July 4, 2007

Ok, it is Independence Day. In 1776, "we" declared our independence from Great Britain. Of course a war ensued, which was continued in 1812, after King George died. Well, here we are, 2007, and we are still ruled by King George. George Bush, that is, pilgrim (in my best John "the Duke" Wayne voice). It seems that some 231 years later it has been proven that we have replaced one tyrant for another. Freedoms and liberties are being violated at the whim of the government that controls a Supreme Court that would help bring it to power (2000 election). In a system where no one is supposed to be above the law, we have rampant cronyism throughout the higher echelon of government. Where convicted criminals have their sentences reduced to nothing while they await a full pardon. Where taxes are levied not to better serve the people, but to pay out government contracts won by friends of the administration so that war can be waged that will help to award more government contracts. Where taxes are being used to bolster failing businesses and industries making it easier for them to keep up their poor business models and ethics which will land more jobs overseas and more Americans on unemployment or underemployed.

Pardon my cynicism, but I am not having a good day!

It reminds me of a joke I heard recently.

Three surgeons were talking over drinks, bragging about some of their most remarkable surgeries. The first doctor said, "I had a baseball who nearly had his arm completely torn off in a car wreck, the only thing keeping it on was a flap of skin. I did my best to fix up his arm, and I'll be damned if he didn't go out and pitch a no-hitter the very next night!"

The second doctor said, "That is pretty impressive. I had a patient who had both his hands complete mangled in a machine, fingers barely recognizable. And I tell you what, the very next night after I performed the surgery, he went out and performed an entire Chopin piano concerto at Carnegie Hall."

The third doctors, with quite a thick "southern" accent said, "Wow, those are some very impressive surgeries. But in the back woods where I am from we don't get to see things quite that amazing. But there was this one cowboy fella, who got hit by a train. All that was left was his cowboy hat and the horse's ass. After I was done with my surgery, he went on to be President of the United States!"