It’s Worse Than We Thought

Over the holidays, I finished another Matt Taibbi book. The Amazing Gardog was kind enough to pass it on to me.

Matt is the political reporter for Rolling Stone and one of the most entertaining writers I know. If you’re a liberal. If you’re a conservative, you OUGHT to be entertained by him, but it’s hard to be entertained when someone is pointing out the inherent hypocrisy of you and your peers.

Taibbi spends most of his ammo on Congress and how the system is essentially wired to be ineffectual. The rest he reserves for conservative Christians mega-ministers and their lemming-like flock.

The book I just finished, The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics & Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire, saw him embed himself in a San Antonio mega-church. Since Matt is a self-described atheist, the journey he takes is surprising and enlightening, even to him. And his characters are straight out of Christopher Guest. Or maybe Christopher Guest’s characters are straight out of a mega-church. Hmmm. That could be a great next movie from him. Sir Chris? Lady Jamie Leigh? Are you listening? Anyone?

Prior to the election, Gardog had handed off Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire, and advised me to wait until after the election to read it. It was full of microscopic reportage about Tom Delay and his brazen sadism. Also knows as House Majority Leader skills.

All I’m going to say is READ THESE BOOKS! I’m relieved that, with the election of Obama and a congressional majority, the Rule of the Stupid People may be drawing to a close. But these books serve as a cautionary tale, especially in light of Bush One’s suggestions this week of what a great President his son Jeb would make. Well he should have thought of that before we elected the retarded one. Some have snarkily suggested the former Florida Governor should adopt his wife’s maiden name. Alas, her maiden name is Gallo. Which means “rooster” or “cock” in Spanish. (And “cheap ass wine” in most other parts of the world.) No, I’m afraid poor Jeb is out of luck. As Robin Williams said recently, “What does it say about the family when the smart one is named Jeb?”

Maybe we should just refrain from electing any Republicans until they’re able to rid themselves of the cancer of fundamentalism that plagues them. Or maybe we’ll just sink back into our torpor of apathy in about 100 days.