Hidden Basics

Our wars are not going well, if you bother to read widely about Iraq and Afghanistan, which basically means anything beyond the New York Times and Washington Post. (We're not talking exotic outlets, either.) As for the cable news nets, the only tangible piece of information one can grasp is that the American propaganda system stars clueless, bellowing idiots. I've watched more cable news in the past week than I have in the past year, and frankly, I don't know how people can stand it. Well, those who bother watching, that is. Mercifully, the vast majority of consumers ignore these side shows where the loudest freaks routinely steal the fleeting spotlight. You can always tell the regulars from the tourists: they know exactly how to kill the clock, buzzwords and rhythm phrases spewed out while heads shake, eyes roll, and every frozen smile betrays the fixed "debate." Appropriate entertainment by-and-for the imperial class.

And Glenn Beck? Pelt me with rotting guavas, but I have till now largely avoided this asshole; and now that I've endured roughly 20 minutes of his shtick, I get the joke and need see nothing more. Danny Bonaduce commenting on the election while pounding a heavy bag would provide deeper insight.

This is basically why I've been absent from the site. I've had nothing really to add to the insanity echoing inside my skull. Plus, the men's NCAA hoops tournament provided much-needed distraction, though even there, some nationalist sentiment leaked through. Unavoidable but tolerable, so long as you don't take the marionette commentators too seriously. ESPN hired the recently retired Bobby Knight as an in-studio analyst, and though I cannot stand the man, he does know what the fuck he's talking about when it comes to the college game. Unlike his sideline persona, Knight is courteous and soft-spoken, cashing his check without busting brain vessels. Figures. The one place where Knight's violent side would be most welcome, throwing chairs, kicking the desk and backdrop, grabbing his colleagues by the lapels and screaming in their faces, the old boy decides to play it cool. Can ESPN get Danny Bonaduce for the Sweet 16?