A beautiful summer day in the great ex-urbs of Chicago it is. About 75 degrees not a cloud in the sky. But August is just over the horizon – like the day’s new sun lightening the eastern sky. August is usually hell month here on the prairie what with heat and humidity unrelenting in its ferocity.
When I was a kid, we had no air conditioning which is why we all hated August. I can distinctly remember some nights lying in a pool of my own sweat, feeling the heat like a large hand clutching my chest, knowing that my other two brothers sleeping in the same room were wide awake also. If it got too bad, my mother would let us go down in the basement where it was always a good 20 degrees cooler.
For all the talk of global warming – and Al Gore is the only one stupid enough to take the temperature from one year or even a decade and try and make a point that the planet is warming up – I think it is actually cooler these last few years in August than it was in the 60’s and 70’s. Or perhaps when I get older, the heat doesn’t bother me as much.
The cold certainly does. And after August, comes September, football – and fall. My bones creak at the thought of another Chicago winter. My friend Louie the barber and I talk about it constantly. For him, it opening a little barbershop in St. Pete’s. I’m more of a Panhandle man myself. Maybe Zsu Zsu and I could find ourselves a little beach house on the gulf coast. Day trips to Biloxi. Overnights to New Orleans (if they ever rebuild it).
And speaking of Katrina, get a load of this diary that was featured at DailyKos:
“I have never in my 50 years of life been more frightened then I am now. I have seen the arrogance of this White House and the massive damage done to our country. But the Katrina-size storm clouds are gathering folks. If we do not wake up now and flood Congress to impeach the President and Vice President, one year from now, Daily Kos may be banned and Markos himself may be disappeared, in a federal prison somewhere.Even as I write these words I feel like a wild-eyed nutcase. If it were not for the OH SO REAL danger this country faces in the next 15 months or so as the people in power see their own doom and are determined to prevent their expulsion from power by suspending next year’s elections and declaring martial law WHEN the next 9/11 comes or events that can be construed as a national emergency to “justify” such actions, I would be holding my tongue and crossing my fingers.
There are times when words of condemnation or hilarity just won’t do. The English language is an extraordinary invention – a riot of tonal images and visual noises. But in the case of this deluded infant, there is no language ever invented, no picture ever drawn, no music ever recorded that could begin to describe such utter nonsense.
It gets better. Much better:
If we cross our fingers hard enough and hold our breath (and close our eyes, and tap our ruby slippers together) maybe we’ll wake up to a beautiful new dawn January 20, 2009. Maybe even Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny will help elect a Democratic White House and stronger Democratic Congress.What will it take to wake US up, let alone the average out-of-touch-with-reality American? What will it take? I thought about martial law the other day and I never thought I would actually hope illegal militias in the United States would be our final hope against a real dictatorship – that Americans will rise up with arms against a dictatorial government.
A Kossack pleading for help from the forest people? A progressive in good standing asking for help to save the United States from the Aryan Kluxers who slink through the jungles of the American northwest waiting for the race war and the fulfillment of The Turner Diaries? We are looking for our salvation from these guys? These inbred goober chewing yip yips are going to go up against the United States Army and win the day?
Don’t you find it just a little bit interesting that the diarist himself would never even contemplate taking up arms to defend the Constitution, to defend freedom?
More please:
But I fear even that hope is farfetched. Remember 9/11? Remember how most Americans were rah-rah patriotic (including me) and flying flags everywhere and supporting the President at 90% approval (including me)? Now I don’t know how and if we will have a disaster equal in casualties to 9/11 or worse, but even a series of London type bombings killing “only” a few dozen Americans may be all that is needed to institute martial law and cause most Americans, in fear, to rally around a President who warned them Al Quada was after us and that he will protect us with extraordinary means. He will say “these measures” are now needed to ensure no further attacks are done.....This is deadly serious folks. This is not just another diary. We ignore this threat at our own peril. I would suggest even I in writing articles like this and the many writers at Daily Kos are personally at risk of being arrested in a future dictatorial United States. The government will use these writings as an excuse to put us away.
The diarist – whose moniker slw606 could either be referring to the ward and room number of the mental institution he’s in or his Home Depot employee number – without any irony whatsoever sadly concludes that his wish for the far right militias to take out the Bush Administration is “farfetched.”
Someone remind me why they call themselves the reality based community?
And if I have to sit and read one more dire warning about the Bushies pulling off “another 9/11” (presupposing they were responsible for the first one) in order to set up a dictatorship I’m going to turn in my Daily Kos Super Decoder Ring and tear up my copy of the Liberal Manifesto. When another attack happens – just as the left did with Katrina – before the bodies are cold they’re going to be screaming that it was Bush’s fault, that it’s just a plot to set up a fascist state.
And, of course, when the elections go off without a hitch and the peaceful transfer of power is achieved as it has been done every four years in the history of the republic, what then my friends? Will you smile a sheepish smile and say how wrong you were? Will you finally realize how deluded your fantasies have been these last 6 years?
Too easy.
The gentleman is right that “this is not just another diary.” It is full blown moonbattery in its finest, truest sense. But what do we make of this?
“I would suggest even I in writing articles like this and the many writers at Daily Kos are personally at risk of being arrested in a future dictatorial United States. The government will use these writings as an excuse to put us away.”
I must say, that’s heroic. Monumentally brave. What about me, though? Am I at risk? I only criticize the Bushies a little bit so maybe they’ll let me be. Should I stop calling Bush names?
I am not a violent man. But am I the only one who wants to grab this idiot by the shoulders and start slapping his face, hoping against hope that it will knock some sense into him?
Finally:
I say WAKE UP Daily Kos!! If the people at Daily Kos cannot take this seriously and try and do something about it, then the United States, as a free country IS doomed. Enjoy your freedom to read and write at such sites as Daily Kos, because that freedom will be taken away WHEN Bush declares martial law.
I will take it as seriously as it deserves. Which is not seriously at all.
(Hat Tip: John Hawkins)
6:18 pm
Rick
My family left New York the spring after all the kids in our family were that winter sitting in their snowsuits in the kitchen of the house with our feet stuck in the oven to keep them from freezing.
This was the same kitchen my mother couldn’t mop the floor in from October to March because it would just ice the floor.
Move south if you wish, but if you choose to go to New Orleans, a few words of advice, Body Armor.
With 20 years of visiting and 4 years living there just before the hurricane I do not jest.
If you move slow, even that won’t help.
The favorite tactic there is walking up behind someone, putting a 9mm to the ear and saying “this is for disrespecting me b**ch”. About a half a clip later, it doesn’t matter any more.
6:37 pm
Think I’m kidding, read the kill numbers, with half the population today they are still on track to blow past the number of dead from years ago.
Read the archives of the paper there before the storm. The weekend edition always had the police blotter with all the cruel stats.
The stories of all the rapes, murders and other killings.
Mothers ripped off street corner waiting for a bus to be raped and killed with children under the age of 3 left on the corner without regard if they would wander into busy traffic and become modern day road kill.
Doctors, lawyers , school teachers and retired people shot at random in shopping center parking lots, just because someone could.
Now try to tell me the music makes it all worth it.
6:55 pm
My dear departed wife was with me there and she was a very beautiful woman who was considered a high value target there.
In the 3 years she was there some made the mistake to try her, because she was a national champion pistol shot.
She got one with a tripple tap to the knee cap , another with two double taps to each shoulder blade and two more with drilling right through their eye socket.
Each case was judged a fair shoot.
8:13 pm
Hot summers:
Yup, it sure seemed hotter when I was a kid, too. I’d spend half an hour getting the big, clunky, noisy metal fan (with the grated cover any kid’s fingers could fit through—man, didn’t you just WANT to stick ‘em in there and see if it would hurt?) adjusted just so for maximum sleep coverage. You’d lay there and feel the sweat giving way to gravity on every inch of your skin. Yes, sir, it was HOT back in the day here in the Midwest. I mean does anyone even burn holes in fallen leaves with magnifying glasses and the sun anymore?
On the Kos whack-a-doodle:
What can one say? They don’t call it Bush Derangement Syndrome for nothing. What will they do with all that pent up lunacy when ‘08 comes and goes? What/who will be the next object of their delusions? I suppose with that kind of rabid insanity gnawing holes in their brains, they’ll have to start eating their own. Whatever, it’s going to be fun to watch.
9:31 pm
Stay away from the kooks at Kos. And on the right, if I ever take up smoking crack, I want the kind Bill Krystol smokes:
“Why Bush Will Be A Winner”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301709.html
9:41 pm
In the first case the perp got off with 3 months probation in the second he got six.
At that time my wife pillow talked me how she thought is was such a crock of sh**.
With the next two perps she eliminated the doubt factor.
My wife said to me she didn’t want to have to look over her shoulder each day going to the store to shop for food to worry if the perp was drawing a bead on her or his son , wife , cousin or mother in law.
If she had to draw from all those potential shooters she said well the least I can do is take them down without malice because the other shooters will still be there.
She said the best I can hope for is that if I take them down, those around them will know from their past it was just a matter of time until someone did.
5:02 am
The Lonely Trail…
California Republican Duncan Hunter is leading a cash and organization-starved campaign that’s looking for a lucky break in New Hampshire. But any candidate that hasn’t captured the all-important media spotlight is going to have a difficult time brea…
7:25 am
Well, Rick Moran, what about this?
(1) Possible, maybe even likely that the USA will start to air-raid Iran soon.
(2) Possible, maybe even likely then that Iran will retaliate with some success: f.e. stop oil transport through the Persian Gulf for quite some time.
(3) Very likely, then, the oil price will surge to heights that will desastrously affect global economy. The Dollar might collapse. The credit culture on which US economy builds might collapse, ensuing a very deep economical crisis in the USA. Millions of jobs lost, etc…
(4) Then, possibly, a state of emergency might be called in the USA. The “unitary executive” might claim dictatorial powers to uphold the security of the people and to meet the evil enemy abroad with radical escalation of the conflict domestically and internationally. Maybe Iran will be nuked.
(5) The whole world – mired in global crisis now, political and economical – may spiral out of control, and that might justify longterm dictatorial suppression of all dissent in the USA.
Rick Moran, that is only kind of worst case scenario. Unfortunately it is one that we have to take into account nowadays.
I do not think that it is the most likely scenario, though.
In one important respect I agree with your critique of the Kos diary:
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” (FDR)
This diary is fear-mongering. But any real danger demands coolness from us. Never act from fear!
The President’s fear-mongering concerning terrorism finds its equivalent in some liberal fear-mongering.
There are real dangers, and terrorism is one of them. But government’s fear-mongering to acquire dictatorial power is also a real danger. That is something you conveniently forget.
4:22 pm
You know Leo, you’re right. Some fears are justified. I know I won’t feel totally safe here in the U.S. until Barack O’Bama is Commander-in-Chief, John Edwards is the Vice President and Dick Durbin is the Senate Majority Leader.
We’ll have Rahm Emmanuel as Secretary of Defense and we’ll have Patrick Leahy as Secretary of State.
And only then, will I be able to put my feet up, heave a heavy sigh and and relish in the fact that me and my family are truly safe and sound.
4:25 pm
That comment was the last straw for Leo. He’s history. If he wants to give any credence whatsoever to wild conspiracy theories let him go someplace where that kind of injustice to reason and sanity is tolerated.
10:18 pm
Man, I lean left and that Kos entry was too much for me. It’s no wonder people don’t take us seriously. He sounds like those nutjobs on the right that claim that the terrorists are beating down our door trying to set up an Islamic State in the US.
Why do people even listen to these nutcases?
5:00 am
Considering answers like those of Rick Moran or Fight4TheRight to my sceptical reflections, I dare say: You simply do not know what to object in an argumentative way.
Anticipating future, as I tried to do in my post, requires to develop tentative scenarios. Worst case scenarios are among them, and an important guide-line for action: they recommend caution, mainly.
As I wrote, I do not consider this worst case scenario as the likely one.
When you read my worst case scenario, and then compare the two answers to them, you see: it’s only smearing. Is that all what right wing-nuts are capable of?
Why did your Foundation Fathers put so much stress on Checks & Balances? Why were they so suspicious of the negative effect of war on the constition?
Governments are necessary – and I also hold, different to Libertarians, that strong government is necessary.
But strong government always harbours a danger, too. Power aims at more power. Power corrupts …
That is a general rule, true in politics, economy, private life. Right wing-nuts do not take this rule into account – why?
5:38 am
leo, hark, I think I hear kos and democrat underground rat calling your name, PLEASE GO HOME.