Friday, October 12, 2007

Mugsy laments crisis of leadership

Something weighs heavy on my mind, my flock. It seems that every day, I find a new example of America's so-called leaders shirking their duties in favor of pointless pursuits. True, this is something of a tradition. But it seems to have reached epidemic proportions in recent weeks.

The latest craze sweeping the nation is a crackdown on sagging pants. City councils across the land are taking steps to enact fines or even jail time for people caught with their pants hanging low. Droopy drawers have become a hot-button issue in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and other states. In Dallas, just down the tollway from the ayatollah compound, City Council member Dwaine Caraway vowed to pass an ordinance against sagging pants. "This issue is just as important as crime," he said. Perhaps I am biased on this issue, having been one of the forerunners of the saggy-pants trend in my days as a gangsta rapper, but I believe Mr. Caraway's priorities are severely out of whack. Dallas annually has one of the highest big-city crime rates in America. This means loss of property, loss of peace of mind and, all too often, loss of life. My advice to the City Council: Focus on stopping this years-long crime wave or solving a host of other actual problems facing the city and leave the fashion-police role to those insufferable reality TV shows.

This crisis of leadership is not merely a city or state issue. In Washington, lawmakers have been debating a measure to label the Armenian genocide a genocide. And for what purpose? I am sure a handful of interest groups are pleased, but this does nothing to help the country these lawmakers were elected to lead. On the contrary, Turkey yesterday recalled its ambassador over the flap. Ladies and gentlemen of the U.S. House, America doesn't have many allies left. Do you really want to anger Turkey over something that happened nearly 100 years ago? Modern-day Turkey, the country we are pointlessly antagonizing, did not even exist until 1923, a few years after the killings. While our lawmakers twiddle their allegedly superior opposable thumbs and debate the history of the Ottoman Empire, a modern-day genocide is occurring in Darfur. You tell me which is more important. And let us not forget the old adage about throwing stones in glass Dogloos -- America certainly has its share of skeletons in the closet.

This time-wasting Armenian debate comes just weeks after Congress voted to condemn a paid newspaper ad criticizing Gen. David Petraeus' handling of the war in Iraq. We are mired in a war with no end in sight, and seemingly with nothing to do but choose from a series of unattractive options. But instead, our elected leaders continued to make no decisions at all and instead voted to officially condemn an anti-war group for exercising its rights to free speech. Is it wrong to dream of a country where the leadership would stay above the fray in such petty matters?

Congress could find a solution in Iraq. It could find a way to improve our health-care system -- America spends more on health care than any other nation on the planet, yet our results are middle-of-the-pack at best among industrialized nations. Congress could take action to fight climate change. It could rein in its out-of-control deficit spending. It could take steps to address the plunge of the dollar, which has been sinking steadily for several years now. Believe it or not, the once-mighty dollar is now worth no more than a Canadian dollar. Anyone who visited our neighbors to the north a few years ago knows what a turnaround this is. The last time I was in Toronto, several years ago, I could have actually bought the CN Tower with a week's salary. Now? I would be lucky to be able to afford a hotel room. But does Congress address any of these real concerns that affect people's lives? No.

My flock, I fear that we can only draw one conclusion: America is a nation led by boneheads. And not the tasty, rawhide kind of bones. No, these are the metaphorical, do-nothing kind of bones. This nation needs a change, my flock. We need a new direction. Now, more than ever, we need a canine-led theocracy.

7 comments:

Nan and B.A.G.S. the pug said...

My husband. Are you playing with the cat nip again?

No seriously - wouldn't the gov't be better if their dogs ran the country? I think so. It would be a different country if Barney and Mrs. Beasley ran the country.

Anonymous said...

Amen!!! Dogs are kinder, gentler,intelligent,and more concerned about the environment (all those sniffing places) than any human. I am with you!

God_Guurrlll said...

Ayatollah,

Could it be that these cities think that outlawing droopy pants is a way to solve America's crack problem. Our leadership can be special that way.

Peace & Love oh great one.

Boomer and his mom Carol said...

Ayatollah,

my mom is Armenian and she's the first to admit this whole thing going on in Congress is a big waste of time. I think it's time that you rise up and take control of what is indeed a government out of control.

I would vote for you!

Anonymous said...

Droopy drawers and "saggin'" got outlawed where I live and it's been a good thing. It's the fast food restaurant thing - holding one's crotch while assembling a hamburger just isn't all that sanitary.

Just before the law got passed, a petty thief was fleeing after robbing a convenience store, tripped on his baggy pants, fell and broke his knee. Bummer! He'll probably sue the city!

Whether dogs could successfully run the country or not would have to be proven - but how much worse could they do?

M'Mama says she thinks it's time we kicked all the politicians out and started over with some new faces. Your's works for us, Bro. Mugsy. You can put your sign in our front yard anytime!!

J. B.

Ayatollah Mugsy said...

No catnip here, Aine.

I had not thought of that angle, God_Guurrlll.

Thank you, Boomer. It is not that I don't feel a genocide was committed, but it is just so pointless and counter-productive to be pursuing such a course now -- while Turkey is contemplating opening a new front in the Iraq war to go after Kurdish rebels -- over something that happened decades ago. A canine congress would think these things through.

See, J.B. If his pants were up, he might have escaped!

Jake of Florida said...

Honorable Ayatollah,

We've read many of your eloquent homilies, but never responded. But today we must, with just one word: AMEN!!!!

And since there are two of us: that's AMEN!!! AMEN!!!

Jake and Just Hary