My Weekend Venting

Six days since the great snowstorm of 2006. Believe it or not all the snow is pretty much gone. A combination of a well organized snow removal team and unseasonably warm weather has cleared nearly all of the white stuff (actually grey since about Tuesday) from the streets and sidewalks. If you want to see even more of my snow pictures from last Sunday lookie here.
UPDATE 11:40am Snowing right now! How about that!

The Dick Cheney story has been the source of some interest this week. What strikes me as most disturbing is this. The Vice President shoots a man, does not alert authorities for hours, does not inform the public for a day, does not talk about it for 3 days, admits alcohol was consumed prior to the shooting, facts of the case are still not resolved and what happens? The right wingers complain that people are talking about it! They act like it's a non-story and "the media" is biased against poor old Cheney! Of course everything Clinton did (and tons of stuff he never did) was the subject of non stop press coverage (by the right wing AND the mainstream media) but Cheney shoots a man and we are supposed to just overlook it. Further proof that there is a segment of the American population completely willing to give up any common sense in order to support their "party". Frightening! Yes, it's a modern day fascist movement, supported by a third of the population. They are good Republicans all right, but bad Americans. They value loyalty to party over common sense. Who knew so many people were so weak minded? Well, I did, but everyday more and more people are finally realizing it.

And what about the Dick himself? He had a terrible day, accidentally shooting a friend. The sight of the guy falling to the ground because of a weapon sickened him. This from one of the greatest warmongers in American history! It seems he never thought about the thousands of lives he is directly responsible for ending in Iraq. Maybe he will now. But not right away. He's back home in Wyoming this weekend, undoubtedly on a bender, trying to forget his terrible misfortune.

If this sorry tale illustrates anything it is that Dick Cheney is a coward. He was afraid to join the military when he was young, going through great efforts to avoid Viet Nam, but supported the use of force his entire life. For fun he shoots farm raised and caged birds, but asks us to feel his pain when a Budweiser induced accident inflicts harm on an innocent man. He hides for a day to sober up, and when forced to talk to someone goes straight to FOX News followed by a speech to the Wyoming (1 of only 6 states where a majority supports the administration) State House.

Typical. Dick Cheney really has never shown any amount of personal courage in his life. Yet he has always been the meanest, toughest guy around. Rep. Dick Cheney voted against a 1986 resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela. He was one of about 3 in the ENTIRE congress to vote that way. Big bad Dick. A no-nonsense guy. Shock and awe. But like most leaders in history with a violent bent, he is deep down a softie, a coward, overcompensating for his own masculine inadequacy.

Another story of interest this week is a speech that former VP Al Gore made in Saudi Arabia. Many rightwingers tried to use it as a diversion from Cheney's mysterious shooting. The Reds argue that Gore was unpatriotic (sound familiar?) by saying critical things about the USA while in a foreign country. They whined that "the media" was not covering such a shocking story. What rubbish. Here is what Al Gore said.

Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment. Gore also said Arabs had been indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaeda's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications, reports AP.

Well, first of all everything Al Gore said was true. That is certainly one way to upset a conservative - speak the truth. I applaud Al Gore for letting the world know that not everyone supports this administration and their abuses of power. But the Reds see it another way. Some headlines in the right wing media

Al Gore Personifies Liberal Disloyalty To America

Gore fails to condemn Saudi Arabia intolerance

It would be humorous if it was not another sign of the crumbling of America. It is now disloyal to speak the truth? Bush can hold hands with the Saudi royal family, but Gore is condemned for speaking there? Listen to the right wingers. Not just those paid handsomely to spew the spin on TV and radio - but the everyday Republicans. You know they will repeat, word for word, the talking points. They will actually feel outraged at Gore's comments and outrage at the coverage of the Cheney shooting. Unfair, they say. Unfair, they believe.

I am always amazed, sadly so, to see the sincerity in their eyes as they make arguments, weak on the facts, weak on the logic and weak on common sense. They are indeed Blinded by the Right. Unfortunately it is not just their problem. It is all Americans and all the world. And boy are we suffering from their actions.