I don’t know much about sports, football especially. I don’t know a fullback from a halfback to a quarterback, but I do know one thing.
I gotta watch my back.

Ordinarily I am not one of those far-right wingers or conspiracy theorists (’cause you know how I love to poke fun at them), but recent events are making me take a pretty-big-step back.

The EPA is now raising big red flags about carbon dioxide emissions. Those emissions are supposedly causing millions of deaths around the globe.
I had to smirk when I read that.

“Yeah, right,” I thought, “why don’t you say something about the dreckish water in the ground that people are drinking. That close to two-thirds of the world’s population isn’t dying from carbon dioxide emissions, but from the unsanitary conditions their countries allow them to live in.”

Upon waking, I read that the New York Times has an article on the dreckish drinking water that is affecting 49 million people.

Ah-ha.

Thank you.

Upon further reading, an editorial talks about the EPA and how they will eventually control a, b and c of industry. Not too many folks are happy about the EPA gaining strength and power. Just another office of our new Big Brother.

Oh ... and speaking of Big Brother.

Vlad the Impaler Putin is now wowing his countrymen with his own brand of glitter-speak, no doubt taking notes from his peer, The Big O, here in the west.

Putin vows to save the little town of Vagonka, which was hard hit when the UralVagonZavod factory began furloughing thousands of workers.
The UVZ produces tanks and freight cars in the city of NizhnyTagil. I know, sounds Russian, right?

So anyway, Vlad has decided that he will do what he did for another little floundering town called Pikalevo, near St. Petersburg. That little town was down and out til Putin came swingin’ in on a vine and said businesses and government would be “punished” for allowing unemployment to rise.

He forced businessmen to pay back wages and re-open a derelict old factory that had been the mainstay of the local economy.  It was essentially just putting a band aid on much bigger issues, but the local folks were happy.

Now the folks of Vagonka are waiting for Guitarzan to come swingin’ in on that vine to save their town.

Tell me if this doesn’t sound familiar. You may have heard words similar to these in our recent presidential election: “He will come and the whole city will go back to normal. He is a wonderful man. He is a great man. It is wonderful that he is coming.”

Yeah. I know. Sounds like folks talking about Obama, right? That was the comment from one of Putin’s citizens.

With all this merriment and feeling of relief sweeping through the town of Vagonka, they are bolstering up to carry Putin across Russia on their shoulders.

Their hero.

Their Bruce Springsteen.

When you’re having to steal vegetables from your neighbor’s garden, you will listen to just about anything and believe just about anything that rings “savior.”

As one citizen put it, “The stronger our neighborhood is, the stronger Russia is.”

Putin has owned up. He says they (the government) are now accountable for people’s lives and their financial security as well as their mental and emotional state.

That’s a big ol’ hunk of cheese he’s biting off, cause there is no way The Big O would own that one.

It will happen very slowly, but eventually these people will have to pay for their rejuvenation. It will come in small ways, but that’s how sneaky governments can be. Some will just klonk you over the head with it, twisting your arm til you cry Uncle Vlad!’ and others lurk in the dark waiting ... waiting....

Putin is no fool. He knows how those fellow countrymen of his like to rise up and go all anarchy and stuff.

Little by little the government will continue to take things over. Big Brother will be watching ... monitoring ... assigning ... sneaking up behind you.

Whoa. Wait a minute.

Am I talking about Russia ... or the United States??

Kinda freaky, ain’t it?