My mom’s step-dad was the only grandfather I ever knew. He was a short, stout, outwardly devout Christian and looked like a Norman Rockwell American straight from a cover of The Saturday Evening Post. He and the rest of Nixon’s “Silent Majority” were taken completely by surprise by the '60’s. The seemingly placid era of the '50’s was turned upside down when Negroes forgot their place and demanded Civil Rights. The next thing he knew young people defied authority and refused to support the war in Vietnam. Women suddenly seemed to lose their minds and wanted control over their own bodies. Clean cut kids started growing their hair long, smoking dope, and having irresponsible sex. This deeply disturbed millions of Americans like my grandfather who sincerely believed sex was only safely discussed within the confines of a Reader’s Digest article.

I can understand his confusion and anger. At the end of World War Two there was only one colossus bestriding the globe and that was us.

The phrase, “That Don’t Make No Sense.” from the Coen brothers’ movie O Brother Where Art Thou?, comes to mind every single time I read news from the U.S.

Amnesty International: Time For Stricter Controls on Taser Use
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/amnesty-international-time-stricter-c

According to data collected by Amnesty International, at least 500 people in the USA have died since 2001 after being shocked with Tasers either during their arrest or while in jail.

“Among the cases reviewed, 90 percent of those who died were unarmed. Many of the victims were subjected to multiple shocks.”

I went to a treatment center for alcoholism 22 years ago.

How’s that for creating a 100% guaranteed awkward pause?

I know … I know … It’s one of the most repellant conversation openers topped only by, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior?” Or better yet … sometimes you get the double whammy from some guy who found Gawd at a treatment center, turned his life around, and is now spreading The Good News as a Clean and Sober Christian … Hallelujah!

Trying to follow the slow-motion demise of The U.S. of A. has turned me into Jo-Jo the idiot circus boy after being given an exploding cigar laced with a low grade nerve gas. It’s hard to make sense out of things when my neurons are winking out one by one like cheap Christmas tree lights. It’s a bad acid trip on every level I can think of.

On one hand we have a complete fraud as a president. While campaigning he presented himself as a force of change, but after being elected only changed things for the worse. Unless of course you’re talking about the members of the moneyed class. For those guys he did everything they asked him to except stop being a black guy.