Glenn Beck?

Roman Catholic Nun with
gin-filled water bottle,
arrested for drunk driving.

Help! I think I am drowning in my pathetic lack of comprehension. My country does not make sense to me. I cannot understand what is happening. Since when, for example, is Glenn Beck important enough to bring about the resignation of Van Jones? Is there some significant percentage of the population that takes the pathetically irresponsible, even utterly ridiculous Beck, significant enough to bring down a genuinely fine and capable member of Obama’s administration? I know, of course, that it wasn’t Beck himself that brought about this nefarious and harmful outcome, but he does, apparently, act as the most visible spokesperson for those who would destroy our environment on their way to their short-term profits. Now it is said Beck has his sights on others in the administration. What I don’t understand about this is why Obama or anyone else would even take Beck seriously and not just ignore him. He is truly just a ridiculous little man who spouts complete and utter nonsense daily, courtesy of Fox fake news. Who besides a small coterie of utter loons cares what Glenn Beck says or thinks? Obama should never have allowed Van Jones to resign, no matter what. He has a shameful history of caving in to the most insignificant criticisms of his administration. He should have just allowed Beck to stand there baying at the moon and ignored him completely. Knowing that Beck apparently has enough clout to bring about a resignation of this magnitude does not instill in me much confidence in Obama.

Of course I have a long and illustrious history of being wrong about what I believe Americans will do. For example, I said Richard Nixon could never be elected President. I said Reagan could never be elected President. I said Gropenfuhrer Schwartzeneger could never be elected Governor of California. I said George W. Bush could never be elected President. Obviously I have been, and continue to be, out of touch with my fellow citizens. I based all of my incorrect prognostications on the simple idea that Americans were intelligent enough to do the best thing for their country. I have sort of learned, but perhaps not enough. I would say that there is absolutely no chance whatsoever that Sarah Palin could ever, under any circumstances, become President of the U.S. (given my record, this frightens me). I would also say that at the moment there is no chance whatsoever that the Republicans will be able to recapture power by 2012 (unhappily, I am having to reconsider). Someone has already suggested that the Republicans may try to try David (Betray us) Petraeus in 2012 (this, too, frightens me). The reason I have lost my confidence and fear things like this is because Obama has proven himself to be not the person I thought he was. I thought he was strong but he is weak, “weak as water,” as dear old Molly Sugden used to say (not a very good saying as water is actually very strong). Now, if he doesn’t insist on a public option on Wednesday, he will just confirm his weakness once again. I regard this as most probably the last chance to get any meaningful change in “the system.” If Insurance and the Pharmaceuticals win again, we will know we are doomed to live out the rest of our lives as wage slaves, modern day peasants, perennially in debt to “the company store” (in the form of questionable insurance payments, credit cards, mortgages, and other banking and Insurance tools of indenture), eating the terrible and unhealthy food the agribusinesses provide for us, and risking our lives to the whims of Insurance, Banking, and Drug moguls. This is not a future I want, and I have thought (erroneously again, I guess) that Obama would be the person to save us. For me this is a do-or-die moment. If we cannot break away now from the corporate stranglehold that has us all in their power, it is unlikely that we ever will. But look on the bright side, you’ll probably have a ringside seat for humanicide.

Carried away by cynicism, as I sometimes am, I suspect one reason Republicans are so adamantly opposed to health care for everyone, is that it does away with Democrats, or those who would most probably vote Democratic. It is said that some 18,000 people die each year from the lack of health care. How many of those do you suppose are Democrats as opposed to Republicans? My guess is the vast majority. Similarly, although I know there are Republicans here in my own county with no health care, I believe this is quite exceptional (it is North Idaho, after all), and that in general the mass of noninsured people are the Poor, Black, Hispanic, and other minorities. How many of these uninsured people do you think are Republicans? Not many, I bet. Thus, most everyone who dies as a result of not having health care, means one less vote for Democrats (in general, of course, not absolutely). So why would Republicans want universal health care, it just costs them votes. You think this is cynical? More cynical than Republicans telling us that Obama’s health care plan will discriminate against Republicans? More cynical that their claiming it will result in killing old people? Women with breast cancer? Handicapped children? More cynical than their claiming that Obama is Hitler? In the eyes of Republicans, these uninsured people are basically just a population in excess of what is needed nowadays for labor, a surplus with unreasonable demands for fair play, decent jobs, and health care. In other words, money that could be better spent on mansions, yachts, gold plumbing, and all the other luxuries they have been accustomed to having for far too many years.

KKBIQ:
In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
Leo Tolstoy

TILT:
Rabbit urine, high in nitrogen, makes lemon trees highly productive.