cognitive chafing

Take this whole recent Pat Tillman thing for example. First off, what happened to that poor bastard is just plain wrong. No matter how you put lipstick on it, it's still gonna be a pig.

What Pat Tillman thing? This one.

It's big, it's mean, and boy, is it ugly.

Isn't there something about it though that just rubs ya wrong, like one of those nights back in college when you got drunk and fell in the creek and had to spend the rest of the night walking around in a pair of wet Levi's 501s? Oooh, the chafing.

Let's not even mess with the irony at best, or sheer self-centered cynicism at worst, of the fair and balanced side of things telling you, "move along, there is nothing to see here" while funding their frequent nemesis and failing to defend this guy.

Let's for a moment wonder why this side is shouting , or at least saying in a possibly somewhat louder than normal tone of voice, "Shenanigans! Fifteen yards and loss of down!" when they are quietly one of the big money makers (#9) of the game.

Ooh, the chafing.

Kinda makes me wonder about the veracity of that whole "left-right" "liberal-conservative" distinction.

It's like the oldest trick in the book, most preferred by magicians and hucksters since time immemorial: use the left hand to distract you from watching the right hand and then just kick you fucking hard in the nuts. BLAM! A boot to the groin.

So let's all clench our knees and cup our hands over our goodies and brace for impact.

And really now, do they really have something to hide or is this just a continuation of the increased dickishness (as in Cheney?) of the American Presidency? It almost defies all logic and explanation to the point where the only reasonable conclusion is the most nefarious one.

Again I say, yes that's right, again I say. . .

Oooh, the chafing.

boogeyman

We're being set up. Or maybe we're not. I am not sure which.

We're heading for the day of reckoning I'm telling ya,
Its all building up to something,
Something that can be redeemed with fire
- Pete Townsend, "Give Blood"

I am getting the distinct feeling that something is happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear, and while there might be a man with a gun over there the young people are seemingly far to distracted and complacent with their Playstations or pimping their rides or pumping up their false sense of MySpace celebrity to have much of a mind to speak.

And it's really fucked up. I mean, really.

Where to begin?

Sigh. . .

This will be a long one, my dear reader, doled out in installments. . .

Let's try starting here:

On July 24, Mr. Bush gave a speech where he mentioned Osama bin Laden by name 23 times.

[23 times?!?]

Presumably this was to remind us that the Boogeyman responsible for the worst attack on American soil, er, I'm sorry, the Homeland, is still lurking in the shadows Hell-bent on our destruction.

Okay, let's just go with that for a minute and assume that to be true.

Then why, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 would the U.S. Government allow two dozen members of his family to fly out of the country without so much as a question regarding the whereabouts or doings of their kinsman? Yes, yes, I know, they are "estranged" and all, but still, one of them might know something. How come nobody bothered to ask?

Is he even still alive? Fox News reported his death in 2001. Apparently, the French press reported bin Laden died last August. White House spokesperson Fran Townsend seemed to get a bit testy when asked about bin Laden's health near the end of a press conference last week.

New video? Hah! Only if you believe he found the Fountain of Youth.

What's with all the obfuscation from the current administration regarding the status of the man that is wanted "dead or alive"?

Is it because the Munchkins were no longer afraid of the Wicked Witch after Dorothy crushed her with a house?

The Power of Nightmares

or for the more multi-media minded:

The Power of Nightmares

Here endeth Part One.

Digest. Discuss.

bleating and babbling

Chertoff bases warning of terror risk on 'gut feeling'

They're using fear to steal
What we are guaranteed to keep
A war on music, drugs, or terror
Seems to very week by week
The ink on the parchment's fading
There are wolves among the sheep
Jesus, though a righteous dude
Was wrong about the meek