I have no idea whether the Tulsa shootings are in any way connected to the Trayvon Martin shooting hype.  Yes, in my private thoughts I entertain the idea that it probably is, but that’s one great big huge assumption on my part – and not one I’m “married to”.  It might turn out that this is so completely mundane (in today’s reality) as to be drug related or some personal vendetta wholly unrelated to anything outside of Tulsa.  Or, even, just some genuine crazy hater who woke up yesterday and decided his cat just told him to go out and shoot black men.

At this point any theory is just that – a theory. But human beings always do try to make sense of their world.  As thinking human beings we need to remember that just because we may believe something that “something” isn’t necessarily true.  After all, people once believed the earth was the center of the heavens – and flat.  Or, that tossing children down a really deep hole in the ground would bring rain.  Or, that owning another human being was somehow OK.

I close this troubling post with a suggesting that everyone who is inclined to believe they know enough to believe a theory is in fact, well, a fact, should read this: Incompetent People Too Ignorant to Know It.  And that gentle suggestion goes for the Treyvon Martin shooting as much as it does the Tulsa OK shootings.

Spatial and temporal distance have not dulled the horror that was the Fukushima disaster.

Words still fail.

My thoughts respectfully pay honor to those that died, to those that survived, and to those that continue to struggle to rebuild.

Aimlessly buzzing the net I stumbled into the story of Gloria Allred’s letter to Palm Beach County State Attorney Michael McAuliffe requesting that he investigate the possibilities of prosecuting Rush Limbaugh for his comments referencing Sandra Fluke.  I’m confident I have no need to rehash the actual incident since it’s been so thoroughly trod already that one would need to be a hermit in the Himalayans to not know what happened and what was said.  The Allred chapter of the circus can be found on Politico.

I’m not defending Mr. Limbaugh.  A) He doesn’t need my defense and B) He’s offered a very humble apology, quite publicly.  But what I found so hilarious was the fact that music enjoyed by the average person in Ms Fluke’s demographic celebrates using such terms for women and even girls.  And do I need to say, expressions fully protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

And then I had the brilliant thought that I hoped Mr. Limbaugh is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that

He needs to face the consequences of his conduct in every way that is meaningful. [Ms Allred]

Here are the parameters of the “crime” according to the Politico article:

The statute stipulates that anyone who “speaks of and concerning any woman, married or unmarried, falsely and maliciously imputing to her a want of chastity” is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. [emphasis added].

If a female wishes to use birth control to prevent pregnancy and said woman is not married she is, by definition, not chaste.  Mr Limbaugh may meet the “malicious” requirement of the proof of committing this most heinous of crimes [please, do note the dripping sarcasm] but he does not meet the “falsely” component.

In actuality, I do hate the general lack of civility in public discourse.  I don’t listen to Mr Limbaugh’s program for just that reason.  But the general lack of civility in public discourse exists across the political spectrum.  However, we do have the First Amendment of the Constitution I referenced above.  Freedom of speech.  And yet again it is a Liberal that is demonstrating they only believe in the First Amendment when it protects speech they agree with.  Folks, that’s not “free speech”… that’s censorship.  Not only is it censorship but it’s censorship enforced at the end of a gun barrel.

Perhaps Ms Flukes should ring up Ms Palin for advice on how a public person (something Ms Flukes became with her public advocacy on the contraceptives and insurance coverage issue) might handle personal attacks from those that don’t agree with them.  I’m confident she would have a great deal of field tested advice to offer the aggrieved Ms Flukes.

For the record and for what it’s worth: I don’t believe in the Mayan prophecy nor do I believe in the Biblical Apocalypse.  That said, I do believe that our collective beliefs have a tendency to drive events.   If enough people believe bad things are going to happen the chances of a bad thing happening increase.

And there’s no argument that the world is a pretty messed up place right now.  But every time I think that thought I do try to remind myself that there has never been a time when the world wasn’t a messed up place.  That is also followed (if I’m not feeling too cranky or depressed) with the upbeat silent reminder that in the aggregate the world is a lot better than it ever was historically.

Here’s where I have to admit to having grown to despise the presidency of Obama, and as such I would view his reelection as a disaster writ large for the US and probably a smaller scale disaster for the rest of the world as well.  Or, given his proven ineptitude maybe just as large for the rest of the world.  We do have that pesky little ”Iran situation” looming over us and our semi immediate future.

When I first read that Obama had asked Netanyahu to delay any action on Iran until after the elections I thought my head was going to snap off my neck as I spun it around to focus all my attention on words I couldn’t believe I was hearing… even from the self absorbed narcissistic Obama.  By all means Israel – what’s your very survival when measured against the possibility of mucking up Obama’s chance at reelection?  Actually, I don’t believe it’s exactly that, more like Obama doesn’t want to have to face any decisions where he has to make a clearly defined choice.  Which in my mind is infinitely worse.  [Yes, there is now some conflicting information as to whether Obama said that to Netenyahu.  Personally, I choose to believe he did or Panetta said it for him]

Obama can’t afford to lose the Jewish vote and equally, he can’t afford to lose the anti semetic vote.  Obama’s answer: Wait till after the election.  You know, to, uhmmm, “give the negotiations and sanctions time to work”.   I guess we should feel some reassurance Obama reminded us he “doesn’t bluff”.  Nope, I never thought he bluffed, instead he just blows rainbows up everyone’s butt.

Obama may “have Israel’s back” but he’s hoping no one notices his knife sticking out of it.

So even though I don’t believe in the Mayan prophecy or the Biblical Armageddon I do believe Obama is sailing us right into a biblically proportioned apocalyptic disaster.  Rather like Capt Schettino and the Costa Concordia, just on a much larger scale with a lot more time allotted to successfully change course.  Not that he will… Obama has demonstrated time and again that he is no more a real “captain” than Schettino proved to be.

The wording from the indictment of Schettino is also eerily applicable:

… – owing to culpable behaviour consisting of imprudence, negligence and incompetence…

 

…even though in the proximity of obstacles, in a way such as not to be able to act in an appropriate and efficient manner so as to avoid collisions and to halt the craft within a distance appropriate to the circumstances and to the conditions of the moment), caused …

 

… for having abandoned about three hundred persons (passengers on the cruise ship Costa Concordia), unable to fend for themselves …

 

Will there be a similar notation as this to Obama’s “Ship of State” captaincy:

… what is premised in the matter of this order must be viewed in light of the totality of the verified facts concerning the dynamic of the shipwreck forming the object of investigation, and as concerns the seriously culpable behaviour engaged in by the captain in the course of the entire event in question. The gravity of the culpable behaviour of the captain is indeed verifiable from the beginning …

I can only hope I’m just indulging in a bit of overwrought melodrama and Obama’s tactics of diplomacy and sanctions will change Iran’s nuclear course

Suffice it to say that 2011 is a year that held a lot of changes for me.  Changes that brought further changes as a consequence.  And after a mostly sleepless night I looked out upon the world through my nearly ever open cyber window at 4am and realized I am numb.  Well and truly numb.

The world is mightily f—-ed up and as I buzzed through the latest additions to the f—edupness of the day my eyes suddenly flew open and I sat up straight as if I had just received a semi-minor electrical shock.  Just when had I stopped caring?  

I hadn’t even realized I didn’t care any more until that moment and for the life of me I don’t know where I misplaced my usual compulsive over abundance of “caring” – nor when it and I parted ways.

An X5 solar flare with a CME hurtling towards earth?  Pffftttttt.   Anemic at best to be sure (as far as X class flares goes) but I can still remember the days when any X class flare spun my neurons with excitement.

Innocent civilians dying by the hundreds?  Yawn.  What’s new? (Where did I put that humanity of mine?  Hummm…. it must have been deposited thoughtlessly with my caring.)

Yet another assault on the Constitution?  What?  That old outdated thing? It would be noteworthy when and IF our political leaders and the government in general managed to protect and honor it.  Insult and assault is one of those things that has devolved to normalcy.

All the talk about $5 and$6 gas in our near future?  Isn’t that just so I think the $3.60 gas now is a bargain that I should be humbly grateful to Obama for?   OK… I admit it… I’ve actually gotten used to the idea that $5 – $6 gas is in the near future and it really doesn’t shock me any more.  And who needs to eat anyway?

Iran going nuclear?  That’s all just a lie.  Just ask them, they’ll tell you.

Israel being hung out to dry?  That’s what happens when the US dances to the tune of the “World Body”.  Let’s face it, Israel doesn’t have a lot of friends among the depots and sociopaths that wander the halls of corruption at the UN.

From Bob Dylan’s “Things Have Changed” :

People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

I’ve been walking forty miles of bad road
If the Bible is right, the world will explode
I’ve been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much
You can’t win with a losing hand

 

Nine lines that describe it all so perfectly.