Umouritis

It started off slowly. So slowly, in fact, that by the time I recognized it, it had already been happening for a long time. maybe 6 months or more.

I think it started with technology. Information technology, to be specific: Garbled voices on the conference line, ID badge-readers that need several tries before the green light, software that is just a little buggy around the edges...nothing crash-and-burn, mind you. just a subtle deterioration around the edges, of a kind that maybe soon they'll send somebody to come look at but it's no emergency. A general technological malaise and deterioration: Blame it on Gates and his bloatware. In the office I say: "Does anyone notice that all of the info-stuff seems to be deteriorating?" They look at me like I'm crazy but I can see the look in some of their eyes: They've noticed it too but they're scared to say anything for fear of sounding nuts.

But then it started creeping out into the physical. First, TV and radio started getting a little fuzzy/noisy around the edges, but that quickly expanded out into physical reality. The screech of breaking subway wheels is no longer sharp but almost a burst of patterned static; edges and shapes are now blurry at the edges; cars still function but somehow they seem to only just barely manage; and now the world appears as if through a rainy window: everything's blurry and gray and everyone is walking around drained of life and energy. The deterioration has gotten them, too.

But no one is saying anything. Why is no one saying anything? Everything is corroding, from the inside out, just barely hanging on to its outward form as if through habit, a perfunctory kowtowing to the need to be something. It's almost as if reality got tired of being reality; it decided to quit. We, too, are tired of the game and also too tired to go chasing it and begging it to return to continue playing the game for just a little longer.

As for me I am resigned to it, almost welcome it now. In fact, I can barely remember when things were normal. In fact, thinking back on before the deterioration, this sliding back into this primordial whatever, all of that seems unreal to me now, like some 1950s Normal Rockwell painting or commercial for Ginger-puffs.

Bring it on. I'm ready. We've had the sistole, the inbreath, now it's time for the diastole, the exhalation and relaxation. I'm ready for UMOUR.

The Republic

Umour Ritual Forum_“a wiretap requires a court order…When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so.” George W. Bush, April 2004


Well, now we ALL know that he was lying… even the lying fascist liars know that he was lying… was lying, is lying… lies, lies, lies…LIES rhymes with SPIES! Didya hear Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ justification for the administration blatantly violating the above pledge? It amounts to the absurd assertion that Congress, when it authorized Georgie to defend the country from “terrorism”, gave him carte blanche to subvert the constitution. These criminals keep justifying their abuses on the grounds that the President has extraordinary powers because, since 9/11, we are a nation at war. We are at war against “worldwide terrorism”. So… how is this “war” supposed to END? I mean, how are we supposed to know when the war is over?.. when there’s no more “TERROR” in the world?!! That’s like saying we’re waging a war on “sadness”. When we manage to kill or capture or convert every terrorist on earth?.. now, and for all time?
Sooooo…..this “war” will NEVER end and thus, any “special” powers claimed by the President are assumed to be permanent. There, BANG!…The Republic is nullified. It’s really no different from Bush declaring Marshall Law for the “duration of the crisis”, the beloved excuse of every cheap, petty, banana-republic dictator generalissimo. Gonzales claims that critics of the administration and journalists have overemphasized “the potential breadth of what the President has actually authorized.” Really? How the hell do we the people know what extent of spying this fascist has or will authorize. If it was all legal, why didn’t they get those warrants, like they promised? Now they want Google to give them our internet surfing records to protect us from bad pornography… hmm… Bank, library records…You know, what I’m seeing from the Bushie Boys is making me really rethink the Second Amendment. Threats to National Security can come from within as well as without. I think I see what the Founding Fathers had in mind.
Loudmouthbill

Truce Accepted!

Here's the basic substance of bin Laden's truce-deal:

In response to the substance of the polls in the US, which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their land, we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to.

"We are a nation that Allah banned from lying and stabbing others in the back, hence both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war.

"In response to the substance of the polls in the US, which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims ... we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to" Bin Laden

"There is no problem in this solution, but it will prevent hundreds of billions from going to influential people and war lords in America - those who supported Bush's electoral campaign - and from this, we can understand Bush and his gang's insistence on continuing the war."

Dear Mr bin Laden:

On behalf of myself and lots of other Americans, I ACCEPT the terms of this truce. Neither I nor my family members nor all the other millions of Americans bound by this truce will go to or send our children to the middle east to fight. You've got my word.

On the other hand, please keep in mind that the guy in the Oval office isn't exactly doing what we tell him to these days. He's just about literally a loose cannon. But don't mistake him for America, just like we won't judge the Arab world by Saddam Hussein.

If I don't hear from you I'll assume this is a done deal.

Sincerely,
Em.

What would YOU do?

OK. What would you do?

There's a crazy country that's been monkeying with your country's internal affairs for many many decades, sending in agents to destabilize your government and otherwise subvert your country for it's own ends. After a while, your country finally pushes out any agents or other creepy-crawly operatives. Of course, you had to resort to drastic measures, but at least your country's destiny is in its own hands.

Ah but now that country has invaded your neighbor to the northeast. It's spouting all sorts of rhetoric about your country and its activities, labeling it part of the "axis of evil". OK, fine. Maybe there was some reason to do it and meanwhile they got rid of a completely pesky influence on the region and world. And not very stable, either. You can live with that, but having that old enemy at your back door isn't giving you a warm and fuzzy.

Ah, but now they cook up some crazy reason to invade your other big neighbor to the South. And boy are they making a mess down there! And they're still spouting all sorts of rhetoric even though your country hasn't invaded anyone.

And did I mention there's lot of oil under your country?

Did I also mention that the big bully nation happens to eat a lot of oil?

So now you're surrounded on both sides by a country that has done nothing over the years but meddle with your internal politics and that country has overwhelming superiority in conventional weapons.

What would you do? It's obvious, isn't it?

Apathy...

You know what I've realized?

I've realized that I just don't give a shit any longer.

Consider the record of surprises related to this administration: Valerie Plame, our Eastern European Torture Gulag, The Al-Jazeera Memo, and now the absurdly illegal systematic spying on US citizens. Oh, and that's just the war stuff. There's also the opening of Alaskan wildlands to oil drilling, the fucked-up way we're handling Iran, Katrina and on and on and on.

And that's just Mr Bush. That's just right now.

What I find is that I feel that anything relating to politics at the Federal level and DC are just too broken to fix. And also, no one else cares enough to really give a crap, and if they did there'd be a mob burning down the Whitehouse as we speak.

Looking at this, true or not, I feel no rage anymore. I feel no desire to fix it, no desire to fight or reform. Right or wrong, "fixing" it, or trying, seems pointless. Demonstrations? That's like using electrical paddles to try to restart the heart of a 500 pound man who's been dead for days.