There’s some pretty exciting American history being thrown down right now in the Senate chambers, but there’s also a Blackhawks game going on, so its not getting as much hashtag love on Twitter as you’d expect.
From my rudimentary understanding, Senator Rand Paul is filibustering the nomination of John Brennan as his new role of CIA director. A filibuster, as you may remember from Mr. Smith goes to Washington, or the classic Simpsons episode where Homer and Mel Gibson make a movie, is when they talk forever to delay a vote in order to achieve something, in this case to get answers from the administration on the use of drones to kill American citizens. You can get into the details by doing your own research, but the main argument is specifically about whether it is OK or not to use this flying killing machine on American citizens, without doing things like putting them through the legal system first.
If you want to go back to watching the Hawks game I completely understand. This is scary and the more I look into this the more I get all big-brother frightened and think the government is out to get me, which, I think it is because my computer just froze up so if I disappear soon we all know why. Unless I just forgot to pay my internet bill, in which case carry on about your business.
But I digress! The point of this post is not to get into a filibuster myself, but to illustrate an odd occurrence that happened. I was watching TV with Chompers when Andrew rushed in, demanding I surrender the remote without due process because CSPAN was showing the filibuster. Tired, I gave up my rights and went on to do other mindless tasks. Later, I enter and find Andrew watching not CSPAN, not the use of the democratic system being put into affect. No no. Instead, I find him watching a rerun of GIRLS.
Time of death of civilization: 9 something PM.
For those of you who don’t know my husband, he is well versed in politics and history. Like, ridiculously. Let’s just say that if he were on Jeopardy and the first two categories were history and politics, Alek Trebec would just go home because we all know how this game’s going down. Sometimes I even make him explain various events in history to lull me to sleep. I knew all about the post French revolution June Rebellion long before Anne Hathaway got all up in the camera and sung her cue balled little head off. So you would see why, on the night of this great moment in time, I was shocked to find him not tuned in to what is known as the most notoriously bland channel on television, but instead a show that, let’s just say, some might think is less than great.
I’m more worried about the backlash of what I am about to say than I am about briefly mentioning politics, a topic I tend to avoid more than public toilet seats. But it must be said. I hate the show GIRLS. Hate it. I gave it a fair shot, watching more episodes than I’d rather waste on a show I don’t care for, but it didn’t help. For me, the characters, all of them, are worthless. I don’t care about them, I hate their lives and life decisions, and if they were my friends I would find new ones. I still am frequently caught watching classic SATC reruns, so its not like I have a high fancy threshold for what I view (Downton who now?), but I just cannot stand it. At least the SATC women had some ambition. Yes, the show was centered about their relationship focused mishaps just as much as GIRLS, but I think Carrie put more effort and excitement into putting out her cigarettes than Hannah puts into her entire life.
(sidenote: don’t just look up “girls” on Google image search. My eyes are now blind from bad decisions.)
All this lead me to the following thought process, which I lamented to Andrew in between commercials.
Me: When we tell our grand kids some day about the great filibuster in 2013 and why they do or do not have to wear bullet proof helmets when walking to school, I’m going to have to tell them that your TV viewership contributed to the show GIRLS. Then they’re going to lose all sense of morals and self worth and realize their family history is worthless and will end up becoming hookers. YOU’VE TURNED OUR GRAND KIDS INTO HOOKERS.
Andrew: sends flying drone in after me.
Connie O'Reyes 