For the First Time in Years, I'm in Love

[Ignore "Read more"]
Read more...

Pretty Much What Fred Says

Can't disagree with ol' Fred here:

Next, I will essay the unthinkable for American diplomacy, if it be such, namely cultivating some slight understanding of how others see things instead of always sending the Marines. I know, I know: I risk being called a commie homo prevert, and accused of hating America, and not being brainlessly truculent in the name of endocrine patriotism. But I will make this sacrifice for my country.

For example, Iran, which mysteriously seems not to like us. Why might Iranians not appreciate our enthusiasms for democracy and human rights? In 1953 the wretched CIA, always making trouble for us, overthrew the elected ruler and installed the Shah, a brutal bastard. What did we care? We were surfing at Malibu. Then we supported our good ally Saddam Hussein against Iran in a bloody war started for us by Saddam, and now we freeze Iran’s assets and threaten to bomb it, and we  wreck its perfectly legal atomic program with funny viruses. How could that upset them? Baffling.

More Fred here.

[Ignore "Read more"]

Read more...

Eyes > Stomach

[Ignore "Read more"]
Read more...

Green?

Supergreen.

Been thinking about verdancy.

Had enough of the soot-black, trash-strewn snow piles.

Thus ends my winter complaining.

Time for a song:


[Ignore "Read more"]
Read more...

Things We'll Never See Again

Ronald Reagan often wore a brown suit while president, sometimes even an ugly sportcoat a la Johnny Carson. I'm pretty sure we'll never see that again. Now it's only blue or black, regardless of party affiliation (maybe a charcoal pinstripe every once in a while but don't hold your breath). Just stick to blue or black and don't forget the flag pin.

There's something sad, and vaguely sinister, about that turn of events. It speaks to me of paths not taken--not only not taken, but dynamited over so that nobody can ever go down that path again. 

And I know that dynamite came courtesy of some slick asshole--plucked from an endless pool of slick assholes--with a PowerPoint presentation and a shitload of focus-group studies that explain exactly why it's just got to be black or blue. We've been on that particular path for a long, long time, so it's no surprise we can't get even this little bit of sartorial leadership from our leaders.

I can hear you saying "How absolutely pimp would it be for somebody to bust out a brown suit? And St. Ronnie wore brown, so some brave soul could hang his hat on that, right? " Yeah, but no. Trying to think about that is like trying to think about the square root of -1 or what's on the other side of the edge of the universe. You just can't do it because it's actually impossible--the known rules of the universe prevent you from even contemplating it. 

That dope-as-hell alternate future no longer exists and I'll just have to learn to live with it.
Read more...