There will be no pictures tonight either. Boy have I ever spoiled you guys!!!
This to say about the Congressman Bachus/Bill Maher thing: Bachus would have been able to avoid looking like an ass had he done just the slightest bit of research. Anyone who has listened to Bill Maher or bothered to read (or even skim) one of his books knows that Maher's patriotism is unflinching. His remark about the recruiting failures of the military was not a slam against the soldiers but against the recruiting process and sorry pay of these heroes who put themselves in harms way.
Bachus cries treason. Bill Maher is generally the sole voice of reason. I say this as a parent with a son who spent three years listening to the North Koreans and who is now scheduled for Kuwait. I say this as someone who isn't particularly worried about Bill Maher. Bill is a big boy and will handle this. It won't be the last time. What worries me is that a congressman, however misinformed, feels that he can comfortably yell so loudly against freedom of speech.
We had better be damned careful. We'd better stop being so complacent. And, when the hell did we stop taking responsibility for protecting all our rights?
Once again, I recommend Maher's Amazon.com: Books: When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden
I saw Revenge of the Sith today. It strikes me that a couple of things separates Star Wars fans from other people. One is the willingness (and ability) to read three paragraphs of text before each movie. The other is the ability to become twelve years old on command. As the opening battle sequence unfolded, I sure wished I could see it as a kid, so for a couple of hours, I became one. It enabled me to overlook the things in the dialog that would be uh, problematic to the grown-up Lisa. Being twelve simply let me visit that universe, once again. What an amazing place it is.
Maybe tomorrow I will brave the studio again. I seem to pull myself up to the edge of this hole, then slide right back down into it. Maybe it's just the onset of hell (summer). Or maybe it's this list of have-to's I have to finish before I can start anything inspired. Tonight I'm going work on a letter to Mr. Bachus (R) Alabama. That might prove inspirational.
watch listen think for yourself
g'night
2 comments:
Yup, I saw the Bachus/Maher debacle, too, and sighed. Then I noticed that seven brave and thoughtful Republican senators linked arms with sanity and stopped the Constitution-shattering "nuclear option", at least for now. And, the House of Representatives (that bastion of lunacy) has Thumbed its collective Nose at the White House on Stem Cell research.
I dunno, call me a hopeless optimist, but despite the DeLays and Frists and Bachuses and Robertsons that would stomp all over the loveable, shakey monstrosity that is American government, there seem to be a few glimmers of reason and moderation sparkling on the horizon. It's been a dark time. A very dark time. But perhaps the mind-numbing apathy that threatens us daily hasn't swallowed up all the sheep...not yet.
Thanks for the reminder....
The root of the problem, as you have noted so many times, so many ways, is that this country is inhabited largely by sheep who just happen to have the right to vote. And they let their preacher man, congresscritter or herd leader tell them what to think, because it is so much easier to let someone else do the thinking (and besides, if they didn't make the actual decision, they can't be culpable can they?)
What is an unfortunate side effect of this mentality is that folks like Bachus get elected, and then it takes either a scandal or some other disaster to get the loser out of his place of power. Want to amend the Constitution O ye of the Hill? How about term limits? It's good enough for the President, it should be good enough for you, and would at least put a limit on how much damage one can wreak.
What is an even more unfortunate sife effect is that many of the sheep don't even know (and therefore don't care) about what protections the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee every citizen. And when the only thing that comes out of someone's mouth is "baaaaaaaaaa!", it isn't too surprising that they support stifling of speech that makes the uncomfortable, especially when it involves ugly truths about their God-fearing Village Idiot, erm, President.
The trick is to figure out how to motivate the non-sheep, to make them realize that the path of least resistance will lead to a loss of all the rights we hold dear. This is where I draw the blank, because I find it hard enough work to keep myself informed and active as necessary.
Post a Comment