Boy Do I Need a Vacation

The last time I had a day off that wasn't on a weekend was back around Christmastime. I recall looking forward to Memorial Day, because finally I could have a 3-day weekend. But something came up, and I worked Memorial Day.

So this long holiday weekend has got me sort of excited. I plan to take the whole weekend, including a trip to Goshen on Sunday and Monday. Back to work Wednesday, which will be quite a busy return.

Actually went on an interview today. Confirmed it's too far to commute, and although if they offer me a solid salary and benefits package it will be tempting, my gut tells me I don't want to uproot for it. No need to worry about it now. They will either offer or they won't. If they do, then I have to decide. I'd rather convince them to contract me, which seems the best solution for both parties.

On the drive, I picked up Air America on the radio. Talk about a parallel universe. The nicest thing I can say is, those people are nuts. I couldn't listen very long, because the whole thing was bizarre and just a bit scary.

How to describe Air America? The bottom line of the radio network starts from a visceral and irrational hatred of the President. The host started off her show by crowing (yes, it did sound like a crow) about how the Supreme Court "slapped down Bush". She was so excited, you would have thought the President had actually been physically assaulted. No analysis of the decision, no factual or thoughtful analysis of the decision itself. Just celebration, because the hated Bush didn't get his way on how to try the terrorists held in Guantanamo.

Oh, by the way, from Air America's perspective, the "detainees" at Gitmo aren't terrorists. They are just unfortunate slobs that got caught up in George Adolph Hitler Bush's reign of terror. I couldn't tell for certain whether she thought they were innocent, or just supported them because they would jump at the chance to shoot or blow up the President.

Clearly she lives her life on emotion, the foremost of which is hatred. Why does she (and her cronies at Air America) hate Bush so much? I think I listened long enough to figure that out. She hates him because he stole the presidency from her beloved Al Gore, then added insult to injury by stealing it again from John Kerry. So it really doesn't matter much what he does, she will assume it is done with the worst possible motives.

In her sad world, Bush manufactured the "war on terror" as a key strategy for a carefully planned power grab. Then he pushed through the Patriot Act, uses the NSA to spy on Americans, tracks everybody's financial transactions, incarcerates and tortures innocent people for no good reason, and generally created an intrusive dictatorship designed to control and suppress the population. If there is any justice in the world, Bush will not only be impeached, but tried in the Hague as a war criminal. Everything he does, in her delusional mind, is to advance his evil plan to become dictator.

I wonder what she will say in 2008 when a new president is elected. Gee, if Bush was all about this dictatorial power, why did he give it up? What if a Democrat wins? If Bush is actually spying on you, why haven't you been arrested or harrassed? So it would be OK with you, then, if we just let everybody in Gitmo loose in your home city? Oh yeah, one more thing - if Bush lied about WMD's in Iraq, how do you explain the reports coming out now about the 500+ chemical warheads found and the Iraqi government documents describing specific plans to use a variety of such weapons on the US?

Facts are funny things when they refute such deeply held beliefs.