There is no here, here

No doubt you all remember Gertrude Stein's statement, "there's no there, there." Why this was regarded as profound escapes me. This, I think, is in the same category of adored prose as Fitzgerald's (or was it Hemingway's), "the rich are different. Yes, they have more money." I could never understand why either of these was ever considered anything other than rather stupid things to say, but said by famous people. What do I know?

When it comes to here, however, I think there is no here, here, at least not anymore. I was born here, raised here, and still try to live here. But the "here" of my life and experience did (does) not consist of endless war, endless lies, endless secrecy, endless war crimes, endless debt, endless incompetence, endless stupidity, endless graft, endless warprofiteering, endless greed, endless corruption, and endless support of the status-quo. So, the here I have experienced no longer exists. There is no here, here, as far as I can tell. Confused? So am I.

I know nothing of economics (which is, as far as I can tell, truly a "dismal" science). I also know nothing about business, especially big, huge, corporate business. So will someone please explain to me how it is that Toyota, Honda, and now Kia, can build billion dollar plants to manufacture cars in the United States when American businesses claim they have to outsource or move overseas? And, on a more inconsequential matter, how can furniture stores sell furniture with nothing down and no payments or interest for X months? I have wondered about this for a long time. I once saw some graffiti that said, "please help Peter Rabbit, please." That's the way I feel about this. So please?

As there is never any real news on weekends or CNN let me close with this gem from our handicapped fake President. He has apparently signed something or other designating May 29th (Memorial Day) as "a day of prayer for permanent peace." As the so-called Bush doctrine calls for permanent war, and as Bush/Cheney's military-industrial complex expects, even requires, permanent war, this would seem somewhat hypocritical. Actually, this goes beyond the bounds of just the normally hypocritical Bush/Cheney crap, reaching up into the stratosphere of hypocrisy, the apex, so to speak, of hypocrisy, indeed, even the super-duper of hypocrisy. This is the hyper-arrogant, "when you're slapped you'll take it and like it" hypocrisy.

Remember, though, he might be a little slow, but he's a regular guy just like us. The kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with. People like him. May the Great Mystery have mercy on all our souls.