I Got Those Memphis Blues Again...

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end?

Well, the first round of the Egyptian elections went as expected, with 46% of the voters deciding that they were too afraid to take more than baby-steps towards a democratic society. In the next run-off election, the choices will be the representative from the Muslim Brotherhood, and the ex-general, ex-prime minister who was hand picked by Mubarak... So, Egypt is poised to go autocratic either way, religious or secular. This has caused a lot of rioting and demonstrations, setting one political office on fire, and a lot of pissed off younger people who didn't bother to vote... The ex-general, who still likes to be called General, has promised to take a hard-line stance against future protesters and to restore law and order on the streets. This appeals to many citizens who feel that the criminal element has taken over their neighborhoods, now that the police have stopped doing their jobs after they were criticized over how they handled the democratic protesters. Car jackings, kidnapping, and home robberies have escalated this past year, and the outer neighborhoods of Cairo feel more like a war zone than suburban bliss... But, the current protests may be moot, if the country's Supreme Court rules June 11 on the law that was passed barring all former Mubarak officials from running for public office. If upheld, the ex-general will have to give up his candidacy, throwing the proposed elections further into confusion. Really, Cairo seems to be the most exciting place to be right now, with all of the passion and excitement of a public finally taking part in their own future, messy as it will be... The Muslim Brotherhood have become the religious moderates in this race, but since they control the parliament, the danger is that they will fully dictate policy and how the next constitution will be written...

Which is why I often wonder why America is so insistent on trying to convert everyone on earth to democracy. It lends itself to much arguing and flaring of tempers, promoting pettiness of spirit that eventually degrades the political parties. In the US, the Republican Party is in its last days, what you are witnessing in the media are the dying whines of old white men, who simply refuse to pass the baton to the younger generations or give up their political and social beliefs that make them anachronistic and embarrassed to be seen by their children. But we don't have another party waiting in the wings to replace the Repubs, nothing that would excite a majority of voters. Our current election is getting petty and ugly, with the old-school style of fear mongering sprinting ahead in the commercials, and every trick that Karl Rove has encountered will be used before November.

This swing to the far right by the Repubs has produced a lot of entertainment and late night-jokes, but I wonder how anyone could have ever taken seriously such obvious clowns as Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, that Texas governor, and the Black guy, oh shucky ducky... Now, they will all have to rally around Mitt Romney, who is so desperate to win that he will say and do anything; his need is a sickness emanating off of him like a repellant pheromone, keeping all decent people away... While the lunatic fringe is amusing to watch, it becomes sad  and maddening when they succeed in passing legislation. In Florida, 180,000 people who were registered voters have 30 days to prove to the elections office that they are citizens, or they will not be allowed to vote. 500,000 people will not receive unemployment benefits after the end of this year. I can't find anything funny in these things, and yes, I get grumpy and bad tempered thinking about the results of these actions. We'll become a nation of alienated, disenfranchised people, listening to Rush every morning while we drink our crappy Duncan coffee. Crime and domestic violence will rise beyond the levels of our returning vets, and the only jobs that will be blossoming are those in the new prisons that will be built. Maybe I should ask for a prescription for Prozac and Cialis from my doctor next month. Then I can walk around happy with my dick in my hands... Politics? Sorry, I have something more interesting thing to do...

Congratulations to Bob Dylan, who received the Medal of Honor this morning. Funny how some of his old lyrics still have a lot of meaning. This seems to sum up our electorial season so far:

"Now the rainman gave me two cures

Then he said, "Jump right in"

The one was Texas medicine

The other was just railroad gin

And like a fool I mixed them

And it strangled up my mind

And now, people just get uglier

And I have no sense of time

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end

To be stuck inside of Mobile

With the Memphis blues again."