In a strip a few days ago, cartoonist Bill Griffith noted that Dubbya doesn't pronounce "terrorist" correctly. He contracts it into two syllables: "terrist." To say nothing of his persistent mangling of "nuclear"...

The United States is spiralling into a fetid vortex of unbridled stupidity. Blind faith, unquestioning adoration of authority and indefinite suspension of creative/constructive thought have become fixtures of the new American Dream, powered by an out-of-control government, soulless yet nonetheless sinister corporations, and an obliging mass media. I'm tired of this crap.

I demand a world free of opportunistic, pathological politicians, arrogant underhanded agendas, and the ever-present threat of convulsive violence. I demand an immediate end to all cottage industries and retailers who are profiting from ignorance in the form of "heartwarming" gaudy figurines and omnipresent flags. I demand an end to shitty, mass-produced music and the spineless drones who listen to it.

I've had more than enough of pop stars, post-modern media spectacles, infotainment, edutainment, civilian casualities, pretentious novels, professional athletics, gun-happy policemen, religion in any shape or form with the possible exception of Buddhism (but more on that later), spurious medications for nonexistent psychopathologies, obnoxious holidays, SUVs, "What Would Jesus Do?", the abortion "debate," NASCAR, genetically modified foods, viral epidemics, depleted uranium, "Shock and Awe," hunting, pub-crawls, Starbucks, "poetry slams," vanity presses, et cetera.

You know, I thought the 21st century might be cool. It had promise. But unfortunately it's just a lot more of the same old tired shit.