Two Things

As 2015 recedes into the dust of history, and 2016 waits in the wings, getting ready to scare us all to death, there are two things I urge you to do:

First, beg, borrow, or steal a copy of The Devil's Chessboard, by David Talbot.

And secondly, go see The Big Short.

In tandem they pretty much explain where we are, and perhaps, where we are going.

Until we meet again, have a great whatever...and so on....and toss back a triple shot for me.

To Hell With Christmas

You heard me.

You know, I've lived with this nonsense since I was a kid.

You want to buy stuff, fine.

You want to give this stuff to your friends and family, fine.

That's what keeps the economy going, after all. And it's nice to give stuff and get stuff.

And, if you're lucky, at a certain point you'll realize that it really is nicer to give than receive.

But, if you want to pretend that it somehow has some connection with the birth of Jesus Christ...and the three wise men...and what happened in a Roman colony two thousand years ago...and Christianity...and any kind of ethical system based on your boy's teachings...and that the folks who don't buy into your "beliefs" are waging a "War on Christmas!"

Well, then you're fucking crazy.

And if you're dim enough not to see that...well, I've got no time for you.

I'm an old man.

Enough is enough.

Happy Holidays...

Repeat After Me, "The Saudis Are Not Our Friends"

You know, it's funny, but most of the 9-11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.

Not Iraq or Iran or Syria or Pakistan or even Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia.

And yet, in the days after the twin towers fell, the Bush administration let plane loads of Saudis fly home without a second thought.

Hell, there's even pictures of W holding hands with a Saudi prince....I believe the one they call Bandar Bush.

Indeed, the Bush family has done business with the Saudis for years.

Maybe that's why W was so quick to say we weren't at war with Islam and that Islam was a religion of peace--because that's what the Saudis told him to say.

And after all, they're our allies.

Meanwhile, those "peaceful" Saudis continue to fund the most extreme madrassahs and the most anti-American Imans they can find.

Reportedly including al-Qaeda and ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

How fucking stupid are we?

Oh, I know they buy billions of dollars of fighter planes and shit, but come on...

This is all about oil, right?

So, take their fucking oil. "Neutralize" them. And be done with it.

I don't want to sound like a Republican, but one more American life is not worth all the Saudis there ever were or ever will be.

They Just Can't Quit Him

Donald J. Trump is the dark twisted id of the modern Republican Tea Party made flesh.

Almost anything he says, anything, no matter how stupid, bigoted, un-American, or just plain factually wrong, appeals on some cellular level to the base of the GOP.

And, it must be acknowledged, to his fellow Republican candidates.

Oh, they can pretend they don't agree with him...but they do.

This is what they are. They can't deny their heart's deepest wishes.

At best, they argue about semantics.

And act like they're appalled by something Trump has said.

But they can't quite bring themselves to wholly denounce him.

Because they aren't really appalled. The truth is they feel shivers of delight and excitement every time he speaks.

All that tough talk gets them aroused.

So...they just can't quit him.

This proves something I've long believed:

You can never be too awful to be a Republican...there are no known limits to what fits under the Big Tent...

(And by the way, Ted Cruz isn't any better than Trump. He's just a little smarter and a little sneakier. The kind of dime store Machiavelli who thrives in a cesspool.)

Ben Carson Isn't Really That Wonderful A Surgeon, Either

OK, so we all understand now that he doesn't have a clue about foreign policy, or evolution, or American history, or the Constitution, or all sorts of stuff that you might want your elected officials to know.

But at least he was a highly skilled and successful surgeon...right?

Well...

Of the 5 times he separated conjoined twins, out of the 10 individuals involved, five died and two ended up institutionalized with serious neurological damage.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd go to a surgeon with that kind of record.

Still, he got a book deal and a lot of money and a Presidential campaign out of it, so it's all good.

To The Dead We Owe Only The Truth

Dear Republicans (and Democrats who act like Republicans),

Regarding yet another mass shooting, your pointless prayers don't do anything for the dead.

They only make you feel better about yourselves.

So, why don't you take them and shove them up your asses?

Amen.

(The Rude Pundit's post of 12/4/15 says all you need to know about the good ole USA)

One Question Above All Others

Since we know that the CIA doesn't answer to the President...not really.

And it doesn't answer to the Congress...at least not honestly.

Historically, whenever they're caught out, they lie and dissemble, promise to be better, and then pretty much continue doing what they want.

So, the obvious question is, who, or what does the CIA answer to?

This is kind of important to know, don't you think?

After all, they're running around the world, with an unlimited budget, doing someone's bidding.

And all the while making enemies for the rest of us.