The best part of painting an office building – especially a state-run office building – is that there are computers everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I swear there must be two computers for every person in this office. Or maybe half the office called in sick to avoid the confusion of painting day near their cubicles. Oh-no, do I smell another sick building in the works? Who knows?
Personally, I think the real sickness in these state office buildings is the mental sickness going around. These people are bored out of their fucking minds. You just can’t put people in these cubicles for 40-hours a week and expect everything to be a-okay.
The boredom is palpable here, my friends – so much so that you’d think the arrival of a few Joes with white painters clothes on amounted to seeing Old Faithful for the first time. Yep, they stare and stare. Worse, some stare with their mouths agape. Trust me, it’s not a pretty site. It’s almost as if they really don’t have anything better to do.
But thanks to the fine lady in charge of this joint, Snarky Boy got some mighty fast lunchtime Internet access. So, here’s what’s on my mind while trying not to get the bland tan paint on the tax-payer-funded keyboard:
While getting swept up in the heat of yesterday’s fun at Bernie’s office, I didn’t get a chance to mention the front-page news about Congressman Peter Welch’s upcoming trip to Iraq. Can you say: Payback. I knew you could. Funny, isn’t it, that just a few days after Peter played footsie with Pelosi by giving away his antiwar cred by voting to fund the war she rewards him with a trip to Iraq. You don’t even have to be a cynical bastard like me to see through this one.
As one reader wrote in and asked, how much carbon is Welch going to expend on this trip? Oh-no, Peter, get that checkbook ready. Or maybe he’s going to play the “carpool” card and claim that he’s also bringing the $124 billion that he voted to continue the war he supposedly opposes.
The only way this trip amounts to anything other than Welch getting headlines is if he brings the troops home with him while he’s there. But we know that’s not going to happen because Peter’s on record supporting at least another year and a half of this mess. Hmm, I know, how about if Peter stays there for that same amount of time? Yeah, that’s it, do the time, big guy. And we promise to “support” you….
The liberal ninnies are still fretting over the sit-ins at Welch and Sanders’ offices of late. My favorite reaction so far comes from Charlie O’s second best customer, Peter Buknatski, the poet, bullshitter and crusader for less noise in the world via his day job at Montpelier’s Noise Pollution Clearinghouse. Peter nearly perfectly represents the kind of “lefty” who sits and bitches but never takes action.
Peter’s predictable reaction to the antiwar activism was to declare that we should have been doing something else like sitting in at Governor Douglas’ office. And several other backbenchers in the game of democracy joined his call. Yeah, they chirped, it’s Douglas who is close to Bush and who is the head of the Vermont National Guard. “Fair enough,” I responded after Peter and his lethargic pals first mentioned it more than a week ago, “so do it.” Now they’re repeating it today after the fun at Sanders’ office yesterday. And, again, I’ll respond, “so do it.”
Hell, I’ll even go a step further by publicizing your idea for you. Oops, I guess I already did that, didn’t I? Well, then how about if I publicize your contact information so people can get in touch with you and join your call to take over Douglas’ office to stop the war.
So, if you want to join Peter Buknatski in his call to turn up the heat on Douglas – even though Douglas doesn’t have a vote on whether or not to fund the war – contact Peter directly at pbuknatski@yahoo.com. It seems like he needs a little encouragement. If not courage itself. Go, Peter, go!
Damn. I’ve got more but the office people are streaming back in and my agreement was to get off this computer before the real boss arrived. Back to painting for now, with promises of more words later. You know what? I like these state computers. A lot.
Snark on, my friends.
