Eschew Obfuscation

Orthodox Jews, forbidden
anything by mouth during Yom Kippur,
turn to caffeine suppositories.

I confess I do not understand the problem with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It seems perfectly obvious that eventually this is a policy that will be given up. Apparently the Pentagon insists there needs to be more study before it should be implemented. I find it impossible to believe that after all these years the policy has not been studied to death, quite likely more than once. No further studies should be necessary. I also don’t understand why they believe they have to prepare for the implementation. What is it, precisely, they have to prepare? Are they going to remodel all military living quarters so Gays can be separated from others? Perhaps they need to install all new showers? the fact that virtually all other armies have had Gays serving for years with no particular problems means nothing to our military planners. As some of our highest level Generals have stated the policy should end, and as President Obama has said it should end, and as it is pretty clear that most ordinary soldiers could care less about it, and as we ourselves have had Gays in the military for years serving with distinction and honor, and as the courts have said it is unconstitutional and should cease, one would think it should not be such a problem. So why is it? Why the stalling, the obfuscation?

I don’t think I have ever looked forward to an election more eagerly than this one. I am so tired of hearing about it I just want it to be over. Sometimes I think I don’t even care anymore who wins, just get it mercifully over. Of course I do care who wins as the thought of a bunch of near lunatics being in positions of power and authority is frightening. I mean, like, don’t we already have enough screwy Congresspersons and Senators? I would have thought that candidates like O’Connell and Angle, along with Rand Paul, Joe Miller and Buck in Colorado would simply be laughed off the stage, but to my surprise and chagrin they were and are not. And the idea that Sarah Palin could be President I find so utterly absurd I don’t know how to react to it. I have had to conclude after observing this for the past few months that the U.S. is no longer interested in democracy or even in serious government. I think this may well be that it doesn’t really matter how ignorant or pedestrian the candidates are, they will just be servants of the corporations that finance them and keep them in office. Our politics have degenerated into little more than a charade, like betting against a two-headed coin. The powers that be select the candidates so whoever wins will be fine with them, we will have had our opportunity to vote even though it really doesn’t matter, to pretend we are a democracy even though the dice are loaded from the very beginning. While it may be true the respective platforms of the two parties may differ, as a practical matter the eventual outcomes will be pretty much the same. As compromise is the essence of our so-called democracy, no truly substantial changes can take place. The recent health care legislation is a good case in point, although it might have a couple of good features it was far from being what would be far more desirable and what was favored by serious reformers.

LKBIQ:

We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it.
Dave Barry

TILT:
There are no moles in Ireland.