by bill | Nov 27, 2024 | Whatever Else |
“Time is a flat circle.”
—Rustin Cohle
Rust is an unreliable character with known mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as being fictional, but he makes an interesting point here. There are cycles in life, and if you stick around long enough you start to notice the patterns.
For instance 20 years ago, in 2004, I was mourning both the re-election of a hated president and the death of a longtime feline companion. In that case it was George W. Bush and Junior the cat.
20 years before that was 1984, when Ronald Reagan won his second term. I wasn’t as political then as I am now, but I knew enough to be upset about it. And if I’m remembering right, that was also the year my childhood cats passed away. (I wasn’t living with them at the time.)
This year, same again. Each repetition has been a little worse than the last, which makes me worry about 2044. But that’s a long way off and by then I’d be 77, and possibly just glad to be alive. Or not. Who knows what the future holds?
(more…) by bill | Nov 21, 2024 | Bread and circuses |
(With apologies to Ian Dury & the Blockheads.)
My resolution to stay away from the news didn’t last long. When I don’t know what’s going on I tend to imagine the worst; and in truth, there’s something about the current news cycle that I’m finding weirdly encouraging. Let me spillane.
First let’s back up a little bit. Everyone on our side of the aisle has their pet theories about what went wrong in the election; I’ve shared some of mine in previous posts. But I think we’ve all underestimated the role played by sheer stupidity.
I know we‘re trying not to be elitist; supposedly that’s one of the things that makes people vote MAGA. But wanting a manifestly evil and incompetent person to be president is either passively stupid or actively malicious. When you get down to brass tacks, stupidity is the kindest interpretation.
The thing is, That Fucking Guy is himself a stupid person who has a supernatural gift for convincing other stupid people that he’s smart. He’s also got a monstrous ego and doesn’t like to be around people smarter than him. In his first term he allowed himself to be convinced that you need a few smart people around to keep the government running; he resented them deeply and one by one weeded them out over the course of his term.
(more…) by bill | Nov 19, 2024 | Whatever Else |
It’s been two weeks since Election Day and I have still yet to reach the stage of Acceptance. A stubborn part of my brain simply refuses to admit that That Man is going to be president again. It’s like after Godzilla failed to completely destroy Tokyo, the citizens got together and voted to invite him back. I refuse to accept it because it’s absurd and obscene and unconscionable.
I guess that’s Denial. The Anger has ebbed some, but it spikes again every time a new cabinet selection is announced. Watching TFG assemble this team of the least qualified, most obsequious weirdos available has been infuriating — though also, I must admit, kind of entertaining. It’s just too bad the name “Insane Clown Posse” is already taken.
I’d be willing to Bargain if I thought it would accomplish anything. Right now, for instance, my last best hope is that the Senate shows a little backbone and keeps the likes of Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth out of positions of responsibility. I don’t know what chips I have to offer in exchange for that, but I’d be willing to listen to offers. Probably though they will cave and we’ll have a sex and drug criminal as Attorney General, and a weekend Fox News host with issues of his own as leader of the most powerful military the world has ever seen. Sure, why not? Nothing matters and what if it did?
(more…) by bill | Nov 14, 2024 | Bread and circuses |
My resolution to stay away from the news didn’t last long, because I love a train wreck, and TFG’s second cabinet selection is one for the ages. It seems like he’s taking it as a challenge to find the single worst person for every job, and every pick is worse than the one before.
This may have peaked (?) yesterday when the announcement of Tulsi Gabbard — whose notebook has “Mrs. Vladimir Putin” scribbled all over it — as Director of National Intellegence (I can’t even) was immediately followed by the news that Matt Gaetz was going to be AG.
When I told my lovely wife this she burst out laughing. And it is funny, in a sick way. Today we learned that Gaetz resigned from congress immediately afterward in order to spike an ethics report that was about to be released.
It will be interesting — well, important, maybe critical — to see if the Senate stands up at all to these ludicrous appointments. TFG has been asking to be able to just bypass the confirmation process entirely, as any aspiring fascist would. If he gets that we’re well on our way to the Fourth Reich. If he doesn’t, and if the Senate shows at least a little resistance to his picks, it will be a hopeful sign.
Keep watching the skies.
by bill | Nov 13, 2024 | Bread and circuses |
I know I promised you and myself that I would forget about politics for awhile. But yesterday — sometime after learning that a weekend Fox anchor was going to be Secretary of Defense — I had what felt like an important insight, which is: It helps to think like an anarchist.
I mean, if you’re looking for intelligence, compassion, reason, or even bare-minimum competence from That Fucking Guy and the team of malevolent morons he’s assembling, it’s going to be a very long four years for you. But if all you want is chaos, insanity, and eventually maybe the total collapse of the federal government, you may be able to enjoy yourself.
I’ve always thought that people who claim to want anarchy don’t really know what they’re asking for; it’s all fun and games until somebody comes for you. But given the current state of things, it’s looking better and better.
Yes, I feel bad for all the people who are going to be deported, and then — when deportation becomes too expensive and/or complicated — probably just executed. I feel bad for the Kellys and Mattises of the world, who are going to be at the mercy of an unhinged president who’s been told he can do anything he wants and there will be no consequences.
Yes, anyone who speaks up too loudly is going to be in danger. I’ve been picturing a scenario where there’s a big but peaceful protest outside the White House. TFG tells the general in charge to have his troops start shooting people. The general says, sir, I can’t do that, it’s against the law. TFG takes a pistol from his desk and shoots the general in the head. (As far as I can tell, this would be considered within his official duties and therefore entirely legal.) TFG looks over at the next in the chain of command. What do you think is going to happen after that?
Yes, I also feel bad for Ukraine, who may be done as a country now.
And yes, I feel bad for myself, because I am going to have to live in a theocratic dictatorship with a cratering economy. But there I go thinking like a Democrat/democrat again. Must learn to love the madness. I’m working on it.
