The
GOP scrambles for a bogeyman
“Twenty years after the collapse
of the Soviet Union, one thing is increasingly clear: Boy, do the Republicans
miss communism…”
For
those of us who grew up in the days when we were encouraged to check under our
beds each night for “Reds”, that single sentence rings loudly true and covers
much more ground than younger people can ever imagine. In
those not so distant days J Edgar Hoover’s “Masters of Deceit” was required
reading in those school districts that liked Ike and Nixon. The Boy Scouts, admittedly a para-military
organization in those days before fear of litigation transformed the program
into a competition for membership numbers, showcasing adolescent males in
uniforms designed by an Italian fashion house, were encouraged to spy upon
their families and neighbors in order to detect communist spies.
The GOP was in tall cotton,
blacklisting musician and folk-singers, investigating “un-American activities.” They added “God” to every document and desk
that didn’t escape or evade faster than the worshipers of the senile Saint
Ronnie could stick his name onto ever-public edifice in the late 80s. The John Birch Society spearheaded all sorts
of idiocy, demanding we leave the United Nations; cheerleading client state
wars with Soviet proxies like Gingrich, Palin, and the teavangelists are trying
to start new ground wars in Iran and Syria.
And of course, those wars, if we buy into them, will be fought by the
poor. Never knew war was a social safety
net? You do now!
Cassi
Creek:
Today began at 0500 and a drive into
Mountain Home VA Hospital for an Occupational Therapy consult. The therapist took lots of measurements and
agreed with me that I have lost range of motion, grip strength, and
dexterity. She sent me home with a book
of exercises, a high-resistance sponge, and some medium resistance putty to use
in those exercises. She is also ordering
two resistance devices that may be of help.
We bathed Loki this morning. It took both of us to encourage and shepherd
her into the bathtub. The last time the
three of us occupied that space we were hearing tornadoes roar by. Loki tolerated the process, shook to dry, and
promptly laid down by the wood stove to steam the afternoon away.
I had no breakfast this morning as I thought
I might buy some sort of country breakfast at VA. When I looked at the serving line, it didn’t
look that appealing. I enjoy buttermilk
biscuits but I think I’ll have to buy some to have on hand at home. I don’t want fast food biscuits. Only the finest biscuits will do.
VA, I believe, is granting my
compensation request for PTSD. I’ll have
to appeal the hearing loss claim. I’ll
be keeping an anxious eye on the mailbox.
“Guilt
by association was so much simpler when the association, or alleged
association, was with communists. In their absence, Republicans have had to
grow more ridiculous. They’ve been up to the challenge.”
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