Zapped by the Bug Light

1. A Penny For Your... Inanity

If I were this kid, I'd sue. A 4th grader in Michigan collected a _million_ pennies, which he then donated to his school, which then spent part of the cash on... well, they did buy some AV equipment and maps, which makes some sense. But they also spent some of it on "a concrete bench for the peace garden". Yes, you heard it right -- a grade school -- Catholic, no less -- with a "peace garden". I dunno... maybe I'm just being crabby, but I can't help getting a definite "kumbaya" feeling about all this. I'll bet they also have benefit shows where, at the end, everyone gets up on stage in one big line, links arms, and sways back and forth for some "cause". Hey -- public displays are all well and good, but peace begins with the individual. That was the communists' scam. They tried convincing people that you could be mean and nasty as individuals, but for "peace" as a group. Not so. If the individual does not prefer peace to war, then the group/society/nation won't either. This is where we continue to fool ourselves. We claim -- the State Department repeats this constantly, like a mantra -- to be for "peace". But you ask the average guy on the street, and he's all for kicking ass, wherever and whenever it is to be found -- and that's what gets reflected in our _real_ foreign policy, as opposed to our alleged one.

2. Evangelical Anarchy?

According to today's Robert Novak column (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/guests/s_567123.html), there is a splinter movement afoot among Evangelicals to _support_ Barack Obama on the grounds that the American electorate "deserve" the agonies of an Obama presidency, to cleanse them of their sins, which are great and many. Well, my first question is, wasn't the Clinton administration enough punishment? Or, failing that, the Bush II administration? How much more can we take? Some of us haven't gotten over Jimmy Carter yet. To further cloud the issue, there is some suspicion that Mike Huckabee is one of these secret Evangelical anarchists, who believe that Obama has been appointed (not that he realizes this) the Scourge of God. (Al Gore must be getting mighty jealous about now.) This is really quite a remarkable revelation -- and all the more so because it comes from Novak, who is not much of a conspiracy theorist and whose column is generally a bit of a yawner. But now it seems that some people out there believe that "... an Obama presidency is in keeping with the Bible's prophecy." (Not mentioned -- "which" prophecy they are referring to.) Well... excuse my skepticism, but these are the very same folks who think our defense of Israel is in keeping with Biblical prophecy. Isn't it amazing how religion is, far from creeping back into American politics, jumping in with both feet? It's even funnier that the liberal media have yet to figure out just how far this has gone. Maybe it's another one of those "inconvenient truths".

3. Iran, and So Can You

Sometimes I wish this country were more like... Iran! Over there, they have something called "morals police", and they have been cracking down, of late, on "'indecent Western-inspired movements' such as rap music and satanism." Now, imagine how much more pleasant life would be over here without those two annoying and distasteful cultural artifacts. The morals police also target "women who flout rules dictating that they... disguise the shape of their bodies in public." Don't tell me this wouldn't be a good idea over here! Most of the female body shapes I see on the street _ought_ to be disguised. (This is one thing I can never figure out about nudists and naturists -- I mean really, who _wants_ to see most people naked? I sure don't.) So anyway -- I think before we take Hillary's advice and "annihilate" Iran we should take another look -- maybe we can learn something from these folks.

4. Bingo Was Its Name-O

In "unanticipated consequences" news, it seems that the multiplication of casinos in the tri-state, i.e. Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, area is seriously eating into profits from local bingo establishments -- you know, churches, fire halls, etc. The irony, of course, is that whereas "profits" from the old-time local bingo games stayed in the community, profits from the casinos are shipped out to owners who may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. So "big gambling" makes the rich richer and the poor... well, you know. Now, how many local bingo players are going to make that connection, i.e. between big gambling and their elected "leaders"? Damn few, is my guess. It's an interesting trend, really -- after decades of redistributing income from the middle class (and a few stupid rich people) to the poor, state governments have finally turned the corner and are now enabling, and facilitating, the re-redistribution of income from the poor back to the (smart) rich. Maybe there's some karmic significance to it all. Or maybe it's just plain greed. Which would be your guess?