Happy X-Mas

We're nearing 3,000 military casualties while the civilian death toll is anywhere from 30,000 to 650,000 depending on one's definition of accuracy and objectivity. Now it seems that Rummy's fessing up and Condi's being a little more transparent. Sy Hersch reports that the DoD's ready to bomb Iran all the while Iraq is/is not in a civil war. The Democratic Party's ready to engage in a civil war over what to do with the quagmire and the Republican Party is willing to sacrifice the very last bit of its integrity to continue to support a President who's either filled with so much delusion or hubris to admit that the entire war's been a disaster. Iran must be paying the Bush family for strengthening its position in the Middle East at the U.S.' expense; now our new Defense Secretary was someone right in the middle of the Iran/Contra scandal and no one in the MSM has yet to scream, "irony of ironies!".

At least we don't live in Russia. Vlad the Poisoner has knocked off two outspoken critics in the last six months, he's stalled the U.N. Security Council over what to do with Iran and all the while his nation continues to trade with and sell military supplies with the Aryan nation. Am I raising a son who will end up giving his life for another world-wide military conflict over megalomania? I want to return to the days of yesteryear, when people loved Lucy, when the scariest thing on the radio was Elvis, when people like Strom Thurmond kept society in order and when Eisenhower's brinkmanship policy elevated fears of a nuclear world war to the point where people built bomb shelters in their yards. Geesh.

Someone on the Allman Brothers Band listserv questioned whether Derek Trucks would continue with the band in March as his stint with Eric Clapton would interfere with the ABB's annual Beacon run in NYC. Someone replied, claiming that Derek would surely be there but there would be some changes. That means that either Eric's going to be popping in with the band or Dickey's returning. Will Warren be leaving? Will Clapton lead the ABB in the most amazing version of Layla? Makes me wish I lived in Manhattan, but there are, of course, countless other reasons to make me feel that way.

I've been sick now for over a week and would really like to take a day or two off from work but am worried what that would do for my classes so close to the end. The only movie I can think I'd show to my rock history class is Spinal Tap and I doubt the sub would appreciate that one, eh?