Letter from California

by paradox

01/22/05 0748.26 PST
San Jose, California

Something has gone wrong with my stomach, for a double cheeseburger Monday afternoon erupted into violent nausea that required two trips to the hospital and, appropriately enough, had me spending the entire inauguration week vomiting.

But by yesterday I could eat bland food again and make my own stock, a great, great day. I finally watched a little teevee coverage of the exceedingly grim proceedings along with the Lehrer News Hour quislings, Shields & Brooks.

“President Bush ended inauguration week as he began it, with a prayer service at national cathedral.”

Are you fucking kidding me? Do you mean to say George Bush went before Jesus and God and Saints and the Holy Ghost and said hey, I lied to kill tens of thousands for a threat that didn’t exist and turned myself and the DOD into flaming war criminals, but help me out and look out for me for the next term, will ya? Not once, but twice?

We are in big, big trouble. I’m not kidding—if I were God or Jesus and some puny human pulled that stunt I’d be pissed. Man—that kind of disrespect is bound to invite serious retribution.

Right on cue, I swear, Jim Lehrer turned to the news from Iraq and in this incredulously normal voice droned on that some election guy was publicly beheaded, one of our soldiers was killed, 17 Shia were blown up by a suicide bomber, a car bomb blew up somewhere else… man, I guess Jim Lehrer thought this retribution was pretty boring ‘cause he went on like it was normal, but it seemed seriously scary bad to me. Maybe when you’re heaving for four days with the tube it off it seems especially bad when you come back to it, I don’t know, but I’ve got the feeling George is getting his answer from Jesus for being so disrespectful.

At least I was comforted by the discussion by the quislings about Bill Thomas’s (R-CA) statement that Bush’s Social Security abomination was dead, it can’t pass the House. Maybe it was delusional in my weakened state, but I felt a Mars moment coming on, a phenomena of stupid, over-reaching embarrassing public announcements that are never, ever mentioned again by a whoring media class. That’s what happened when Bush said we’d go to Mars, and hopefully that’s what will happen to Bush’s absurdly dishonest social security ploy.

I hope so. There are encouraging signs of cojones from congressional Democrats, and although they could bury Bush forever for being so stupid as to go after Social Security with such flagrant lying, I’ll be more than happy to settle for a Mars moment over the whole thing, oh yes.

I continue to be in denial about California politics and only pay attention when I have to. Arnie, of course, has turned out to be a traitor and a backstabber to the folks he made deals with last year, Sacramento is billions short and our kids’n public servants are going to get screwed for it. The education community is an uproar and my wife, a teacher, is worried.

It’s Groundhog Day, year after year, every budget is the same. California’s revenue base is completely busted, and until we get real civic leadership to have a real honest discussion about how and who pays for what we’ll continue to be civic laughingstocks. A real budget is likely 140 days away at least, anything could happen between now and then. Last time Feinstein got on the teevee in a commercial to pass the historic borrowing “so this could never happen again.” Right, Dianne, thanks for the war vote.

Oy. It doesn’t look good, what can I say? We shall prevail nonetheless as best we can. I’ve only got one life and I’m letting the Republicans ruin it, I tell you that.

I’ve felt a little embarrassed lately, for I know I said earlier I wouldn’t write again until I got my ass out of this chair with some tangible political activity. I’m still just reading and writing, yes, but I’m working on something. I don’t want to talk about it and jinx it, but there are promising signs of further activity down the road. Still, it’s truly rare that I don’t keep my word and I feel bad about it. Oh well, I’m kinda stuck, nobody wants to hear it, believe me, and sometimes I write well, which is still something. I think.

It also gives me the opportunity to pass on a happy story and giddy congratulations to Blez over at Athletics Nation, proud new father and very, very accomplished blogger. Sure it helps to have Markos as a friend, but Blez built that blog—with incredible guest posts from Beane and great journalists and players and a huge reader base—all by himself with great work and talent and a huge heart.

I love baseball and I’m thrilled to see this blog thrive so well. Athletics Nation has a very refreshing enforced lightheartedness to it—chill out if you want to post here, dude, it’s baseball. They expect this behavior from fanatics and it works beautifully. Congratulations and thank you, Blez.

[shrugs] Lots of good stuff still happens, even with Arnie and Bush around. There are new things to do with lots of opportunity for good works. Something to keep in my mind, that’s all. Peace be with you.