Woke me up from some forgotten dream. Across the street and down two doors a group of young people had spilled into the street, loud and drunken, of course. That is the fashion in these times. You drink, get loaded, and much louder than necessary. It is also the fashion to not give a fook about anyone else except yourself. If you don't sleep, nobody does.

I punched the coffee, grabbed a jacket, went out on the porch and dialed the local constabulary's regular number (It is an offense to dial 9-1-1 to report a drunken brawl, a stubbed toe, or anything other than a life-threatening situation.) The dispatcher said it had already been called-in. She wanted my name and address anyway, so I said, "Martin Bormann," and I gave a phony house number. I always do that. When asked for my name at a restaurant while awaiting a table, I always give a name like "Judge Crater," "Martin Bormann," or "Jack Frost."

I went back out and the cops were already half blocking the street. Two of the suspects were down on the sidewalk and I believe one was throwing up. Three police cars! At five in the morning on a Sunday! Our finest in action! It must have been a boring shift down at cop central.

I don't give a crap if they haul their arses away to the drunk tank. Their fine is no concern of mine, but my lack of sleep is.

Fools are easily made of those who cannot handle their drink.

The nightwatch at work. Once more, the guardian of peace on West Perry Street leaps into action.

I should put that phone number on speed dial.
............

Another thing:

I don't care if you are a free market capitalist and believe the government should stay out of the economy. The facts is, the economy is constantly being screwed up by the lack of oversight. Look what happened because the recently unseated government allowed oversight to fade away. The Fed, the SEC and every other agency with any oversight power went to sleep and the banking industry crashed, the whole economy went with it and now the new team is desperately trying to save it.

1. If you get any taxpayer cash in the form of either a bailout or guaranteed loans, you should not hand out any bonuses, especially to the arseholes who screwed up the whole thing... e.g., the buttholes at AIG, Merrill, etc, etc. who crafted those wonderful investments called Default Credit Swaps, based on underperforming mortgages.

2. If you get ten dollars of taxpayer cash as a bank, you should be forced to loan out that ten dollars as fast as you possible can. The banks are holding onto the cash - and not making loans. Loans are what this country requires to get moving again. Our entire economy is based on credit, like it or not.

3. The voters in the states whose governors (all staunch republicans) refused to take any of the Recovery Act cash from Washington for infrastructure projects (bridges, roads, schools, etc.) should elect someone else next time. Those voters are not being served.

4. Go Cleveland State Vikings!