Warrior Nation

There is something on pay-per-view television called Warrior Nation. This is fighting of the most brutal, disgusting, and disturbing kind. Unlike boxing there appear to be no rules and nothing seems to be ruled out - kicking, kneeing, hitting your opponent while down, and I don't know what all else (I have never actually watched one of these stupid matches). This appears to be primitive savagery or barbarism of the worst kind. Personally, I find it impossible to understand how anyone would engage in this behavior and what is worse, why would anyone pay to watch it. Professional wrestling, as silly as it is, is at least rehearsed and put on as entertainment. Warrior Nation is more like the gladiatorial excesses of ancient Rome. I do not understand why this is allowed. We have laws against cockfighting and dogfighting but this is allowed to exist on television and presumably has an audience? I conclude there are a lot of really sick people out there.

Speaking of such things. Way back at the beginning of the Iraq "war," maybe even before it had actually begun and we were still thinking about it, I saw a bumper sticker on one of those silly raised up pickup trucks so common in North Idaho. This was in Sandpoint. It said, "Nuke Their Ass and Steal Their Gas." At the time I dismissed this as another redneck lunatic trying to get attention. I didn't realize that it might actually come true. While we haven't nuked anyone yet there are rumors that this might happen in Iran. Lunatics are obviously not confined to Sandpoint, Idaho. You see a lot of stupid bumper stickers here: "Hungry and out of work, eat an environmentalist," "This vehicle protected by Smith and Weston," "Let's log the earth first and then move on to the next planet," stuff like that. These usually appear on raised pickups, dual wheeled pickups, or those with the gun racks on the rear windows. They don't usually appear on ordinary sedans or even vans. Anyway, I suggest that there should be a generic bumper sticker for these guys, one that states merely, "I am an idiot." These could also be given to those who have bumper stickers that read, "Proud to be a Redneck," "Proud to be a Republican," or "Proud to be a Bush Supporter." These latter are becoming increasingly rare.

I can hardly wait until tomorrow afternoon when Bush is to present his plan for Iraq. If the leaks are correct he is going to predictably call for an increase in troops (that we don't really have to spare), for a limited amount of time (probably forever), for a mission (that is unclear), to try to salvage the unsalvageable (victory), for reasons that are political (rather than military), and will inevitably fail (as they have no anchor in reality), to establish a legacy (that is already known and will never change). Bush/Cheney have already dragged our wonderful country so far down into the sewers of history that perhaps one more disaster won't really matter that much.

Will anyone do anything substantial to stop him? Or will we just go on talking the talk but avoid walking the walk? These are, indeed, trying times.