All these posts of keeping up with the shenanigans, and the despair that makes on just want to lie down and weep brings to mind . . .

"Rave On, John Donne" -- Van Morrison

Rave on John Donne, rave on thy Holy fool

Down through the weeks of ages

In the moss borne dark dank pools

Rave on, down through the industrial revolution

Empiricism, atomic and nuclear age

Rave on down through time and space down through the corridors

Rave on words on printed page

Rave on, you left us infinity

And well pressed pages torn to fade

Drive on with wild abandon

Uptempo, frenzied heels

Rave on, Walt Whitman, nose down in wet grass

Rave on fill the senses

On nature's bright green shady path

Rave on Omar Khayyam, Rave on Kahlil Gibran

Oh, what sweet wine we drinketh

The celebration will be held

We will partake the wine and break the Holy bread

Rave on let a man come out of Ireland

Rave on on Mr. Yeats,

Rave on down through the Holy Rosey Cross

Rave on down through theosophy, and the Golden Dawn

Rave on through the writing of "A Vision"

Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on

Rave on John Donne, rave on thy Holy fool

Down through the weeks of ages

In the moss borne dark dank pools

Rave on, down though the industrial revolution

Empiricism, atomic and nuclear age

Methinks, not. Am I the only one who has the noticed the ads to the right and sometimes at the bottom of this column? A column about the audacity and chutzpah of the Current Regime & the collusion with the telecom industry? Adverts by Vonage? Unlimited local & long distance calls? Only twenty-four ninety-nine? A month? What's the rate for unlimited tapping? Sheesh, but it's a funny old world, innit?

parryisle says:

"If you seek a monument for the Kagan's just look around Iraq - one of mankind's oldest civilizations now reduced to a scrap heap of destruction."

I'd say the destruction, or rather, the intent of the destruction, is much closer to home. If you want to see what these rascillions* are up to, open up your curtains and take a peek outside. If you're a couch potato, turn on your TV. Sheesh, they don't hate us because of our freedoms. They hate us because of what we've become. An observer from any outside culture only has to watch American Idol or Fox's Friends for 5 minutes, and they realize, Woah, dude. This country needs a severe make-over.

*To paraphrase an interesting quote I read a day or so ago: "I can understand why these people act like assholes -- it's because they are. But you lose me when they take such pride intheir 'assholedness'."

"You've Got To Be Kidding... But You're Not!

J-Pod actually wrote a book entitled, Bush Country: How George W. Bush Became the First Great Leader of the 21st Century???"

http://www.amazon.com/Bush-Country-Century-While-Driving-Liberals/dp/0312324731

From Publishers Weekly:

"Over the past three years, liberals have been far from shy in expressing their distaste for George W. Bush. Now conservative commentator Podhoretz (Hell of a Ride) offers up a thorough defense of the president as well as a scathing attack on his most vocal detractors. Podhoretz takes a series of the more popular attacks on the president" what he calls "crazy liberal ideas" and debunks them one by one. These include "Bush is a moron," "Bush is a fanatic," "Bush is Hitler" and "Bush is a liar," charges he cites as being made by some leading liberal writers: Paul Krugman, Michael Lind, Maureen Dowd and Todd Gitlin, among others. Podhoretz claims that the president is, in fact, an intelligent, savvy, principled and honest leader, who responded to the September 11 tragedy with inspiring courage and determination. Bush's presidency will be remembered as "one of the most consequential... in the nation's history." Podhoretz even claims that Bush is "the best presidential speaker" since Franklin Roosevelt. Moreover, he says, the intensity of the Bush-bashing cannot be attributed to "mere partisan rancor," but is the result of Bush's defiant and infuriating success as president. Podhoretz's book is polemical, written for a specific niche: conservative political junkies who relish cutthroat partisan politics. Considered in this light, the book is well done: provocative, witty, in-your-face and honest."

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"A Matter of Character"

"We Will Prevail"

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"George W. Bush on God and Country"

Exactly 2 weeks to Hallowe'en people. Scary enuff for you yet??

"When you work at a country club, you do not get tips. It's a glorious American tradition."

Whaaat? No tips at a country club? Is this because the rich bastards who go to them (I have this image of a pot-bellied Rush Limbaugh look-a-like puffing on a big cigar & wearing checked trousers with his polo shirt tucked in -- scary!!) don't carry small change?? So you get no tips, no Jews, no Blacks? A truly great American tradition. Pretty soon these folks are going to need a BlackH20 escort to get from gated community to gated country club . . . .