Dumps

I know, I know. You've been waiting a whole month, poor you.

Well, I've been busy: finally began writing The New One on 1 September; visited DaBoys in California for a week; Saturdays fly by with wall-to-wall college football; and been spending far too much time reading politics on the Web. No blogs, though, only the liberal-biased, LeftWing, DriveBy publications and websites of the NYT, LAT, Newsweek, and Time.

You know: those. Plus listening to Limbaugh/Hannity to scout enemy territory and watching Keith Olbermann to keep myself sane. I'm going nuts and am down in the dumps because I'm losing faith in my people, bless their hearts (that's what they say down South here when they're talking about someone really stupid or feckless). I'm afraid H.L. Mencken was dead on (in an earlier post I attributed the following to P.T. Barnum, but he said, 'there's a sucker born every minute,' which works here, too): 'Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.' Palin, the entire Republican Party, the success and incredibly plump contracts of L/H and their ilk; all prove both Mencken and Barnum correct.

Add to that this latest economic nightmare (we won't talk about my retirement account) that the Republicans got us into for the second time in eighty years (2009-1929 = 80, just in case Biden is reading: say it ain't so, Joe--FDR and TV had nothing to do with it. Sigh. Motormouth.)

I am really blue, folks. The only thing that keeps me afloat is Erin and spending time with DaBoys and the always-wonderful L & L; they put things in perspective for me because they represent the future, not the miserable present.

Even USC let me down out in Corvallis. Sob. But Erin, the plucky wench, seems able to keep her spirits up by volunteering at local Democratic Party headquarters; actually DOING something about it, in other words, instead of pissing and moaning, as I do here. She brought home two T-shirts: Obama Y'All and Sweet Home AlObama. I shall wear one of them everywhere I go in this town from now until the election. When I get frowned or sighed at (and I will), I will say, 'oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, you must be rich or a fundamentalist Christian. Please forgive me for offending you.'

No kidding. I will. If the conversation goes further, my parting shot: 'What other reason could you possibly have to NOT vote for a superb, intelligent, self-made gentleman like Obama?"

I'll keep you posted, I promise. Or as Palin would say. 'I'll get back to ya!'

But here's what we need to do for DaBoys, who'll be paying for this second Republican mess long after we're dead: we need to put Democrats in office until they are old enough to vote, which will be in 16 years. That's four terms, two presidents to accomodate them both until they have a chance to speak for themselves, even though we wouldn't much care for what they have to say about us when they do start speaking. It's the least we can do, don't you think?

But can we do it for them? Get me out of the dumps; tell me we can. Tell me I'm wrong about my people. Please.

If you can't, wish me luck with my T-shirts, at least.