Now's As Good A Time As Any

Sometimes I feel like the situation in the world (that’s not to say in my life; I’m pretty okay) is so disappointing that the only way to fix things is to create some kind of alternative reality, some kind of Utopia in refuge from all the craziness. I don’t know what that would mean exactly: maybe get together with a bunch of people, buy up a bunch of land (maybe in a Third World country) and start everything over? Or, on the other hand, maybe I could construct this Utopia in my own mind and then put it all down in words. That seems like kind of a dodge, though.

I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how to be happy in my life, and I also think I know what it would take to be a virtuous person. But the two often appear to be fundamentally incompatible. Moreover, I doubt whether I have the courage to accomplish either one. So, like most of humanity, I continue to muddle through. But presumptuous as it may be, I have a nagging feeling that I could do more.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. No.

People on TV keep saying “‘08″ and I keep hearing “O-H!”

I could maybe get with that. Wouldn’t be too bad.

Man, I can’t believe we’re probably going to lose our smoking ban. I really wish people would pay more attention.

Why don’t you ever see anyone on television having a serious, intelligent conversation about who ought to be president? You can hardly tell the difference between sports and politics (although I give some thought every year to who ought to win the World Series). Presumably there’s a difference, and some people are more qualified to be president than others beyond simply who happens to be getting the most money or leading in the polls.

But instead of giving us some idea of who’s out there and why they might be a good choice, the media basically just tells us who’s the two people we’ll have to choose from in two years.

What about a senior professor at a major school of government, like a David Gergen? Or a hyper-respected foreign policy expert like Dick Lugar? I mean, can anyone really explain to me why Hillary Clinton could possibly be considered the best candidate for president? Because she’s electable? Because bad people hate her? Because she’s the wife of Bill Clinton?

Would somebody please save this country?

By the way, with Strickland safely ahead, I think I’m going to vote for Peirce instead. Strickland is a blowhard with all of his ethanol crap.

I saw Sherrod Brown’s commercial today, and I’m going to have to hold my nose to vote for him. In fact, I don’t know if I even can in good conscience. He had an ad with a lot of sad factory workers and said that DeWine voted for free trade. Brown said that if elected he would “put Americans first”. But that’s the damn problem! The Republicans put Americans first with guns, and the Democrats put Americans first with money, and they both say “screw the rest of the world”.

We’ll kick the bums out this time, and it won’t be long before we’re kicking out the new bums to put back the old bums again. Aaaarrrghh….

I don’t know why I was temporarily the target for some kind of Ann Coulter wannabe. Me, of all people. Did you bother to read anything I’ve written?

No matter. These people have a great solution to the fact that “my country, right or wrong” makes no sense. Fingers in ears, and “lalalalalalalala”…

I wish I could feel good about being an American. Some of my favorite people in the world are Americans. In fact, most of my favorite people are. But there’s so much baggage. And I can’t get rid of it by myself. Alone, the best I can do is go be a citizen of some other country instead.

I never understood what those “Power of Pride” bumper stickers were supposed to mean. I would be a lot prouder of my country if we either gave up a lot of our power or used it a lot more sensitively and responsibly.

If people in Israel/Lebanon/Syria/Iran don’t value peace, the lives of people who are different from them, or in some cases even their own lives, then let ‘em kill each other. Bastards. We should have nothing to do with it.

In Iraq, it’s our fault, and the moral thing to do is to continue to sacrifice thousands of our countrymen to save the potentially millions of theirs who would die in a civil war. That, or reinstall Saddam, who in addition to being a heartless, evil bastard is a wily old man and can display extraordinary savvy.

I think Americans always kind of liked the guy. Just think of how many Hollywood movies he’s appeared in as the comic foil! Hot Shots!, Hot Shots! Part Deux, The Big Lebowski, Jane Austen’s Mafia! (and in those last four, he was played by the same actor, Jerry Haleva, who has never played any other role), and, of course, the South Park movie! He’s a superstar!

Thank goodness!В  Lou Dobbs is not a natural-born U.S. citizen.В  Can’t run for president (so long as Ahnold can’t either).В  Ha!В  So he wasn’t born in this country either!

I don’t usually believe strongly enough in one side of a debate to go to a political march type of thing, but I’m thinking about doing this one: tomorrow at 2 PM, there’s a rally at the state capitol against the anti-immigration proposals in Congress.В  I believe if you happen to get born in this country, it just means you’re lucky, it doesn’t mean you’re good.В  If you’re good, you’re good.

…for 112 years the State of the Union was delivered in writing instead of in person? Above and beyond the fact that it makes me really nervous to have virtually the whole federal government in one building at one time, it’s a really stupid, pointless exercise (no matter which president it is) and a waste of prime time TV.

Now we’ve got at least one guy running against Pat Tiberi…can’t say I like his chances, but he’s the first one I’ve heard about.

I don’t usually buy anything on Buy Nothing Day, but it’s not an ideological thing…it’s just that I’m tired from turkey and travel and I’d much rather sleep the day away. I might cheat today, though, because the Tough & Lovely are playing at Skully’s tonight, and I think I’d have to buy a ticket to see them…unless somebody’s willing to comp me, for old times’ sake.