It's Black Thursday. Most of us want to just curl up in our beds and avoid the reality that Bush is being ...gag...sworn in as President. I've unplugged my TVs so I don't have to watch anchors gush over "How absolutely classy the First Lady looks today" and how "President Bush has grown so much over the last four years, now he will focus on his legacy."
While our Night of the Living Dead Chief Justice swears lil' Georgie in on a Bible that he should be ashamed to touch, it helps us to think about why today doesn't suck and doesn't represent the End of Times.
Us here in the reality-based community know that over the next four years, our government will screw up, lead us down a wrong path, and otherwise fuck with our lives. But here are 5 reasons why today doesn't suck:
1) Love. Simply put, no matter how much he screws with our money, our institutions, at the end of the day, when you close the door to the world and turn off the lights, the most important people are those in your home. The love of your life, your children, your family. For all the energy we put towards exposing Bush, in the grand scheme of life, he is nothing to us. Today, we should focus on those who, unlike Bush, deserve our attention and respect. Take your wife out for a romantic dinner and remember how gorgeous she looks as the candlelight dances on her face. Tickle the kids and listen to their contagious giggles. Hug your family just a little tighter today, knowing that your love for them is something that Bush can never take away.
2) Beauty. Let others watch the tacky grandeur of Louis XIV -er, Bush's crowning. Why watch 10,000 red, white, and blue balloons fall when you can go outside and watch a million perfect snowflakes drift gracefully from the sky? Bush may think he's God, but he could never create anything as beautiful as nature. So take a walk, listen the sound of snow crunching beneath your feet, how the crisp air invigorates your lungs, and relax as you listen to the muffled silence of wintertime. On the West coast? Go outside and take a moment to feel the sun warming your skin, sit on the beach and look out at the endless ocean, at the magnanimity of nature and then...well, Bush's little party over at D.C. will look pretty pathetic.
3) Music. Sure, Bush is slashing music programs and Lynn Cheney wants to ban every non-Christian lyric under the sun. But today, enjoy the fact that the song you will listen to will convey more about the human condition that Bush's pithy inauguration speech. So pop in a Vivaldi CD, or listen to the Boss, or Josh Groban, or heck, even Christiana Aguilera's lyrics will be deeper than the drivel Bush will say. So in your car, in your home, turn off the talk radio and blast some music, dance to that feel-good song. Who cares how stupid you look? Shake your booty, air conduct, whatever. It'll feel good, I promise.
4) Laughter. There's more to laugh at than Bush. Today, it's good to know that we can get our chuckles from somewhere else too. Check out Atom Films for funny, short videos. Some of the funnier ones: White Bits & The Snowman.
5) Logic. Today doesn't suck because we all know than in four years, Bush won't get inaugurated again. So let him play leader for now, let his minions think they have it good. Reality will set back in tomorrow morning when he wakes up and realizes he has an actual job to do with, like, real responsibilities. And rejoice in the fact that we will always be here, us liberals, remininding him of that each and every day.
Cheer up guys. Today can be a great day.