State Of The... No, I just Can't.

Couldn't make myself watch it, can't make myself comment via the transcript.

Lookit, this is supposed to be the Chief Executive hauled up before Congress to report on how his job is going and what he thinks it'll be needing in the near future; he's not talking to us and he shouldn't be trying to sell either the Legislative Branch or us on anything.

Instead, Glorious Reader gave us what these things usually are, a U.S.-ified edition of the old Soviet leaders addressing the Party Congress -- and they, I will note, had the grace to only hold such shindigs once every five years, not that it helped.

And the once-marvelous American Experiment accrues another layer of obscuring ivy as it crumbles to magnificent ruin, Twelve Tables and all. Ooops, wrong Republic. Same idea.

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To my considerable amusement, Network News is this morning expressing irked surprise the President didn't mention gun control; they've even invited anti-rights activists on the air to join them in murmuring disapproval. --This shows why Mr. Obama is President and they're just nattering nabobs: he can recognize a non-starter, or at least he'll listen to advisors who can. Fundamental human rights, newsies, ever hear of 'em? It starts with property and the most basic sort of that is your own self, which is what you use to think, speak, read and believe as you please -- and the right that follows from that is the right to defend your right to do so. Get it?

--Only the wind answers. Most of 'em don't even read the First Amendment carefully enough to catch the part about religion, so why should I expect them to grasp the underpinnings of the Second? Awfully good of them to be anti-rights on live TV, though, and give everyone a real good look at their thin and hateful souls: they don't trust you to be armed. They don't even trust you to take care of your own health.