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Bush Seeks To Restrict Probes Of Sept. 11

Time for another distraction, deflect some attention, get the fist-in-the-air brigade worked up again...Anyone want to give me odds on how soon the bombs starting falling somewhere new? He promised they weren't going to invade North Korea. That's good enough for me, damn it!

Interlude :

I try to steer my way clear of politics. I try to, and for the last dozen years or so, I've claimed to be 'apolitical'. Just wanted out of it. I remember now why I deliberately chose to be so. It's exhausting, when you start to dig, start to work up that red-orange glow of indignation, start to think carefully about the manipulative pap that we're fed by our leaders (elected or otherwise) and their lapdogs. Indignation turns to fury, and you slowly begin to turn into one of those people that sit at Metafilter, obsessively hitting Refresh on any political thread, keen to tear down anyone who disagrees with them, while their marriage falls apart and the pizza box in the corner sprouts new life forms not previously found in any taxonomy or textbook. Not to name any names, of course.

Disclaimer : My relationships are just fine, thank you, and I rarely get to have pizza these days.

Not only is it exhausting to be in a state of near-perpetual anger, but it's unhealthy, and it annoys other people. There are old friends of mine that I no longer speak to, in part because of their one-note perpetual politicizing of Every Damn Thing. All The Time. It's grating, and unnecessary, and reduces your life to a constant protest, usually against things over which you have no influence whatsoever. I'd rather have my life be a celebration, a paean.

This excerpt from the Tao Te Ching (recently quoted by Richard at Notes From A Life In Progress) is perhaps appropriate here :

But there comes a point, when it feels necessary to speak out, even if no one hears your voice. At least your conscience will be clear, and if someone does hear you, and agrees, perhaps you've done some good. Some days, lately, I feel like I am somehow failing myself if I don't point out the latest falsehood, the latest manipulative rewrite of the facts, the most recent evil perpetrated on the world by the Evil Empire. Other days, I just feel like pointing to Ethel. I'm funny like that, and I make no excuses.

Everyone loves to quote this one, too, but that's not gonna stop me : "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

Interlude Ends.

Back to the Bombing The Innocent Sweepstakes : well-timed little gems like this would seem to make their intentions pretty clear, to me at least...

Edit : This is good. Laugh, cry, rinse, repeat.

Odds? comments.