From the Department of Simple Truths

I drink because I hurt. There, I said it, and it wasn’t even that difficult. My emotional pain has been well documented on this page, but recently spiritual and physical pain has really played a large part in my supposed well-being. I have always found spiritual release in nature, but with an ailing hound, I have been unable to make my typical journeys into the hills and woods out of sheer guilt. I was shocked at the impact a few days at the beach had on my demeanor. Somehow I need to get past my feelings about Townes (my dog), and continue to feed my spiritual being. The relief from physical pain unfortunately, does not seem to have such an easy solution. I’m assuming that at the ripe old age of 39, I should not be in constant pain and have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Maybe I should begin to take it a little more slowly in terms of my athletic endeavors, but what exactly will that accomplish? My guess is that it will just manifest itself as more emotional pain which will just spur more drinking. Oh well.

Ever Decreasing Liberty

Mr Dodd doing our Founders' proud on the Senate floor. Finally.

That's Your Answer? Really????

I cherry-picked this tidbit from Atrios and found it to be absolutely appalling.

Fortune magazine asked McCain and Obama, "What do you see as the gravest long-term threat to the U.S. economy?

They said:

Obama: If we don't get a handle on our energy policy, it is possible that the kinds of trends we've seen over the last year will just continue. Demand is clearly outstripping supply. It's not a problem we can drill our way out of. It can be a drag on our economy for a very long time unless we take steps to innovate and invest in the research and development that's required to find alternative fuels. I think it's very important for the federal government to have a role in that process.

McCain: Well, I would think that the absolute gravest threat is the struggle that we're in against Islamic extremism, which can affect, if they prevail, our very existence. Another successful attack on the United States of America could have devastating consequences. You've been a supporter of climate-change legislation that would essentially impose a penalty on the use of fossil fuel.

Really? I'm am so disgusted by this response. It reeks of sweet Rudy G screaming 9/11 from the rooftops. Just how stupid does Mr. McCain think the American electorate is? Wait...don't answer that. If I was Obama, I would hit John with this at every opportunity. God, I really cannot wait for the debates, it's going to be hard to avert the eyes.

Shrilltastic

I guess we can file this under the ‘too little too late’ tab. Friedman in today’s Times:

It is hard for me to find the words to express what a massive, fraudulent, pathetic excuse for an energy policy this is.

While I truly appreciate the sentiment and the harsh tone, I cannot help but ask what the fuck took you so long to call this President out? Where was the outrage surrounding Bush’s greatest bamboozle, the war in Iraq? It’s not just Friedman; others have picked up their level of dissatisfaction and really ramped up the criticism. To me, it seems a little like giving the bully the finger as he is being marched into the principals office or thumbing your nose at the freshly convicted thug. All I can honestly say is welcome to the party. I guess better late than never, although you might have a difficult time reconciling your actions with the families of the 4000+ deceased soldiers, the families of the countless injured G.I.’s, and oh, yeah, every Iraqi on the face of the earth. Good luck with all that and enjoy that guy staring back at you in the mirror for the rest of your life. Thanks for nothing.

If It's the Beaches*

So, I am in the midst of my first vacation that was not child related in 3 plus years. It feels quite awkward to be in a place where I have no parental or occupational duties to perform throughout the day. Actually, that last statement is not quite true, as I need to baby-sit my friend 3-Beer Bryan quite frequently. That being said, there is something fantastic about having no responsibilities other than having to drag myself to the beach in the morning and back home from the bar or restaurant at night. Thank goodness that God invented Tylenol and his evil twin, Tylenol PM. Mmmmmmm, eases the pain…

*Title courtesy of these guys.

Summing Up the GOP

Frank Rich hits one out of the park:

But the substance was even worse than the theatrics. Incredibly, Mr. McCain attacked Mr. Obama for being insufficiently bipartisan while speaking to the most conspicuously partisan audience you can assemble in today’s America: a small, nearly all-white crowd that seconded his attack lines with boorish choruses of boos. On TV, the audience came across as a country-club membership riled by a change in the Sunday brunch menu.

Ouch!

Beyond Stupid

I refuse to link to any of these articles, but it seems you cannot throw a rock into the Intertubes without hitting a diatribe from a Hillary supporter who says that they will sit out the election or vote for McCain in November. I have honestly never heard a more stupid proposal in my life and that is saying a lot. This type of thinking is wrong on every level and really does not justify a response. It does however cause my blood pressure to rise every time I think about it.

Living the Dream

Maybe I should not have written that last post denigrating the great state of Texas. It seems to have caused a bit of a downturn of luck in my ever-so-fantastic life. Since I have last posted, I‘ve lost my job including company car and the all-important gas card, my son broke his arm just in time for summer (you know those 9-year-olds and trees…), a good friends mother died in a freak accident, and my beloved dog Townes (the one who has been with me through all the shit, the one who seems to understand my thoughts and feelings before I can come to grips with them) appears to be dying. He has been fading for quite some time, but now he is unable to keep a meal down. Hopefully, I will find out more tomorrow after a million dollar visit to the vets office. He is still in good spirits, but obvious pain. I have been steeling myself for this moment for sometime, but somehow I don’t think that one can ever prepare for such an event.

In short, I have been living the dream. On the positive side, I moved into a new place and have been able to get through most all of our old belongings that I have been hauling around with me for the past 4 years without breaking down once. Certainly, a minor miracle, although I did turn the AC on yesterday for the first time, or should I say attempted to turn the AC on for the first time. Oh well, what’s a little humidity between a man and his dogs. I found myself laughing at the fact that I viewed life without AC as a serious obstacle as I sat reading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Talk about putting things in perspective; let’s see, no AC for awhile or facing obliteration of my race, family, and way of life. I guess I’ll take the former.