Friday, January 20, 2012

Canadian Tarzans

The battle between proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline and the environmental protestors rages on.  The issue at hand is whether or not to build a pipeline from Canada across the border and through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.  The process of converting the oil rich sands into usable fuel is said to require more energy than conventional crude oil processes.  That being said, I really don’t care about all that.  Daryl Hannah cares enough for the both of us (Thanks Daryl!).
What I care about is what pictures come to mind when I hear people on the news saying “Canadian tar sands.”  Say it out loud, and then continue reading when your audible giggles and/or guffaws have subsided (feel free to LOL as well; if that’s your thing).
I spent the better part of 45 minutes on my drive in to work listening to the debate about this extremely important and politically charged environmental issue.  Unfortunately, my mind was filled with the zany antics of a Canadian Ape-man clad in a Maple leaf loincloth and donning some serious hockey-hair (a.k.a. a Mullet).  He would be seen swinging in between buildings in Toronto like a Canadian Spiderman, and occasionally would drop in on unsuspecting Hosers, only to steal a banana and then scurry off with his knuckles nearly dragging on the pavement. 
What else would a Canadian Tarzan do?  I guess he could become a superhero of sorts.  Perhaps he would fight for justice and the Canadian way!  Over the next couple of days, I continued to do more research on the subject of the Keystone XL pipeline and the political squabble that was bleeding across borders and around the world.  It was only after I came across an article in Friday’s issue of the Canada Free Press that I realized what my amalgamation of reality and oronym would be crusading against (I also learned the definition of the word “oronym”).
Well, Canadian Tarzan would most certainly hear through the tree-vine that Chiquita Brands International, Inc had announced their intention to halt the use of Canadian oil in any of their ground trucking transportation. This has caused an uproar across Canada and beyond.  So much so, that Chiquita would be the target for many a malicious retort.  The skeletons in their closet would be taken out and pasted on headlines.  Up to and including their guilty plea to one count of making payments to a designated terrorist organization in Columbia (just to clarify; those are guerillas, not gorillas). 
Once someone was able to convey the weight of that message to Canadian Tarzan through a series of grunts and hand signals, he would take direct offense to it.  His action would be swift and simple.  Knowing full well the powerful journalists at Canada Free Press were providing the scoop and the members of Canadian Parliament were dishing out the strong rhetoric (e.g. “C’mon, eh?), Canadian Tarzan could make a difference more directly.
He would join forces with his trusty Chimp-sidekick Cheetah to roam the North American countryside throwing feces at any 18-wheeled vehicle he suspected could contain Chiquita brand bananas.  The irony of throwing feces predominantly made up of digested bananas would be lost on both of them.  The symbolism of their weapon of choice being a locally produced and naturally polluted form of something that was easily obtained from an evil foreign entity would be lost on me (until now).  Irony and symbolism aside, the duo would not stop until they brought Chiquita down to their knees, and forced them see the error of their ways. They would do so, one handful of high-potassium feces at a time.
It would take over 15 months to win their crusade against Chiquita, and would ultimately end in the corporation issuing a public statement that explained their stance on Canadian oil.  The press release would clarify that Chiquita was not boycotting or banning Canadian oil, but they were maintain their course to find ways to be more environmentally responsible and reduce their carbon footprint.  The words flowed eloquently from the page, but would not be fully comprehended by Canadian Tarzan or Cheetah. Luckily, they had found their way into Texas on their southward journey, and were now just as informed on the issue of the Canadian oil industry and the Keystone XL pipeline as most of the people it was going to directly effect if the application was eventually approved. 
If that was ever to change, someone would need to bail Daryl Hannah out of jail, and fly her down to Texas. She would be the perfect person to go down there and help explain it in terms they would all understand.  She could use her old Clan of the Cave Bear skills to draw pictures and perform a series of grunts.  You know, the kind of communication that any feral human or Texan could appreciate.  If her efforts were to prove successful, they may even offer to make her an honorary Texan, and give her the key to the city of Dallas.  I’m sure she would politely decline, attempt to make a swift exit, and subsequently be shot in the face by a grunting mob. But that is a whole different story… and the working title for it would be “Daryl Hannah Messed with Texas.”

Kneel Before Sod!

I'm as proud of my creation as he is of his creator.

Monday, January 16, 2012

The Republican Candidates: Jesus is Not on the Ballot

I was driving to work earlier this week, and I was listening to NPR as I always do, and I heard the most wonderful quote from Brian Fisher, the director of issue analysis at the American Family Association (a.k.a. AFA, a.k.a. kinda creepy right-wing religious group). He was speaking about the current crop of GOP presidential hopefuls. He started off with a rather simple statement, saying, “There is no perfect candidate.” And had he left it at that, most of us would have agreed, and then been on our merry ways to work, or the unemployment line, or to Occupy Wall Street. But no, Mr. Fisher followed it up with, “Jesus Christ is not on the ballot.”

You're right Bry-Bry, he's not. The remaining figures are a Mormon businessman, a Pudgy former Speaker of the House, Ross Perot on (legalized) crack, and then a few other lackeys that haven't quite realized that the jig is up. Jesus is surely missing, but what if he wasn't? That got me to thinking.

What if Jesus wanted to run for President? Well, first off, he couldn't. Jesus was born outside of the United States. Alexander Hamilton had to settle for Secretary of the Treasury, so why should Jesus be any different? But his dad is all knowing and all seeing, so I'm sure he could get that part of the Constitution changed without much effort. Hell, people were clamoring to change it to let Governor Schwarzenegger take a shot at it. How could not they let the son of God have a go?

Actual legal roadblocks aside, the thought of it was so interesting that I had to pursue the line of reasoning. Besides, when have the Republicans ever let the Constitution dictate their actions. Oh, I also think I skipped the part where Jesus is obviously a Republican. Not because they are a party of righteous individuals, or even the most devout (they are). No, it is only because he could never win in the Democratic Party. They have their Messiah, and he is that big-eared guy with the funny name, who is already in the White House. He shouted from the podium, “Yes, we can!” and “Change we can believe in.” His flock shouted loud and proud then, and pride is a tough thing to swallow in four years time. If Yahweh Jr. wanted his way, he'd have to do it through the GOP.

Now, there are also a few other roadblocks that Jesus would encounter during his campaign, and most of it would come from his opponents. No matter how great a candidate really is, his opponents (and their Super PACs) will find some way to try and knock him off his pedestal. Here is a short list of targets his GOP rivals would have in their neatly parted crosshairs.

  1. Jesus was a Jew: there has never been a Jewish President before, and only the Mormon would let that detail slide.
  2. Jesus was kind of a hippie: Love thy neighbor? Even if that neighbor wants to just walk over your unprotected border, steal the job your not willing to do, and pay the taxes your not willing to pay. I don't think so, Jesus!
  3. He's kind of preachy: Not Falwell preachy, but pretty God damn preachy.

There are also a slew of reasons why he would be a great President, but those would get washed away in the tidal wave of negative campaign ads. They are still worth noting.

  1. Jesus was the son of a carpenter: Not Richard or Karen Carpenter, but a good old-fashioned blue tunic-ed carpenter. Kind of like Joe the plumber, but with a more powerful father.
  2. Jesus was a man of the people: Although the people in his day would follow just about anyone who had a good enough story to back up their crazy talk, his rhetoric was Biblical! Kind of like Ron Paul's.
  3. Who else could quote scripture in 1st person? Nobody, that's who. The evangelicals would eat that shit up.

Unfortunately, Jesus could never be President of the United States, or even Governor of any state. He is far too controversial, and a polarizing figure. Those people never get elected. No, it is always some white-washed candidate who is just palatable enough to the independents to get enough votes outside of their already fervent and devoted base that gets elected. Jesus would have about as much chance to change the world in his time as, well, Jesus V1.0. Do you remember the first time he tried to speak out and get people to follow him? Yeah, how did that work out? At least after he washed out of the GOP primary, he could get a book deal or tour the world giving lectures at $25,000 an appearance. That is much better than baking in the sun for nine hours or so, and then coming back to life only to be replaced by a giant candy-delivering bunny.