Shakespeare.  The Bard. He wrote many plays, poems and sonnets, some comedic, or farcical, but he is best known for his tragedies. In some of his tragedies, by the  time the curtain falls, there are bloodied bodies laying about the stage. Why are they in such a terminal state? Well, in short, somebody did somebody else wrong. Or at least there was some perception, in fact or feeling that an intolerable provocation between parties had been committed.

The Bard famously said all the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players. So, here we are in early October 2018, and this worldly stage certainly has its trials and tribulations. Wars. Oppression. Enslavement. Genocides. But 2018 could be 1918. Or 1818 or…well you get my drift here? The history of the world is replete with conflicts and carnage, cruelty and craven transgressions amongst we humans. Sure, there are outposts here and there that appear to be making a serious attempt at embracing a quote from someone not writ large by Shakespeare, that being one Rodney King. Remember him? He was beaten senseless by several L.A. police that was caught on tape. In the aftermath of that infamous episode of United States history, he said–in front of T.V. cameras, after the matter became a very divisive ongoing story of right and wrong– I want to say, you know,, can we all just get along?

Well said, Mr. King, but alas, that question appears to have one indisputable answer, and it’s the WRONG answer: No! We cannot. I mean c’mon. Just look around, right here in the USA. Get along? Hard to see much peace on earth good will toward men (and women!) when our current national modus operandi seems to clearly be “us vs them” or “do unto others, and let em try and do something about it”.

In the aftermath of a recent Senate hearing regarding a nominee for the Supreme Court, wherein the nominee and a woman who accused him of a drunken attempted rape, were peppered with questions by the Committee, I’d say, our national “stage” is quite a bloody mess. The body laying about our stage is an aggregate of we the people. The woman who asserted that the nominee was the man who tried to force himself on her when they were both in their teens is among the people left wondering about right and wrong, fairness and impartiality in matters related to possible sexual assault. Sounds serious, yes? Stop. Now that the Senate hearing on that matter is over and, without a single witness being called to  verify if she or he were telling the truth, it is virtually assured that the nominee, backed by the repulican majority on that panel, will get his black robe and sit on the Court bench for a LIFETIME appointment. In the meantime, she will have been brushed off (with death threats from scattered scumbags in need of therapy) in what appears to be a heartless power play apparently guaranteed from the onset of his nomination. 

The cold-blodded confirmation-in-waiting of the nominee was a simple calculation: 11 republicans and 10 democrats on the panel. Barring the woman having irrefutable evidence to confirm her accusation–and that now would seem to have required an actual video of the alleged assault–it was as simple as who has the power on this panel? The answer being the republicans. In my last blog, I dumped on the democrats for seemingly being incapable of gaining a numerical upper hand in the running of our government, and their obvious incompetent manner of picking candidates for high office. I mean, really? The donkey party couldn’t absolutely landslide the person who is now a global laughing stock (see United Nations audience derisively laughing at him recently).

So now, because the jackass party doesn’t have the numbers to stop the confirmation of the nominee, that cold, in your face calculation that favored the dem’s “friends across the isle” is a done deal. Fairness?Consideration? Sensitivity? Compassion? Right vs wrong? Hey, as that other saying goes:  It takes two to tango. And the partners in this corrupted dance with the devil creepshow are both major political parties. They are not equally vile, venal and vicious, but clearly neither of them has much interest other than the self-interests that serve the few over the many. What opposition party? Paging FDR’s doppleganger…

The republicans play (nasty) to win, while the Democrats play not to lose. But they evidently aren’t all that concerened about losing. They are so fucking good at it. 

Here’s a Shakespeare quote: an empty vessel makes the most noise. Want to see that saying played out in your face? If so, watch the supreme court nominee’s bombastic, ill-tempered, wildly uncomposed denial of his accuser’s claims.  Entitlement! In any rational, balanced, approach to truth seeking in the confirmation process, this man would now be lucky to be cleaning the toilets at the Supreme Court.

But this is the state of affairs here in our patch of Mother Earth. It’s a Tragedy, methinks (and all those who still back the Baffoon, who is the loudest, emptiest vessel, they are quite the sickening, viral menace rotting away at the heart of our phoney 2-party system).

So, yes, I say A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES!

Bring the curtain down, please. The stage is an ugly mess.