WHEN EVEN THE TRUTH IS A CALCULATED LIE

Is the truth now only an academic concept good for nothing except a discussion of philosophy? And if not, how are we to determine when the president is telling us the truth and when he's conveying a carefully crafted message that may contain elements of truth but is actually a lie? These are the questions that rose to mind in watching the president's speech this week. It was a good speech, delivered with a straight face. But it was just another statement that lacked any credibility. While many were analyzing the speech in the context of 9/11, I couldn't help but relate it to what was happening on the following day. Namely, Primary day. And I couldn't help wondering whether he was talking to all Americans, or just that slightly slightly smaller group stealing away from the Repiglican Party.
And so it goes with George Bush and his entire administration. He and it have lied about so many things , that now we can't believe anything he says.
And that could be dangerous.
Take, for instance, the report coming out of the UK a couple weeks ago, when British authorities announced the arrests people plotting to blow up airliners bound for the U.S. Was that the truth of a lie crafted to gain Tony Blair and the president good press at a time when the Parliment was getting restless and itchy for Blair's departure date?
Our first thought on hearing the news wasn't one of relief, like dodging a bullet. It was one of skepticism, as in "I wonder if this could be true," ... Blame it on the WMD lie, or the help-is-on-the-way lie during hurricane Katrina, or the Mission Accomplished lie, or the I-won-fair-and-square-in-Florida lie, or the Islamofascits-hate-freedom lie. Or, Hell, just blame it on all the them. Whichever you choose, the fact remains that our Fearless Leader is full of crap and has no credibility.
So how are we to take his words when he tells us to remain vigilant for terrorists who will strike at any time? I mean, he uses he same face whether he's lying or telling the truth. So, when he fixes his audience with that half-bright but sincere expression of his and proceeds to tell us something he thinks we really need to know, my immediate reaction is to make sure I don't have any soda, beer, or milk in my mouth. I hate when I laugh so hard it comes out my nose.
And it's sad to be stuck with a leader whose every utterance is open to question.

A BEAUTY PAGEANT TURNS UGLY AS THE AUDIENCE GETS RESTLESS AND CRANKY

Worcester County favorite Sonny Bloxom took a beat-down last night, coming away from his bid for a seat in the House of Delegates with just 25 percent of the Republican vote. That's not only less than expected, that's downright pitiful. Only Jack (Bookemdanno) Lord and boy-wonder Bill McDermott finished lower. But all things are relative and while Sonny finished third in a field of five, none of the candidates got anything near to a mandate. Michael James finished at the top with just 31 percent of the vote and Bonnie Luna ended with 27 percent. ... So what does this mean? Probably not much, except that maybe the repigs have co-opted one Democratic strategy too many and are now in the same ditch the Dems usually drive in to during election season.... the one where everyone thinks they should be king. That means that those at the bottom of the list are effectively spoilers whose candidacy pulls votes away from the stronger, more popular and better-financed candidates, and sometimes allowing a dark horse to emerge as a front-runner.
Whether that's happening in the GOP camp remains to be seen. Ultimately it may not matter as the current administration has burned political capital, during the last five years, with a ferocity and speed that rivals the German Army's blitzkrieg takeover of Poland in 1939. And with the Fearless Leader's approval numbers in the basement, the party leadership has just two years to produce the kind of political miracle - something on the order of the First Shrub pulling Osama bin Laden out of his ass on live TV - it will take to reunite a party whose members are increasingly trying a distance themselves from an embarrassment that will likely take on epic proportions in future history books.

IS EDDIE LEE THE BEST PRESENT DEMOCRATIC VOTERS HAVE EVER GIVEN TO THE REPUBLICANS, OR WHAT?

Well....Despite the horrendous record the Repiglicans have racked up nationwide, the Worcester County herd may have a long-term windfall on their hands in the form of Eddie Lee's landslide re-election to a seat on the Democratic Central Committee. With Lee now back in, it remains to be seen if other members of the committee will hasten themselves off the other more productive endeavors, as some threatened to do if Lee were to return to the committee. Lee's return is troubling not just in the context of his disruptive and downright physically combative behavior at meetings, but now with his trusty and explosive sidekick Tom McLaughlin and two other members from Pocomoke as a powerbase, Lee could gain control over the entire committee. If that happens, look for the committee to splinter and maybe go into meltdown mode.
And Lee's presence on the committee has already split the committee to some degree, with most members dreading his appearance at meetings. Recently, Lee's contentious behavior has included a physical fight in which he assaulted vice chairman Tom Widerman, and an attempted assault against Second District member Meme Well-Suznavick's husband, David. Still other reports say Lee got nose-to-nose with a highly-placed courthouse and challenged him to a fight last spring.
In still more good news for the republicans, Lee sabotaged an effort earlier this summer to increase minority voter roles. That move came after Lee persuaded the state Democratic Central Committee to provide help in increasing minority voter participation. But that effort fell apart when Lee refused to help a consultant sent in by the state party, and came in retaliation for local committee members refusing to support his move to fill the seat in the house of delegates left vacant by the sudden death of Bennett Bozman.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

"Hell , I never vote for anybody, I always vote against."

-W.C. Fields

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

"We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve."

- John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage 1955