Reality Is An Illusion

Schmuck Gets In Your Eyes

In My Room
November 18, 2015

I think our petulant Republican’t friends are long overdue for a time-out. They need to be sent to their room and most importantly, not be allowed to watch any more television until they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can tell the difference between what happens on television and what happens in real life. They blamed the Columbine massacre on music. They blame gun violence on video games. They blamed the Oklahoma City federal building bombing on Muslims until it became evident that it was white-as-snow and Christian-as-Mike-Huckabee, Timothy McVeigh. Speaking of Rev. Huckabee, he insists the U.S. should prioritize Christians over Muslims when considering who to admit to the country because he doesn’t “know of any other group of people uniquely who are targeting these individual civilians.” Maybe he should take his head out of his ass so he can see that there are lots of white folks (mostly, if not all Christians) who are terrorizing and killing Americans right here in the good old U.S. of A. Huckabee and his buddies blame inner city violence on Barack Obama, but don’t blame anyone (except maybe Obama) for cops killing unarmed black people, or white zealots murdering doctors who perform abortions. I could go on…but you knew that.

Just for the record, a partial list:

June 18, 2015 - Charleston, SC: 9 dead
May 23, 2014 - Isla Vista, CA: 6 dead, 7 wounded
December 14, 2012 - Newtown, CT: 27 killed, one injured
September 28, 2012 - Minneapolis, MN: 6 killed, 2 injured
August 5, 2012 - Oak Creek, WI: 6 killed, 3 injured
July 20, 2012 - Aurora, CO: 12 killed, 58 injured
October 12, 2011 - Seal Beach, CA: 8 killed, 1 injured
January 8, 2011 - Tucson, AZ: 6 killed, 11 injured

All white, American citizen shooters. Take that ISIS.

The Republican’ts blame ISIS on Obama rather than on their one-time hero, now persona non grata (even though his brother is crawling for president), George W. Bush who set the stage for precisely what we see today as regards terror attacks. According to one captured ISIS member, “The Americans came. They took away Saddam, but they also took away our security. I didn’t like Saddam, we were starving then, but at least we didn’t have war. When you came here, the civil war started.” Many people predicted this exact situation would result from Bush’s illegal, ill-advised, ill-managed, Halliburton-enriching invasion of Iraq.

TV or Not TV, That is The Question

The Republicants insist on looking to television for public policy and military tactical guidance. For example, Fux News-model Gretchen Carlson explained to a Fux military analyst how a character on Homeland “actually seems to sometimes know more about this war on terror and ISIS, than possibly the administration.” This inimitable “journalist” then showed a clip of her fictional hero to prove her point. Unsurprisingly, the dialogue included nothing more than things everyone everywhere has known about ISIS and their ilk, along with the standard ‘bomb-Iraq-into-a-parking-lot’ rhetoric we hear every day from John McCain and Lindsey Graham, and now the likes of Chrump (who put it most succinctly – “I would bomb the shit out of ‘em”), Carson and all the others vying for Bull Goose Looney. Carlson’s conclusion? “I mean, should we be listening to Homeland?” Her expert guest responded, “Yeah we probably ought to Gretchen. I don’t watch it, I know it’s a wonderful show. As you know, I have no idea what I’m talking about, but I do know a good idea when I don’t see it.”*



TV Reality

One could be excused for believing that ‘reality TV’ is real (after all it clearly has ‘reality’ right there in its name) since it involves real people – despite the fact that these real people are often scripted and placed in quite un-real situations for the sake of, oh let’s say ratings. But really, “24” was neither reality TV nor real, or anything vaguely resembling either one. That didn’t stop people like Dick Cheney and countless others from using Jack Bauer, the show’s protagonist, as a role model for Cheney’s torture program. Cheney even imagined (though more likely he simply lied through his teeth) that his fantasy program achieved great (or any) results.

Dick’s good buddy, Antonin Scalia also has great difficulty discerning reality from fiction. And this is the guy who insists he knows exactly what the Founding Fathers were thinking when they debated and wrote the Constitution. Yes that’s right, the Supreme Court justice who said no jury would ever convict Jack Bauer for waterboarding anyone, maintains that he accurately and unerringly interprets the precise and singular meaning of each and every word we pay him to understand and rule on. Really?

Now, these treacherous cretins want to know, “Why can't we take out these bastards?"** You know, because as anyone who watches - and believes what they see - on the teevee knows, it’s just a Game Of Thrones, a Family Feud over Blood And Oil, where the Price Is Right and you keep the evildoers from Breaking Bad by putting the Bold and The Beautiful, you know - your MacGyvers, your A Team, some American Gladiators and their Friends and other assorted Heroes - on the Frontline for 48 Hours or 60 Minutes, whichever comes first, and show them Who’s The Boss. Then, assuming all is not Lost, it’s Hee Haw and MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - a regular Bonanza - without a hint of Scandal, keeping the Empire intact, and the Homeland is saved forever. Just another day at The Office. If that doesn’t work just keep at it until you are the Last Man On Earth and you can live The Life Of Reily in your Little House On The Prairie or sail off on The Love Boat, and the rest of your life will be Happy Days. To me it is much more like Mystery Science Theater 3000 - just another less-than-B movie to which I must add witty banter and silly commentary.

Then of course there is good old The Donald Chrump, a hate enthusiast who is himself a reality TV show, but unlike all the others, is simultaneously completely phony all too real. The Republican’t field is rife with Trojan Whores hoping to insinuate themselves into the White House to fling their feces across the globe.

*I may have inadvertently added that last sentence. It was not my fault. Stuff happens.
** Actually asked by CNN reporter during press conference in Turkey this week

Also, too…

Professional abstinator and trusted (not sure by whom) abstinence counselor Bristol Palin is pregnant for the second (third?) time despite being entirely unmarried to two fiancés. At best one assumes that the fathers of her children are her ex-fiancés. When an interviewer said to Mama Grizzly, Sarah, "Of course, there are those who say, 'Come on, this goes against everything you stand for,'" the older, not necessarily wiser Palin cackled back, "Well, the cool thing about putting your faith in God, is he certainly is a God of second chances and third and fourth and fifth chances." I’m guessing this clan, especially happy-go-fucky Bristol, will need all the chances they can get. And we can all give thanks to God that she is safely tucked away in Wasilla, and nowhere near the White House.

Last And Least

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal announced he has suspended his presidential campaign, which unbeknownst to anyone other than Bobby Jindal was an actual thing. I kid you not.

I. Mangrey reporting.

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