19 June 2008

We the People!

I wanted my first blog entry to be meaningful, to have resonance, to cause people (you) to put down their can of beer, leave their couches, slip some threads over their near-naked, clad in underwear only carcasses (See! I know my Texans) and take to the streets to denounce arrogance and perfidy in government and to demand that our representatives read, at the very least, the preamble to the Constitution of the United States. I'm not saying they should make it a weekend project and read the whole thing.

But at least the Preamble, don’t you think? You know, that bit about We the People! You know! That whole shtick about a more perfect union, establishment of justice, common defense, general welfare, and blessings of liberty for all of us, and our kids, and grandkids to follow. Riiiiight! That one.

The one that does not say one danged thing about the oil companies, defense industries, insurance oligarchs, or other stateless, international corporations who now own our politicians, from city hall to the White House, and who effectively use our military to advance their world-wide goals and increase their profits.

The one that does not tell us how we’re supposed to comprehend how it is that, as of this moment, 4106 of our valiant military have already died in the sands of Iraq in order that the major oil companies can return to the concessions that Saddam threw them out of over three decades ago. Bad move there Saddam—them there old boys in the "ahl bidness" don’t let go of stuff like that! Acceptance is not part of their vernacular. Though, now they’re getting close to closure.

I would have ragged about those deaths being sanitized by a compliant corporate media that never shows us the coffins or the mangled bodies from the combat. And, I would have really scaled to heights of dudgeon and outrage when I informed you that our fine Senators, Cornyn and Hutchison have, over the past eight years, accepted $1,211,475 and $903,989 respectively from the oil companies, who are now getting ready to cash in on that invasion and occupation of Iraq. My own congressman, Hensarling, has dipped into that pot for only $175,850---but, give him a break. He's been at it for half as long.


Oh yeah, they each voted for oil company interests 100%, during that time span. Hensarling only 82% of the time. But, c'mon...he's new to the gme. He'll catch up.

So, that was the direction I was going to go with things, but decided people just hate to get preached at, so I decided to go in a different direction. Anyway, I think people get weary of hearing about how our nation has become known for its ability to torture “suspects” and redefine that torture as an “alternative set of procedures” or “refined interrogation techniques”.


And, aren’t some of us just sick to death of being told that our president lied us into Iraq, and that we are now engaged in an occupation of a country at war with its self. I mean, that’s the sort of thing that only a dry-drunk sociopath would do, right? No one wants to really believe that the leader of the United States is so spiritually crippled and morally deformed that he would do such, now do they?

I might have thrown in some of my personal outrage at this administration’s war against seniors with its pincher movement of twin fronts of attack: Handing Social Security over to Wall Street and Medicare over to the HMOs, Drug Companies and Insurance Oligarchs.

But, I changed my mind and decided to talk about the Astros instead. This way you get to stay in your underwear, pop another cool one, and never leave the couch.

Getting them to the World Series is as close to the pursuit of happiness as I can bring myself right now.

So whatcha think? It’s the pitching ain’t it?

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