Today's Tids Issue 2,778
Opening Stuff:
 
It's one of those mornings. Too damn hot for February. Yet beautiful. Springlike. The expanse of our beautiful, majestic Bay is quiet today, soothing, as only quiet seas can be. Calm, with a warming sun glimmering off small waves rolling in with the changing tide. Carving images around Buoys as they flow, lazily drifting along; Going nowhere. On the shore the wavelettes are breaking with tiny crests, rolling rivulets up through rocks or splashing gently upon sandy beaches. Reflections like jewels gleam on the landscape. Yet, as I look into the glistening light, bouncing, I don't see crisp salt water reflecting the sun. I see beer bottles, soda cans, remnants of human irresponsibility. Reminders of man's frailties and disinterest. Will it ever stop.

How far will our President and henchmen for go to create havoc to preserve his agenda? Well, it has been reported by AP that the admin has ordered field offices of the USICE to review costs of holding illegal immigrant detainees with respect to projected budgets. Many Illegal aliens accordingly have been released from prison, with spokes people saying there won't be enough money to keep them after cuts. Are they nuts?

I'm reminded by Brookins and Cassett of the famous western coffee house of yore, Pony Espresso.

The Question:
Name the last ten Secretary's of State (Not including those 5 designated as  "Acting") before John Kerry.

The Headlines:
--18 Tourists Killed In Egyptian Hot Air Balloon Crash.
--Right Side Of SC Supports Argument Of Obama Admin On Surveillance Law; Law Would Allow Wiretaps On Some International Communications.
--Palestinians Lob Misseile From Gaza Into Israel; Say Israel Killed Palestine Soldier.
--Italy In Governmental Dilemma; rest Of World Bewildered.
--Blizzard Expect To Assault Chicago At Rush Hour.
--Big Powers Offer Iran Limited Sanction Relief If Iran Halts Controversial Part Of Nuke Program.
--Morsi Opponents To Boycott Parliamentary Elections.
--Bernanke Defends Actions; Suggests Risk In Budget Cuts.

I learned a little something about writng a screenplay this past weekend. I learned that often the screenwriter doesn't write dialogue, but lays out visual scenes that defines characters and storylines. For instance, I'm imagining this scene, with cameras hovering over street corners in drones. Into each corner runs a person from the North and another person from the East, each carrying a foot high pile of papers. As they reach the corner simultaneously -- Sa-mack! -- they run head long into each other, go topsy-turvy, and papers fly. A scene that is repeated similarly on street corners throughout the city. the running people scurrying to pick up papers until once again, they each have a stack a foot high. They turn and run South and West only to be met once again by people with foot high stacks of papers converging on teh same corner. Once again the papers fly, and once again the  papers are re-stacked. Finally after multiple crashes and restackings, somebody  the decides to cross the street and the rest do the same. Now they proceed safely with their foot high stacks. As the camera pulls back, we see buresucrats and lawyers emerging from marble building enclosed canyons, uniting as one mass moving towards the US Capitol, each carrying foot high stacks of by now totally unrelated papers. One by one they stoop, and lay there sacred treasure the feet of a woman. As the camera pulls away, we see a woman spreading her arms and saying, Finally, the Affordable Health Care Act.

Is Harry Reid Writing John Kerry's Speeches, Department.
In a speech to German students yesterday, Kerry says, "Americans have the right to be stupid". Of course, these remarks were in the context of a talk he was giving about the precious freedoms of America, speech and religion. He was emphasizing that Americans will go to any length to protect those freedoms, including allowing a dumbing down of the public. Is that a good thing?

No, it isn't Harry Reid, it's Joe Biden using Harry Reid's logic Writing for Kerry.

The almighty Geek. That powerful wizard of "0's" and "1's".  That stony intellectual who can't explain what he or she does in words that humans understand. For a decade or so, Geek has been used to explain the odd group of non-mainstream people, most often associated with computer expertize, and generally for people defined simply as too smart for me, and I'll avoid them  at all  costs. Unless I'm a sensual woman who particularly  likes socially inept billionaires. It is a pejorative that has become crown. But, yes there's always a but...once was the Geek was a lowly human being. Geekdom was not always so proud. Originally the "Geek" was a traveling circus side show freak -- a variant of Geck which meant fool, dupe, simpleton. Geek shows which became popular in the 20th century had the Individual standing in the center of the ring surrounded by chickens. This "Geek" would chase the chickens, catch one, bite off the head and eat it. The audience would go wild! In the 1947 Film Noir classic, Nightmare Alley, Tyrone Power would up an alcoholic geek biting off the heads of chickens. Who knew.

Is there a worm in the Apple? Macs have achieved critical mass, it seems, where it has become more intriguing for hackers; Intriguing enough to turn their mischievous eyes away from their historic mother-lode, Microsoft. Which, I suspect would be good for Norton, McAfee and AVG. We live in an interconnected world.

I love Peggy Noonan's moniker for this administration, "Freak Out government". The original Chicken Little admin. When the sky is falling, somebody has to fix it, and of course all of those skies that may fall in the future. Of course, we do have to prepare for that, don't we my feathery cabinet -- Henny Penny, Chicken Licken, Goosey Poosey, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Gander Lander, Trukey Lurkey and of course sittin' and waitin'...Foxy Woxy. "Freak Out Government". I love it.

The Answer:

--Well getting Hillary was the easy one. I guess you all would have said Condy Rice before her. Continuing backwards, we have Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, Laurence Eagleburger, James Baker, George Shultz, the next in line for the presidency Al Haig. Ed Muskie and Cyrus Vance. The next five were Kissinger, Rogers, Rusk, Herter and John Foster dulled. Now be honest, who thought first of Lawrence Eagleburger...even after you saw his name. must be a typo.

Hmm, let's see, a Freak Out government with a population free to be stupid -- I'd say you have a recipe for decline.

Do you actually believe that the Founding fathers thought it a good idea for future Americans to pursue stupidity.

Novel, The Conscience returns tomorrow.