Ear to the ground

“Can’t you get the dad to push out a couple more kids?”

-A local 4-year-old asking a Durango mother why she only has one child

Inside the man’s mind

Just in case you didn’t already know, new findings indicate that President George W. Bush is psychologically imbalanced. In a report on truthout.org titled, “Bush and the Psychology of Incompetent Decisions,” Dr. John P. Briggs, longtime member of the American Academy of Psychoanalysts, reveals that the 43rd president actually faces legitimate psychological problems and wrestles with inner turmoil while “making tough decisions.”

Briggs says that W. suffers from a psychological dynamic rooted in deeply hidden feelings of inadequacy. As a result, the president has started making increasingly incompetent and risky decisions. Further, Briggs argues that the psychological stakes for Bush are now unimaginably high.

Bush’s imbalance is rooted in his personal history, according to the report. Briggs comments that from the time he was a boy until his religious awakening in his early 40s, Bush had every reason to feel he was a failure. As a result, he has obsessively tried to emulate his father through the years and obtain his approval.

Briggs goes on to argue that the search for daddy’s love eventually led to resentment. The contradiction was apparent in his choice to re-fight his dad’s war against Iraq and hopefully win the duel. “He could at once emulate his father, show his contempt for him, and redeem him,” Briggs wrote. “But beneath this son-father struggle lies a far more significant issue for Bush – a question about his own competence, adequacy and autonomy as a human being.”

The complete report including choice references to W’s alcoholism and his reasons for becoming a born-again Christian is available at www.truthout.org.

Hundreds of bottles

Winos rejoice! A new festival is being uncorked in Durango this spring. The first annual Durango Wine Experience takes place from May 3-5.

This three-day event will include two major wine tastings. The first will be a “Walk-About Durango,” a moving tasting held at 20 downtown locations. The second event is the Grand Tasting, taking place under the festival tent at the First National Bank of Durango. Tastings will feature 50 wineries from around the world, and master sommeliers, including Damon Ornowsky and Jay Fletcher, will oversee several seminars. In addition, five wine dinners will take place at various downtown restaurants.

Act fast. Only 500 tickets will be available for each of these events. Information is available at www.durangowine.com.