Friday, October 10, 2008

It all makes me think of Joseph Heller.


The economy is in freefall. General Motors is worth less than $3 billion (I know people who could buy the entire company during their lunch-hour) Ford is worth less than $5 billion.

We are fighting two wars and no one questions the semantics of the word "surge," which I believe means escalation. It's costing us well over $10 billion/month.

We have two presidential candidates who can't answer questions. And who don't let people know where they stand. We have a Vice Presidential candidate who doesn't believe in evolution and that's not even an issue.

25% of all species on Earth are reputed to be endangered. Again, not even an issue.

California and Iceland are about to declare bankruptcy.

And this on a day when I'm in a good mood. Or at least not a rotten one.

So, it all makes me think of Heller, a master of the absurd:

Our illegal wars: "Peace on Earth would mean the end of civilization as we know it."
Our ignoring of global warming: "He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt."
Our Guantanamo justice and suspension of the 800 year-old standard of Habeas Corpus: "The case against Clevinger was open and shut. The only thing missing was something to charge him with."
Our presidential candidates: "Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major Major it had been all three."


— Joseph Heller

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