Waking Up In Interesting Times

You have to give credit to PrezBO, the left and right wing media (we all know there is no in-between or "fair and balanced", right?), Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Tea Partiers, Shirley Sherrod and Imam Rauf. Today, more people are jumping into the political fray than I have ever seen in my life...and I am way older than 50% of the country.

We are defining ourselves as liberal, conservative, libertarian, independent. Those labels seem to be more important than black, white, gay, straight, male, female, old, young. I met one of my son's friends the other day, a pretty average 24-year old guy, and he asked me - "are you liberal or conservative?" I nearly fell over with laughter as I realized that - whatever else they have done - the clowns of the political, religious and media world have managed to wake up Americans.

I think we are all in a sleep haze, much like we are when we are awakened at 3am by the dog barking and fearsome noises somewhere in the house - and we are wondering "what the hell is going on?"

Nevertheless, we are awake. And that feels like a first for me, at least since the late '60's. We were probably more stoned than awake back then, but at least we were paying attention. (Hey, alternate realities are better than no realities, which is a symptom of narcolepsy. If you are asleep, what is real and unreal are irrelevant).

This blog is being written to react and confront and agitate. I hope to observe, question, challenge and infuriate. I want people to react to the blogstuff that makes it to this site. I hope many others will join me in waking up - and shouting at each other.

Words are weapons, yes - but I would much rather be shot by a word than by a .45. Words may hurt feelings, but come on, mamby pambies...! Let's grow up and toughen up. Let's kick ass. Let's call a spade a spade (no racial meaning implied).

My hope is to wake you up, or at least to grab your eyelid and force your eye open, force you to look - and perhaps you will see.

All kinds of lovely, crazy, whacky, future-changing, history-defining STUFF is happening in our world. Incredible TV shows! Mosques at Ground Zero! Wars and rumor of wars! 3-D movies as commonplace entertainment! 2012! Gay evangelical, coke-snorting pastors! The religious right! The religious left! The left behind!

It's enough to make you WAKE UP! And rub your eyes! And say - "eh? blotcher bulldoo?"