LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

 

The Empire is falling. The Empire is falling.

 

-Bumper sticker of the week: I pretend to work and they pretend to pay me.

 

-Quote of the week: ÒMy job is a decision making job. And as a result, I make a lot of decisions.Ó

George W. Bush, Oct. 3, 2007

 

-I see there must be new owners at Lindsey Toyota-Honda. The sign reads, ÒNew Owners. New Attitude.Ó Very appropriate motto. LindseyÕs attitude stunk. They acted like they were doing you a favor selling you a Toyota or Honda. It was always easier to go to the Cities. Even the economic development people say, ÒBuy it in the City.Ó Now hopefully that will change. Remember, a new attitude.

 

-Every generation blames the one before: The one thing we boomers canÕt complain about is the previous generations propensity to procreate. In fact, they may have overdone it a bit. There are an estimated 78 million of us. ThatÕs a lot of procreating. Abstinence due to the war made more than the heart grow fonder. Boomers have already been blamed for trivializing sex, using too many drugs, listening to loud music, and being too lenient with our kids. I resemble those remarks.

 

-The falling of the American Empire: For years I have heard people liken the decline of America to the decline of the Roman Empire. Usually they are referring to the moral atmosphere deteriorating. Frankly, I donÕt think that has changed a whole lot. We still got rape, torture, capital punishment, strip joints, dirty book stores, child abuse, elderly abuse, spouse abuse. I think there are two much more relevant reasons to make the comparison:

    1. The Romans taxed the poor and middle class into oblivion. The rich pretended to pay.

    2. Rome couldnÕt keep the barbarians out. They wanted to be a part of the perceived Ògood life.Ó The river, the wall, the border patrol, the Òvirtual wallÓ, couldnÕt hold them back. Another name for what were called invaders: immigrants.

So it looks like itÕs Good Night Irene. The fat lady is starting to sing. ItÕs deja vu all over again.

 

-Which candidates for the Presidency in 2008 are talking about capital punishment?: You donÕt hear a word. One of the biggest cruelties to ever exist continues to flourish in the U.S. In fact, our current president has presided over more executions than any previous person in U.S. history. The U.S., China, and Saudi Arabia are all pro-capital punishment. ThereÕs a good group to be keeping company with. No country can join the European Union if they continue to use capital punishment as a deterrent to crime. This primitive mind-set reminds one of our most evil tendencies. If it is cruelty that a civilization is measured by, we in the U.S. stand at the bottom. One only needs to look at those executed to realize there are no millionaires amongst them. And I doubt millionaires do not commit capital offenses. It is the poor and minorities who are executed. We like to call ourselves leaders of the civilized world, when in fact  we maintain a practice that is immoral, irrelevant, uncivilized, and racist.

 

-President Bush worries about Cuba being a dictatorship, but gives whole-hearted support to Pakistan, also a dictatorship. And this isnÕt just verbal support. We have given the Pakistan government billions of dollars to help General Musharraf keep his hold on the country. In return he gives us nothing. They continue to be the safe haven for bin Laden and many of the Al Qaeda.

One would have to wonder why he is so worried about a tiny  island ninety miles off the coast of Florida? Musharraf suspended the Pakistan constitution, shut down all the press, expelled all the journalists, and put most of the attorneys in jail. One has to believe that perhaps Bush idolizes General Musharraf for his excellent leadership skills.