Nostalgia For The Future

Did I hear him wrong, or did Bush really say it's time to move to ethanol?

We've got to be aggressive about finding alternative sources of fuel. And one such source is ethanol. Ethanol comes from corn -- and we're pretty good about growing corn here in America, we've got a lot of good corn growers. Therefore, it makes sense to promote ethanol as an alternative to foreign sources of oil.

Straight from the monkey's mouth to your ears, there it is. Isn't it nice that Bush suddenly wants to talk green, and promote alternative energy? Maybe that global warming panel Senator Boxer is setting up has something to do with it. I hate to break it to him, though- corn is food. Even with all these good corn growers, how can we have enough for both? Boy, it's like going into Iraq with no exit strategy all over again. Can't these guys ever get past part A to parts B and C? Do they think they're writing a script to a TV sitcom? It sounds like Bush had Global Warming For Dummies read to him by Condi that morning, and now we're all Children of the Corn.

I just read about a gallant cabbie who gave an elderly woman a jump so she could get to her medication. For his troubles, he received a ticket for double-parking. Worse still, the city council refused to drop the citation, even after hearing from the woman. Like the man said, a mind is like a parachute- it only works when open. Good job, you losers.

The Hippies Were Right

Conservative columnist Rod Dreher must feel like he lost a bet and had to eat a plate of worms. He's become so incensed by George W. Bush and his insane and tragic war in Iraq that he's now admitting that the hippies were right all along. His long-held personal beliefs have crumbled, and now he must admit the awful truth. Don't blow a gasket, Rod, just get in line behind everyone else who has finally come to their senses.

Of course, the hippies were right. There's never been a good reason for waging war, unless your name is Rothschild or Rockefeller. That this is becoming clear to some folks only now is a testament to the general stupidity of the right wing, but there you go. Fear plus testosterone plus things that go boom is a lethal combination that our leaders have only been too happy to mix and match throughout history to keep us divided and conquered, and to keep their pockets full. We fall for it until family members come home in a body bag, and only then does the clamoring begin. Where will it all end?

War isn't the only thing that hippies were right about. In the early 70's, a rag-tag band of reprobates procured a small boat and sailed out into the Pacific to protest nuclear testing. Not being experienced sailors, they missed their mark by a wide margin, but they returned to a hero's welcome. A movement was spawned, and an era of bearing witness to atrocity was born. Not all hippies spent their time sleeping on couches, taking copious amounts of acid, and nodding endlessly to those dreadful Grateful Dead tapes. Many had the foresight to see a ravaged, used-up planet at the end of the rainbow, and had the determination to do something about it.

The fact that they were able to raise a considerable amount of awareness and change some corporate behavior without resorting to violence is a testament to the validity of the core beliefs of the hippie movement. It's a shame that those beliefs were later papered over by disco, cocaine, and six-digit salaries, but change is inevitable, and especially when social engineering becomes institutionalized. It's no wonder that the next generation reacted to this watering down with feral-like punk anger. It was naive to think that the pro-active sociopaths among us would just fade into the woodwork at the sight of hippie rock stars storming the White House with President Jimmy Carter. They lost the battle, but they certainly did not lose the war.

My grandfather once told me that there were only three things you have to know in this life- water runs downhill, payday is Friday, and the boss is a prick. He was right, but with the caveat that the boss is anyone who can influence your thoughts to further their own nefarious purposes, and that they come in all colors of the rainbow. My only advice is to kill your TV while you still can.

Global Warming For You And Me

Once the new legislators are in place, Sen. Barbara Boxer intends to hold hearings on global warming. Boxer and others even sent a letter to the president to recommend working with them on the problem. Excited yet? Me, neither. If anything, the hot air coming out of those hearings will probably only contribute to the problem. At the very best, the nation will adopt California-like standards to combat global warming, and it will not be enough. Regardless of what they do, there will be some very interesting changes ahead.

Given the mediocracy of the situation, one wonders if our chances of making it through relatively intact are all that good. Looking into the abyss is difficult, especially when all or any should realistically see a reflection of themselves. But, at the heart of the situation lies something so evil that it can hardly render a human form. It is at the top of the heap, but also at the bottom. It knows no guilt, and no shame. And, when it goes down, it will drag us all down with it. Thanks a lot, you Rothschilds, Rockefellers, DuPonts, etc. Bet you don't do quite as well in the next world.