A while back I ranted about the complete and utter usefulness of senate and congressional hearings, and how they just end up being a dog & pony show for polticians to try and look good to the public as they grill the Bad Guys in testimony, while in fact doing absolutely nothing of real use.

Well, they’re still grandstanding. As if we haven’t figured it out by now, after 2+ years of a crappy economy, the Senate is just now “getting to the bottom of” that Big Bad Financial Scandal. In particular, the Goldman Sachs thing.

My prediction: Next week, the Senate will open hearings on indecency and profane language on cable news networks. Because today during that Goldman Sachs Senate hearing, this went out over the airwaves, uttered by a senator. Into people’s homes, into workplaces and offices, in waiting rooms and airports, and certainly within earshot of children…

WARNING: AUDIO IS NSFW

No, I’m no prude. The profanities spill out of my mouth so often that sailors blush. But these lawmakers are the same people who get all in a huff over indecency in the media now and then. Shouldn’t they practice what they preach? We certainly could’ve gotten the gist of the message without the “s” bomb landing on TV at least 5 times in less than two minutes.

That was a shitty thing for Carl Levin to do, if you ask me.

Just sayin’...

It’s over folks. The age of civilian air travel is coming to an abrupt end. It’s time to mothball our jets, shut the airlines, and go back to trains and ocean liners as our primary means of long distance travel. The United States as a country simply cannot fly anymore.

Why? Because of terrorism you ask? No, not because of terrorism. It’s because we’ve become a nation of panicky pussies. That’s why.

To be sure, on Christmas day 2009, a terroristdid try – we think – to blow up a plane. Hiding a syringe with chemicals and incendiary devices in his underwear, he ignited his payload as the flight he was one prepared to land in Detroit. The only immediate casualties, fortunately, were his crotch and – we hope – his ability to procreate. In this case, Darwin may haveprevailed.

Shortly thereafter though, I realized that one other casualty resulted from this incident: our common sense. It started right away with Republicans and politicians in Washington. Rather than actually caring about the safety of the public and working towards learning from this experience to see how we can adapt reasonably and safely to this threat, if it IS a threat, they chose to pounce on this as a media stunt and politcal scare tactic. That’s right, because some silly Nigerian chose to roast his crotch on a flight, to them this clearly meant that Obama failed us.

So, while Washington was busy wrestling with that idea and preferring to focus on the potential political fallout of whether “the system” was working or not, the people who are allegedly tasked with protecting the public good and safety basically stopped focusing on protecting the public’s good and safety. Inevitably, this means “the system” that everyone was so busy arguing about has pretty much begun to break down all on its own anyway. That left the general public with the impression that they must now pretty much fend for themselves on the matter.

The result? Now we must get molested before we board an airplane, even though it probably won’t help the situation anyway. We now also have to deal with air travel being more erratic and unpredictable than before, ranging from the cut off of internet access and other in-flight amenities, to denying passengers the use of bathroom facilities. Because we all know that terrorists won’t possibly consider blowing up the plane if they will be denied those last couple minutes of facebook-time, or are unable to take a leak before the big moment, right?

Of course, none of these measures really add to the security of the flights. The hope, everyone agrees, is that maybe it’ll just help people feel a little safer, even though we’ve already told them, through the powers of twitter, cable TV news and the iReport, that these measures are fruitless and ineffective.

I am absolutely gobsmacked over how many people have decided that they still need to wear their self-made 9/11 scars like a victim badge. A ton of people got butthurt today all because a silly plane flew over manhattan with F16s in tow:

NEW YORK (CNN)—A White House official apologized Monday after a low-flying Boeing 747 spotted above the Manhattan skyline frightened workers and residents into evacuating buildings.

The aircraft was a White House plane taking part in a classified, government-sanctioned photo shoot, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Just listen to these self-important idiots try to make a nothing-story all about them:

The incident outraged many New Yorkers, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“First thing is, I’m annoyed—furious is a better word—that I wasn’t told,” he said, calling the aviation administration’s decision to withhold details about the flight “ridiculous” and “poor judgment.”

Awww, I’m sooo sorry, Mikey! I’m sure the FAA will be sure to tell you from now on about every military or government flight that goes over your precious city, ‘kay? And how bout next time when you decide to push term limits and get the public to think they have a voice in politics, you tell us that you’re only foolin’ before you yank it all away, hah?

But while the mayor was throwing a temper tantrum, some Ph.D. decided this would be an excellent money making opportunity. 9/11 bailout, anyone?

Linda Garcia-Rose, who works with nearly two dozen post-traumatic stress disorder patients ages 15 to 47, said she was inundated with phone calls from patients Monday morning.

“They’re traumatized. They’re asking ‘How could this happen?’ They’re nervous. Their anxiety levels are high,” she said.

Garcia-Rose is considering filing a class-action suit against the government for sanctioning the plane’s unannounced flight. “I believe the government has done something really wrong,” she said.

No dear, you’re the one doing something wrong. It’s been seven and a half years, and your patients still wet their knickers when a plane flies overhead? Your patients should be suing you!

People, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there are limits to being coddled and made to feel all fuzzy by the government. We need to quit acting like children, frightened over the boogeyman whenever a jet happens to roar overhead. We have truly become a nation of sniveling weaklings, and if we haven’t gotten over this nearly a decade after it happened, then in that regard the terrorists truly have won.

With what’s going on in the economy, I think this is a must-watch for anyone going to the polls next month:

Honestly, I was undecided myself and didn’t comment much until recently. But no more.

This lovely bumper sticker was spotted whilst walking down the street one day:

Oh, are ya?

The mere existence of this bumper sticker implies a couple of things to me. First, there’s at least one faction within the GOP that is printing election materials that tacitly admit John McCain will probably kick the bucket during his term in office if elected, leaving this ditz in the Oval Office.

Second, yes, neocon stupidity is still alive and well in the US. And it could still doom us. Sure Palin did okay in the primaries, and people seem to be cheering on the fact that she could barely stalemate with Joe Biden. People love how “likeable” she is.

I’m sorry, she may be likeable. But she’s also quite vapid. And when there’s a financial crisis, or an energy crisis, or a war we’re trying to get out of, having a pretty but braindead airhead in the position to make decisions is not very comforting. And what’s this? Oh, right, all three crisies are happening at the same time, right now.

America, let’s face it. We’ve botched two elections and pissed away eight years. We’re at our lowest point in history and dragging the rest of the world with us. Let’s not botch a third election. Please?