There’s something about surrealist art that fits my mood when I’m irked. The weird juxtapositions in the work of Max Ernst are the visual equivalent of my irked state. I’m not sure that makes any sense even to me. It may just boil down to this Jagger-Richards paraphrase: It’s only surrealism, but I like it.

There are many irksome things going on in my city right now. Some call it the Big Easy or the Crescent City but when irked I call it This Fucking City or Debrisville.

Enough preamble, let’s ramble on about TFC:

I’m irked by the post-Hurricane Ida trash situation in New Orleans. We still only have once a week pickup. That’s not enough during the stinky days of summer. If you have food rubbish, opening your trash bin leads to olfactory overload. Shorter Adrastos: It stinks. That’s why I revived the Debrisville nickname.

I love my city but this song by the J. Geils Band sums up my current mood:

Repeat after me: Olfactory overload.

On the This Fucking City front, I’m irked that Mayor Teedy is complaining that NOPD is “handcuffed” by the DOJ consent decree entered into by the Landrieu administration. The consent decree happened because of rampant police misconduct and brutality, especially towards the Black community.

Mayor Teedy was elected as a progressive but since Teedy only believes in Teedy she’s shed her progressive skin and become the law and order Mayor. Her use of the term handcuffed is particularly irksome as it’s the pet phrase of police unions

I never bought into the whole defund the police thing. BUT we let our guard down before and that led to some horrors during and after Katrina and the Federal Flood. Remember the Danizger Bridge shootings, Teedy. That’s what happens when NOPD is uncuffed.

That’s the Louisiana lowdown. So is this:

Let’s move on to the irksome and irritating national news of the week.

I’m irked that Republicans continue to push the lie that the IRS is hiring more agents in order to oppress the working man. It’s particularly hilarious coming from Florida Senator Rick Scott who has more money than God and the ethics of Satan.

Senator Scott is best known to First Draft readers because of this image by Michael F:

Believe it or not, that reminds me of a Captain Beefheart song:

Fast and bulbous, Bat Boy, fast and bulbous. End of obscure Captain Beefheart reference.

I continue to be irked that the Christian right believes the Kaiser of Chaos is the second coming instead of the son of the morning aka Lucifer. They’re plotting revenge for the Mar-a-Doorn raid. They should follow the example of the founder of their faith and expel the money changers and pharisees from the temple. Sounds like Trump to me, y’all.

I’m irked that Elon Musk is still a troll. How do I know? Jamie O told me so. Now Musk wants to elongate his malakatude by buying Manchester United. What’s next Winchester Cathedral?

We’ve been assured it was just a joke. So was the Trump candidacy in 2015. Did Elon Musk get this idea from this venerable Bee Gees tune from the Idea album?

Finally, I’m irked that Cassandra beat me to the Dr. Oz-Long John Fetterman food fight. I have some crude crudité jokes to make about Dr. Oz. Who dips broccoli in salsa? Is it a Turkish thing? Beats the hell outta me.

It’s time to paraphrase Ira Gershwin for the umpteenth time: You say crudité, I say veggie tray. Let’s call the whole thing off.

The last word goes to Paul Simon with the song that inspired a second variation on the post title. Simon’s music will be featured in the next Sunday Dozen.