Posted by
Sam Heath on Sunday, September 10, 2006 2:03:58 PM
Ah, gentle reader let’s hear a resounding round of applause for “National Brotherhood Week” and a national “Make Fun of the Handicapped” observance. Of course everyone hates everyone else and “everyone hates the Jews.” Before he threw in the towel and retreated to Santa Cruz Tom Lehrer gave it a good run. So much of his humor pricked the balloons of pompous asses taking themselves far too seriously I readily related to him from the very beginning, teaching my own children some of his gems like the Hunting Song: “I just stand there looking cute, and when something moves I shoot.” One would think Tom was referring to the way Republicans and Democrats are handling what is euphemistically referred to as “national policy.” It is certainly accurate in describing Caesar Bush’s “war on terrorism.”
Shoot first and ask questions later? Is that to be the doctrine of both Clinton and Bush haters knowing neither has the real interests of America in view, but rather that of their own? And that self-serving interest born of lies and deception on the part of both? “He’s a liar, but he’s our liar!” Some choice. Either/Or: F-9/11 or The Path to 9/11?
At least Tom could skewer outside the box of a growing stricture of political correctness with his gift for humor, and he helped us laugh at our prejudices. Now, as with The Producers, Blazing Saddles and other films that poked fun at those taking themselves too seriously it is not only forbidden to laugh at such things we must make a pretense of their not even existing. But like Blake’s Tyger there they remain burning as brightly as ever “in the forests of the night” though the evil men do in secret remains open scandal in heaven. At least those like Tom with a genuine gift of humor brought the Tygers out into the light of day and enabled us to laugh at them.
But now in an age of political correctness run amok where everyone is a “victim” of somebody, unless you are a Caucasian in which case you are required to keep apologizing to everyone who is not for your accident of birth, it becomes increasingly difficult to laugh at anything. Bad enough to have to deal with the very real threats of Muslims committed to a doctrine of “Death to the Infidel!” without having to deal with our own leaders seemingly committed to national suicide.
One wonders what with so much energy being expended by pundits taking themselves far too seriously stomping ants while the elephants are rampaging through the village where the stories are that focus on how ordinary Americans are struggling to swim upstream in the face of so many attacks on just trying to make a living honestly and trying to live peaceably with their neighbors.
But as the leopard cannot change its spots, neither can the politician change his ways. The species lies to gain elected office, then lies to stay in office and We the People are left not knowing who or what to believe.
Folks, we used to be able to laugh at ourselves. And now because of the unrelenting lies on the part of politicians, because of those dedicated to professional victimhood status and punishing all who do not fall in line with this hellish doctrine, because of the growing threat of nuclear Armageddon somewhere along the way we have lost the humor that was once our salvation from any taking themselves too seriously, and the evil men do is forcing us to choose between liars.