American Consequences - November 2020

AN ARTICLE THAT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT POLITICS What's The Point?

By P.J. O’Rourke

As if anything could take anybody’s mind off politics the week before the election. I meant to spend a few days without having any political thoughts. Yet political thoughts – like the ruffed grouse, woodcock, and pheasants I was hunting – kept popping up in the woods, the same way politicians keep popping up in the media. I was tempted to start pretending the birds I was shooting at were certain politicians. I didn’t do that. My aim might have been better if I had. But I don’t believe in shooting politicians. For one thing, they’re hard to clean. Also, shooting politicians would be wrong... Although, it might be OK to trap them... using humane Havahart live-catch traps, of course. Then you could release the politicians in some distant political wilderness (let’s call it a “Lowlife Refuge”). Set them loose, for example, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, which I understand is currently unoccupied. T he week before the election, I went bird hunting... to take my mind off politics.

Photograph of P.J. O'Rourke and Clio by Frank Saul.

American Consequences

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