Cowboy Confessional

One has to adore the logic of lunatics, and not just elected officials.

Seems that graffiti “artists” in San Francisco are appalled, offended, and angry that the city and some concerned citizens have painted over their spray painted murals.  In a relatively unknown little park in an odd area of The City, some volunteers, armed with buckets of paint and rollers, attempted to take back their playground from ad hoc artisans.  While they were toiling on behalf of neighbors and other decent folk, they also trimmed some weeds and policed the trash.

Aerosol artistes were not amused to see their vandalizing works vandalized in return.  Waiving signs with mentally deficient slogans like “celebrate graffiti”, they made veiled threats to mar the newly recovered canvases.  “Painting over artwork isn’t gonna prevent any crime,” said one graffitist who was at least honest enough to admit the criminality of his craft.

Like some cities mixed with high minds and low lives, these defacers face little opposition.  With taxpayer dollars diverted to public housing (yet another graffiti target), overpaid civic union employees, and overpriced/under-talented supervisors, San Fran invests insufficient funds in their police force (or police farce given their directorial debut). Vandals face little chance of getting caught, and given San Francisco’s lackluster record on criminal prosecution, they stand little chance of earning a sabbatical in jail.

If people want graffiti to end, they need to become graffiti “artists” themselves.  If you find someone decorating property that isn’t theirs, then decorate them.  Grab the can and see if painting their face’s makes them look like the clowns they are.  It will be for them a memorable experience … which might keep them from repeating the process.

Bookmark to:

Upon occasion we grimly witness a politician being assassinated.  Today we were entertained by a politician assassinating himself (haven’t seen this since Teddy Kennedy tried to drive across the Chappaquiddick river without the aid of a bridge).

Presidential has-been Barak Obama ventured into what is for him unfamiliar territory, that being foreign policy.  In one of several absurd statements, he threatened to invade Pakistan (a nuclear power that at present is friendly to the U.S.).  Some cast this concept as naive, wile others claim Obama’s plan is dangerous.

In reality it is deranged.  Obama argues that Pakistan is not doing enough to capture Al Qaeda members hiding in the mountain tribal regions.  He confidently miscalculates that the masterminds of 9/11 are in that pack, and that is justification for invasion.

First, the assumption that bin Laden is alive, much less in Pakistan is at best speculation.  One of the reasons that the U.S. did not mount a massive assault in the Afghan border regions is that nobody of value is there (face it, we could have bombed those mountains flat if the mood suited us, but we haven’t).  Bin Laden and his inner circle, being smarter than most give credit, bugged out the day after 9/11 and ran for a safe place, not into the hills.  I suspect Usama skipped across the other border into Iran and sent his cell phone with a few flunkies into the hills.  I also suspect the CIA knows that he is not in Pakistan or Afghanistan, and is somewhere currently untouchable.

That aside, Obama’s notion of invading a friendly nation that has nukes is fraught with so many down sides that there is no up.  Some of the problems behind Obama’s outline:

• Worsening U.S. image in a tinderbox region.
• Inciting radicals against the more-or-less stable Pakistan government.
• Possibly igniting civil war and losing Pakistan and their nukes to a Taliban-like regime.

The problem with youth and inexperience (and Lord knows Obama is very short on experience) is that foolish notions sound perfectly reasonable … that is to the young and inexperienced, which sadly includes many voters.  But to the key voting demographic — the independent and undecided — such short-sighted schemes are reasons to vote against.

Obama did more than torch his presidential bid.  He eradicated his chance for the VP slot.  Had he stuck to domestic issues, spoken in high-minded vagaries, and been a pretty face, he likely would have become Hillary’s running mate (a woman and black team would have shaken up a lot of lose votes just for the novelty factor).  But in a single speech he proved himself a shallow thinker and a dangerous leader, and thus assassinated himself.

But, man it was fun to watch.  The entertainment value — aside from Paris Hilton-like stupidity voyeurism — was how oblivious Obama was to his own mistake.  Despite his fellow democrats and fellow liberals questioning and denouncing his plan, and the media questioning his how much vodka Barak had for breakfast, he plowed straight ahead instead of taking a day to do what Clinton does so well — triangulate.

But, that is what the young and inexperienced do — bull ahead.

Bookmark to: