2009-07 GEORGETOWN

A truly depressing weekend spent with C-SPAN. After several well reasoned and upbeat presentations at CPAC – the Conservative Political Action Committee, came Rush Limbaugh who gathered riotous applause by asking those assembled to pray for the failure of the Obama Administration. Well, he claimed afterward that he only wished for Obama’s policies to fail. No matter. For the moment Obama’s policies are America’s policies, and to petition for their failure fits nicely with the "General Betrayus" mindset.

Now LMBC and MNM, I have deep concern over the new Administration’s ambitious plans to expand Government, and particularly the Pelosi effort to advance a social agenda under the guise of economic stimulus, but I must accept that those who professed to advance conservative principles this past decade spiraled miserably off the mark, and there is always (or should be) a price to pay for failure.

Democrats are giddy over their good fortune. Rahm Emanual bestowed “defacto leader of the Republican party” upon Limbaugh, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele didn’t help when he condemned the speech then quickly apologized.

Depressing indeed, and moreso as malevolence from the left seems to vanish with the speed of light while that from the right hangs long and low, as grey smoke from a long extinguished campfire.

#####

The remainder of the weekend was consumed by coverage of Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union. I learned that two centuries of evil are about to be replaced by an enlightened era of color. The unspeakable atrocities committed by those hitherto in charge will now be replaced by peace and love, and of course retribution against past malefactors.

#####

It should come as no surprise that one of the first forays of the tax scofflaw Treasury Secretary is to go after – you got it, tax scofflaws. But in the way that politicians can carry hypocrisy to insane levels, he has promised House and Senate committees that exposed perps will be subject to “appropriate punishment,” widely interpreted to mean jail time for serious offenders. Do as I say…

Can we now put to rest the aspect of “change” that promised to expunge (Republican) corruption and usher in a new area of transparency and fairness. Let he without sin…

#####

Last week while the U. S. east coast was pummeled by 6-12”, here in the Rocky Mountain west there was recorded a record temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Mother Nature has a truly bizarre sense of humor. And yet the locals remember 2003 when March came in like a lamb and several weeks later there was a record 7’ (yes, 84”) snowfall.

#####

One certain predictor of aging (in addition to wrinkles, liver spots, and multiple trips to the loo in the night), is a distain for innovation. As a self-styled techno-junkie I didn‘t believe I would fall victim to the hi-tech iteration of this malady. Yet now comes Twitter, which Wikipedia tells me is a “social networking” service that allows users to send and read other users' updates on their current activities (known as “tweets”) -- texts limited to 140 characters in length. I gather this means that when one prepares to cut toenails, defrost the fridge, or take Fido for his annual toilletage, we can so inform close friends and miscellaneous acquaintances.

Now I do understand that after the gas explosion that leveled (among others) the Rocking-R-Bar and Boodles restaurant in Bozeman, MT (two establishments where I have taken my custom while residing in that fair city) – “tweets” were used by locals to let friends and family know they had escaped the carnage. A great idea, and proof that even within (most) idiocy there exists a kernel of redeeming social value.

I have grave reservations as to whether anyone on this planet gives a damn about the BLOGS I periodically inflict on mankind, but I know with metaphysical certitude that no one has even miniscule curiosity about my flossing, preening, or evacuating. Could it be that those who Twitter are known as “twits.”

#####

It is commonly accepted that politicians of every stripe make promises that are routinely bent, broken, or simply ignored. And yet when a new paradigm is invoked vowing to change all that, I think it not unrealistic to hold the invokers to a higher standard.

My new President has promised so much to so many, with words so un-minced as to be electric in their delivery. Two passages quoted directly from his address to the Joint Session of Congress are illustrative and deserve to be placed in a four-year time capsule, to be later retrieved and re-examined.

“And yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office.”

“If your family earns less than $250,000 a year -- a quarter million dollars a year -- you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: Not one single dime. Not a dime.”

Now these are unequivocal statements, bold and concrete promises. I suggest that delivery on these and others will (and should) guarantee a second term for the President. And while failure might not be a deal-breaker, it will be interesting to see whether in that event he faces the American people in 4-year’s time with the same candor he now displays, or whether he will revert to the time-honored plaint of politicians everywhere, as in the words of the French Culture Minister, “Je suis coupable, mais c’est pas ma faute.”

But the beauty of politics is that all involved are endowed with an infinite number of “Get out of Jail Free” cards. Even the White House admits that the “Cap and Trade” energy tax will cost all Americans in the future, but they respond that it’s not exactly a “tax,” and so I guess the Administration can slide here on a technicality.

Speaking of Cap & Trade, does it seem a bit disingenuous that the environmental guru Al Gore can now continue to use his private jet simply by paying for the extra carbon he spews across the planet? Isn’t that what the Robber Barons of old (and successful businessfolk that followed) have been accused of – using their wealth to pollute and defile?

#####

The Adventure suffers a bit from cabin fever, but ambles along…
.
.