When you own the trash house

It occurred to me during a restless night that trying to get the Bushies out of the White House is akin to an honest small-time landlord trying to evict truly awful tenants. No matter how obvious the harm being done by the tenants, there is a long list of formalities that must be dealt with before one can actually get the miserable creeps out of the house.

And there is no question that the Bushies are rotten tenants. They’re trashing the house and yard. They’ve spread filth far beyond the immediate property, causing a general decline in values. The neighbors – the rest of the world – are so disgusted that far too many now believe the only way to save the neighborhood is to tear down the trash house.

At the very least, polls and the foreign press show that most believe nothing short of gutting, fumigation and a major rebuilding will make the place acceptable again. Most in the western world also appear to believe, quite reasonably, that if the present tenants remain in possession of the house, the entire neighborhood may go into severe decline.

Problem is, there are good reasons for the rules on eviction. If the good guys can simply walk in and throw the bums out without notice, an unscrupulous landlord can do the same to decent tenants – a far more likely scenario. So we, the landlords, have to go through the process – but we’d better work very hard and very carefully and to sure everything is done properly so that we can be rid of the Bush crowd soon and forever.

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It is with no pride whatever that I admit to having nothing, or almost nothing, to say about the Democrats’ national convention.  In all likelihood, I’ll have no more to say about the Republican fiction-fest, although the Republicans do have a way of becoming so outrageously offensive that one can’t ignore them.

I’m even somewhat in sympathy with the networks’ decision to ignore most of both shows. I’d be more in sympathy if they actually were trying to find what real news there is in and around the heavily-choreographed gatherings, but of course they’re focusing mostly on a lot of empty heads with aimlessly flapping mouths – most of said empty heads being in their own employ.

Any look at protesters is or will be condescending and lacking in background or context. Anything left of the party’s far right will be scornfully dismissed. As we will soon see, the Republicans will be treated more gently – fawningly – than the Dems, and the TV folks will help the GOP spin stories with all the enthusiasm of doting parents pushing a playground merry-go-round.

Nope, can’t stomach it. I’m reading the papers carefully, though, and will watch closely for the differences in coverage between the next show and this one.