Well, now, the game's afoot.

Governer Hair(R-eally, Texas) is sending the Rangers to the border to get "boots on the ground" to deal with the increasing violence.

Well, on the surface that sounds good. El Paso/Juarez, especially, has been getting more violent, though other Texas are running close seconds. But now that the drug trade is emperilling 'legitimate' bizniz, well, we gotta Do Sumpin'.

And here we find that our beloved governor is very good at laying traps. First, he requests 'MOAR PLZ' from National Security - the very government he'd like to secede from. Then, for some reason, it all gets hung up on who's payin' fer it? Really, sir? This is a difficult question? So now he gets to blame Warshington for the delays. Except that, maybe, all this ain't needed, and might even be harmful.

But wait! Let's not analyze this situation with actual facts! We have the Challenger! In this corner, Kay Bailey Hutchison (hereafter to be called "Hutch" because I liked Starsky and Hutch as a wee lass). She's the fightin' Texas Lady, here to save us all from Do Nuthin' Perry.

Well, she too fell into the trap. "she's been in Warshington 16 years and she thinks she's done enough for you?!" was the gist of the response. Oh, dear me. After all she's done for veterans, too.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Gov. Hair has announced this on a national day of "oh, $deity, it's that day again." People are distracted by mourning, remembering, raging, and other such. For reasons that are good, bad, and awful, people are reminded of The Other, and are afraid. So someone finally standing up and appearing to Do Something about Something that Makes Us Afraid is going to score points.

But look at what's happening. Gov. Perry has a very good reason to use the Rangers instead of the National Guard. The Guard could be nationalized and used against him. The Rangers cannot. However expensive, however harmful, whoever dies because of this, it will all be his doing, under his control. He's using the Rangers' well deserved reputation to bolster his own stature: gilt by association.

Not everything that glitters is gold, Governor. We'll be watching

Joe Wilson's War

You don't win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his.

-Gen. Patton

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace. But you cannot have peace and a division of our country.

Gen. Sherman

We really can't keep this up. Joe Wilson has been sacrificed at the altar of partisanship - thrown to the wolves as red meat to distract the masses. He's a sideshow, no more important to the real work of governing the nation than the color of a newscaster's tie.

Let's get back to work, shall we?

How many policiticans does it take to drive a joke off a bridge?

Oh, I have to weep at the sheer number of electrons and pixels that died in the making of this outrage. And by "this outrage" I mean "this fake outrage that the butt of our jokes actually might have laughed at them, now that we know about it".

Go ahead, google "chappaquidick jokes". After the site corrects your spelling, you get multiple tens of thousands of hits of people shocked, yes SHOCKED that he would seek out jokes and maybe even laugh at them. It was if a billion voices cried out the same damn five lines of text and then wouldn't shut up about it.

Now I had a number of feelings and thoughts when I first read about this. The first one was "Well, that's a dumb thing to be coming out now.", then "Jackass move". Then it was, "how do you joke about this thing that is so serious?" I found out quickly enough - after, of course - limiting my searches to articles written before the now infamous Diane Rheme Show*.

http://www.outbursts.org/2006/05/05/kennedy-jokes/

http://web.archive.org/web/20060625220635/http://www.outbursts.org/archive/2005/09/08/chappaquiddick-jokes-never-get-old/

http://garywolff.com/subdir/humor.htm

http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/The_Top_15_Rejected_Christmas_Movies

So they're not unheard of, they're definitely not in good taste, but they do exist.

I don't get the impression that this was an every day thing for him. We heard more about his sailings habit the last few days than anything else. His biographer would be in a position to know what he did and didn't think or do with the jokes. I expect a column/apologia from him any day. It probably will just provide more grist for the mill.

And the mill is the story here. This is just what the mad dogs were looking for - something, anything, to counter the near cannonization going on. No matter how many people he helped, no matter how much goodwill he cultivated over the decades, he is to be ignored, demonized, and deemed worthless because, well, simply because.

Other people have done worse. I can think of one president responsible for far more death and dismemberment than Ted Kennedy - Barack Obama. How many soldiers have died since he took office? And he didn't even start it. It was that one.

This is about who owns history, and therefore the future. Anything, anything that can discredit Kennedy or any other target is fair game. Anything that makes someone not be associated with the target will be pulled out, magnified, dissected and made into fat pies for those hungry to see whatever it is they want to see.

We have to know the messenger. We have to know the message. Everyone who has brought messages of hope and progress has been flawed in some way or another. Martin Luther King, Jr. is believed to have been an adulterer. Does that make the struggle for civil rights any less right? M. Scott Peck had a messy private life, but brought millions peace and insights they'd never had, including me. His message isn't any less right because he couldn't always live up to it.

There are more, far more examples. There always will be. The point is to know what you're following, who you're following, and why. Letting spitballs get in the way of a battleship is always a loser.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize.

=================

* I will forever be amused at the right-minded blogosphere taking "liberal" NPR's broadcasting as gospel. "I read that she heard it from someone who accidentally had NPR on!"

Real-time thoughts on the funeral

finally I get a stream. I never did get video, I'm listening on NPR.

Liturgy:

I was hungry and thirsty and sick and in prison or a stranger - and you comforted me.

I say to you whatever you do to the least of this, you did to me.

Depart from me, you accursed.

What did you did not do for these least ones, you did not do for me.

All powerful stuff.

Gospel of Matthew.

Oh for gods sake, I don't care who's there. Just let the thing play. I know it's radio. I know they're there. Shut the hell up, NPR. I'm only listening to you because CSPAN was unavailable.

Explanation of Christian Burial Mass

I wonder how the liberals ≠ christians are handling this. All that talk of God.

ooooh, the test to enter the kingdom. Ok, justifires, have at it.

The leader of the family, supported at the end.

Cue family values overreaction. didn't he take care of his brothers' kids? How many? 14?

Principles of perfectionism. Keep trying, no matter how you might fail.

Quoting him at his brother's funeral

Tying his service to the old testament prophets. Fantastic.

Luke - gospel of the poor. It was a few other things, must look up later.

God is preparing a world of justice. We don't know the time of the consumation of the earth. Oh, let the post-trib folks get at this.

NO, STOP WITH THE COMMENTARY. DO IT LATER. STOP THIS NONSENSE. YES, IT WAS A GREAT SERMON. SHUSH.

Prayers of the faithful, done by the kids. This one sounds young. Very clear voice. Is this a relative or what? Introducing being done by who?

Wow, powerful intercessions. Any "call to arms" eulogy by Obama would be superfulous.

OH, SHUT UP, COMMENTATOR.

I'm smiling, imagining W praying for universal healthcare as a right. Lord, hear our prayers.

Oh, man. Older one, who knows what's going on. before

Kim Smith: peace

Anthony Shriver: keep on going

Rory Kennedy praying for a welcome home and a family united

Teddy M Kennedy II the works begins anew, the dream lives on.

SHUT UP, I WARNED YOU.

Liturgy of the Eucharist I can hear the howls

Explanation of the offeratory. Introducing Yo Yo Ma. Is there an offeratory going on? Baskets and all? I can only imagine.

It always sounds like there are two of him playing. Beautiful.

I haven't heard the offering referred to as a sacrifice...

Sign of peace? Guess not, skipping right to the hossana.

Coming up to the transubstantiation. Will there be bells? YES, BELLS!

BELLS AGAIN!

We gots us the magic bread n' wine, now.

How many preists does it take to do this? 7, according to the program.

Communion. Commentator, you may now speak.

That was short. Grant us peace, indeed.

Oh, they haven't done it yet. No wonder they had 7 priests.

More music.

Beautiful music

Player cut out, wtf?

Oh great, here's the commercial again.

Ave Maria. One of my favorites.

Junior:

"I don't mind being president; I just mind someone else is?" ok

"Family vacations left us all injured and exhausted." That sounds about right.

Redemption. Never surrendered.

"I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day." Damn.

It is what we do with loss...transforming the event, is what we must do.

Missed the rest, small kid needed attention.

Oh, the santa story.

Again with the boats. Ways around the rules? A politician? Never! Aw, refused to leave him behind.

This guy's a good story teller.

And now the president.

Grand fromage!

"individual faults and frailties are no excuses to give in." Foo, strong stuff.

Happy warrior. Interesting.

The accomplishments outside the family. Pundits will be reeling with this one. It's a great eulogy, but it's full of juice for critics. I wish it weren't so. I think people are going to focus on this last part most of all.

Very good. His disagreements were never personal.

He's from a time when adversaries considered each other patriots. So there.

Envelopes of cigars. That's cute.

Heh. "luck of the irish". Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

"What did Webster do?" cute.

Mentioned taking care of his brothers' children. Brothers' keeper.

The note from Jackie. wow.

Finish with his own quote.

Dayum. He called all the Mass. 9/11 families. And kept in touch. And kept helping.

That was really good.

Ask not what your country can do for you...

[He]need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.

Edward Kennedy, speaking at Robert Kennedy's funeral in 1968.

In lieu of flowers, pass meaningful healthcare reform.

Oh, look, it's 2010 already

And NewsMax is ready to rumble.

1. Poll: Majority Leader Reid Vulnerable in 2010
2. Gingrich: GOP Could Take House in 2010
3. Congressional Junkets 'Rival Club Med'
4. Hugo Chavez Targets 'Bourgeois' Golf
5. Club for Growth: Democrats 'Fail Miserably' on Pork
6. Imus in Talks With Fox Business Network

I disagree with what you say, Jackass.

But I'll defend your right to say it, asshole.

If 'socialism' and LOL-OBAMA-JOKER is the best you can come up with as a rebuttal, fool, then you really are a tool of the rich and so-called 'right'.

It's mean-spirited, yeah, but I'm not wimpy enough to think it's dangerous. I suppose if enough idiots are convinced that HEALTHCARE=BAD by that poster, then yeah, I guess I am in danger going bankrupt if hit by a medical disaster. I guess more people will become and stay uninsurable because 'anti-tax' fools think that magic fairy dust is going to keep them safe while someone else's (read: rich people - not tea-partiers - talk about useful idiots) taxes are lowered. I suppose the country is in danger of suffering through a major epidemic because someone or a lot of some ones don't get to a doctor earlier rather than later because they need to buy food.

I'll be back later with more links. I'm just disgusted that people are this despearate and acting without thinking. 'Bush derangement syndrome' is turning out to mean that yeah, Bush was deranged. It seems so derivative to call this 'Obama derangement syndrome', so I'll just call it stupid, juvenille, petty, ignorant, lazy, unthinking, dull, assinine, dim, weak, cloddish, dopey, and just generally childish.