A long strange trip

Well, it's been a week now and past time to gather my thoughts on the election.

It's been a long time coming.

Wow.

To put things in proper perspective I should note that I've been interested in politics since I was a young lad following the exploits of McGovern v. Nixon.

And, as you might have guessed from that, shall we say, inauspicious beginning, seldom have my political desires been much more than disappointing.

I was pleased when tricky dicky go this comeuppance, but seeing a president go down in disgrace was hardly a booyah sort of moment.

I suppose I might have been more excited over Jimmy Carter if a) I wasn't so suspicious of his evangelical roots and b) I wasn't at the time a hormonal 17 year old male with much more important things on my, er, mind.

Then Ronald Reagan happened. The dangerous dolt who'd been my governor was now the dangerous dolt who ran the country.

A cold cheerless morning in America indeed. 8 years of cold cheerless mornings.

Then it was on to Bush 41 and the videogame war in Iraq. Fear sets in that America will never see a Democratic president. Which fear is confirmed by the election of...

Bill Clinton.

Bill, Bill, Bill.

12 years in the wilderness and "Don't ask, don't tell" is the best we can come up with? Triangulation? A healthcare plan destroyed by its own efforts to appease unappeasable insurance companies? Reforming welfare on the backs of the poor?

Sigh.

And then there was Bush 43. Our naked emperor.

I'll not even get started on BushCorp™'s bumbling CEO, I've written plenty elswhere.

But the last straw was the 2004 election when despite the fact that George II's faults were clearly on display for all with eyes to see, he was none the less re-elected.

And it was that election that convinced me to start this blog, so that I could a)keep my head from exploding and b)do my small part to educate, to cheerlead, and to encourage those who might be tempted to join the reality-based community to do so.

So to my vast readership, thank you for your patience.

And you're welcome.