Hypocriminals

It's difficult to tell which Republican Congressmen are gay, but it's easy to know which Democratic Congressman are gay because it's in their bios.

For the record, there are 13 openly LGBTQ members of the 119th Congress, all Democrats. There are officially no LGTBQ Republicans.

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I may not know everything but it SURE sounds like Melanoma wants the Epstein files released.

Maybe she's getting tired of waiting for the Chosen Way to expire, and get all that sweet pre-nup dough, so she's adding a little gasoline to the Epstein fire.

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The following is completely non-political and mostly self-indulgently semi-biographical. Deal with it, or don't...

In 1978 the Peaches Record outlet in Dallas was foolish enough to hire me as the store artist. Each employee was required to wear the official Peaches button with their name label-makered prominently in place. Being a creative environment most of my work-mates preferred amusing pseudonyms over their given names.

Including me.

My button was labeled "Godot" as I felt it puckishly reflected the typical American, minimum-wage-earning attitude towards customer service.

Years later, pre-millennium, I'm at Six Flags Over Texas with my lady-friend in tow. We're at the the top of the Oil Derrick on a beautiful, cloudless day when we noticed a female employee with a name-tag that read "Brautigan". Lady Friend and I quickly turned to face each other, our eyes widening, before rushing up to the employee.

"Brautigan?", we asked. "As in, Richard Brautigan? The poet guy? The 'In Watermelon Sugar' guy?"

She said yes, that she was his niece. I didn't doubt her word as she had a quiet melancholy about her which I felt may be a genetic consequence of anyone related to Richard, noted for his life-long clinical depression, though that could have just been the result of having to work at Six Flags.

We chatted for a few moments about her famous uncle but, before leaving, I asked if I could have a hug, as it was the closest I would ever get to that amazing poet. She smiled and held out her arms.

In retrospect, she could just as easily have been wearing a "Godot" button, simply goofing on the patrons. But, for me, it was enough that someone, niece or not, remembered him.

(Richard Brautigan, 1935-1984)



- Lefty