POMP, NO CIRCUMSTANCE

Today President Dubya honored three of his former cohorts by giving them the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the role in "the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq." While it won't bother most Americans that neither place is completely liberated yet and that, especially in Iraq, the motivation for the military incursion seems less than noble, it's always good for a President to be seen handing out shiny baubles and waxing grandiloquent about "freedom, security and human liberty." Casual news followers might get a warm, tingly feeling in their heart during this holiday season and the imperial fight for control of oil in the Middle East will all seem somehow a little more grand and a little more righteous.

Meanwhile today in the Baghdad Green Zone, a car bomb detonated, killing 2 Iraqi's and injuring 13.

Bumper Bonanza

It didn't take long after the election for the Bush/Cheney bumper stickers to start multiplying like sex-crazed gerbils. Now I see them everywhere, whereas they were relatively scarce before the election. My question is, are all of these people bandwagon jumpers or are most Republican and Republican-leaning independents not too proud of their presidential ticket and they were just waiting until after the election when it is "safe" to let their freak flag fly?

The other day I encountered a progressive at a gas station in L.A. (He was filling up a 20-year old economy car.) While I was pumping gas, he noted my John Kerry bumper sticker and said, "I'm like you. I just can't bring myself to take the sticker off." I replied, "If I keep the sticker on, it helps with the denial just that much more." Party on President Kerry, party on...

Peace.