I didn't catch much of the inaugural party in the freezing cold the other day, but I did happen to hear the grand entrance of chief supreme wizard Rehnquist on the radio. I tried to listen to the somber commentary of the reporters on KPBS about his failing health and his noble attempt to make an appearance, but as soon as they mentioned the glorious golden robes he was wearing, which he instituted as dress code for chief justice, I had to turn it off just so I wouldn't laugh myself off the road.

Just who do these freakin people people think they are?

A note to grand supreme being Rehnquist: You are not a genius. It is not your responsibility to do whatever you can so that you are remembered fondly by the masses. You serve them. With humility. That means without pride, without arrogance. You do not have power because of who you are. You only have power because we allow it. Now just die already so that we can forget all about you.

Unfortunately there were thousands of people at the inauguration more worthy of mention than this schmuck. But I guess sound technician, lighting assistant, peace officer, valet, and all the people behind the scenes who helped set up the entire fiasco just aren't glamorous enough to bother with. I hope that we start celebrating the people who deserve it in this godforsaken country before we are all sorry. I think the first step is to do whatever we can to peel our eyes away from these people who, though they hold the high offices of the land, really do not have much effect on our life. What truly matters is the people around us with whom we share our every day lives. Our neighbors, co-workers, grocers, family, friends, the video store clerk, all the people we come face to face with on a daily basis.

The more that people come to recognize this reality, the sooner THEY lose control over all of us.