"My Mama Says, 'Stupid Is As Stupid Does'"

I doubt that I would ever be confused with a "deep thinker" even though I do know the answer to the universal question (it's "7") from reading about a computer named Deep Thought in a book by Douglas Adams. But every now and then, I hear, see or read (sometimes all three!) something that causes me to say, "Hmmmm!" to myself. Such an occurrence happened to day as I was reading the Sunday comics; yes, that's right, I don't just look at the pictures.
"Get Fuzzy" is one of my favorites, and the topic was politics today...as it seems to be EVERY day at my house recently. Anyway, Rob says at one point in response to the usual frustration casused by his cat, "Stupid is the new smart." At that point, I stopped chewing on my Door County fudge (thanks, Patty) and reflected on the truth of that statement. As I went through my day today, the thought recurred as I encountered ample evidence that stupidity probably DOES trump intelligence. To wit:

1. Nine years ago, the Federal government had a balanced budget. Adding zeroes to the debt clock in Times Square tells me that this is no longer the case...and we are SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING voting for more of the same this year!

2. The free fall in the stock market, engineered by some of the MOST STUPID people in this country...who were rewarded with MILLIONS as a "going-away" gift.

3. Andy Martin is allowed to speak in public.

4. No Child Left Behind...failing more children than poor teachers and school systems ever did.

5. Choi Jin-sil, a South Korean movie star, recently committed suicide because of all the hateful things written about her on the internet. You've read the stories about all the others who have suffered from web-based bullying. Does our First Amendment give carte blanche to stupid people? (OK, OK, trick question, since Andy Martin still exists.)

6. People can bring stuffed monkeys to political rallies and demonstrate them as representing a certain presidential candidate while candidates incite attendees to shout "traitor," "terrorist," "kill him" at said events.

7. Matthew Shepard has been dead ten years, and we have not moved very far as a nation toward tolerance of others, though Connecticut and a few other states are trying.

8. And it's not just in this country: in Borepanga, India, Hindus are forcing Christian neighbors to either give up their religion or be burned out, expelled from the village and/or killed.

9. Jihad in the name of religion.

10. Supply your own in this space. I'm too depressed to continue. All this thinking has proven too much for me today. I'll just hope I can wake up stupid tomorrow so I can have some advantage, too.