Baying at the Moon?

Alabama Evangelist gets life
plus 51 years for killing his wife,
storing her body in freezer.

Is Representative Alan Grayson of Florida (bless him) simply baying at the moon, or might he actually get some attention for doing the right thing? He is sponsoring a bill, HR 5353, called appropriately enough, The War is Making Your Poor, that would deny the 159 billion dollars Obama is asking for over and above the Defense Budget of 549 billion. He points out that as our Defense Budget is larger than all the rest of the world combined it ought to be enough to fund the ongoing “wars” without additional funding. What a novel idea. I wonder why no one ever thought of it before. Of course it won’t have even a remote chance of passing, it’s far too sensible and realistic for our present Congress of Dunces. Grayson is smart. I’m sure he knows that the 549 billion for defense has little to do with defense and much to do with maintaining the military/industrial/political complex that has us firmly in its grasp and is not likely to let go. But it’s a great attempt nonetheless to maybe restore some sanity to our increasingly militaristic culture. Grayson claims this bill would make it possible for every American to receive a tax break for the first $35,000 of income, and would also reduce the debt by 16 billion. I’m not necessarily keen on the tax break idea as I think if Americans are not willing to take to the streets, telephones, televisions, internet, and etc. to protest these two ridiculous “wars” they probably ought to suffer. But I have to admit it makes a compelling selling point. I love this guy, I wish we had a few hundred more just like him. I hope he will not become another Dennis Kucinich, a rare sane and intelligent voice crying out in the midst of a cacophony of insanity and stupidity.

And speaking of insanity and stupidity, I sincerely hope that anyone who will now say “drill, baby, drill” will be immediately led off to the nearest insane asylum. It is not comforting to know that BP has been lying to us from the very beginning and the oil spill is immeasurably larger than we were led to believe. The oil has now reached the marshes of Louisiana and the currents that could take it all the way up the Atlantic coast. Maybe the tax break Grayson is promoting will help us pay for the damage, you can be pretty sure that BP will not pay for it all in spite of their claims to the contrary. As there is no longer accountability in the U.S. there is no responsibility either. BP seems to be well aware of this as they deny responsibility for their absolutely criminal behavior.

I am already sick about hearing anything more about Rand Paul. He can be partly excused, I think, because he is a medical doctor. Medical doctors are among the most poorly educated among us and aside from their medical specialty rarely know much about anything else. This is built into medical curriculum that, from the very beginning, demands such a rigorous agenda of certain scientific courses to qualify one for medical school there is virtually no time for learning anything in general. As an anthropologist who worked for many years in medical schools and with medical doctors I must say I was often dumbfounded, even appalled by some of the questions they asked me. Howard Dean seems to be a bit of an exception.

LKBIQ:
Doctors don't know everything really. They understand matter, not spirit. And you and I live in spirit.
William Saroyan

TILT:
Koalas are not bears, but marsupials.