- not one of my better days -

Don’t feel much like writing anything today – fighting off what I think is a cold and the end of the week is making me tired, cranky and really not much in love with the human race.

I need some down time alone – I know this because every human interaction so far today has been for me a teeth gritting exercise in not screaming a torrent of (if I am honest ) undeserved abuse at people.

“For god’s sake you’re putting sugar in coffee – it’s not brain surgery – and it won’t f-king blow up if you put too much in – so maybe you could move it along here? People have places to go and trains to catch.”

“For god’s sake you can’t be this stupid – you managed to dress yourself

“Okay I can stand you walking like you’ve just put on the 50 pound lead shoes but do you also have to weave back and forth so people can’t get past?”

“It’s a news stand you give them money you can have the product – what part of this don’t you get? Don’t they have news stands on your planet?”

And so on – it’s not something I’m happy with and I’m usually able to just shrug things off but not so today – there is a baseline irritation with things that makes me all cranky.

Actually I like to save my, I guess you’d call it, gift of invective for people who really deserve it like say W or Dick Cheney who have a great deal to deserve it.

The whole surge thing is starting to look like a blob – I’ve read reports that the number of extra troops will be more like 45,000 or more, yet other reports have a general saying he really needs only ½ of the 20,000. I’m also reading of shortages of equipment for the extra troops. I really don’t know what’s going on and I’m not sure anybody does.

And there is all this loose talk about Iran – suddenly they are talking about Iran like they did about Iraq was before we invaded Iraq. They have put a second aircraft carrier into the gulf (taking it away from its duties in Afghanistan no less – like they did before Iraq when they took the special units – those with really the best chance of catching Osama ben ladden – and put them on the Iraq border) and calling Iran a great danger to the area. We have heard this song before by the way and we all saw how that turned out.

There is some puzzlement by commentators who, with the best will in the world, can’t figure out why W and the Boys are doing this – other than to prove they can.

Next week there is going to be a vote on the non-binding Senate resolution against the increase in troops. It really isn’t much, but at least it’s a start. Personally I’d like to see impeachment hearings start for both W and Darth Ceney but you know – things have to one step at a time and this is something that will come from the ground up – the last folks to get it will be congress.

Happy news about Global warming from a UN scientific panel – the message – put into simple language is “we’re doomed – deal with it”. Reducing the level of greenhouse gases will lessen the effect but it’s too late to stop Global warming. The depressingly predictable response of the oil industry has been an attempt via their beard The American Enterprise Group to try and bribe scientists to the tune of $10,000 a pop to publish papers attacking the study. It’s times like these I see the grim hand of Darwin writing down in the book of the earth our fate “Homo Sapiens - just too fucking stupid to live”

I remember when I first heard about Global warming one scientist who knew too much about human nature to feel confident we were going to do anything said something to the effect that by the time the evidence of global warming is incontrovertible – it’ll be too late to do anything about it.

I’m not at all sanguine about our abilities to do anything – too many people who are rich and powerful have a vested interest in this simply not being true – Vanity and stupidity are huge powers in this world – and we’re really not very good at taking care of things – Sicily was once covered with trees for example.

Well enough of that – I’ll stop before I try and pull my own head off.

Off to 169 Bar to play – we are the only band booked that night – super bowl Sunday – well we’ll see who comes. I suspect even the bartender will be watching the game.

The wrist bands are from http://www.mcphee.com/index.html - wonderfully evil and weird stuff.

Peace - love – Shonen Knife