The malaise set in a couple of days ago, and it finally breached the skin today like a mild case of Dracunculiasis or a herpes sore. But in the midst of a long political campaign, even a mild case can have a crippling effect on the brain causing you to stare longingly out at the water, with the distant red leaves reflecting onto the surface, as the words swim about in your head but fail to find a smooth stroke into your fingers and onto the screen.
And what a day for it. A Monday and Columbus Day, when I awoke to the sound of mild rain that excluded me from my usual pondside blogging chair by way a rain-vulnerable laptop. A day to celebrate the legacy of the dawn of the Western world and, subculturally, the beginning of the end of Indian dominance on the continent. Maybe it is because I am a Westerner, but I have always felt that that the political slighting of the Native tribes of this land is one of the greatest prolonged miscarriages of justice to ever have been operated upon America. You can feel that when you see beauty of the landscape, read the forgotten histories and visit the rez from La Push to Crow Agency. Show me a politician who speaks to Native America and I will show you at least the potential for a real patriot.
Alas, what better way to explore the feelings of despair than by checking back in with the Good Doctor himself as he looks back on a life of football betting and political terror. Aye, the Hey Rube years. Reading Thompson's musings one politics one is always struck by his eye for brutality and power, glaringly evident in his article from the time of the 2001 Presidential election, The Fix Is In. Here are two particularly telling passages:
Where did Gore think he was -- in some friendly Civics class? Hell no, he was in Florida, arguably the most Vicious & Corrupt state in the Union. ... Not only that, but he was brazenly invading Florida, trying to steal it from right under the noses of the whole Bush family. It was a bold move & brilliantly done, in some ways -- but then so was Lee's decision to invade the North & attack Gettysburg...Terrible, I know. For we still believe in New Hampshire that retail politics will lead us to the promised land of Democracy. Right?
...But still there was something wrong. Even reading the Sports section began to give me a Queasy feeling. I came to secretly dread the coming of Sunday, although I never admitted that to anybody. It was too weird....Most stadiums are sold out every Sunday. But only rich people can afford to attend the games in person. It's not much different from getting involved in National Politics.
October is upon us now, and it is the fourth quarter both literally and figuratively. Receivers are resting for the potential of one more Hail Mary sprint to the end zone and the oxygen tanks are charging up to feed the lungs of fattened up defenses as they struggle to fight the offensive push.
It is about to rain all week in New Hampshire. So with that news, here's to growth.
See you on the trail,
BTB
1 comment:
"The Pollsters knew nothing, because the people they talked to lied to them. Nobody wants to talk to a Pollster, anyway. They are Vermin. And they are getting paid to harass you with questions, but you're not getting a dime for it. You're not even getting on TV." - HST
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