Let's hear it for idiocy

I am still trying to recover from last night when I was told that the reason New Orleans disappeared into "Lake George" was because of environmentalists. Their argument, such as it was, claims that environmentalists blocked any attempts to strengthen or improve the dikes, etc. I guess this must mean that every time money was requestead by the Corps of Engineers and others it was granted but it could never be spent because of environmentalists complaints. This seem to totally ignore the known facts that the requests for money were always drastically reduced and plans to strengthen the levees had to be shelved. Similarly, they argued that in any disaster it always takes at least three days to bring relief. Ignore the facts that they were warned well in advance there would be a disaster and in fact did not provide any substantial aid until after four days, and in some cases even longer. They were able to provide aid in Indonesia within 48 hours, and Indonesia is on the other side of the earth. What troubles me the most about this is that these people, who seemed to be otherwise reasonably well educated people, actually believed this nonsense. This interpretation of what happened in New Orleans is so preposterous as to drive any normal person insane. I have always known that there were anti-environmentalists, and I have always know they were not very rational, but I have to admit I was stunned to hear from this couple that the demise of New Orleans was the result of environmentalists and that developers had no role in destroying the wetlands that traditionally protected the city.

After trying to digest the abovementioned absurd claims I read today on Smirking Chimp about the "Young Earth Theory." There are people who actually believe that dinosaurs were created at the same time as people, approximatly 6000 year ago. They were, according to these people, vegetarians in the Garden of Eden until after Adam and Eve sinned when they began eating flesh. They base these beliefs on Genesis and apparently are serious about it. So...they are buying various tourist sites that feature fake dinosaurs and using them to promote their creationist beliefs.

I have never been able to understand how anyone could possibly support Bush/Cheney, the most incredible liars in the history of the U.S. I certainly could never understand how people could believe that Bush talked to God (or was it the other way around). Bush has to be the greatest phony ever foisted on the American public, stumbling and bumbling and incompetent beyond belief. But they still support him. How can that be? Well, consider the two examples above. If people can believe utter nonsense like that, of course they can believe in Bush. I repeat what I have said previously, people that stupid should not be allowed to vote. You have to have a driver's license to drive, a license for guns, and such things, why should you not have a license to vote? You should have to display at least some semblance of contact with reality. As it is now the insane can vote, at least some criminals can vote, illiterates can vote, large numbers of people who pay no attention until voting day, vote, and so on. Even right wing Republicans who have no minds at all are allowed to vote. There ought to be a basic course in democracy (Democracy 101) that everyone who wants to vote should be required to take. And voting should be mandatory for every citizen of the U.S.

My wife is currently the acting head of the local Democratic Party. Her attempt to become the de facto head of the party is being challenged because she is suspected of being (hold your breath) an environmentalist (which she sort of is). Thus I fantasize about waiting until everyone is present at the next meeting and then entering before her shouting something to the effect of: "The environmentalist is coming! The environmentalist is coming! Either lock you doors or flee for your lives. Flee to the cities as the forests will be too dangerous. She will want to save the caribou, the grizzly bears and the burbot and has other subversive, communist plans in her agenda. She personally shot down the city's marvelous plan for a pulp mill fifteen years before she ever even heard of our city. So beware! Beware! She might even be sympathetic to Cindy Sheehan. She might even be in cahoots with the UN black helicopters hovering at the Canadian Border to come in and steal your lawn chairs." She apparently has two opponents, one who has never attended a meeting of Democrats (and may not even know he has been suggested) and another who modestly suggested himself. They are concerned that the local Democratic Party has moved too far to the "left." As so far the local Democratic Party hasn't moved at all, this is a bit of a mystery. But it is all so sick I can't go on.

There is an old gambler's saying: "If you can't beat it, don't knock it."