tankt

In an especially biting rant on the ease in which the vast majority of Americans can be lulled into sleep by such trivial pursuits, while the financial markets and government institutions slowly collapse under the weight of their own corruption, Jim Kunstler saidbest:

Of course, all that creates a problem for the masses of human beings who theoretically support themselves by working to produce new things of value to be bought and sold. But let them watch Nascar! Let’s take whatever little remains of our tax revenues (or bonding ability) and build a dozen more speedway ovals around the country, and tweak the stock car engines so those suckers can run on ethanol, and shower the fans with Little Debbie snack cakes as they count the laps. Bring on Britney Spears or Paris Hilton at half-time (do they have half-time in Nascar?) and let Justin Timberlake cut their hearts out on the hood of a Dodge Avenger. Believe me, the public will be so deliriously entranced by the spectacle, they won’t notice anything else going on in the background of our nation.

This is how America enters the Long Emergency — in a Nascar rapture, with Jesus directing the pit crews and the Holy Ghost working the barbeque concession.

To wit, Michael Vick’s plea is the top story (old news) on the day in which Alberto Gonzales resigns to spend more time with his lawyer (big, big new news). Wake up, America.

Related posts

• Albert Gore Jr. and George W. BushI wanted to share a few of the more powerful words and images created in the light of Al Gore's incredible achievement, and humbly add a thought or two of my own. First, Josh Marshall: There are several layers of irony and poetic justice wrapped into this honor. The first...
• Take the time to think.The problem with America, ruthlessly laid bare by Jim Kunstler: The people I know complain endlessly about how stupid President George W. Bush is, and how badly he has lied to the public about this or that. But a casual observer from Mars would have to conclude that President Bush...
• “This is how scandals unravel. You find a thread and you pull it.”On the wisdom of impeaching Alberto Gonzales as a means to uncover much greater crimes committed by George W. Bush and his administration, Anonymous Liberal saidbest: The focus on Gonzales' perjury has already paid dividends by forcing the Bush Administration to leak additional important facts about the NSA program to...
• Or, just go to the home page.