shitheel the candidate may be otherwise. I dont think that most Americans can even muster that.

Or maybe not. This post is a bit of a wash, frankly, but I'm done with it anyway.

Goodnight.

in the news

East Podunk, PA: Local bank manager Wolf Paulowitz resigned his position today at the Podunk County Bank, after weeks of tension and days of negotiation. Paulowitz, a close personal friend of West Podunk Chamber of Commerce president Dubya "Decider" Shrub, has been under a cloud for having allegedly given his girlfriend a promotion and an enormous pay-raise. Said Paulowitz, "she deserved it, plus she made me do it. It's not like she's my brother's kid or something, sheesh!"
While Paulowitz admits that mistakes "were made", he refuses to admit that he was the one to make them, saying, "it's the bank board's fault. I mean, how was I supposed to know all that ethics and banking stuff?" The bank board has merely said that after intense negotiations towards Mr. Paulowitz's resignation, they're just pleased to see the situation resolved without any "unpleasantness".
For his part, Mr Shrub, who recommended Paulowitz for the management job, says he doesnt see what the problem is. He speculates that perhaps the bank board "just doesnt get Wolf. You know, boys will be good ol' boys".

In other bank news, janitor D'John Jackson was also let go. Bank officials said that Mr Jackson had been late for his 6pm shift repeatedly, sometimes by as much as ten minutes. For his part, Jackson says that sometimes he didnt get off his other job until a few minutes late, but that he would get to work as early as he could. The bank will be hiring a replacement as soon as they can find someone "trustworthy" that will work for the money being offered. Said assistant manager Heywood Gebuzov, "we got a business to run here, you know".

Is it just me, or does the whole Wolfowitz thing seem absurd? Any ordinary person committing this kind of nepotism would have been fired (or at least repremanded) without issue, but when one reaches the stratosphere, the rules change. It's like something out of The Dukes of Hazzard or a Walking Tall movie, except we got no heroes to save the day, just more big-money guys covering their asses.

song for Falwell's followers

you never pray for peace
you pray for victory
you never prey for love
you prey for abstinence
your mind's stuck in reverse
and life keeps getting worse
you say you pray for blessings
but it works just like a curse
you pray for the godless ones
the ones who will not pray
you pray for a savior
who will blow them all away
you pray on your bible
you pray on bended knee
and every time you say a prayer
you prey on me
you prey on me...
you pray to God each day
that your son wont turn out gay
and your daughter wont bring home someone like me
you pray with every breath
you love the Lord to death
you're killing Him with your kindness, dont you see?
you pray he'll crush the enemies
of your sexual oppression
you pray he'll send a virus
that will teach us all a lesson
and for all the unwed mothers
in this whole knocked-up city
and all the unborn children
who will never feel your pity
you pray on your bible
you pray on bended knee
and every time you move your mouth
you prey on me
you prey on me...
you never prey for peace
you pray for victory
you never pray for love
you pray for abstinence

from the Timbuk 3 song "Prey"

fair weather

Today I went to a job fair. It was a nightmare. I'd do it again, and I'll go to every other one that comes along, but oh, God was it a nightmare. Job fairs combine a whole host of things I hate:

1. Dressing up.
2. Placing your self-worth on the line with people who dont know you from the other 200 people in the room.
3. Answering tricky questions requiring buzz-word answers designed to weed out people.
4. "selling" yourself.

I hate talking about myself, I really do. I'll give opinions till the cows come home, and blogging is good for self-inspection, but to stand around answering questions about my thoughts, beliefs and history? Feh! I can do the job, and do it well (any job, that I choose to do), but Lord I hate jumping through hoops to get to that point. And then there's the question I hate most of all: "Do you have any more questions about our Organization?"

Umm, no?