Death Rattle

It was inevitable that hatred of President Obama would extend to his family. A "Republican" Congressional staffer from Tennessee has written an "open letter" to his daughters, criticizing their, hmm, style, or at least style of dress. She is now a former Congressional staffer. For what it's worth, I had my own take on the episode, not the usual accusation of "racism," except that the belief in "race" is racism:

This is another example of how fuming mad "white" people are about having a "black" president, especially in the South. We're all partly to blame, really, for still referring to people as "white" or "black," when skin color has nothing to do with who we are. We've been touting Obama for six years as the first "black" president, when his skin color isn't black, and HE wouldn't BE "black" even if his skin color were black. The only people who have black skin have been burned. Or tattooed. I was stabbed with a pencil when I was in high school, and have a little black spot. I have more black skin than Obama does.

It's pure stupidity, and pure stupidity is indivisible. The same people who think that they and other people are "black" and "white" approved the Bush invasion of "Iraq" by 90%. That would have to include about 80% of "liberals," if we are to believe that they constitute half the population. Of course that is assuming that ALL non-liberals approved the invasion.

Also, as a whole, "Americans" are contributing and have contributed the lion's share of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, insuring a bleak future for ourselves, and especially our descendents. So much for looking forward seven generations. We can't even look forward one generation, or even ahead to next week. Too many thrills to be had right now. Or pizzas. Chicken. Burgers. Beer. Whiskey. Drugs.

Beyond all that, I wonder what this woman had in mind. It seems likely that she wrote her angry letter after some after-hours drinking and raging about our "black" president. All for something that doesn't exist: "black" beingness. It's as if perceived "black" people just sit around BEING "black." Yuk. Maybe she can get a job at one of Tennessee's many Civil War shrines.

I should probably change the name of this blog to "Death Rattle of America." It's too easy and too obvious. You may have noticed yourself as you amble about that this country is becoming dysfunctional. This morning I almost got hit by two vehicles in two separate incidents that happened within seconds of each other, but independent. One guy took a turn too fast and too far out of the right side of the road. The other was a Ryder truck that came barreling behind me, swerving at the last possible second. The first would have caused serious injury (or more). The second would have been certain death.

C'es la vie. We're here until we aren't, and aren't is becoming increasingly likely. Impaired and distracted driving are rampant. One of my favorite responses is when a pickup truck or SUV is driving slightly behind me in the left lane when I am in the right lane, and just hangs there, with his bright lights glaring in my side mirror. I turn the mirror out and up, so it shines back where it should shine - right in his face. I don't brake so much for tailgaters anymore, having a better car than I used to. It's a no-win situation out on the highways, but I can at least get where I'm going with reasonable safety.

So here we are, in the early days of accelerated decline and fall. Given that the Polar ice caps are melting, I suspect the decline and fall will be a short one. The descent is too steep.
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Here's a great song, great audience. Maybe there's still hope. This calls for an encore. Second encore. Third encore. Fourth encore. Here's Neil Young's great version.

R.I.P. Jack Bruce.  Here's a song from Fresh Cream, one of the best albums ever. Here's another. This too. Here's the full album.