Hangin' Tough

With the writers, editors and producers of today's mainstream media collectively wrapping themselves in the banner of info-tainment and rocking in place whilst chanting the mantra of "if it bleeds, it leads" over and over again, I am rarely shocked by those things I hear and see on the various programs which have proclaimed themselves to be...."news."

That said, unfortunately, every now and then I see something that leaves me taken aback and causes me to not only write incredibly long sentences filled with various clauses and punctuation, but to also wonder where exactly is this world going and how did we get in this handbasket.

Help me out here. Should that last sentence be punctuated with a period or a question mark? It's an interrogative placed within a declarative. Where's my Warriner's when I need it?

You know, I generally use this blog for silliness and will throw in a bit of screed as something of a garnish, and I gotta tell you I have some stories I'd love to share. However, this has been sitting with me for a couple of days and I just gotta get this out.

Earlier this week as crewmen reported to work at a construction site on the Illinois side of St. Louis, they passed by a raccoon who had been hung from a tree with some wire. Seems there's been some disagreement between laborers and a minority contractor on the site as to the number of minorities employed relative to the number of racist, sociopathic white motherfuckers employed. So said racists decided to send a message that dumpster-diving rodents would not be given jobs over hard-working, god-fearing Klansmen.

You know, I try to joke to lighten the mood, but it doesn't feel right. This was an outright threat against men who are doing nothing more than trying to earn a living and provide for their families, ideally on a level playing field.

My only hope is this case will be investigated and prosecuted as a hate crime, because that is exactly what it is. It would be my guess that the inbred, shit on his shoes, dickless prick who committed this atrocity is not a criminal mastermind and will prove easy to find. I can almost imagine him regaling the rest of the Hitler Youth over a case of Busch with his tales of big-game raccoon hunting.

I would cut this fuckin' guy's head off. I'm basically a non-violent person, but I haven't been this pissed since....well, since the last time I read the news, oh boy.

I'm really not sure what's wrong with people these days. You'd think our national mindset would be fixated on our collective hatred of non-Americans, specifically the French, Chinese, North Koreans, South Koreans (just to be safe), Palestinians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Afghanis and Oregonians (a.k.a Southern Canada until recently, however the newly elected Canadian regime has resulted in a name change to Berkeley North). Oh, and bomb Planet Hollywood! (Bonus points to the first one to correctly identify the movie from whence that quote came.)

Seriously, what had to have been running through the heads of the people responsible for this? I don't understand the lack of humanity in so many individuals. This wasn't mob mentality, which could at least on some level be more easily understood without being condoned. No, this was some small group or even just one person so consumed with anger they threaten people who have done nothing to them and kill an animal I have to assume had done nothing wrong either.

Here it is...a chance to quote Depeche Mode

"What makes a man hate another man? Help me understand."

JeffRey