COLLECTIVE MADNESS
“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Rupaul
ReplyDeleteUggh, Rufus Paul.
ReplyDeleteThat was a buzz kill!!! >:(
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHe's no uglier than that guitar player.
ReplyDeleteYour link doesn't work, Q.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteRolling in the Deep
.
Guess I was in the wrong thread. You need to warn me of these things.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter. It's all good!
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite song right now.
ReplyDeleteSamantha James - Tonight
Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
ReplyDeleteHattip: Trish. (I think this is the song she heard)
Fred Thompson: "FBI arrests 127 mobsters. This must be that staff shake-up Obama was talking about after the elections"
ReplyDeleteAnother good one
ReplyDeleteKeith Olbermann fired from MSNBC
ReplyDelete(hee hee!)
But I do like Rachel Maddow. Same softball team, you know.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteWe Used To Wait
.
Here there and everywhere, I go ride almost everyday.
ReplyDeletePutting together a deal with some real cowboys. I feel the need to save a couple of hundred wild American Mustangs from slaughter, each year.
Whether you all approve of how the BLM manages those herds, it is a reality. Either we train them buggers, or they die.
Found some real hands that can handle the program. But it is both labor and management intense.
A dawn to dark kind of a deal.
Not only is my left brain thinking on hiatus these days but I'm already on my third drink so the rules for Friday night at the bar when my pathetic ass can't get off the couch to go out and do something productive is absolutely no politics.
ReplyDeleteWell, Mel, this is my all time favorite song.
ReplyDeleteCowboy in the Jungle
Good on ya, Rat.
ReplyDeleteSo how many did you save?
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with it.
ReplyDeleteAwe…Are you a Jimmy Buffet fan?
ReplyDeleteLet me tell you about my Jimmy Buffet experience.
ReplyDeleteGot the first eight
ReplyDeleteWe can cycle 'em through, every two weeks.
Should be just shy of 200 in a year.
Well, I'm glad you're saving some of them, but I wish the Government would just let'em be.
ReplyDeleteJimmy and I go back to 1977.
ReplyDeletePlayed that tune on a boom box, in a little bar, with a balcony over the bay, in Porto Bello.
Wore out the tape, the patience of the Julios in the place, but there wer four of us, and we spent a lot of money on beer, rum and smoke.
More than some went to the local girls, too, as I recall.
Take Another Road
Never gonna happen, rufus.
ReplyDeleteThe Federal Forest Service is trying to circumvent the Judges' order, attempting to transfer the Heber herd to AZ Fish and Game, so they can be hunted.
Killed for sport.
What kind of smoke?
ReplyDeleteMy sister is a big fan, as for me not so much. So, I agreed to go to his concert. It was 98 fucking degrees. I didn't realize the dedication the fans had for this man until I almost got my ass kicked for playing Nickelback during our three hour tailgating party.
ReplyDeleteOnce we were in the concert the skies decided to open up and pour profusely for the entire concert for which I spent most of the time in the gut-wrinching bathroom.
I would save them if I could.
ReplyDeletePanama Red
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I knew that guy. Back in the day.
ReplyDeleteSweet Baby James
ReplyDeleteKeith Olbermann done.
ReplyDeleteThe market has spoken.
This one, the Deuce:
ReplyDeleteBanana Republics
Good riddance. He is a nasty piece of work.
ReplyDeleteoh my God you are a fan. I never even heard of that song. Don't even tell me you own a parrot head.
ReplyDeleteNo, whit.
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't it.
This evening when I got in the Jeep it was Comfortably Numb.
And I asked myself, "Am I comfortably numb?"
Not yet. Not quite.
And wouldn't it be a really, really bad thing to be comfortably numb?
Yes, it would.
Run to Acapulco to turn the golden keys, Henry keep the brakes on for this corner if you please.
ReplyDeleteWhit, you have a new avatar. Which is fabulous but what should I call you now elephant man?
ReplyDeleteI'll stick with chief. It better suits you.
;)
ReplyDeleteI get a kick out of this
ReplyDelete"And wouldn't it be a really, really bad thing to be comfortably numb? Yes, it would"
ReplyDeleteWell, that depends on your definition and the circumstances.
Arizona
ReplyDeleteAnd the worst thing is that when I sit down with my mother and tell her this story she's going to say, "That's interesting."
ReplyDeleteShe might add, "Sounds like something you'd hear on Coast To Coast." Or, "Sounds like something you'd hear on one of those weird late-night radio programs." Because I don't think she knows about Coast-to-Coast. "You know, with all those nutty people."
Which would be funny.
"Well, that depends on your definition and the circumstances."
ReplyDeletePresently, it would be a bad thing.
I guess for your sake that's a good thing that you're not there yet.
ReplyDeleteIn a manner of speaking I've seen people there. It's not a nice place.
ReplyDeleteHow long of a drive is it to your moms.
That scene from Young Frankenstein keeps popping into my head.
ReplyDelete"Destiny! Destiny! No escaping! That's for me! Destiny! Destiny!"
("Doctor! Doctor! Wake up!"
"What? What is it? What's the matter?"
"You were having a nachtmare.")
Why do you ask?
ReplyDeleteThere is no escaping destiny. You know that. It is what it is.
ReplyDeleteNo reason I just was curious.
ReplyDeleteI liked that, Whit. Kind of a "Rufus" song. :)
ReplyDeleteI like driving…Alone. Long distance. It's relaxing…Rejuvenating.
ReplyDeleteKind of a Rufus song….I thought the same thing.
ReplyDelete"You know that. It is what it is."
ReplyDelete: )
I'm not so sure though.
There are sooooo many things I don't know.
I blame it on the public education system.
You like long drives alone?
You can't get your ass up off the couch.
You can't be a productive human being.
Here you go, Rufus
ReplyDeleteI, on the other hand, feel oddly productive.
ReplyDeleteFor the first time in a long time.
I didn't' say I wan't a productive human being. Maybe not productive lately but if I could get in my car tomorrow and drive south I would.
ReplyDeleteAnd what would you blame on the public education system. That they didn't prepare you for life's obstacles. That there wasn't a text on what do if…
That's a cop out.
What have I produced?
ReplyDeleteWell, yes. That's a good question.
My own ability to laugh in circumstances so horrendous that they defy adequate description.
If the Bible were written differently maybe it would say, "Jesus laughed."
"I didn't' say I wan't a productive human being."
ReplyDeleteYou also didn't say you can spell or punctuate.
This is true.
...circumstances so horrendous...
ReplyDeletereally?
Say "goodnight", Mel.
ReplyDeleteBut notice I was kind about the horoscope.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a job, or ever had one, I assume it didn't involve writing.
I believe laughing is part of a cure all.
ReplyDeleteMy humor is out of the norm. As you can tell. What I think is humorous others don't. But that is okay as long as I snort laughter at least once a day whether it is alone or with a friend I know I'm heading in the right direction.
Now What?
ReplyDeleteI think Melody writes pretty good.
ReplyDeleteNope. I can't spell or punctuate. But that's no secret since you remind us all every time there is a mistake.
ReplyDelete"My humor is out of the norm."
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel oddly superior.
For the first time in a long time.
John Prine, another American, heck of a singer.
ReplyDeletePlease don't bury me
Actually, I do have a job. It doesn't involve writing or punctuation. I'm a people person.
ReplyDeleteHad this album, back when there were albums
ReplyDelete"But that's no secret since you remind us all every time there is a mistake."
ReplyDeleteWell, shit, who's got time like that?
That's a good step in the right direction, Trish.
ReplyDeleteBecause with me? Whether I can write or use proper grammar or even remember what I did yesterday, I always feel superior.
There was a time when I didn't.
"I'm a people person."
ReplyDeleteThat I'd wager.
Good night Whit
ReplyDeleteYou would lose. Believe it or not.
ReplyDeleteHome With The Armadillo
ReplyDeleteDo you feel left out, DR?
ReplyDeleteWould it make you feel better if I said that I will look you up when I visit Tucson.
"I always feel superior."
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to be one of those people.
(No. That's not true. And I don't know anyone personally who always does feel that way.)
I don't think I've ever actually wanted that.
To feel equal, yes.
Tucson? Don't get that far south much, any more.
ReplyDeleteCrazies with guns, down that way.
"You would lose."
ReplyDeleteLuck of the Irish.
Yeah, right my girlfriend lives five minute from that shooting.
ReplyDeleteNetwork that ran "Crossfire" for 20 years apologizes for using "crosshairs" in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteI have that kind of luck, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd stop analyzing every word I write.
ReplyDeleteAlways…Sometimes…Most of the time…Does it matter? Well, maybe to you it does.
I always feel superior. I always walk with my head held high. I feel good about myself.
.
ReplyDeleteHome With The Armadillo
Good stuff rat.
Reminds me of a bar I used to go to a long time ago. It was near Selfridge Air Force Base on Lake St. Clair.
They had 'Go-Go' girls, but all they had on the juke box was country/western music.
An interesting place.
.
"I always feel superior. I always walk with my head held high. I feel good about myself."
ReplyDeleteUm. This just sounds like Rat.
Or Doug.
Or Quirk.
Or Blue.
Or She Who Delights In Frequent Name Changes.
And you're not?
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you stand out from the rest of us. Your profound knowledge of grammar or that you hand your head despair.
If hair is such an awful word, just use the Olde English standby:
ReplyDelete"'He got me by the short and curlies'"
Hang your head.
ReplyDeleteHang your head in despair.
ReplyDeleteI fucked that one up.
Well, how pleasant, I wake to an ordinary, civil Friday night at the bar. Seems that I missed a fine party.
ReplyDeleteWell you just keep fucking them up with your head high. It seems to suit you.
ReplyDeleteYou can only imagine what suits me.
ReplyDeleteAnd it was, actually, civil for a Friday night.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteBloggers Rip Obama's Choice of Immelt to Lead the Panel of Economic Advisors
...* In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in 2009, Immelt berated “Buy American” policies while acknowledging that GE lived under domestic preference regimes in China, France, and other nations. In Immelt’s mind, it is fine for China and France to require to GE to make what it sells in their nations, but it’s not OK for America to do the same.
* Immelt essentially rules out any enforcement of our trade laws in his Washington Post op-ed today through a spurious claim that distorts the issue...
Is What's Good for GE What's Good for America?
.
Q: So, how were you sucked into this most wicked, fateful enterprise?
ReplyDeleteA: They couldn't punctuate.
Q: No, really. What was it?
A: A need to converse.
Irritated the hell out of me when Allen Bloom wrote at the conclusion of The Closing Of The American Mind that in the end, when all's said and done, it's all about the dialogue, not landing upon any particular truth.
And that struck me as wrong.
The dialogue has to serve a purpose other than itself.
There has to be some truth to land upon.
Or it's all a circle-jerk. A lot of stupid nonsense.
Just taking you at your word.
ReplyDeleteThat Norah Jones is amazing. I doubt I heard of her until you posted her here.
We seem to have arrived at that moment of a lot of stupid nonsense.
ReplyDeleteIt is the ultimate cosmic joke Red, the closer you get to the truth the less time you have to keep it.
ReplyDeleteTwo converging lines to discovery, one giving, one taking away.
Shout it out to share and you may get a nod or two, but everyone is too consumed with their own convergence.
Just enjoy the ride.
It always arrives that way.
ReplyDelete...but I'm just passing through.
ReplyDeleteI was advised in boot camp, all 17 years of me by a man far older and wiser, probably 23, "don't sweat the chicken shit" and oh by the way, "everything is chicken shit."
ReplyDeleteThere are some Cosmic Truths.
ReplyDeleteSaving those wild horses definitely is one.
Good night.
ReplyDeleteI did find that rather noble.
ReplyDeleteNight, Deuce.
ReplyDeleteNight, all.
"It is the ultimate cosmic joke Red, the closer you get to the truth the less time you have to keep it."
ReplyDeleteExcept I'm not so sure.
And I'm especially not so sure precisely because I've already had this thought.
Well. It doesn't matter really. I'm no closer to the truth now than I was eight years ago.
In fact, I could be a helluva lot farther away.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened over eight years?
ReplyDeletenite rufus.
ReplyDeleteNobody said allen can't drive in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'd like to interview his former road buddies.
I think we were in the middle of an insurgency.
ReplyDeleteI thought I knew everything about an obviously horrendous and regrettable situation.
I thought I had the answers.
Along with every other outraged individual.
There is always truth in dialogue. It doesn't have to be grammatically correct in order to have meaning or truth. This is the Internet for God sake.
ReplyDeleteDon't you ever get out. Talk to real people.
One of greatest surprises from my dad was when he said about that situation in Iraq, "Sometimes there's no obvious solution. You just have to do something. And just doing something gets you moving."
ReplyDeleteOr where you need to go.
It's been awhile.
"Talk to real people."
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome.
Or She Who Delights In Frequent Name Changes.
ReplyDeleteActually Teresita is my real name.
I even post real pictures here of the real me hiking and stuff.
So, the problem is…That you don't have all the answers? That you thought you knew everything and you don't? That you thought you had everything figured out and it's not really what it's all cracked up to be?
ReplyDeleteC'mon Trish?
Fed prints 25% more dollars in one month.
ReplyDeleteOil prices rise 25% in one month.
Hmm....
Mmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteWell, look.
There's this part near the end of Arsenic and Old Lace when Cary Grant is sitting on the stairs, the entire house in mad chaos, and he just raises his eyebrows and puts his head into his hand and resigns himself to all going on around him.
"That you thought you had everything figured out and it's not really what it's all cracked up to be?"
ReplyDeleteHow much wine do I have left?
I grabbed a Cary Grant movie off the You Tube today. They used to post movies in 10 minute bites. This was the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not drinking wine.
ReplyDeleteMore and more I notice that hhhhhhhhhh from the computer.
ReplyDeleteI am drinking wine.
ReplyDeleteA nice, crisp, light white.
vodka on this end.
ReplyDeleteSo, you're just going to hang your head in your hands and give up?
ReplyDeleteWhy did you come here, Melody?
ReplyDeleteI'm just trying to figure out a) why you're drinking white wine and b) what has your panties in and uproar.
ReplyDeleteI was invited.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you here Trish?
Why do you stay?
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason why i shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteI do not think, among the many things that panties may do, that they ever get in an uproar.
ReplyDeleteIt's just not, you, pantie-like.
Is there a reason why you're still up?
ReplyDeleteYou're right I don't wear any.
ReplyDeleteSo, then what's the problem?
I didn't take my medicine.
ReplyDeleteNext?
ReplyDeleteAm I disrupting your midnight oil?
ReplyDeleteNope. I have no next.
ReplyDeleteIf you have better things to do at 2 am I'd be more than happy to let you tend to them.
ReplyDeleteWere my answers satisfactory?
ReplyDeleteMelody, I do not give a dman.
ReplyDeleteThen why the fuck do you keep asking?
ReplyDeletedon't know why
ReplyDelete