Turn Out the Lights - Rick Perry's Over

Making America Grate Again

Critical means discerning, right?

Only Chevron has Techroline. There's always a new Tide.

We're as gullible as the girl in every Cheatin' Johnny movie they ever made and crushed to learn that there is misdirection, obfuscation, prevarication, bluffing, slandering, misinforming, exaggeration, fabrication and lying in the service of capturing our one most precious possession: our vote. The most generous thing one can say about the media writ large is they are running out of time to claim unwitting co-conspirator status in the dumbing down of our politics. The lengths to which they go to secure their nakedly coveted access can sour that generosity quickly. (If you're in the mood for a bit of long form writing on the subject of CIA manipulation of information in the much ballyhooed free press, Global Research has posted a 50 point outline with sources duly noted for each one.)

Like wondering where the yellow went, or admitting right up front that diarrhea makes everyone squeamish so it's safe to now say diarrhea in between Ed Sullivan, so let's talk about diarrhea now that we can, the practice of politics is kith and kin, anode and cathode, systole and diastole, Homer and Jethro, realist and pragmatist, white and rice bound to the infectious lingo of the hidden persuaders.

A supporter, a month or so back, began a focus group response about why she liked Donald Trump (he's one of us, etc.) with "[A]side from the money issue..."

What's All This Fuss About Anger Babies?

“Do you have a better term? You give me a better term and I’ll use it." - Jeb!

Carly Almost Puts HP Record Behind Her

Right Here in River City

Of Donald Trump and Harold Hill

In the Broadway show, Music Man, a con man wins over a small town, at least enough for them to enthusiastically (and financially) equip all the boys and girls with uniforms and instruments, and everything. ("It'll be great! Best band ever in the entire history of bands. Yuge! Today, on the streets, I hear many kids are saying, just sayin', 'there's nothing to do.' Who knows how they manage, with all that loser. So after I'm both your town's band leader and the personal music instructor to all the boys and girls, things will turn around, you'll see, it'll be excellent, right here in River City. Nice to see you. No more questions.")

There are no spoiler alerts because this is a profile piece, allegory-free. How the play/movie comes out isn't necessary here, but rest assured those who do know can see Donald Trump starring as Harold Hill, easily, moving forward on a project to make the best movie ever since they began making movies, quite frankly.

Todd: "Emperor Appears to Many to Be Clothed"

Professional turd repurposer, Donald Trump, has been quite successful at being quite successful since the big rollout on June 16.

Many pundits, including yours truly, had it so wrong in thinking we got it so right. Flash-in-the-pan, "999" v2.0, his rise to the top would mimic the chimeras from the 2012 shindig, eventually "you're fired" would be the headline, then on to the serious campaigning.

Wrong to the nth power. (Where "n" is an 8 letter word for bullsh*t in polite society.) That wrong.

And speaking of nonsense, could there ever be a more shove reality into the blender so anything with any form whatsoever looks important prop of the ganda than last Thursday's performance art?

Huckabee: Won't Shut Pulled Pork Hole

"This president’s foreign policy is the most feckless in American history. It is so naive that he would trust the Iranians. By doing so, he will take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven." Same man who once said: "Fear is a very explosive emotion, but it has a short life span." And they say the Democratic candidates have been all over the map in the course of their careers. Give me an effin' break.

Mitt Romney once speechified: "Internationally, President Obama has adopted an appeasement strategy. He believes America's role as leader in the world is a thing of the past. I believe a strong America must - and will - lead the future." John McCain's intentions regarding Iran weren't at all subtle either.

If only our president could be more like Nixon and Reagan who "appeased" the Chinese and the Soviets respectively but called it "iron will" or some such. 


Schoolchildren study the post-war (WWII - they do tend to run together) memories of Neville Chamberlain and the fate of caving in to an expansionist dictator.

Rick Perry: Poet Lariat

Still Life with Road Apples

those of you
that will be twenty-one
by November 12th
I ask for your vote

dark economic clouds
are dissipating
into an emerging blue sky
of opportunity

flying C-130's
all around the globe
I truly appreciated
the blessings of freedom

freedom of religion
doesn't mean
freedom from religion

Juarez is reported to be
the most dangerous city
in America

George W. Bush
did a great job
in the presidency
defending us from freedom

Uncle Sam Needs a Walker

Bob LaFollette's Ghost: "Really Pissed Off"

Fear and Deceit on the Campaign Trail 2016

I pledge allegiance to the republic.

The United States of America: one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I wonder how well the crop of candidates for the most powerful office on the planet would fare in a return to high school civics class. It might prove an adventure in malicious hyperbole to substitute 4th grade social studies in said pondering (though I can think of a number of them who might benefit from that kind of generosity) so I won't. "Unelected judges" - "criminalization of Christianity" - "erode our right to religious liberty" - "legislate from the bench" - "only the latest example of an activist Court" - I mean come on!

14th amendment much? Heard of it? No? I don't believe you.

Forgetting for a moment the altogether high bar of wisdom to know the difference, our politics are constrained by what is and isn't possible under statutory and case law. More than just from celeb du jour the Donald, the citizenry is continually under bombardment by claims of the way things are which historically have proven more popular than good for the republic.

Roads, schools, airports, stadiums, libraries, regulations against the excesses of unbridled profiteering and environmental damage, standards for safety, retirement security, health care for the disabled and near indigent, utility rights of way (this list is glaringly incomplete) are steeped in "socialness," a term I prefer to "socialism" by removing the specter of full-blown Leninism or anti-capitalism in pursuit of an eventual state owned means of production. Had we had more of it the past 50 years, our atmosphere might be suffering way less Venus envy.