How can anyone bear to live in these times without large, regular doses of alcohol? I'm surprised that AA is doing any business at all, what with the Bush administration's daily offenses against all that is true, good, and kind. And not just the Bushes--my wife inspired me to drink a prodigious amount of Saranac Light last night merely by reading me all the rotten things the CIA has done in Central America, particularly Guatemala. Why must our country be so terrible to EVERYONE? We might not be as bad as the Third Reich--but only in terms of SCALE, not intent. As long as some mega-corporation is waving dollar bills at us, we'll kill ANYONE, for whatever reason--and rape them first, because that's one of the perks. I love America--I love our music, our culture, our ideals. We have a great civilization. So why can't we actually be CIVILIZED?

And if that all isn't unpleasant enough, the Guardian is going to start charging for its on-line crossword puzzles. I'd hate to have to start buying the New York Post again for the Times of London cryptic. Rupert Murdoch doesn't need my fifty cents. He'd only give it to Bill O'Reilly or some other cheerleader for the Poisonous Monkeyhead.

At least I got my little LineX FM broadcaster from England. Now I can listen to The Big Broadcast (from WFUV) on any FM radio in the house--which I did in the living room last night while I self-medicated. Life can't be all bad if you can listen to great 20's and 30's jazz and pop while numbing yourself to the seamier side of the Monroe Doctrine.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
--Charles Dickens (1812-1870)