Bush's Team 666

The whole Bush White House has been so thoroughly evil and so completely illogical that I've been unable to settle on an explanation for it. One theory is that Americans have done something really bad (slavery? Genocide of Native Americans?) and therefore Bush is the retribution we deserve. Another theory(more popular) is that the election was stolen, the people were hoodwinked and we innocent Americans were lied to.

However, I think there is actually a more logical explanation and one that fits nicely into the right wing Christian world view. Bush, Ashcroft, Condi, Cheney, Rove, and possibly that guy Scooter are members of a secret cult that worships Satan.

For all non-Christians in my audience (basically my whole audience), I'll point out a few of Satan's outstanding attributes.

1. He lies (nuff said)
2. He hates life (and probably loves unnecessary wars)
3. He doesn't like families or children (and tax cuts, spending cuts, deficits, and environmental damage can best be explained as the policies of people who hate children)
4. He does like rich people (especially when they oppress poor people)

So, my theory is that Bush Junior bats for team 666. Until a better theory comes along, I'm sticking to it.

Everything Right is Wrong

A congressman from San Diego pled out today on charges of accepting bribes from defense contractors. Defense contractors are making a ton of money off of Iraq--including at least one of the contractors who bribed the congressman.

And these were the people to restore honor and integrity to the government? Blow jobs in the oval office are starting to look pretty good.

The American Dream--Japanese Style

I just got back from a vacation in Tokyo--I'd never been before. I'm also in the middle of a polemical book by Paul Stiles called "Is the American Dream Killing You?" Mr. Stiles' premise is that we are living in a hyper-market and that the market seeks to kill all human traits that don't lead to consumption. Along the way he recommends Alan Bloom and trashes day care providers. Mr. Stiles is far from credible but he does make an interesting point about capitalism which contrary to popular belief is not pro-mother, pro-homemade apple pie, or pro-democracy.

Tokyo is a hard nut to crack--especially for a foreigner who spent all of 5 days there. Lost in Translation does provide a sense of the place but skipped the bland and endless malls, department stores, and other shopping opportunities. Tokyo seems to be a place of endless and exhausted consumption. According to economists, the problem with the Japanese economy is too little consumption and too much saving. And as a tourist, my role in the eco-system was consumption and not production. But still, it did seem that a lot of time must be spent in malls.

It was downright depressing imagining the typical Japanese day of working and consuming. Of course that isn't that far off from the typical American day and that's depressing too. Adults and especially adults who never were lucky enough to get a quality education are mostly workers rather than thinkers. And however loony-bin Mr Stiles may be, we do lose something incredibly precious when life becomes an endless cycle of working and buying.

I think I'll probably have to do a blog after this one explaining why I am not a communist. But markets do not have ethics. If we want more out of life than buying and selling, we need to value it enough to make it happen.

Save Christmas

Apparently, right wing Christian lawyers are ready at a moment's notice to save Christmas from the school boards and mayors of the world who think that church and state should be separate things.

Which is fine by me. Because this State and those Christians are one and the same. So, I think the only healthy thing is for them to admit it and plaster their tacky brand of Christianity all over City Hall and Washington DC and every other place they can find.

Because this scandal plagued President is their President and these crazy Supreme Court Justices are theirs. And some day real Christians are going to say to themselves... Is a plastic baby Jesus on the post office lawn a fair trade for leaders who trounce on every imaginable Christian value? And the real Christians at least will say "No."