I hate to play Risk.  I fully and freely admit that I suck at the game.  I look at the board with the world conveniently scrawled across it, and don't see benign colored plastic doo dads.  No, I see soldiers, their families, peasants, citizens and people.  And the thought of my conspiring to "take their countries" makes me ill.  I usually want to mill about Madagascar and let the rest of the ruthless thugs fight over the spoils.  I guess I lack the "killer instinct". 

 Lately, politics in the US is beginning to resemble a game of Risk, winner take all and fuck the consequences. From Healthcare, to the economy, politicians seem to be completely unfazed that their moves affect real lives, more than that, they don't seem to give a shit. 

 On healthcare, Orrin Hatch recently said that he wouldn't vote for the current bills because passage of a healthcare bill under a democratic president and congress would make the Democrats too popular.  Are you kidding me?  The question of whether all American citizens have access to affordable healthcare should not come down to a pissing contest, but in our crappy political system, it appears that the urine is flowing fast and furious!

 Republicans appear to be master Risk players, the kind of people I drive nuts, because I won't make alliances only to break them later.   The deafening Conservative media blitz of anti Obama, anti Democrat, anti (non-wallstreet) American is desinged to instill the drumbeat of inevitablility.  These folks, from the fringiest fringe nut, to Fox News, to WSJ, to - God help us, Chris Matthews eke out a steady stream of Republican Good - Democrat Bad.  And no one is bothering to ask, "what will serve ALL the people better". 

The worst part is those deluded individuals who get caught up in the lie that the drumbeat works for them.  The fear, chaos, fear that the media and the politicians inspire, turn the people against one another.  Much as a concerted defense, might have spurned the Viking hoardes, if we, the people stood united, we might win the day and beat back the invaders. 

 So at the end of the day,  after you and I have lost our jobs, our house, our dignity, who is going to give a crap about the faceless nothings underneath the piles of Red doo dads?  Certainly not the Party of "No".