Monkey Fucks Football in Michigan Primary, Brings Winter to My Soul

Welcome to the most cynical blog in the wintry state of Michigan, where wickedness goes masked as virtue. Home to a Russian style ballot in the Democratic primary, where Hillary Clinton, the candidate of the party establishment, is still on the ballot even though the party establishment ordered Obama and Edwards to take their names off the Michigan ballot because Michigan democrats dared to move their primary to an earlier date. (Kucinich is still on the ballot because his people didn't get the paper work in before the ballots were printed.) None of the candidates are campaigning in Michigan, though our Governor, a Hillary supporter, is not displeased by this turn of events, and senator Carl Levin is asking Obama and Edwards supporters to vote Uncommitted. And CNN is reporting this clusterfuck with a banner reading CLINTON WINS MICHIGAN PRIMARY. She's owed, Goddamnit!

PBS Frontline is opening its season with Cheney's Law a comprehensive look at precisely how the Constitution was subverted by the agita of this determined bully and his followers. The Red Wings lost to the Thrashers, five to one, for Bog's sake-- with a hat trick against us, and 46 saves by the other goalie?

The bear didn't just eat us this day, it ate us and shat us out. Work is soul-killing, the weather is dreadful, but not dreadful enough to close work tomorrow. A fitful nap, and even more depressed. I ask the silent universe, why is virtue thwarted? Against stupidity, do the gods indeed contend in vain?

The cats and Sophie the Wonder Rabbit try to comfort but cannot cheer me. They haven't the words. Then my friend Wayne, a professional writer of horror who ponders with the Problem of Evil on a daily basis, answers the mystery by explaining why Gilligan sabotaged every attempt to leave the island. I will not elaborate, except to say that the explanation involves Ginger the glamorous movie star and to complain that the picture was shot from the wrong angle-- who wants to look at Bob Denver with that expression on his face? This atrocity made me laugh out loud in disgust and wonder as well as amusement, and my courage returns as from a shot of whiskey. Cheers, mate.

My President Staged a Coup, and All I Got Was This Lousy Orange T-Shirt

The gentle journey jars to halt,
The drifting dream is done;
The Deadly, that we thought were dead,
Stand waiting, every one.
(Walt Kelly, For Lewis Carroll and the Children)

The political news, to be frank, has been so unrelentingly ghastly as to render me speechless for some weeks. Instead, I've retreated happiily to spending my creative time in the 12th century with Eleanor of Aquitaine, researching, drawing and writing an eight page web comic for submission to DC's Zuda comics project. Now I emerge from my marmot hole to find Bush still posturing (if a bit stiffly), and Cheney still grabbing more and more power for the Executive, his delayed revenge for the Church committee's reining in the CIA. Al Qaeda thrives in the environment created for them by a clumsy America. Gonzales is gone, but Michael Mukasey can't quite bring himself to say that a president can't break the law. These things anger us, but we cannot claim surprise; these are all cases of a scorpion acting like a scorpion, true to its nature.

Worse than these, perhaps, is the Congress' inability to put the brakes on an monarchist president. They don't have the votes, even for something as clear cut as Bush's veto of health insurance for poor children while spending billions in Iraq. How, then, will they find enough members to understand what's at stake in Bush's suspension of habeas corpus, rendition and torture without hindrance, domestic spying without judicial oversight? This mealy-mouthed generation of Democrats cannot rebel without asking permission first, or apologizing afterwards.


"Trust me", says the scorpion when he asks the frog for a ride across the river, and then when he stings the frog, the frog is naive enough to profess surprise. Again and again, President Bush has told the Congress, "Trust me to know what I'm doing," ignored their edicts, and used "signing statements" (more than all other presidents combined) to make bold his intention to do exactly what he wanted to do in the first place. Is this not "contempt of Congress"?

Wake me when they're ready to recognize that Bush's coup has reached the level of "treason, high crimes and misdemeanor". We cannot impeach the creature for simple incompetence-- that's the American people's fault, in voting for him-- but how can it be that this popinjay has skated over the law again and again, without breaking the ice?

Democrats Finally Looking for Their Lost Balls

Meanwhile, Bill "Cat Killer" Frist (R-Tenn.), feels he's been "slapped in the face" by Harry Reid's call for a closed session of the Senate. "From now on, for the next year and a half, I can't trust Sen. Reid." Frist being Frist, it's all about him, and not a word about getting to the truth about the invasion of Iraq.

"I demand on behalf of the American people that we understand why these investigations aren't being conducted," the sneaky bastard said. And the news services, as easy to distract as a kitten, led their stories with Frist's sputtering instead of Reid's reasoned argument for forcing the investigation. More later...