[The following article, written by Bob Howard for Synthesis Weekly, was originally published in the print version of Synthesis on Monday, May 19th, 2008. He can be reached at bob@madbob.com]

Keep on Drinking
By Bob Howard

“Be it destiny or free will, there are those amongst us who might do the rest of society a favor by staying on the couch, taking bong rips and playing the latest version of Grand Theft Auto.”

A Long History of Stupid: I’ve just started reading a biography of long-time FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and as a result, I’m learning quite a lot about the history of this country and the tradition of our government cracking down on dissent. This latest episode of our history is far from the first time the Bill of Rights has been superseded and suspended in the name of “security.” I have yet to grasp the logic of suspending freedoms to ensure security when I thought that the whole thing we are trying to secure in the first place is freedom; but I digress.
Anyway, here are some interesting factoids I’ve picked up thus far: Remember when in protest of the French dissent against the “War on Terror” our Congress made the brilliant move of re-naming French Fries “Freedom Fries?” Seems like a pretty creative manifestation of nationalistic stupidity, right? Wrong. During World War I, our Congress re-named Sauerkraut “Liberty Cabbage.” Our current stupidity isn’t even original! How do you like that?

Think the threat of terrorism is a new thing? Wrong. Just prior to and then after World War I, the Red Scare developed. Anarchists and Communists were on the rise and there were actually a series of letter bombs and bomb attacks that riddled the nation’s capitol and industrial power figures.
These attacks lead to a complete abridgment of the freedoms granted in the Bill of Rights. Anyone suspected of being a communist, a socialist, or a sympathizer — essentially any Russian factory worker — was rounded up in mass arrests and many were unceremoniously deported so quickly that there wasn’t even time for an appeal.

More heartwarming thoughts after the jump. (more…)

There’s a reason why Hunter S. Thompson thought fairly well of George McGovern (well, for a politician anyway…) - his idealism didn’t stand in the way of his reason. (Maybe. It’s been a while since I read Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72. I kinda forget the details, except the part where Thompson talked football with Nixon). Now once-Democratic Presidnetial candidate George McGovern, a longtime Clinton supporter, has pulled his endorsement and is now backing Barack Obama.

From Times OnLine:

Senator McGovern had been a high profile Hillary Clinton supporter but today he insisted that she had virtually no chance of winning. The 1972 Democratic presidential nominee said he was endorsing Senator Barack Obama after studying the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries.

“I will hold them in affection and admiration all of my days,” he said of the Clintons, close friends from his early political career.
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“She has run a valiant campaign. Hillary, of course, will make the decision as to if and when she ends her campaign. But I hope that she reaches that decision soon so that we can concentrate on a unified party capable of winning the White House next November.”

According to Drudge, the Clintons paid over $33 million dollars in federal taxes on $109 million in income  for the tax years 2000 to 2007. They also gave over $10 million to charity. The sad part is, that’s really not even that impressive by today’s standards. And it’s really not any different from Republican candidate John McCain, except in McCain’s case, the money is pretty much all his wife’s:

As heiress to her father’s stake in Hensley & Co. of Phoenix, Cindy McCain is an executive whose worth may exceed $100 million. Her beer earnings have afforded the GOP presidential nominee a wealthy lifestyle with a private jet and vacation homes at his disposal, and her connections helped him start his political career - even if the millions remain in her name alone. Yet the arm’s-length distance between McCain and his wife’s assets also has helped shield him from conflict-of-interest problems.

Must be nice.

So Bill, the headmaster/coordinator of everything and all here at synthesis headquarters, got himself an iphone. Since then we have enjoyed the lovely “I’m texting you from an iphone” text, “I’m calling you from an iphone” call, or “I’m emailing you from an iphone” email. I’m taking exceptional pleasure in listening to him answer the iphone ‘cuz his standard greeting has become “This is the iphone. How may I help you”

Basically this is more entertaining than watching a fat kid strangle himself with a household appliance.