It Takes a Family to Ruin a Good Vacation

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August is vacation time for most people. Not for me. I'm a goat judge. Day after tomorrow I embark on a week-long odyssey through Maryland, where I'll be judging goats at county fairs.

Some people like to vacation in the Great Outdoors (what's left of it), and they use these little backpacking tents for sleeping. Ever spent the night in one? They are the most uncomfortable little devils. Not to mention the claustrophobia factor. And the lack of air conditioning.

George W. Bush is not spending his month-long vacation in one of these tents. He's at his posh ranch, golfing and dining with his closest pals in sumptuous, air conditioned comfort. Today, August 12, I understand he is going to a Republican fund-raising dinner at a neighboring resort called the Broken Spoke Ranch.

The Broken Spoke Ranch. Would I make that up?

Unfortunately, our Fearless Leader has a little problem at the vigilantly-patrolled perimeter of his vacation property.

A group of mothers who lost their children in the Iraqi War have set up a tent camp to try to wring from Fearless Leader his faultless rationale for sending their offspring to war in a desert far, far away. Remember, a good number of these strapping youngsters thought they'd be doing National Guard duty. And if you're as old as I am, you've been through a few hurricanes, a few floods on the Mississippi, a few riots. Occasions when the National Guard had to ... well ... guard the nation.

Anyway, who could possibly imagine that a bunch of godless, liberal working mothers who should be in the Caymans closing corporate deals over rum drinks would actually mourn the loss of their children enough to tent camp in the Texas heat? Do these cynical, liberal feminist mothers love their children that much?

Note to Dubya and his crony Rick Santorum: Moms love their kids.

Moms hate burying their children more than anything in the world.

If a mom has to bury her healthy, vibrant youngster, she usually wants the satisfaction of knowing one of two things:

1. That her youngster died in pursuit of a noble cause.

2. That the person who killed her youngster will receive the swift hand of judgment.

It's the first of the two items above that has mothers like Cindy Sheehan tent-bound in the Texas heat. Like so many of us, Mom Sheehan is trying to figure out how this nation went from looking for one guy, Osama Bin Laden, to mounting a full-fledged military invasion of a country that had no ties to Bin Laden and posed no threat to our national security.

And as of this post, Osama Bin Laden's still holding fund raising dinners of his own.

Our Fearless Leader gave a little impromptu press conference yesterday, after judging that all but his most rabid Far Right supporters would be appalled to see grieving moms tent camping in the hot Texas dust.

F.L. did not meet with the moms. That would be a sign of weakness. Remember, Herbert Hoover (another great Republican) never visited any tent cities either.

F.L. did say, however, that we have to press on with this bidness in Iraq, because "the enemy" has to be subdued.

Seems to me like we have more enemies in Iraq than we did a year ago. What are they doing, cloning each other? Or perhaps the citizens of Iraq are just getting tired of an occupation that has reduced towns to rubble, killed and injured civilians (including children - oh, there's that Mom thing again).

The Goddess Brighid the Bright salutes brave mothers like Cindy Sheehan who dare to question the decisions of the power elite. And in this at least, Mom Sheehan can derive a bit of satisfaction.

We know who killed young Casey Sheehan. It was the Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, who ordered Pvt. Sheehan into a costly, unprovoked, and unproductive military engagement. So at least we have the perp.

I doubt if even Yahweh will protect his dewey-eyed Texas follower on that Great Day of Judgment. "Stupid mistake" will not be an adequate defense.

Judging the goats of government, I remain,

ANNE