Brokeback Baptist Mountain

 

— Bumper sticker of the week: Germans supported their troops, too.

— Quote of the week: ÒWeÕll rise above the scarlet tide That trickles down thru the mountain And separates the widow from the bride.Ó Elvis Costello

— Hippie, Yippie, Yuppie: Rebels of the 60Õs, and standard bearers of the new millennium. My, how times change us. I didnÕt make a real good hippie. I liked showers and soap too much. But I did like the battle cry, Make Love, Not War. ItÕs funny how some things should never change. Anyway, I sort of joined the ranks of the hippies, at least as much as one could in the Midwest. My crowning accomplishment as a hippie came in 1968, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It was there I moved from hippie to yippie. It wasnÕt really a big deal. They said, you want to join up? I said, yea. My credentials were shaky at best, but included being a member of Students for a Democratic Society. After the convention, I really had no more contact with the yippies, since I was not living in Chicago. Having been born in 1948, I qualify for being a yuppie, which name-wise kind of fits right in. Philosophy-wise, IÕm worse at being a yuppie than a hippie or yippie. After being in the same room with the likes of Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin, Eldridge Cleaver, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Staughton Lynd, and having been schooled by a Marxist economist and sociologist at Southern Illinois University and one of the leading authorities in America on pacifism and non-violence at Bethany Theological Seminary, I have a poor outlook towards young urban professionals. All things being equal, IÕm still a rebel. My energy level is a whole lot lower, and I am a bit more sensible, but I still donÕt buy whatÕs going on. In the 60Õs we rebelled against an immoral war, and managed to throw out a good-for-nothing President. In the new millennium, we need to do the same.

— The Golden Globes were shining: What a show! The dresses were low cut, the music good, and the big winner of the evening, ÒBrokeback Mountain,Ó a love story about two gay cowboys. Now you canÕt possibly go wrong with that in right-wing America. Frankly, I think Bethel Baptist should host a special premier at the church. It could be kind of a coming out party for them.

— Democracy cannot flourish in a capitalist society. It has not worked, ever. At least not to the benefit of the poor, and/or working stiff. In fact, capitalism cannot work without the poor. It is a prerequisite.

— Screwing America, Bush style: This is a new one for the sex books: Screwing Bush style. Bend over, close your eyes, and get ready to scream:

¥ LetÕs start a war for no good reason, and then defend it with every senseless idea we can think of. No weapons of mass destruction, no aggression shown towards us, nothing to do with 9/11. Speaking of 9/11....

¥ The government is going to spy on you, but itÕs for your own good. What you read at the library, what you access on Google, wire taps, medical records, the whole nine yards. You name it, we can use it. Against you. But itÕs all for your own good. Remember 9/11.

¥ LetÕs torture the truth out of those heathen terrorists. And all the while I thought we had entered the Age of Aquarius. Ends up we re-entered the Dark Ages. This 9/11 thing is starting to wear a little thin.

¥ The Supreme Court has taken on its fourth confirmed right-winger. ThereÕs a break. I havenÕt figured out how this fits into 9/11, but I suspect it does.

¥ Giving money to politicians in other countries to help influence their election. ThereÕs a novel concept for democracy. ItÕs called Bushocracy. Buying friends, since we have so few. Since 9/11.

¥ Gonzales, one of BushÕs cronies, is going to investigate who was responsible for the leaking of information about BushÕs secret spy plan, rather than investigate whether his plan was legal. This takes us full circle back to 9/11, the day Bush saw the writing on the wall: I can become King, and no one can stop me. I have 9/11 on my side.

 

2/2/06