“The Pelican’s Briefs” may evoke images of a very large water bird with a distinctive pouch under the beak wearing the latest Haynes underwear
, but there are far more disturbing images and allegories that I refer to.
Let me start by saying that this piece ultimately applies the term to the Bush Administration, and is not a review of a book with an eerily similar name [The Pelican’s Briefs: Revealing Reminisces of a Boomer’s Hometown by Mark R. Joneschiet]. Aside from the coincidentally shared title, it’s not relevant. We will, however, briefly touch upon the Grisham novel The Pelican Brief, placing it in context through the inclusion of Pelican mythology.
Ultimately, we’ll relate the title to the latest spinstorm of the Unitary Executive, giving the words of our President the respect that they so richly deserve with a little help from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Follow me below the fold…
The Literary Background: Grisham’s The Pelican Brief
In 1992, John Grisham wrote a legal/suspense thriller called The Pelican Brief, which told a story of greed, murder, coverups and Presidential cronyism. The reference to pelicans pertained to the endangered species of pelican that dwelt on some environmentally protected lands that a billionaire tycoon wished to develop in search of oil. After two Supreme Court justices were killed, a law school student wrote a speculative paper — a legal brief — that suggested the motive pertained to a case regarding the tycoon and the protected lands. In short, that the Supremes were killed so that the President — a close friend and associate of the tycoon — would appoint two more Justices who’d be sympathetic to his case. (Note any interesting similarities so far?) The news of the brief’s existence got out, and the coverup to kill the brief and the author (as well as anyone else who’d read it) went into overdrive.
Although we don’t (to our knowledge) have any reason to believe that the plot itself could ever happen, we can find some unsettling similarity between the book and the current Executive Branch: Rampant cronyism, ties to Big Oil, a complete disregard for environmental preservation and rather strong propensity to coverup reality with spin, propaganda, rhetoric and outright lies.
What can we take away from this?
…a helluva title, of course. 😉 Read on…
Pelican Mythology
I’m no “Dr. Doolittle,” and I make no claim to understand the secret lives or histories of Pelicans. “Pelican Mythology” refers to our human-created mythology surrounding the bird, particularly the overtly religious connotations. Let’s review the basic Wikipedia entry on Pelicans:
In medieval Europe, the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive to her young, to the point of providing her own blood when no other food was available. As a result, the pelican became a symbol of the Passion of Jesus and of the Eucharist. It also became a symbol in bestiaries for self-sacrifice, and was used in heraldry (“a pelican in her piety” or “a pelican vulning (wounding) herself”). Another version of this is that the Pelican used to kill its young and then resurrect them with its blood, this being analogous to the sacrifice of Jesus.
Oh, spiffy — a rich garden of religious symbology for the Neoconservative pundity to mine, replete with references to Christ and self-sacrifice.
Just what we’d need. But (there’s always a “but”), the image of the Pelican as an endangered species a la Grisham’s work can be applied to both Americans (our sacrifices) and Iraquis (their sacrifices) in the name of the Neocon’s “greater good.”
There’s a scary thought for you.
The American side of that imagery isn’t just the sacrifice of our soldiers or our Constitution — it works well, for me, when applied to either or both. For me, the imagery works best when compared to the rhetoric, attitude and “accomplishments” of the Bush Administration’s most significant domestic debacle to date: the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. The Bush Administration claims that the city, once destroyed, would rise again through the rebuilding and be greater than before.
Given the ongoing disaster that constitutes the government’s monumental failure in aiding the victims of Katrina, it’s almost anti-climatic when one takes a gander at the state bird, flag and seal of Louisiana:
The symbol is used today on the Louisiana state flag and Louisiana state seal, as the Brown pelican is the Louisiana state bird.
It’s almost like reading the script of a really bad play, a tragedy without end. The words of The Decider are betrayed for the empty rhetoric they are simply by taking a stroll through the city — the second city lost under Bush’s watch.
A time to laugh, a time to weep
Watching the reactions of various bloggers as posted in the time during and immediately after the President’s speech, I’m reminded of the lyrics to a song that is quite appropriate to the occassion — “Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)” by The Byrds. (Figures the band is called “The Byrds,” eh? — Partial lyrics follow.)
To everything – turn, turn, turn
There is a season – turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heavenA time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep[…snip…]
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn[…snip…]
A time of war, a time of peace
[…snip…]
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it’s not too late!
The time to heal, to break down instead of build up, to mourn, to sew and to love — the time for peace — is now. It’s not a time that George and company can make out. They don’t have a setting on their little doomsday clock for it, and they don’t want anyone to fix the display.
More and more often, the lies and obfuscation that have become the trademark of the George W. Bush Presidency and his Rubberstamp Republican Congresscritters are exposed. Despite the rabid fervor of many of the self-same Republican Congresscritters for Presidential accountability during the Clinton presidency, nary a peep of direct challenge has emerged on the outright lies told to support this illegal war. Indeed, conyism and outright corruption have thrived, leading to the indictment of several (formerly) powerful Republican leaders. Many, many more have been implicated in an ongoing escalation of emerging scandals. The Bush Administration appears intent on pushing to the extremes, signalling that he’s also willing to expand the conflicts. From his speech (via Elwood Dowd’s diary):
This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.
That’s scary enough, but did you catch this (via pa2006voter’s diary):
“We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing – and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies.”
Patriot air defense missiles? Is he expecting another “guest” to his party? Perhaps two?
As I have often done in my electronic musings, I now turn to classic literature to quote the infamous Bard for my reflection upon the Neocon soliliquy that our illustrious Decider Commander-in-Chief recently delivered. While our leader spoke of taking advantage of an opportunity and using the surge to reduce the violence, attempting to both comfort and encourage while minimizing the tragedy of the lives lost, Macbeth said this of death:
“Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more…”— Macbeth, Act V Scene V of Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
The words of the Bard far outstrip anything uttered by our ‘Dear Leader,’ and yet convey in form and substance the primary thrust of the rhetoric and propaganda we have come to expect. I intend no shame or insult to Shakespeare’s work through my comparison. Indeed, although quoting Macbeth may initially appear to lend credence to the more crudely expressed words of our “President,” it is the very next line of the play — a tragedy, fitting enough — from which we should draw the most significant meaning:
“…it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”— Macbeth, Act V Scene V of Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Touché.
It’s time to draw down, to extinguish the fires of war and close the curtain on this poor excuse of a performance. The fat lady has sung, and the pelican has lost its briefs. It is now free to crap all over the theatre.
