Bitter Blagojevich Drinks Springfield Haterade

Seriously, who would care? I think that most people, made cynical by politics in this state, would hardly bat an eye at the so-called revelation that lawmakers drink and screw around in Springfield. And most voters know that Madigan and many other lawmakers 1) are selfish; 2) have outside interests that often earn gobs of money and perhaps influence their votes; 3) are basically cockroaches who care little about the state. Still, we keep voting them in, don't we, like the idiots we are?

Who would care?

Besides all the people watching him on tv? And...talking about him...on the internet.

Oh.

Care enough to do anything about it, care enough to lead to lasting damage and/or change, care enough to vote someone out of office on the basis of Blago's allegations ... Right now it's just another in a series of juicy Blago stories, and that's probably all it will be. Besides, few people really believe him any way, and I can't imagine he would the documentation to back any of this up.

Therefore, I doubt he is "taking everyone with him," the point to which I was responding. Understand now, or should I talk more slowly?

Wow, wake up on the wrong side of the cage this morning? It was a bit of self-depreciation there Matilda. Think calm thoughts.

We're talking about a man Geraldo supports who is soon going to spend years in jail. Lets have a laugh now and then.

I find it funny that you call for calm in that you are about the biggest thrower of bombs on this site, but hey, I see your point.

And no, let's not have a laugh. The state is all but broke, in large part due to Blago's incompetence, and we will all feel more pain than needed, whether through higher taxes or cut services or decreased medical care or all the above. We laugh far too much in this state about corruption and poor government. We need to be angry, not amused. We need rage, not giggles or ironic detachment. And we need that rage to hold until our elected officials get the message that things must change.

Laughter? That's a cop-out at this point.

We laugh or we cry. I go with Carlin, you get a ticket to the circus of life, enjoy the ride.

Oh and my "bombs" are snap-pops at best.

And that's the problem with this state, in which I've lived my entire life: We shrug. We laugh. We do this to avoid the reality that our leaders are worthless, and spend most of their time figuring out how to rip us off. THAT IS WHY NOTHING CHANGES. We treat these so-called leaders as though they are jesters, when in fact they are thieves at best, low-level dictators at worst.

A quote from Mao comes to mind. "You have nostalgia for a time that never was, and long for a place you will never go"

Over a long timeline, the Daley's half-century is a horrid reign, but would the city have been better off under Byrne? Or Vrdolyak? (sp?) Or perhaps some other hypothetical. Blagojevitch WAS an outsider, that was part of his appeal to some initially, but he proved just as flawed, if not more so, than any other politico.

I don't put much stock in politicians, they need to be constantly monitored, held to account, shaken to action and driven from office whenever possible. Even the most honest, forthright and noble soul will deteriorate. Only our vigilance can keep them in line.

Immunity? No, the man tried to sell a senate seat like an old coffee table on Craigslist, he needs quiet time in a cell. But a reduced sentence, a better prison, perhaps one in state, or a mitigation of the massive fines (he is broke after all) could be very useful. The big one though, his wife. If they both go in the slammer, they lose their kids. The prospect of Dick Mel raising his children may bring Blago to the side of right.

See, right now he's running (er, jogging) on adreniline. Once the hearings start, and the trial looms, don't be surprised if Fitzgerald doesn't start having quiet conversations with whoever signs up to defend the haircut.

Um, he hasn't even been indicted yet. All the feds have on tape is him MUSING about the POSSIBILITY of something. yeah, it was a sexy read, but there are a lot of legal gray areas. You should be satisfied that he is no longer our governor and leave it at that.

With the shouting and the shrill. You mistook a joke for a slight. Stop. Talk now, like people do.

No, tell me why you tend more toward laughter than anger on this issue. Is it because you know that in the end, you can't really change things in this state? How can you have vigilance if all you do is giggle?

Well, we can laugh and do something. Voting, fund-raising, supporting candidates who work for more transparency. There are many things we can do, and I do them. But I also laugh, often to the point of tears, at the beautiful madness of creatures like Rod.

I am, at heart, an absurdist. The conflict between the dark cold facts of existence (cruelty, lowness of character, death) and the human paeon for meaning is absurd. You either embrace that and end your life in the face of such madness or embrace it and be truly free.

"Thus I draw from the absurd three consequences, which are my revolt, my freedom, and my passion. By the mere activity of consciousness I transform into a rule of life what was an invitation to death, and I refuse suicide"
-Camus

Point taken and understood. Obviously, I am no absurdist--seems too lightweight these days, at least for me. Man, you had to pull out Camus, didn't you? Bastard.

Lightweight? Nah. It's just the drought for the times. So much surety and "moral clarity" going around. The religious and the irreligious, the conservative and the progressive, the cynic and the saint. That's all just a way of makes your point of view fit.

I think it's better to stand and look at it all as a wonderfully absurd children's game against the dark? Whistle through the blitz I say.

We need more Camus. Always.

Hilarious - and so true!