Dachau World

             [This posting is no more demented than the cruel deceptions of the Israeli government.]  
While researching Europe for interesting places to visit and things to do during our three week visit there this summer, my wife and I stumbled on a very unusual entertainment complex in southern Germany. Apparently, laying the foundation for the advent of this whole new concept in "theme parks" is the unwavering popularity of reality TV. That and the fact that the public is always on the lookout for something new and exciting __ the latest and the greatest! __ made Dachau World a real crowd pleaser and instant success.

Of course, my first reaction was that this whole idea was crass exploitation, demonstrating an appalling level of insensitivity. But I contacted the German Department of the Interior and my perspective was turned around 180 degrees. My source, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed that the Dachau World theme park was fully owned and developed by a consortium of Jewish investors based in Israel. In fact, this investment group which is wholly responsible for planning and constructing the park, consists of eighteen orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch centers, which easily obtained the approval of the German government for their innovative project. As my source explained, "We immediately saw the potential for this type of entertainment complex and fast-tracked Dachau World. They have our full support. As far we we're concerned, these Jews deserve all of the compensation they can get for whatever inconvenience the Holocaust might have caused them. I say bravo!"

"Your concentration camp experience is enhanced by a full complement of professional actors, hired as full-time 'detainees' of Dachau World."

Initially, there was some difficulty finding a community to host the new theme park. Many local citizens thought it would be an embarrassment, opening up old wounds dating back to the Third Reich. But these petty objections were finally overcome when economic projections showed how much Dachau World could boost a local economy. The sprawling complex is now located in an industrial suburb of Munich, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the original Dachau concentration camp. It has ample parking and a water park, as well as concentration camp rides and home stays in actual slave worker barracks.

I will confess that in the end, when we finally arrived at the gates of the park, I chose not to spring for admission and we didn't go in. It was only 36 euros a day and I had the money.

But I guess I'm kind of a wuss. You know . . . one of those silly, old school, bleeding-heart liberals who just can't appreciate the lighter side of genocide.

"For a little something special, you can spend the night in one of our ovens."

Now I'm sorry we didn't stay there for a few days.  I hear they have great yoga classes.
But don't you miss out!! For more on Dachau World, just check with your travel agent.

Like the poster says, it's fun for the whole family. And when your friends ask you what you did for the holidays, you can say . . .

"We stayed in a concentration camp. Woohoo!"

Oh! Before I forget: I was unable to confirm this, but I also have it from a trusted source that this same group of Zionist investors has just broken ground somewhere in Gaza for the construction of a related "reality show" theme park. It's called PLO World. This will similarly offer an array of real world vacation packages so that visitors can experience what it's like to live under the oppressive terror of the Israeli army.

Site in Palestine being readied by Israel for construction of the new PLO World theme park, expected to open sometime next year. Don't miss out!

[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

We know how this will end . . .

 

What if the citizens of Germany during the 1930s somehow could have known in advance how World War II was going to end. Would they have bought into the lies of Hitler and the Third Reich? Would they have gone along with the wanton aggression knowing it was a suicide mission and would turn their beloved homeland into a pile of rubble and put nearly 9,000,000 of them in early graves?

What about Japan? Before World War II, Japan was securely locked down. No dissent from the imperialistic designs of the emperor and his military class was permitted. Even so, if the vast majority had known that like Germany, their nation would be almost completely destroyed and they'd lose over 3,000,000 people for nothing, would they have so willingly and enthusiastically rushed to the battlefield to invite annihilation and defeat?

Our leaders __ our cowardly, divisive, destructive, unimaginative, delusional American leaders __ from Barack Obama to John Kerry to John McCain, are taking America into another war. Sure, the attack on Syria has been shelved for now. But only for now. Only because we have been humiliated and humbled by such sterling examples of brotherhood and compassion as Vladimir Putin, and reduced to looking like the big, dumb bully on the block by no less than Hassan Rouhani, the new President of Iran.

But make no mistake about it. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen. It's all part of the same flawed over-reaching strategy that predates even Clinton. That pathological plan for achieving unnecessary and ill-conceived hegemony over the Middle East may be on hold, but it has not gone away, and it won't unless we make it go away.

As uninformed and misinformed as we Americans generally are, we know how this is going to end. It doesn't take a genius to see that despite our incredible military prowess and huge advantage in the quantity and sophistication of weaponry in our arsenal, we are really bad at war. Maybe it feels good to thump our chests and yell "mission accomplished" with a big shit-eating smirk on our faces, but our self-congratulations bear no relation to reality. We lost horribly in Vietnam. We are losing in Afghanistan. We made a mess out of Iraq and now have little control over the developments in that country. Libya is in chaos. We had our finger on the launch button in Syria and instead of gaining credibility in the world, have become the object of derision, upstaged and shamed into backing down by taunts from overseas and a surprising and encouraging swell of antipathy at home.

The truth is, we have a terrible track record over the last sixty years of muscle flexing military escapades, and haven't even had to face what might be regarded as a formidable world-class enemy. God help us if we do go toe-to-toe with Russia or China.

Actually, god help the entire human race!

As we swagger into the OK corral twirling our guns and acting all cocky and cool, because after all we are so exceptional and so entitled and so self-righteous and so powerful and of course always have God on our side, what are the options? Apparently the only way we will actually "win" a real war against a serious enemy is if we go nuclear. And if we go nuclear, they will to.

And we all know how that will turn out.

So if we know in advance how World War III will end, why would anyone except the demented neocon imperialist cotorie of hell bent fanatics __ who can plead the insanity defense __ push for war? Which is the same as saying, why would anyone in their right mind go along with this madness?

Because we __ you and I __ do know how it will end.

Either we're going to get our asses kicked or we're going to destroy all civilization and risk the extinction of the human race.

Ask the Germans how things worked out for them when they tried to conquer the world.

Ask the Japanese.

I live in Japan. I already know how the Japanese feel about war. I know the shame they feel about their dark and vile history of aggression in pursuit of all manner of illusory glory and mountains of booty.

No, I don't live in America any more. But I'm still a loyal American. I deeply care for my country. And I know this.

We can't count on the lying liars who claim to have our interests at heart, the play-for-pay politicians who are the lapdogs for the military-industrial complex and the bankers who build their staggering fortunes on the corpses of our soldiers and the tens of thousands of civilians who are collateral damage for our drones, carpet bombings and ordinance.

We cannot look to the barbaric megalomaniacs in positions of power who claim to share our values, and have the unmitigated audacity to talk about humanitarian bombing and merciful intervention, to claim we are protecting innocent people against ruthless dictators __ killing thousands of innocent victims in the process __ all in the name of promoting democracy and human rights, when every one of these wars is about gas and oil interests for their corporate butt buddies. To add even more hypocrisy to the insults and injuries, it is our military which possesses and employs more weapons of mass destruction than any other country in the world and it is our nation which counts among its friends and allies some of the most ruthless tyrants on the planet.

We sure can't look to the leadership of the most sociopathic president in our history, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who just said in his U.N. speech, "The United States of America is prepared to use all elements of our power, including military force, to secure our core interests in the region. We will confront external aggression against our allies and partners, as we did in the Gulf War."

That means it's up to us.

It's up to each and every American to say 'NO' to the madness.

It's up to us to stop all the talk about war.

It's up to us to demand a true and honest commitment to peace, not the simpleminded, hollow, meaningless blather that we're being fed as the trigger-fingers of our war mongers tingle and twitch, just waiting for the right moment to churn up more carnage, destruction and hatred in the rest of the world.

Yes . . . we do know how this story ends.

It's time for a new story.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Do The Math

 

As we mourn yet more victims of violence and seek both comfort and some kind of explanation, maybe it's time to ask a couple basic questions.

If America truly abhors gun violence, why is it by a long stretch the highest in the world for per capita gun ownership? 316 million people and 298 million guns! Handguns, rifles, assault weapons, shotguns.

If America truly wants peace in the world, why is it by a substantial margin the biggest exporter of armaments to practically any country or rebel army with a check book? Weapons of every shape and size, from hand guns to missiles! (One nice thing, though. We keep the white phosphorus, depleted uranium, and cluster bombs for our own use on the battle field.)

I weep for all __ both the victims and the survivors __ because we are all victims.

We are victims of a national madness that has become the new normal. We eat, sleep, dream, breathe violence. Look at TV. Look at movies, books, games. Look at our police.

I wish it were otherwise . . . but there will be no end to the carnage.

Unless we as a people __ individually and collectively __ change.

We can say 'NO' to all this violence. You and I.

But we have to say it . . . and mean it!


[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

War Is A Lie

 

We all know what's going on in Syria. There's been a civil war for some time now.  Many citizens there are very unhappy with the Assad regime. There are elements within the country, now joined by a variety of well-armed and well-funded terrorist organizations from outside, that have taken up arms in an attempt to overthrow the government.

We also know that Washington DC __ I obviously include here Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton before and now Kerry, but also the huge imbedded coterie of neocon imperialists who never look at a military campaign they don't get all giddy over and have grandiose visions of American hegemony over the world that goes way beyond childish fantasy into the realm of delusional psychosis __ has been licking its lips for a long time now, waiting for the right moment and the most plausible opportunity to plunge our country into another pointless military conflict in the Middle East. Iran's alleged development of a nuclear weapon just hasn't gotten traction so far with the American public __ basically because it's a fabrication. Hmm ... what else might get everyone's hackles up?

We now see the claims of "irrefutable proof" that chemical weapons were used by Assad's forces against Syria's own people. We hear the "irrefutable logic" that this gross violation of proscriptions against use of such weapons __ international law in the form of treaties and legal instruments by the United Nations __ MUST be punished.

To their credit, most Americans are not buying the thunderous but hollow beating of the war drums. Tragically the express will of the citizenry is not deterring the warmongers. These guys are relentless. They'll keep pouring it on. They'll come up with whatever "facts and figures" it takes to turn the tide of opinion and convince us to get with the program.

But the simple truth is . . . it's all a lie.

Either it's a lie via the lack of certain evidence.

Or it's a lie which springs from America's own hypocrisy.

America MUST punish such immoral transgressions?

First of all, there are mechanisms in place for addressing any such violations. America is not required to be judge, jury and executioner here or in any other instance of misbehavior by other nations.

Second, our indignation at the atrocities committed in other countries rings very hollow when you consider how America tends to cherry-pick its moral outrage. For example, we looked the other way when Saddam Hussein was gassing Iran. You remember. Saddam Hussein, that evil bad guy we had to depose. The one we called the new Adolph Hitler. The one we supported with billions of dollars of foreign aid a few years before when we liked him, the despicable evil dictator of the country where we "initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into the power it became" and "Reagan/Bush administrations permitted — and frequently encouraged — the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq."

I won't even get into the list of countries where we stood by and yawned as the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people occurred __ Rwanda immediately comes to mind __ our indignation on holiday. Nor will I get into the incredibly long list of countries ruled by ruthless autocrats supported by the U.S., who oppress and slaughter their own people often with the armaments we provide them.

While I'm on the subject of lies, I'm sure I don't have to remind you of all of the lies __ WMDs being first on the list __ told to the American people and the entire world which plunged us into the Iraq war, at the cost of 5,000 American lives and 190,000 Iraqis, 70% of them citizens. And how to make the medicine go down nice and smooth, we were told prior to that horrible fiasco, that we should be able to get in, get out, and wrap up the military campaign for a mere $50 or $60 billion, whereas estimates for the financial burdens just from the Iraq war are now at $2.2 trillion (yes, that's TRILLION!).

So . . .

Why all these lies?

Obviously, lies serve a specific timely function in terms of swaying public opinion. For example, whenever we're getting ready to put boots on the ground, we have to get people riled up before we send our young men and women into combat, or even waste billions more tax dollars raining down death and destruction on another country in the form of cruise missiles. Otherwise, some armchair generals might come to the conclusion that these wars are nothing more than senseless slaughter. Even if they are purely senseless slaughter, we can't have people thinking that!

But beyond the practical need that our amoral trigger-happy ends-justify-the-means political leaders perceive, I see something happening in our society. It's certainly nothing new but what is unprecedented is its scale.

I've come to believe that lying had become pandemic. Not only is it acceptable. It's become woven into the fabric of our culture, the way cancer cells weave their way into the anatomy of the human body.

Why do THEY lie and tell young girls they're not pretty enough, not thin enough, not sexy enough, and then lie to them about cosmetics, diets and weight loss pills, fashions that will turn you into objects of allure?

Why do THEY lie to young men and tell them might makes right and if you have a big gun or big muscles or a big mouth or a big dick, you now own the high moral ground and you can bully your way to the top?

Why do THEY lie to all of us regular folks and still call America the land of opportunity, where no matter how poor you are or what color your skin, you can rise to the top, when the truth is upward mobility in the U.S. is the worst in the developed world?

Why? Why? Why?

Why all the lies?

Amazingly enough, there is one simple answer. One size fits all. These mega liars kept it simple.
Money!

Behind every lie we're told is a profit motive. Every lie that succeeds takes money from you and I and puts it into the pockets of the liars.

The already appallingly wealthy just can't get enough. Already in possession of the vast majority of this country's wealth, they want more.

What's Syria about? The full explanation would take up an hour of your time. But it's about pipelines __ gas and oil pipelines. That's what Afghanistan was about. That's what Iraq was about. That's what Iran is about. That's what Syria is about. If you have the time and have a strong stomach __ it certainly made me sick __ watch here, here, here, and here to see why our soldiers are dying.

Wars are always built on lies. I am totally convinced of this now.

I want you to buy David Swanson's book (pictured above) . . . http://amzn.to/1cDHbYO

He doesn't know me and I get no commission. I have no stake in this.

But you do. If you don't read this book, you're choosing a lobotomy over understanding why we are immersed in gridlock, confusion, conundrum. Why we're perpetually at war. Why we, who have to go out and put our lives on the line for the rich and powerful, are always given this choice:

a) War
b) War
c) All of the above

Does this sound twisted or melodramatic? It's not.

When you see the reason behind all the lies, it's like when Dorothy arrived in Oz and suddenly her world went from black-and-white to dazzling, breathtaking color.

Let me say one last thing about lies and war. This applies to every waking moment of our lives, and why we must always be vigilantes for honesty.

When THEY lie to us and we believe them, we end up at war with ourselves, war with one another, war with everyone else in the world, and at war with the truth.

And if we continue to allow this to happen . . .

There will be no survivors.




[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Author John Rachel Wakes Up Black!

 

Apparently my voter registration card has been nullified. The letter I got said that to reinstate my voting privileges, I would have to provide a birth certificate, proof of U.S. citizenship, blood and urine samples, DNA from my natural parents and at least four aunts and uncles, a copy of a recent utility bill, a notarized letter of commendation from my high school counselor, two color photos taken within the last twenty minutes, a clean bill of health from my doctor showing I'm not lactose intolerant, and a list ten references five of which must be active members of my local Kiwanis Club. I also have to pay two outstanding parking tickets for a car I never owned __ I'm disputing this by offering proof that I was in Kenya with President Obama at the time of the parking violation citations.

I guess I understand. It's important to maintain the integrity of the right to vote in a system where the voice of the people weighs in so heavily in shaping public policy.

[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

What’s in a name?

  This is my First Holy Communion picture, taken one year after I was officially adopted.

I've had three legal names in my lifetime.

That's not unusual for a female divorcee but I think it's an anomaly for most men.

I was born John Carl Shreiber but taken away at birth from my mother. We were in a mental institution at the time and she was deemed unfit.

After a year in the St. Vincent de Paul Society orphanage, two folks in their early 40s who were unable to have their own children, took me home. They were uneducated and very poor, so it took them five years to convince Judge Joseph Trombley, Probate Court judge in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, that they were worthy.

But the adoption finally went through and I became John Richard Laug. I was six and the photo here is me one year later.

My adopted parents, Richard and Florence, died when I was 14. They died three-and-a-half months apart, my father of brain cancer, my mother from the flu. But she had been sick all her life with high blood pressure and heart trouble, so the flu just did in her already weakened body.

Tough times followed. Most all of the relatives disappeared on me. My smart mouth and precocious arrogance never made me popular. I loved books. They loved sports and beer.

Anyway, Laug was always a problematic name. No one ever got it right. Laugh, lang, land, log, law, you name some mutilation of Laug and I've heard it a hundred times. It's actually a German name, pronounced (with lots of spit) L-OW-K. Like 'ow', as in you're standing on my foot, with an L on the front, and a big wet mucousy K on the end. Germany was not exactly popular after WWII, so my parents made the G silent, really complicating things.

I always hated Laug. "Hey, it's Johnny Law!" or "Hey gang! Let's beat the fuck out of Johnny Lang!"

So when I was 27 years old, I legally changed it to John D Rachel. (The D is just a D, not an initial. It stands for nothing specific, though I tell people my middle name is Dork or Demented or Divine or Disturbed, Delightful, Delicious, depending on my mood.)

When you're a male and you legally change your name, most people think you're up to no good. In fact, the court makes your declare that indeed, you are not changing it for any fraudulent purposes or to attempt to wrangle out of any legal obligations.

I wasn't. I just hated my name and changed it to something I liked.

So here I am. For most of my life, I've been John Rachel.

The irony is that I'm a writer.

Shreiber is German for ... writer.


[ This originated at the author's personal website ... http://jdrachel.com ]

Blinders Keepers

 

In this dark comedy, a young fellow who escapes his hopelessly hayseed home town in Missouri is mistakenly labeled a terrorist and must survive a fierce manhunt by government security agencies, while the President of an America in chaos and collapse takes desperate measures, attempting to reclaim control and get himself re-elected.

Blinders Keepers is social-political satire in the tradition of Jonathan Swift, Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, but revved up and spit-shined to take on the historic new levels of absurdity and dysfunction of the 21st Century. It is one young man's struggle to survive the epic disintegration of the American Dream.

Published June 1 of this year, this semi-frivolous, quasi-serious, mini-epic in a major key is available in every popular format for literature lovers across the English-speaking world.

As a Kindle ebook from Amazon (US) . . . http://amzn.to/122cnyF
As a paperback from Amazon (US) . . . http://amzn.to/11zaEjm
As a Nook Book from Barnes & Noble . . . http://bit.ly/17MtgjE
As an iBook from the Apple Store . . . http://bit.ly/11WqJiv
As an ebook from Kobo . . . http://bit.ly/18wHki2
As an EPUB ebook from Sony . . . http://bit.ly/11GNrLz
Every popular ebook format at Smashwords . . . http://bit.ly/190zmgs
As a paperback from the printer . . . http://bit.ly/10SPPyS
Direct from the publisher . . . http://bit.ly/14j2VGy

But let's face it. There are so many books out there!

Overwhelmed? Don't feel alone. You might want to check out the first video trailer . . .

. . . or listen to what the vitamin-deficient author himself has to say in this interview. 
Okaaaaaay!

The truth is, against all odds, oohs and aahs are pouring in from all corners of the globe. Following are some carefully edited excerpts from unsolicited reader comments posted at Amazon (it is the opinion of the administrators of this website that expletives and death threats serve no constructive role vis-a-vis the literary merits of the novel):

"Blinders Keepers" is an example of how to successfully mix political observations, humor, and creativity . . . This is a great book to unwind with at the end of the day. Just sit back and let the insanity unfold. The prose is well written with a fresh voice and will have you grinning whether you like it or not. –  Nicole Disney 

"Blinders Keepers" is the latest star of my "show this to the next person who says indie novels suck" list. Here's your novel by an unknown writer, from a press so indie it amounts to "self-publishing by proxy", with an oddball, non directive title and a vague cover. What's to like? Well... THE BOOK! It's WAY cool. –  Linton Robinson

This book is interesting, fun, and witty, with a wry, sardonic sense of humor__a Vonnegut meets Christopher Moore drive-it-like-you-stole-it joyride! –  T. Rood

Blinders Keepers is a fugitive quest set in the near future in an America none of us would want. In its futurist setting, it aligns with 1984, Brave New World, and The Handmaid's Tale, all cautionary stories about how bad things might get if we don't wake up and smell the decaf. –  Gerald Everett Jones

Comparisons to Kotzwinkle, Tom Robbins and Ishmael Reed are not that far off the mark . . . Rachel is very, very good. He has a lively style and is very gifted at original, catchy similes and metaphors. His insights are interesting and he lays them in with finesse. His style and voice don't suffer from comparison to the writers mentioned above. Much more enjoyable than Palahniuk, to single out one. He's a fun writer, but also a solid, focused one who knows what he's doing. –  Linton Robinson

I AM ONLY 2% into the book and it has blown away every other good book I've read. . . . Being a fan of John Rachel I know him to give offbeat stories that are almost beyond description. – Grandma Snyder

But don't take their word for it. Make up your own mind!

As the essence of good literature is allegory and allegory is like giving LSD to a toddler raised on a porch in Appalachia, here is the second video trailer for Blinders Keepers.

Now! Time to pull out all the stops. Here's the opening sub-chapter of Blinders Keepers, based on a verifiable historical event but modified at the discretion of the author to align with the instructions given by a voice in his head __ a dreary character who without any irony claims to be the orthopedic surgeon for St. Ignatius of Loyola. It takes all kinds.

CHAPTER ONE
State of the Union

It was that time of year again. Last week of January.

The President was making his much anticipated State of the Union Address.

After the usual greetings and initial courtesies — thanking everyone for coming, acknowledging the important players in all branches of the government, and offering gracious regards for a few special invited guests — the President delivered the type of crowd-pleasing line which has been the linchpin of State of the Union addresses for as long as anyone cared to remember.

“As I stand before this great body and look out at the faces of those who have dedicated themselves to this great nation, I can say with absolute confidence that America is on strong and certain footing.”

Then abruptly his expression changed, he shook his head and stopped speaking. Hands grasping the edges of the podium, he looked down at his feet and appeared to be lost in thought.

What followed was both unexpected and certainly unprecedented. He looked back up. Gone was the confident smile, the twinkle in his eye, the arched optimistic brow. He appeared somber, a touch sad, apologetic.

“Who am I trying to fool here? You, my respected Congressmen? Some of the finest legislators to ever hold public office? The excellent justices of the Supreme Court who preside over the greatest legal institution in history? Myself? No, I’m not here to try to fool anyone. These are times unlike any this nation has ever seen. So I’ll tell you exactly what the state of our union is. It’s a fucking mess!”

A deathly silence filled the entire congressional chamber. If a pin had dropped, it would have been possible to know its exact size and just how many times it bounced. What wasn’t entirely clear was if they had somehow missed what he just said, or if they had heard it, but it hadn’t actually registered. Blank faces and unfocused eyes filled the chamber.

Then, as if being directed by some invisible conductor, or moved by an invisible resonant force field, everyone immediately stood up and began with thunderous applause, cheering, and raucous acclamation, to give him a huge standing ovation. This went on and on, for several minutes at least, never in the least waning in intensity. The President smiled and waved, basking in the adulation. Finally, he had enough and made it clear he had more that he wanted to say. Using a palm’s down gesturing with his hands, he eventually got them to sit back down.

“So here’s what we’re gonna do. I want you all to look down at the floor. Now pull your pant legs up over your calves. What do you see? For those senators and congressman from Texas, this will be easy. You won’t have to imagine. The rest of you, just look and see what I’m seeing. See those loops. Those are bootstraps. Yes, bootstraps. Okay. Now look back up at me.”

Dramatically the President held up high in front of him his two index fingers.

“See these? What we’re gonna do is take these and insert them right in those bootstraps. Then all together, we’re gonna lift. We’re gonna lift like no one has ever lifted before. And we’re gonna pick ourselves up. We’re gonna pick ourselves up and we’re gonna stay up. Do you know why? I’ll tell you why. Because this is America. This is the greatest country that ever was or ever will be. And as we have demonstrated time and time again, as we have shown the naysayers and skeptics over and over, this is one country that can do it. We will do it! Yes! By God we will do it! Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to each and every one of you for your unselfish dedication, your unwavering patriotism, your honorable service to this great country. God bless America!”

Everyone in the chamber, congressman, jurists, ushers, guards, special guests, select members of the press, again leaped to their feet. The response this time was totally over the top. It made the first ovation look like they had been standing graveside at a wake.

Suddenly and without warning, over the explosive din of the hysterical whooping and yelling, could be heard blasting from P.A. speakers hidden behind the long drapes at the rear of the gallery, the U.S. Army band playing Happy Days Are Here Again. This theatrical touch just added to the ongoing chain reaction, notching the hysteria up another two levels.

With climactic flair which rivaled the best Superbowl half-time shows, red, white and blue balloons then dropped from the ceiling. Like crazed, frenetic school children, the congressman start batting them around.

Maybe the country was going to hell in a hand basket. But darn it all, there was no reason to get all down in the mouth about it.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]