Fighting, Sleeve Rolling, Shovels and Boots

The longer I live, the more I'm amazed at the total nonsense highly paid officials speak, while on our dime, without shame, and without consequence.

The last couple of years have seen meaningless phrases like "boots on the ground" and "shovel ready". I say meaningless because in the context used, those phrases have proven to either mean the opposite of what you think, or nothing at all.

Why use a term like "shovel ready"? First off, shovels aren't always used, and rarely the tool of choice for meaningful ground breaking. We use front end loaders and other heavy equipment. Whatever the case, the money being played with in that shell game did not actually find its way to much that makes sense to anyone.

But, got to give credit where credit is due; when the going got tough--in politico terms that means they are having trouble pushing the paper they want to push---they "roll up their sleeves" and get to work!! That roll up the sleeves thing is used a lot, but what does that prove? Is the A/C on the blink in the Dirkson building?

But wait, "we're fighting for you"! What does that mean? Is it like Hoffa and the union guys who will club me with a stick if I choose to work at a place where they won"t? Fighting who and what, I wonder.

Do you think they roll up their sleeves and start punching out people in the Capitol? Maybe that is why they are always talking about things on the House floor. Lots of the boots on the ground in the congress chambers must be attached to people flat on their backs who've been fighting for money to spend on shovel ready jobs.

The boots thing just seems almost disrespectful. Usually, boots on the ground, as I understand it, refers to humans in the military "over there" possibly getting shot at. So to make it sound more pristine and to cloud the fact that we are involved in a skirmish, we call them "boots". If they are walking around in the crossfire I guess that constitutes on the ground. If they are doing some other thing then we just ignore that matter altogether.

I wonder if they issued moccasins and bedroom slippers to get around that boots snafu. I haven't noticed any less involvement, or any more success in the wars which have other names I can't keep track of.

There's been some bedroom slipper talk. "Time to take off the bedroom slippers and put on the marching shoes, we got work to do". Not sure what that means, but never do officials speak of work in the terms I do. They aren't sanding down teak furniture or running front end loaders, or chopping wood. What they mean is that they want others to do things they don't want to do, or buy things they do not want to buy. Work to the elected official, and appointees, is generally synonymous with extort. "We've got money to extort! Everyone, roll up your sleeves!!"

Work to do usually means make laws to somehow filter more money through them. That's always how it works.

This administration does seem to have thing about footwear; boots on the ground, take off the bedroom slippers, putting on your marching shoes. There may be other examples, but I only keep up so much. My stomach is strong, but I have my limits. I don't even remember what Bush talked about in the way of fashion items. I admit I rarely listened, much like now, except this guy does far more speech giving, so it is hard to miss entirely.

I think sleeves is a general fixation for all politicians. I've heard the thing of rolling up sleeves forever. Some official says he's going to roll his sleeves up, watch out! he means business.

The sad thing is that people think they are supposed to glean some meaning from the rhetoric of these clowns. I guess it is because reporters pretend it has meaning and spend hours analyzing it, discussing such things as "his mood", "forceful demeanor" and sometimes his clothes or shoes.

People who are lying, and know they are doing, or have done, something wrong, talk like that. Everyone has seen it in daily life, from their wayward sons and daughters, neighbors who ruin your lawn mower, crooked boss or coworker, sneaky customer, etc. You know in those cases you're being scammed and the issue is being smoke screened. We don't always do anything about it, but we know. In the case of these officials, the personal attachment is not even there, so why do we allow ourselves to be continually talked to like ripe marks by these con men/women?

Most likely because they tell us we'll somehow get paid and that none of our troubles are our fault or could possibly be remedied by anyone other than them. They offer to relieve us of responsibility, and even though anyone knows the language of liars, we pretend because it is easy.

Tomorrow, I am going to roll up my sleeves, with boots on the ground and fight to complete a shovel ready job involving Raul's secret santeria wood goo, and some shutter clips.