To my faithful readers

...both of you.

I have been too busy and/or dispirited to post for quite some time, but it's time for soul-baring - so please bear with me.

First, I must apologize to Arthur Silber and all others in the blogosphere who derided, or at least chided, those of us who enthusiastically supported Barack Obama in his admittedly historic campaign for the presidency.

You were right.

While the policies of this administration may produce minor improvements in the quality of life for a few, they will for the most part continue to cause misery for the many, many millions who are on the receiving end of US foreign policy "largesse".

"Change we can believe in"? Let's review:

• A mere glissando from the Bush policies of torture and secrecy?
• A fervent allegiance to the financial elites who wrecked the global economy?
• Still in Iraq?
• Almost in Iran (solicitous noises middle-eastward notwithstanding)?
• "Af-Pak" murder by avian robot proxy?
• A blind eye turned toward both Palestinian suffering and Israeli war crimes?
• A continued committment to our perpetual garrisoning of the planet and our "manifest destiny" of world hegemony?

That, my friends, is NOT change we can believe in.

Now a McCain presidency would have been worse, I admit, but I didn't vote for this shit. And given the choices I wouldn't change my vote. But we need to have better choices, or we all need to opt out. As the sainted Mr. Silber once wrote (I paraphrase): "What if they gave an election and nobody came"?

I realize I am vulnerable to the charge of inconsistency, so I plead guilty in advance. Guilty of gullibility, of naivete. Of stupidity, even. After eight years in the desert, the mirage of an oasis in the scorching heat was too seductive to resist. But the promised cool water of change has turned out to be nothing but more searing sand.

And so I continue to be Mad as Hell.