{"id":2600,"date":"2006-03-11T19:04:09","date_gmt":"2006-03-12T00:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greatsociety.org\/?p=2600"},"modified":"2018-10-31T14:30:24","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T18:30:24","slug":"beer-pickups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/?p=2600","title":{"rendered":"Beer &#038; Pickups"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Published July 2004<\/p>\n<p>Oscar bin Laden: Archives and discussion at http:\/\/www.greatsociety.org\/forums\/index.php?topic=1241.0<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"pn-normal\"><br \/>\n<em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>And now, we join Oscar during his presidential campaign &#8212;<\/p>\n<p>Struggle of the Candidate: The Saga of Texas Billionaire Oscar bin Laden&#8217;s bid for the presidency.<\/p>\n<p>By Nacho Sasha<\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s as far as I had gotten when the phone started to ring. What the hell was I thinking, anyway? I should just hit Oscar in the back of the head with a brick or something\u2026 But fortune and glory is the secret dream of every writer, so I sat down and tried to pump some trash out that would please Oscar.<\/p>\n<p>I grabbed the phone on the fourth ring. An earnest young man was on the other end. &#8220;Hi, could I speak to Nacho Sasha?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Salesmen. Always salesmen. It was 10pm on a Friday night, didn&#8217;t these people have lives? I should have been out seducing this guy&#8217;s girlfriend&#8230; If only I could do that. Pay them back for all of these interruptions. Or maybe just bomb the building they were calling from. I quelled those thoughts &#8212; that was the Oscar in me talking.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He tain&#8217;t here Marse Charlie!&#8221; I replied.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m calling from Chase.&#8221; The earnest young man said earnestly, &#8220;Are you authorized to use his credit card?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Now that question blew my mind. &#8220;Motherfucker!&#8221; I snapped back, &#8220;I could be a goddamned burglar. Why, yes, I am authorized to use his card. Could you remind me of the number again? I mean, you&#8217;re calling from the goddamn credit card and you don&#8217;t know who&#8217;s authorized to use it? And it&#8217;s Friday night, too! Where are you? Where the fuck are you calling me from, cunt?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8230;uh&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Answer the goddamned motherfucking question you cunting fuck! I&#8217;ll tear your throat out with my teeth! I&#8217;ll fucking eat your daughter&#8217;s goldfish!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And he hung up. I had won this round, Chase Manhattan. The perfect way to start the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Then Oscar pulled up into my driveway.<\/p>\n<p>My little cousin, who kept a constant vigil on the driveway, ran back to my room and muttered something in her eight year old gutter speak which I translated as &#8220;That scary man from Texas is in the driveway and do you want a candy cane?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sure,&#8221; I said, taking the multi-colored candy cane from her pudgy, sweaty, mucus-stained hands. &#8220;What flavor is it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Rainbow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oh, of course. That&#8217;s charming. Get lost.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Outside, Oscar leaned against the front of a pickup truck in the gentle rain that autumned from the sky. Ali and the boys, looking ominous in black raincoats and &#8220;FBI&#8221; ball caps, hovered in the bushes near the rear of the truck.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Hi-Ho, Nacho!&#8221; Oscar shouted, waving. &#8220;No girl to keep you warm on a Friday night?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No.&#8221; I answered, coming up to shake his hand.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I figured as much.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Well, you can&#8217;t keep a functional relationship above the water for more than 10 days.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t need this, man,&#8221; I started to back away.<\/p>\n<p>Oscar raised his hands defensively, &#8220;Hey, hey, hey. I think it&#8217;s a charming quirk that makes you, paradoxically, all the more attractive to the fairer sex.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Really?&#8221; I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, &#8220;Look, what are you doing here?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re calibrating.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You mean celebrating?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oh, no, no; I don&#8217;t.&#8221; He put a hand on my shoulder, &#8220;I mean calibrating.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So we&#8217;re going to fix the steering on your pickup or something?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar smiled, &#8220;Ali has a little something special in the back of the pickup.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Dear god, no!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What? Why is everyone so jumpy around me? Ali!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ali stepped forward, grabbed the tarpaulin that had been tied across the cargo bed, then threw it aside. The bed was packed with rectangular boxes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s all that?&#8221; I asked.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Beer. MGD, to be precise. It so happens that Ali has procured a list of every registered voter who has not participated in the last two elections. We&#8217;re going to visit them and have a beer while we discuss my candidacy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I nodded, liking this idea despite the originator. &#8220;Are we getting sponsorship money from MGD?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar looked shocked, &#8220;Oh, no, no. This is all stolen!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Archie Wilcox; 3276 Blueridge Avenue<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oscar stepped through the screen door and shook Wilcox&#8217;s hand. &#8220;Archie, I&#8217;d like to talk about this some more&#8230; Say, would you like a beer?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It being late on Friday night, blue collar Wilcox stood in a bath towel, soaking wet, stinking of Jim Beam. &#8220;I don&#8217; need&#8230;no&#8230;time for Friday and cheese.&#8221; He slurred drunkenly.<\/p>\n<p>Oscar stared blankly at him for a moment. &#8220;So, then, I guess we&#8217;ll come in for a beer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Wilcox let the towel drop, gripped his tiny phallus and stumbled backwards into his foyer, falling on his ass and releasing a noxious fart that made Ali, standing behind me, jerk violently and pull an AK-47 from beneath his raincoat.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ali! Grab us a six pack!&#8221; Oscar shouted, stepping into Wilcox&#8217;s home and helping the man to his feet. He let go almost instantly and the lout fell back to the floor. &#8220;What are you covered in?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Jim Beam!&#8221; Wilcox barked. &#8220;Soakin&#8217; in it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You were soaking in it?&#8221; I asked as Ali returned with a six of MGD.<\/p>\n<p>Wilcox blinked at me, &#8220;Well, drinkin&#8217; too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar and I helped Wilcox to a lounge chair and I threw the towel over his privates, then sat on the edge of a couch and took out my notepad. Oscar cracked three cans of beer and handed them around, taking a seat in the middle of the couch. Ali, with the AK-47 slung over his shoulder, stood ominously behind Wilcox.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Arthur,&#8221; Oscar said, &#8220;I want to talk to you about the presidency.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Good ol&#8217; George! He sure know what he&#8217;s doing!&#8221; Wilcox shouted. &#8220;Killin&#8217; &#8217;em A-rabs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ali&#8217;s eyes narrowed slightly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; Oscar continued, &#8220;But you didn&#8217;t vote in 2000.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Din&#8217;t git round to it. Too busy. Don&#8217; matter much, anyway. He done got in.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Arthur, I&#8217;ll get to the point. I think I can offer America a better social agenda. I believe I can change things to better all of Mankind, and create a sensitive and understanding United States. A nation more focused on the needs of all citizens of the world. I can change things. I have the ideas and the tools. What I need is your vote, and the vote of your friends. Are you enjoying your beer, Arthur?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Arthur leaned over and vomited delicately into an over-flowing ashtray next to his chair, then he stood. &#8220;I don&#8217; care none bout them citizens of them world. I care bout Merica, the Merican way, the Merican people. And Merica needs to git them A-rabs gone!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar spread his arms, &#8220;Now, Arthur, I understand your concerns. Islamic Fundamentalism is a serious problem in this modern world. However, the teachings of Allah, at their very foundation, are based on peace and understanding of all&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Well, I could give a goddamn bout yer stinkin&#8217; Allah! Allah done shit all for them A-rabs! I hope all them get nuked &#8211;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ali raised the butt of the AK-47 and brought it down on Wilcox&#8217;s head. There was a sickening crunching sound and blood exploded from Wilcox&#8217;s nose as he tumbled to the floor.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Goddamnit, Ali!&#8221; Oscar shouted, &#8220;Would you just chill out!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I picked up Ali&#8217;s inactive voter list, crossed Arthur Wilcox off, and looked at the next name. &#8220;Monica Barnes. 12A, Battery Lane.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sounds like a gal who&#8217;d be up at midnight on a Friday.&#8221; Oscar said. &#8220;Let&#8217;s roll.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[352],"tags":[353,193],"class_list":["post-2600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gsarchive","tag-gs-archive-2004-2008","tag-oscar-bin-laden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2600"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2673,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600\/revisions\/2673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatsociety.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}