Smoke, Mirrors, Eyewash...

Way back when in the dim days of high-school, I had a teacher that I (and most of the people I knew) regarded as a bit "off"... She was kind of weird - always spouting something or other, and inevitably concluding with a mostly anti-communist message. We were quite amused at her antics; being young and dumb and wildly misinformed, we couldn't see or belive in the threat she promised- it was 1979 for God's sake, and well... We just didn't give a damn about the "Red Menace".

Whether we gave a damn or not was moot: she was determined. We were required to read and report on George Orwell's "Animal Farm" (and now that I look back on it, it's a flippin' WONDER we were even allowed to).

Anyway... THE POINT:

While this looks promising: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,187179,00.html

I simply cannot imagine the scene where Ms. Pelosi informs the VSO reps of the president's decision to drop his plan without comparing her to Squealer from Mr. Orwell's book.

'Nuff said.

For fun, check out the SparkNotes character descriptions and in-depth analyses for Animal Farm. I dare you not to shiver as you start recognizing some prominent "Americans"...
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/characters.html

PH

G.A.S?

Usually in my funny little world "G.A.S." means "Guitar Aquisition Syndrome", or in a broader perspective, "Gear Aquisition Syndrome" (since all guitar players ultimately lust after all kinds of gewgaws & doodads they don't really need).

This time it means something entirely different. After reading the following, you should be able to crack the code...

Pretty much all last year we got to hear how bad things were getting - how the economy is nosediving, the planet is covered in toxic muck, the untenable situation in Iraq, etc., etc., ad-nauseum.

But now (it appears), that things may have been overstated a little bit.

Gas (real GAS, or gasoline if you prefer) is reasonably priced (compared to what it had been). And, oh joy, it seems that the general public is clued in to the fact that the price of gas at the pump has little, if anything, to do with the price of a barrel of oil out of the ground. Could it be that we're finally remembering that WE drive the marketplace and not the other way around?

Just yesterday I watched Greta V.S. quiz an upstart bank president on why his bank RETURNED 360 million dollars of "bailout" money that was thrust upon them by the feds. He clearly stated that they never needed the money in the first place, but accepted it on the "strong recommendation" of government regulators. Since it was sitting around doing nothing for them anyway, they figured out how to give it back and will do so. I bet someone's pissed about that. I sure hope so. I cackled madly thinking about how some Gov agency's feelings are going to be hurt because someone can actually successfully conduct business ethically and refuse "help" they don't need in the first place.

I keep hearing about how the jobless rate is at it's highest since 1983 - but today I read that those numbers are suspect due to a LARGE number of incorrect reports. Why is today any different than yesterday? Did 31,000 people in Texas get a job last night? WTF?

I could go on...

Today, I am much more aware of what's going on in the world around me. I'm a bit ashamed that I've spent so much of my life with my head in the sand... But then again - what did I really miss?

Now that I'm more "in-tune", my blood pressure's up, my seratonin's low, and my mind reels constantly from the sheer stupidity and thoughtlessnessof too many people. Add to that my paranoid conspiracy thought that ALL information provided by the Gov is suspect - I wonder how I can function...

Sometimes it's really hard for me to give a shit.