Jamie goes anonymous as The Lovely Bea arranges limes with her vodka. Photo Socotra).
No story this morning, sorry, there is too much going on to talk about.
I am constantly entertained by the antics of the White House, and have become accustomed to the ability of Jay Carney utter bald-faced lies from the podium at the daily press briefings. He has got to go, but there are so many who need to go and face criminal prosecution that it is hard to pick on him.
I am absolutely flummoxed by the fact that “I don’t know” has become an acceptable defense for illegal and unconstitutional behavior by the senior government officials- sort of like “I am innocent but I am taking the 5th” from the lady that headed the IRS 401(c)4 Office. Funny, you know? Claiming the protection of the Document that the same official has been merrily shredding. Is this a great country, or what?
The IRS thing made me realize that we are in the crosshairs, and if you take the wiretapping of the journalists- I don’t care if you are right or left, the idea that Justice should be feeding the IRS with reasons to get in your face over some part of an incomprehensible tax code is chilling.
According to the US Government Printing Office, the code is 13,458 pages in total. The full text of Title 26 of the United States Code is another 3,387 printed pages, bringing the adjusted gross page count to 16,845. And it isn’t just the IRS. One of those nasty right wing people who applied for tax exempt-status and previously imagined that she was exercising her first amendment rights swiftly had four IRS audits, an FBI investigation, and visits from OSHA, ATF and the EPA.
Prior to filing, she had nothing to do with the government except to pay taxes to it and be concerned about it.
Seems she was right. I had to scrub the Panzer before venturing across the the American Legion Bridge to go to Maryland yesterday, since due to the comings and going of the Bulgarian workers and movers in the apartment, I have to keep the high-value items I have not moved to the farm with me. Hence, all my backpacks contain objects whose purpose could be- well, misconstrued. What do you say to a trooper about a razor-sharp samurai sword in the trunk? “Um, it is a souvenir?”
Well, it is. From a long time ago and a war far away. But I am almost used to the idea that I am doing something illegal all the time.
This is not exactly the land in which I grew up, and Scandal-rama, the other parts are sprouting wild and crazy paths. That was all swirling through a day that had virtually everything.
Thank Goddess today is not nearly as challenging as yesterday, which featured the demolition of the front bathroom, two young movers and a truck, five conference calls, a trip to Gaithersburg, MD, 27 miles around the Beltway and up the I-270 technology Corridor and back to pick up a proposal for delivery this morning, a Gold Team Review of the next proposal due on Tuesday morning followed by a conference call on another major contract bid, and then Willow, since the Bulgarians had quite sternly informed me that I could not return to the apartment before 1730.
Everyone was ready for the coming holiday weekend, and maybe that is why The Lovely Bea decided to dress up her vodka and lime with the whole lime, and why LTJG Socotra stopped by the bar to catch up and try the Special Flatbread and Bea’s pal Jamie decided to go incognito.
I think, on the whole, anonymous is really the way to go from here out. Given what is going on all over, it only seems prudent.
Gotta get rolling. It’s business.
Copyright 2013 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com