It's Been A Tough Few Weeks

What with the six deaths we've had circulating through the news of late: 4 entertainment icons and 2 republican political careers have been captivating the talking heads. The passings of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett were sad, but not totally unexpected. Ed being 86 and Farrah's well-publicized bout with cancer were not stunners. David Carradine's rather mysterious and sudden death and Michael Jackson's apparent cardiac arrest were, on the other hand, noteworthy if for no other reason than they came as a complete surprise. The shenanigans of Senator John Ensign and Governor Sanford, while inexplicable in this day and age, are likely the final acts for these two idiots.

I call them idiots because anyone in the public eye, which has grown ever more pervasive in the age of cell phone cameras and Twitter who thinks that they can somehow manage to pull off these amazingly stupid affairs is, in fact, an idiot. They sicken me more for their hypocrisy than anything else. Both of these men were very vocal in their disdain for other politicos who did the very same things. They both claimed a moral superiority to others, and both used taxpayer money to fund their illicit activities. Both talked of family values while ignoring their own families. Sometimes, apologies just are not enough, and this is two of those times. There should be no grace period for their unconditional resignation and the forfeiture of their pensions and other government perks. They have abused the system, their constituents, and their families. They are a disgrace to their party and to the American political system. There is no excuse and there can be no acceptance of anything less than removal from office and all that goes with it.

I cannot fathom some of the comments I have heard regarding Michael Jackson. This may be a little controversial to some, but I find the praise from the black community disingenuous and misguided. I heard one mourner state that he, "did so much for the African-American community." Really? Let's see, you want as a symbol a man who bleached his skin to nearly white, had numerous nose jobs to look less like his brothers, who stood trial twice for alleged pedophilia, who married twice to white women, and who had a worldwide nickname of "Wacko Jacko"? What, in all of that, is a positive example of being an African-American? Where is any evidence that he did anything for the black community? He may have been born black, but he spent most of his life doing everything he could to not be seen as black. I just don't get it.

Jackson was known as much for his eccentricities as his talent, and that is a legacy that will not fade. Some have said that his talent will survive longer than his antics, but I doubt that. As I watched the various news reports, as much if not more of the coverage showed clips from his last trial, the baby-dangling event, and other weirdness as it did clips from his performances. I'm not sure that anyone will ever forget that side of his life, or that those images won't flash through the mind as one listens to his music. Maybe a couple of generations down the line, but certainly no time soon. Whatever led to his demise will forever be overshadowed by his larger than life life.

Carradine was a tragic figure to me. He never could (or perhaps would) break free from his wandering Chinese character. In virtually every movie he did, he was Grasshopper at one age or another. If you watch Kill Bill, you will see the aged character that he had personified many years earlier. The events that led to his death are unknown, but it appears to the casual observer as though he may have been accidentally killed during a sexual encounter. I just hope death came after he did. Otherwise, it would be truly tragic.

Poor Ed McMahon had become a parody of himself late in life, apparently broke and broken. His death was tragic because it didn't come with dignity or soon enough. It seems as though he lived longer that he thought he would, and paid dearly in the end for it. A giant of a man reduced to a shadow of himself. Truly sad.

Farrah Fawcett...there's really not much I can say about this one. I think she actually did more at the end of her life than she ever did leading up to it. She brought to us a cautionary tale of the ravages of fame, told partially in her own illness and that of her husband's and son's illness of drug addiction. She brought an awareness that her illness can strike anyone, irrespective of status or fortune, and that no matter how beautiful you may have been, in the end you are just flesh and bone.

Question of the Day.

If they ever build a George W. Bush Presidential Library, will they supply the crayons or will we have to bring our own?

Conspiracy Theory Free Zone Declared

As of this posting, this blog will be a Conspiracy Theory Free Zone. I have decided to cease all talk of the alleged involvement of our government in facilitating or perpetrating the 9-11 tragedy. I am declaring this for two reasons.

First, we will never know the truth. It's too horrific to make public, if it's true. I am quite certain that the country would survive, and perhaps even emerge a better nation regardless of the outcome of any investigation. We are, if nothing else, a resilient people who are quite capable of handling the truth. Still, the short term effects could have an enormous and disastrous impact. Confidence in all levels of government would be shaken to the core. The entire process would be called into question, and every subsequent move the politicians made would be scrutinized much more carefully. No that that would be a bad thing, but the Men Behind the Curtain would then have to stand naked in a harsh light, and they aren't about to do that.

Moreover, though, I believe the country would be rocked by a shared feeling of grief, a collective sense of loss that the country we have been so proud to be a part of could do something this terrifying. To understand that the War on Terror was here, not "over there" and that all of those who lost their lives did so because of one administration's greed and lust for power. That pain would take much longer to heal.

However, who do we see as the better man? The one who cowers in fear of the truth? Or the one who uses a gun to rob an old lady of her social security check? No, the man we admire is the one who stands up and takes responsibility for his actions and pistol whips the cowardly crook. We regain our national self respect by peering into the dark and turning on the light. If there were an honest investigation [honest being the operative word] I think we come out it with a transparent government that truly is what it was supposed to be: A government by, of, and for the people. A government that works for and is accountable to us.

I think you can see now why we can never know the truth. That's the thing about power; Once you've had it, you really don't want to give it up. It's as addictive as heroine and twice as hard to kick. Which is why we see so many "celebrities" like athletes, entertainers, and politicians sticking around longer than their usefulness. The politicians can never allow us to tell them what to do. Otherwise, how will they be able to continue to meddle in our lives? The puppets control the show and the hamsters sit mesmerized.

Which is the second reason why there will be no more talk of this in my blog. Since it can never happen, we will all just have to believe what we want to about it. Or not think about it all. I've already made my decision on it. I doubt that I have to tell you which side of this I'm on, especially if you heard Dick Cheney admit over the past week that both of the primary reasons they gave us for going into Iraq were lies, which to me is just a few words away from an outright admission. If they had to fabricate an enemy to justify a war, then they are quite capable and devious enough to do something that would ensure our support.

But we'll likely never know. But only because we're too afraid to find out. And that's just sad.

If anyone wants to continue the discussion, please email me at potterblog09@gmail.com and I will be happy to oblige.

Office of the Depatment of Utterly Moronic Behavior

We at D.U.M.B bring you this feature which will present articles and commentary regarding the continuing efforts of the politicians, scientists, and religious leaders [the Triad of Futility] to baffle us with their brilliance. There is a nearly endless stream of material available for this feature, what with the Triad constantly having to spin something on a daily basis. We here at the Office will do our best to keep you informed on as much idiocy and mayhem as possible. Your contributions are always welcome, too.

Futility comes in many forms. There’s the kind where you’ve examined all your options and there is only one remaining conclusion, which usually sucks. There’s the Big Picture Futility, which includes the inevitability of your own demise and your relative worth in an endless universe. Then there’s the Gnat In Your Ear futility, like when a city council enacts a law.

These are those stories.

A perfect example of this occurred in Huntington Beach, CA in 2008. It seems that there had been a citizen of that fine city who happened to be a naturist. He was neither lewd nor lascivious. He was just naked. In his house or puttering around the yard, the man posed no threat to anyone. But, neighbors complained that they didn’t want little Tyler and Emily to learn about the differences between boys and girls in this particular manner. So, they called the police. Repeatedly. Finally, out of frustration at being constantly harassed, the man moved out of the city. That was in 2006. Two years later, the Chief of Police convinced the city council to enact an ordinance banning nudity. Even though there had not been another such incident, and the locals weren’t wandering around the streets in all their naked glory, the city council passed the ordinance. It was now officially illegal to do what folks hadn’t been doing in the first place.

But, they didn’t stop there. In a move that can only be described as heterosexist, thongs were exempt. The Huntington Beach city council legally codified thongs, those “garments” that are comprised of a camel toe sock attached by anal floss coupled to a top that is essentially two nipple covers on a string, as perfectly acceptable. I guess that means that assless chaps are ok, too. But I doubt it.