Laugh at Yourself First: The Salvation Shark

Read "The Salvation Shark," and more short fiction, scripts, and very little poetry at Laugh at Yourself First.
pauljuser.blogspot.com

I remain proud of jumping on the "Blame Palin" bandwagon only hours after the tragic event that claimed the life of 6 people in Arizona. Now that the evidence seems to point to no connection whatsoever, I hold my position on that wagon. Personally, I don't care if Sarah was on the phone with Jared Lee Loughner the night before begging him not to hurt anyone, I would like to convince as many people as I can that she is directly responsible. I'm a fiction writer, if you aren't checking my facts, you aren't doing your job.

Maybe Palin deserves more credit than she's received, having stumbled upon the Roman tradition of distributing names to the mobs. If you're here with me in Binghamton, you've heard Doug Drazen do this every time he runs for mayor. This allows rivals to be beaten, raped, or murdered, and the person responsible remains not responsible. This event has seen the pigs passionately decry their very favorite tactics. As a young headbanger, I watched my favorite bands and authors blamed for murders and suicides, but somehow Palin is innocent when she puts crosshairs on a person that is later shot?

I'm not advocating the censorship of violent allusions in political rhetoric, but it's time to take responsibility for these actions. A few months ago, I wrote a story defending Glenn Beck when a crazed fan decided to take the fight to the not-for-profits with a car-full of guns. Beck is an entertainer. Sometimes crazy people believe entertainers are leaders. Trekkies sometimes believe series stars are real space explorers. A true leader lays semi-conscious in a hospital bed, and Sarah is on the Internet whining that media is picking on her. Sarah Palin is a leader, even if her leadership would seem childish for a prom queen or middle school student council. For eight years we had to listen to these numb-skulls tell us to "shut up and listen to the President." Now that the shoe switches feet, the message changes quickly. Reload. Jared Lee Loughner may not have been motivated by any logical political motive, but that doesn't mean Sarah Palin is either. Thanks for reading.

-Paul
printisbetter.blogspot.com