Well, I haven't written in a while but there is a reason for it. I am not a writer. I remember reading once about a woman who told a famous author that she wanted to be a writer. The writer (and I can't think of who she was) told the woman, "If you get up every morning and all you can think about is writing - then you already are one."
Now I have some good ideas from time to time and I can, every now and then, turn a phrase. But many times between the idea and the execution (putting it down on paper - well you know what I mean) I have a tendency to drop the ball more often than not.
Now I know a guy from a group on the net (who shall remain nameless but his first initial is Terry)who really is a writer. I know he is still up at midnight and rises before dawn and he is not only thinking about writing - but doing it. I disagree with a lot of his political views but I admire his thought process and his perseverance. I have his a link to his blog "From the Cheap Seats" on my blog page - go take a look. I like to think of him sitting in a room with a cheap cigar smoldering in a ashtray and a scotch on the rocks leaving rings on his old desk while he bangs away at an old Smith-Carona. I know this isn't the case - but I like the picture. I remember one time he told of his agent getting him a job doing some rewrites on the script for a porn movie. I loved the idea of it - Xaviera Hollander meets Hemingway. Give his blog a read sometime.
Well. All for now. If I believed in Adult ADD I would be its poster child but I am going to make a sincere effort to write more.
Later friends.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Have a Shay Day ???
This showed up in my mailbox today. I have seen it before. So here it is in it's glory and my response below.
My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled
children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the
school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not
interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as
other children do. He cannot understand things as other children
do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay,
physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an
opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it
comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay
knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let
me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want
someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that
if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed
sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others
in spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked
(not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for
guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the
eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put
him in to bat in the ninth inning.'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile,
put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his
eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his
son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's
team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top
of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right
field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic
just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear
as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
ninth inning, S hay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and
the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay
was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance
to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone
knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even
know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the
ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing
that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in
Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so
Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay
swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps
forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in,
Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to
the pitcher.
The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft
grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first
baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end
of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's
head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and
both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to
first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and
startled.
Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catchi g his
breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling
to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second
base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their
team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He
could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but
he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally
threw the ball high and far over the third-base man's head. Shay ran
toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the
bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help
him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run
to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the
spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run
home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as
the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his
face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and
humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having
never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and
coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little
hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of
jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it
comes to sending messages about life choices , people hesitate. The
crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace,
but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our
schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that
you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who
aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well,
the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a
difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day
to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly
trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass
up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in
the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's
least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward
May your day, be a Shay Day.
************************************
Okay, this story has been making the rounds for a long time. The first time I saw it I did the research and found that the veracity of this story was undetermined. I just checked again - same thing. All I can say is that if it is true it had to happen at least 30 years ago. If it had happened anymore recently than that the scenario would have been.....
The coach of the team saying, "Lookit buster, I worked my butt off all season whipping this bunch misfits into shape and now we have a chance to make it into the playoffs. Ain't no way "I'm" giving up that chance to let your kid play just so he might feel better about himself."
At which point the ACLU would show up from out of nowhere (well not really nowhere - they're lurking everywhere) with a writ forcing the coach to let the kid play.
So the coach quits (this is okay - he was a jerk and the kids are better off without him).
While the guy from the ACLU grabs his cell phone trying to hunt down somebody who can find a judge to issue an injunction against the other team because now they have an unfair advantage due to having a coach. In the meantime, kids being kids, they decide to get on with it and let Shay play.
When it is Shay's turn to bat the guy from the ACLU (he's still feverishly trying to get an injunction) whips out the other court order he already has (he anticipated needing it because - as he so often reminds himself - he is smarter than everyone else) which makes the game stop while they move the bases three-quarters of the way in because Shay is obviously disadvantaged.
Now when the pitcher tosses the ball underhand his Father starts screaming from the stands, "That's not how I taught you to pitch ya little wimp. You can burn it past this kid - increase your stats."
A woman in the stands starts yelling at the father, "Sit down you jerk. They shouldn't even make him bat they should just let him run around the bases. The poor kid will never be able to do anything for himself so we need to take care of him". Then she hits the guy with her umbrella emblazoned with the Peace symbol.
Of course a melee breaks out in the stands and so no one notices that Shay has managed to tap the ball back toward the pitcher. Shay's team is yelling, "Run, Shay, run! " and so Shay runs (the now twenty feet or so) to first base while the pitcher intentionally tosses the ball over the first baseman's head. From the stands the pitcher's father screams, "I saw that. Wait till I get ya home ya little bastard. I'll teach you to throw the game." The last few words though are almost unintelligible because the woman with the "Peace symbol" umbrella has just used it to connect with his cajones.
Meantime Shay is almost to third by virtue of the others on the fielding team intentionally throwing the ball away from him. Now Shay is rounding third and the one little punk bully on the team, Billy, has finally gotten his hands on the ball and is heading toward Shay - intending to tag him out. The guy from the ACLU is overwhelmed and finally decides to take the law into his own hands (big surprise there) and runs out and tackles the kid with the ball. At this point Billy's father breaks away from the fight in the stands and begins to pummel the ACLU attorney while simultaneously the fielding team coach runs from the dugout and tackles Shay to stop him from crossing the plate.
Shay's father runs out onto the field to defend his son but is cut off by a freshly tonsured trial lawyer who stuffs his card in the dad's pocket saying, "This is worth millions if not hundreds of millions - give me a call." He then walks over and hands a card to the little punk, Billy, saying the same thing. Then he even hands one to the ACLU attorney with the cleat marks in his forehead.
Fade to black.
Now a thought about the original story.
Nature is not perfect, but it does not make mistakes.
Even it's imperfections have purpose. What that purpose may be I will often never be able to discern or fathom - but I have faith that it is there.
And a thought about the footnote.
I often forward things to friends. I never forward them without deleting the part that says "If you are a good person you will forward this", etc. , etc. - If they want to forward they will - it is not for me to admonish them for what they may or may not do with it. Emotions are great things - they make life worth living. But they are not the things upon which decisions should be based.
Later amigos.
My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled
children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the
school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not
interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as
other children do. He cannot understand things as other children
do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay,
physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an
opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it
comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay
knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let
me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want
someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that
if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed
sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others
in spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked
(not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for
guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the
eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put
him in to bat in the ninth inning.'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile,
put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his
eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his
son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's
team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top
of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right
field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic
just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear
as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
ninth inning, S hay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and
the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay
was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance
to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone
knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even
know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the
ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing
that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in
Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so
Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay
swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps
forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in,
Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to
the pitcher.
The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft
grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first
baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end
of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's
head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and
both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to
first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and
startled.
Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catchi g his
breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling
to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second
base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their
team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He
could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but
he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally
threw the ball high and far over the third-base man's head. Shay ran
toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the
bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help
him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run
to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the
spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run
home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as
the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his
face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and
humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having
never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and
coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little
hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of
jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it
comes to sending messages about life choices , people hesitate. The
crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace,
but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our
schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that
you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who
aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well,
the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a
difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day
to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly
trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass
up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in
the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's
least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward
May your day, be a Shay Day.
************************************
Okay, this story has been making the rounds for a long time. The first time I saw it I did the research and found that the veracity of this story was undetermined. I just checked again - same thing. All I can say is that if it is true it had to happen at least 30 years ago. If it had happened anymore recently than that the scenario would have been.....
The coach of the team saying, "Lookit buster, I worked my butt off all season whipping this bunch misfits into shape and now we have a chance to make it into the playoffs. Ain't no way "I'm" giving up that chance to let your kid play just so he might feel better about himself."
At which point the ACLU would show up from out of nowhere (well not really nowhere - they're lurking everywhere) with a writ forcing the coach to let the kid play.
So the coach quits (this is okay - he was a jerk and the kids are better off without him).
While the guy from the ACLU grabs his cell phone trying to hunt down somebody who can find a judge to issue an injunction against the other team because now they have an unfair advantage due to having a coach. In the meantime, kids being kids, they decide to get on with it and let Shay play.
When it is Shay's turn to bat the guy from the ACLU (he's still feverishly trying to get an injunction) whips out the other court order he already has (he anticipated needing it because - as he so often reminds himself - he is smarter than everyone else) which makes the game stop while they move the bases three-quarters of the way in because Shay is obviously disadvantaged.
Now when the pitcher tosses the ball underhand his Father starts screaming from the stands, "That's not how I taught you to pitch ya little wimp. You can burn it past this kid - increase your stats."
A woman in the stands starts yelling at the father, "Sit down you jerk. They shouldn't even make him bat they should just let him run around the bases. The poor kid will never be able to do anything for himself so we need to take care of him". Then she hits the guy with her umbrella emblazoned with the Peace symbol.
Of course a melee breaks out in the stands and so no one notices that Shay has managed to tap the ball back toward the pitcher. Shay's team is yelling, "Run, Shay, run! " and so Shay runs (the now twenty feet or so) to first base while the pitcher intentionally tosses the ball over the first baseman's head. From the stands the pitcher's father screams, "I saw that. Wait till I get ya home ya little bastard. I'll teach you to throw the game." The last few words though are almost unintelligible because the woman with the "Peace symbol" umbrella has just used it to connect with his cajones.
Meantime Shay is almost to third by virtue of the others on the fielding team intentionally throwing the ball away from him. Now Shay is rounding third and the one little punk bully on the team, Billy, has finally gotten his hands on the ball and is heading toward Shay - intending to tag him out. The guy from the ACLU is overwhelmed and finally decides to take the law into his own hands (big surprise there) and runs out and tackles the kid with the ball. At this point Billy's father breaks away from the fight in the stands and begins to pummel the ACLU attorney while simultaneously the fielding team coach runs from the dugout and tackles Shay to stop him from crossing the plate.
Shay's father runs out onto the field to defend his son but is cut off by a freshly tonsured trial lawyer who stuffs his card in the dad's pocket saying, "This is worth millions if not hundreds of millions - give me a call." He then walks over and hands a card to the little punk, Billy, saying the same thing. Then he even hands one to the ACLU attorney with the cleat marks in his forehead.
Fade to black.
Now a thought about the original story.
Nature is not perfect, but it does not make mistakes.
Even it's imperfections have purpose. What that purpose may be I will often never be able to discern or fathom - but I have faith that it is there.
And a thought about the footnote.
I often forward things to friends. I never forward them without deleting the part that says "If you are a good person you will forward this", etc. , etc. - If they want to forward they will - it is not for me to admonish them for what they may or may not do with it. Emotions are great things - they make life worth living. But they are not the things upon which decisions should be based.
Later amigos.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Prejudice is an Interesting Word
Most of the time when I hear the word prejudice mentioned it has to do with race, religion, or lifestyle issues. And while the definitions of prejudice certainly apply to these things they apply to many other things as well. Certainly one definition bias: a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation pertains to what has gone on in congress over the last couple of days.
Over the last few months congress persons and senators on both sides of the aisle have been saying that they were looking forward to the report on "The Surge" from general Pretaeus. I think that both sides were thinking that the report would bolster their position. On the right - that it was working and was the right thing to do. On the left - that it had not worked and that nothing the US could or would do in Iraq would make any difference and that it would further galvanize their efforts to force a pullout.
A few days before yesterday's report many democrats on the hill began to disavow what they had come to believe the report would say. Senator Durbin of Illinois said that nothing in the report could be believed because it had been filtered through the White House and that it was going to be the "Bush-Pretraues" report. Senator Schumer from New York even went so far as to say that the drop in violence in Anbar province was "in spite of" the surge - not because of it.
Of course he back peddled the next day saying he had the greatest respect for the troops but I doubt many believed him. These people did not have advance copies of what the report would say - nor was it leaked. Instead they had seen evidence that the surge was working. Maybe not a total success but working nonetheless.
So as I watched (and continue to watch) the testimony in front of the house and senate committees a few things struck me. The first that even though the general stated that while he had briefed his chain of command the report had not been seen by anyone at the Pentagon or the White House and it was HIS report and his alone, many of the democrats basically called him a liar. A large number of those doing so have never even been to Iraq (maybe senator Kennedy was afraid he couldn't get his two or three martinis at lunch over there - who knows), and yet had the audacity to purport they knew better than the general what was transpiring in Iraq.
The second thing that was really amazing thing was the duplicity. Before launching into disparagement of his integrity they had the audacity to say they appreciated his service. Can you say "two faced" boys and girls? How can I go so far as to say "two-faced" and that they were being duplicitous? Well, easy. Several of the Republican congress persons and senators brought up the full page ad taken out by Moveon.org in Monday's New York Times with a picture of the General and underneath a caption "General Pretraeus or General Betray us". They went on to say that they hoped they would be joined by all their colleagues on both sides of the aisle in condemning the ad. However not one of the democrats followed their supposed appreciation of the general's service with a condemnation. Instead they went directly into their character assassination of General Pretraeus and the questioning of his motives.
While the general did not paint an overly rosy picture I got the feeling that he was giving his honest assessment of the situation now and in the future. It is sad to think that there are those in congress who are so invested in failure in Iraq - as a prelude to getting more power - that they would blatantly ignore what many would see as good news. Am I making it up? Well SC representative James Clyburn - majority whip and the number three democrat in the house said not long ago "If Pretraeus has a positive report that would be a real big problem for us (the democrats). (As an aside I have to say that Rep. Clyburn may have just ridden into town on a turnip truck to admit that to a member of the press.) It is truly a sad thing.
So my point is that most of the democrats (of the party that claims to be accepting and inclusive)are prejudiced. They refused to listen with an open mind. They had a bias and they acted upon it.
In closing I have to say after watching all the hearings that I have come to one very concrete conclusion - the only person in the United States with a less coherent thought process than Lauren Caitlin Upton (the infamous Miss Teen USA contestant from South Carolina) is Senator Robert (bring home the bacon [read "pork"]) Byrd from West Virginia. No worries for her, though. She has plenty of time to groom herself to takes his place - at least another thirty years. Because it is my firm belief that Robert Byrd will be the first senator to be returned to office after his death - for several terms. Well at least his speeches on the floor will be more interesting.
Over the last few months congress persons and senators on both sides of the aisle have been saying that they were looking forward to the report on "The Surge" from general Pretaeus. I think that both sides were thinking that the report would bolster their position. On the right - that it was working and was the right thing to do. On the left - that it had not worked and that nothing the US could or would do in Iraq would make any difference and that it would further galvanize their efforts to force a pullout.
A few days before yesterday's report many democrats on the hill began to disavow what they had come to believe the report would say. Senator Durbin of Illinois said that nothing in the report could be believed because it had been filtered through the White House and that it was going to be the "Bush-Pretraues" report. Senator Schumer from New York even went so far as to say that the drop in violence in Anbar province was "in spite of" the surge - not because of it.
Of course he back peddled the next day saying he had the greatest respect for the troops but I doubt many believed him. These people did not have advance copies of what the report would say - nor was it leaked. Instead they had seen evidence that the surge was working. Maybe not a total success but working nonetheless.
So as I watched (and continue to watch) the testimony in front of the house and senate committees a few things struck me. The first that even though the general stated that while he had briefed his chain of command the report had not been seen by anyone at the Pentagon or the White House and it was HIS report and his alone, many of the democrats basically called him a liar. A large number of those doing so have never even been to Iraq (maybe senator Kennedy was afraid he couldn't get his two or three martinis at lunch over there - who knows), and yet had the audacity to purport they knew better than the general what was transpiring in Iraq.
The second thing that was really amazing thing was the duplicity. Before launching into disparagement of his integrity they had the audacity to say they appreciated his service. Can you say "two faced" boys and girls? How can I go so far as to say "two-faced" and that they were being duplicitous? Well, easy. Several of the Republican congress persons and senators brought up the full page ad taken out by Moveon.org in Monday's New York Times with a picture of the General and underneath a caption "General Pretraeus or General Betray us". They went on to say that they hoped they would be joined by all their colleagues on both sides of the aisle in condemning the ad. However not one of the democrats followed their supposed appreciation of the general's service with a condemnation. Instead they went directly into their character assassination of General Pretraeus and the questioning of his motives.
While the general did not paint an overly rosy picture I got the feeling that he was giving his honest assessment of the situation now and in the future. It is sad to think that there are those in congress who are so invested in failure in Iraq - as a prelude to getting more power - that they would blatantly ignore what many would see as good news. Am I making it up? Well SC representative James Clyburn - majority whip and the number three democrat in the house said not long ago "If Pretraeus has a positive report that would be a real big problem for us (the democrats). (As an aside I have to say that Rep. Clyburn may have just ridden into town on a turnip truck to admit that to a member of the press.) It is truly a sad thing.
So my point is that most of the democrats (of the party that claims to be accepting and inclusive)are prejudiced. They refused to listen with an open mind. They had a bias and they acted upon it.
In closing I have to say after watching all the hearings that I have come to one very concrete conclusion - the only person in the United States with a less coherent thought process than Lauren Caitlin Upton (the infamous Miss Teen USA contestant from South Carolina) is Senator Robert (bring home the bacon [read "pork"]) Byrd from West Virginia. No worries for her, though. She has plenty of time to groom herself to takes his place - at least another thirty years. Because it is my firm belief that Robert Byrd will be the first senator to be returned to office after his death - for several terms. Well at least his speeches on the floor will be more interesting.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
T Minus Thirteen Days and Counting
Well nothing much going here down on the Space Coast. Two weeks until my colonoscopy (maybe I'll get a photo suitable for framing). A guy I know said you need to have a good attitude about it - instead of looking at it as something to be worried or concerned about you need to look at it as an adventure. I told him when I see Disney building "Colonoscopy Mountain", "Pirates of the Upper GI Tract", or hear the characters singing "It's a Small Intestine After All" then I will think of it as an adventure. Actually I have no trepidation about it all. Even though, when I took my Mother in for her first follow up after her colon cancer surgery, there was this woman I could hear from the recovery area screaming "No it hurts too much. Stop, stop." I think her doctor finally acceded. No, instead I will be like my friend who had the procedure - when they started he asked the anesthetist when they were going to give him the drugs. She said they already had and his reply -"Well you need to give me more, NOW!".
I am actually more afraid of the preparation. They gotta get you cleaned out. REALLY cleaned out. This other friend of mine said that she finally got tired of running to the toilet every couple of minutes so she finally took a good book, some good music, and basically moved into the bathroom for the duration of the preparation.
Well, at least I can look forward to drinking a year's supply of bullion and eating a decade's worth of Jello the day before. Yummy.
I am actually more afraid of the preparation. They gotta get you cleaned out. REALLY cleaned out. This other friend of mine said that she finally got tired of running to the toilet every couple of minutes so she finally took a good book, some good music, and basically moved into the bathroom for the duration of the preparation.
Well, at least I can look forward to drinking a year's supply of bullion and eating a decade's worth of Jello the day before. Yummy.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Michael Vick and the Multicultural America
Let me get one thing straight at the outset. Even though I am an animal lover and a conservative I don't think that Michael Vick should go up the river to the big house. I'll get to my reasons later.
It doesn't matter what, when, where, why, or how. If I recall my high school journalism correctly (and since I am getting on and I haven't replenished my supply of Ginko Baloba in a while I could be wrong) that's five of the things that need to be addressed in the first paragraph of a news story. The sixth is the one thing, in our day and age, that really matters - Who. In our society if there is a celebrity of any type involved then it automatically becomes a carnival sideshow that assails us constantly from eighty-seven different channels. Most of the time I don't pay attention. I mean who cares if Lindsay Lohan had a crappy upbringing with a father who didn't care and a Mom who not only enabled her bad behavior, but participated in it. The cast of characters may be different (and often not famous) but it is a story that is mirrored many thousands of times across our nation. I care more about the kids who don't have rehab to run to, but I know that a lot of the kids will turn out okay if they get a break or two. Some will rise heroically above their circumstances and we will never know, but they will be an integral part of our national spine (the one that is ever weakening). Who knows - maybe they will save us.
But I digress (I know, I know, I do that a lot) so back to Michael Vick. I have to admit I have been following the case with some interest. Of course everybody runs to find "experts", but with so many news outlets these days a lot of them have pretty thin credentials. I mean if a guy is a professor of cultural studies at Scoobie-Dobbie junior college in East Armpit New Jersey I'm not gonna give him a lot of credence. If he was that smart he wouldn't be floundering in some backwater - he'd be teaching shop at a vocational school somewhere. So most of these people aren't going to change my opinion, but I have found it interesting what they have to say.
What really caught my ear were the people (including Jamie Foxx who I happen to like as a performer) who said that Vick should somehow be given pretty much a pass because he grew up in a "culture" where dog fighting was somewhat acceptable. I think Jamie Foxx said (and I am paraphrasing here), "In the neighborhood where I grew up dogs were fighting all the time so you got to look on it as no big thing". I have heard that echoed by quite a few other "experts". And, thereby, lay the shoals of multiculturalism that our country will, in all probability, flounder upon. Whoopi also apparently just spouted the same rhetoric on The View and also mentioned how cock fighting was accepted in Puerto Rico. But it is a bogus argument.
I love the fact that we have so many different cultures at the base of our society. It makes life interesting, fun, and never boring. Not only the cultures, but the races who embody those cultures. I can think of nothing more depressing than walking down the street and looking at faces that are the same general shape and color as my own. I love the diversity. But I hate the fact that somehow the European sector of our society has been continually hammered into feeling guilty about not perceiving these individual cultures as more important than the American culture as a whole. That somehow we need to excuse behavior - that in America is unacceptable - because the practitioners of that behavior come from cultures where it is acceptable.
I remembered an old Quotation from Aesop - "United we stand. Divided we fall". I originally thought it was from the fable "A Bundle of Sticks" but that quotation was "Union gives strength". The "United we stand" quote was from the fable "Four Oxen and the Lion". But they both apply. I see the United States as made up of the many individual sticks of cultures. When they are all tied together they are impossible to break, but separate them and the individual sticks can be broken easily.
That is why we should not encourage or enable any culture to separate itself. Not only for the good of the American culture as a whole, but for the good of each individual culture. In this country if cultures are separated then the heart and the soul of each culture will eventually be isolated - along with the people who follow it. While the courts may force acceptance they can never change people's minds. And we should know by long, hard experience that the surest way to fear and mistrust is to encourage isolation. The US went through a lot of hard times (and it was right that it did) to come to "Brown versus the Board of Education" which struck down the whole idea of separate but equal. Now there are very vocal factions of almost every minority group that are trying to revive the concept - and often take it a step further - separate but more than equal. Personally I believe in the old "saw" - What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. We will spiral down into chaos if we inconvenience a huge majority of the population in order accommodate a very small minority.
So should we take into consideration the 'culture" in which Michael Vick grew up? Should he have received a pass for his crimes because of that "cultural" influence? Absolutely not. If we did that then we would have to give Latinos who are arrested for cock fighting a pass due to cultural influences. In China they have a saying - "If it's back points toward heaven you can eat it." Should then Chinese (and possibly other Asians) be given a pass if they start cooking dogs and cats?
We can't do that. People are clamoring to come to this country. Many even come here without invitation or legal status. Then once they are here they expect (and often demand) that we give them special consideration on cultural and/or religious grounds. Being the idiots we are we allow them to "guilt" us into thinking they have a point and we acquiesce. A perfect example is the college in Minneapolis that is using tax payer money to build foot baths for Muslim students. Also in Minneapolis Muslim cab drivers have refused to pick up or drop off anyone at a bar or liquor store or if they appear to be intoxicated or are carrying any alcohol - and they are being allowed to get away with it. Minneapolis is also apparently considering demands to build private rooms in the airport for Muslims to pray (I am assuming they will have the aforementioned foot baths). It is complete idiocy.
But back to Michael Vick. When the fur first hit the fan there were a lot of Black activists who tried to float the notion that if this had been a white man there would have not been the same level of outrage. It soon became evident that wasn't going to fly -especially when the full scope of the crimes was revealed. Not only had he been raising dogs for fighting but he also had dogs killed that had not fought well. In a country of animal lovers the crimes were seen as so heinous that no matter the race of the perpetrator the level of outrage would be the same. That's when the whole "I'm not excusing it but he was raised in a culture where it was acceptable" argument started showing up. You know how I feel about that.
I said at the beginning I don not think Mr. Vick should go to jail. Now I will tell you why. There are three reasons for incarceration.
1. To protect society by removing the offender from its midst.
2. To punish the offender for their crime(s).
3. To make an example that may deter others from committing the same offense(s).
Michael Vick is not a threat to the population - either human or animal (anymore). The amount of money he has lost and the possible loss of his career and future income is certainly punishment enough. And the publicity from this incident and the outcome will serve to deter those who can be deterred. Rather I think the punishment should fit the crime. I think that he should have to wear a monitoring bracelet for the year. I think for the first six months he should be made to work at an animal welfare center where animals are brought in after being removed from people who have mistreated them. If you've ever watched the any of the Animal Cops shows on Animal Planet you know what I am talking about - where, for example, dogs have been brought in with chains that have grown into their necks. That would give him the perspective of people who go to incredible lengths to save these animals. The other six months he should have to work at a facility that trains service dogs or at an organization that takes animals to hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices for therapy. That way he could see what a positive impact animals can have on people's lives. Who knows, he might have an epiphany. If he doesn't show up for work - then toss him in the pokey.
And as a last word - about those foot baths for the Muslims. I think congress should give a big boost to the budget to build bidets for any minority or special interest group that wants them- because we aren't only kissing feet.
Later.
It doesn't matter what, when, where, why, or how. If I recall my high school journalism correctly (and since I am getting on and I haven't replenished my supply of Ginko Baloba in a while I could be wrong) that's five of the things that need to be addressed in the first paragraph of a news story. The sixth is the one thing, in our day and age, that really matters - Who. In our society if there is a celebrity of any type involved then it automatically becomes a carnival sideshow that assails us constantly from eighty-seven different channels. Most of the time I don't pay attention. I mean who cares if Lindsay Lohan had a crappy upbringing with a father who didn't care and a Mom who not only enabled her bad behavior, but participated in it. The cast of characters may be different (and often not famous) but it is a story that is mirrored many thousands of times across our nation. I care more about the kids who don't have rehab to run to, but I know that a lot of the kids will turn out okay if they get a break or two. Some will rise heroically above their circumstances and we will never know, but they will be an integral part of our national spine (the one that is ever weakening). Who knows - maybe they will save us.
But I digress (I know, I know, I do that a lot) so back to Michael Vick. I have to admit I have been following the case with some interest. Of course everybody runs to find "experts", but with so many news outlets these days a lot of them have pretty thin credentials. I mean if a guy is a professor of cultural studies at Scoobie-Dobbie junior college in East Armpit New Jersey I'm not gonna give him a lot of credence. If he was that smart he wouldn't be floundering in some backwater - he'd be teaching shop at a vocational school somewhere. So most of these people aren't going to change my opinion, but I have found it interesting what they have to say.
What really caught my ear were the people (including Jamie Foxx who I happen to like as a performer) who said that Vick should somehow be given pretty much a pass because he grew up in a "culture" where dog fighting was somewhat acceptable. I think Jamie Foxx said (and I am paraphrasing here), "In the neighborhood where I grew up dogs were fighting all the time so you got to look on it as no big thing". I have heard that echoed by quite a few other "experts". And, thereby, lay the shoals of multiculturalism that our country will, in all probability, flounder upon. Whoopi also apparently just spouted the same rhetoric on The View and also mentioned how cock fighting was accepted in Puerto Rico. But it is a bogus argument.
I love the fact that we have so many different cultures at the base of our society. It makes life interesting, fun, and never boring. Not only the cultures, but the races who embody those cultures. I can think of nothing more depressing than walking down the street and looking at faces that are the same general shape and color as my own. I love the diversity. But I hate the fact that somehow the European sector of our society has been continually hammered into feeling guilty about not perceiving these individual cultures as more important than the American culture as a whole. That somehow we need to excuse behavior - that in America is unacceptable - because the practitioners of that behavior come from cultures where it is acceptable.
I remembered an old Quotation from Aesop - "United we stand. Divided we fall". I originally thought it was from the fable "A Bundle of Sticks" but that quotation was "Union gives strength". The "United we stand" quote was from the fable "Four Oxen and the Lion". But they both apply. I see the United States as made up of the many individual sticks of cultures. When they are all tied together they are impossible to break, but separate them and the individual sticks can be broken easily.
That is why we should not encourage or enable any culture to separate itself. Not only for the good of the American culture as a whole, but for the good of each individual culture. In this country if cultures are separated then the heart and the soul of each culture will eventually be isolated - along with the people who follow it. While the courts may force acceptance they can never change people's minds. And we should know by long, hard experience that the surest way to fear and mistrust is to encourage isolation. The US went through a lot of hard times (and it was right that it did) to come to "Brown versus the Board of Education" which struck down the whole idea of separate but equal. Now there are very vocal factions of almost every minority group that are trying to revive the concept - and often take it a step further - separate but more than equal. Personally I believe in the old "saw" - What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. We will spiral down into chaos if we inconvenience a huge majority of the population in order accommodate a very small minority.
So should we take into consideration the 'culture" in which Michael Vick grew up? Should he have received a pass for his crimes because of that "cultural" influence? Absolutely not. If we did that then we would have to give Latinos who are arrested for cock fighting a pass due to cultural influences. In China they have a saying - "If it's back points toward heaven you can eat it." Should then Chinese (and possibly other Asians) be given a pass if they start cooking dogs and cats?
We can't do that. People are clamoring to come to this country. Many even come here without invitation or legal status. Then once they are here they expect (and often demand) that we give them special consideration on cultural and/or religious grounds. Being the idiots we are we allow them to "guilt" us into thinking they have a point and we acquiesce. A perfect example is the college in Minneapolis that is using tax payer money to build foot baths for Muslim students. Also in Minneapolis Muslim cab drivers have refused to pick up or drop off anyone at a bar or liquor store or if they appear to be intoxicated or are carrying any alcohol - and they are being allowed to get away with it. Minneapolis is also apparently considering demands to build private rooms in the airport for Muslims to pray (I am assuming they will have the aforementioned foot baths). It is complete idiocy.
But back to Michael Vick. When the fur first hit the fan there were a lot of Black activists who tried to float the notion that if this had been a white man there would have not been the same level of outrage. It soon became evident that wasn't going to fly -especially when the full scope of the crimes was revealed. Not only had he been raising dogs for fighting but he also had dogs killed that had not fought well. In a country of animal lovers the crimes were seen as so heinous that no matter the race of the perpetrator the level of outrage would be the same. That's when the whole "I'm not excusing it but he was raised in a culture where it was acceptable" argument started showing up. You know how I feel about that.
I said at the beginning I don not think Mr. Vick should go to jail. Now I will tell you why. There are three reasons for incarceration.
1. To protect society by removing the offender from its midst.
2. To punish the offender for their crime(s).
3. To make an example that may deter others from committing the same offense(s).
Michael Vick is not a threat to the population - either human or animal (anymore). The amount of money he has lost and the possible loss of his career and future income is certainly punishment enough. And the publicity from this incident and the outcome will serve to deter those who can be deterred. Rather I think the punishment should fit the crime. I think that he should have to wear a monitoring bracelet for the year. I think for the first six months he should be made to work at an animal welfare center where animals are brought in after being removed from people who have mistreated them. If you've ever watched the any of the Animal Cops shows on Animal Planet you know what I am talking about - where, for example, dogs have been brought in with chains that have grown into their necks. That would give him the perspective of people who go to incredible lengths to save these animals. The other six months he should have to work at a facility that trains service dogs or at an organization that takes animals to hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices for therapy. That way he could see what a positive impact animals can have on people's lives. Who knows, he might have an epiphany. If he doesn't show up for work - then toss him in the pokey.
And as a last word - about those foot baths for the Muslims. I think congress should give a big boost to the budget to build bidets for any minority or special interest group that wants them- because we aren't only kissing feet.
Later.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Mea culpa, mea culpa. I'm conservative, mea maxima culpa
For those of you who are not an old enough catholic (or not catholic at all) to know what it means "mea culpa" is latin for "through my fault". When the mass went to English (or the local language of the country it was being celebrated in) the phrase translated as "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault". But in reality I jest somewhat. I make no apologies for being a conservative.
I never intended this pulpit to be political (there are enough people out there in the blogosphere doing the political thing), but at times those views are going to show through just by the nature of other things I may be talking about. This time it is a little more direct.
There were several things that prompted me to consider this post and what finally got me going was the announcement today of Alberto Gonzales resigning from his post of Attorney General.
I'm sure this event in itself had many liberals - as Martha and the Vandellas belted out so long ago - "Dancing in the Streets". Probably not as energetically as when Donald Rumsfeld or Karl Rove resigned but dancing nonetheless. Unfortunately the celebration brings to mind the pictures of the Palestinians dancing in the streets after hearing of the events of September 11, 2001. Celebration rooted in hatred kills the spirit of those who engage in it. I can have some understanding of those who do it in countries where the majority of the population are un or under educated - where the major (if not only) source of information is the government. I have no such understanding for those who have access to almost every source of information in the world at their fingertips - via the remote or the computer keyboard. People who have this access and still indulge themselves in this hatred need to look inward to see to what degree their soul has shriveled and see if there is enough left to regrow. The only ones worse than those who celebrate out of hatred are those who foment the hatred for their own personal gain. But we'll save them for another day.
I belong to a group on the web. Most of the people in the group are liberal leaning. This is a good thing since belonging to it does not violate "The Groucho Rule" - not wanting to belong to a group that would have me as a member. Probably many there who would not have me as a member if it were left up to them - so I am in the clear. I must say that I find almost all the people in the group intelligent and willing to enter into discussions about almost anything - which is "a very good thing" (sorry Martha). But not too long ago one person said that George Bush had murdered people in New Orleans and someone else said that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, even poor Colin Powell had hijacked the constitution and were basically turning the United States into Cambodia under Pol Pot. Interestingly enough they left Condoleeza Rice out of the mix, but I doubt it was because they didn't think she was a guilty more because they didn't think they could take a shot at a double minority.
I am not going to get into the defense of everything that all these people did. Like anyone else they made mistakes. In fact as far as President Bush goes there things about his policy that I do not agree with, but most of them have to do with things like immigration, education, and not vetoing any spending bills, and trying to make nice (especially in his first term) with some pretty shady democrats (Ted Kennedy comes to mind). These are the things that a lot of liberals would give him very grudging approval for.
However when it comes to New Orleans I have to vehemently disagree. In fact President Bush even went so far as to request that Governor Kathleen Blanco allow the federalization of the Louisiana national guard. She refused. At that point other than trying to get people in place to clean up after the storm the federal governments hands were tied. They could not order the evacuation. They could not get the national guard deployed.
Now I am going to make an observation here. No one, and I mean no one, who lives in a place that is prone to disaster such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods should be without some kind of disaster kit. This doesn't amount to much - just enough water for the household for five to seven days, clothes that are sealed up so that you will have dry clothes if needed., flashlight and radio with extra batteries, and enough food that does not need to be heated. This is not expensive. Anyone - no matter their economic circumstances (because, let's face it everyone has a TV) - has access to the information and most of this stuff they already have in their house. And the one thing about a hurricane is that you know it is coming, and may hit, for days which is plenty of time to get things together. In any kind of disaster the rule is that you should be prepared to take care of yourself for a minimum of three days without any help from anyone.
Mayor Ray Nagin never ordered a mandatory evacuation until it was too late. Over a thousand school buses sat underwater (we all saw the pictures) that could have been used to evacuate the poor and disabled but they went unused. And Nagin's excuse - "We didn't have anyone to drive them". Really? Oddly enough one of the great stories to come out of the days was that of a fifteen year old boy who commandeered an abandoned bus and picked up loads of people and drove the thing damn near to Houston before the cops pulled him over. So to say no one could be found to drive the buses is so bogus. Who knows, maybe it was Ray's way of exporting a large portion of his crime to other cities to pave the way for his 'Chocolate City". So unless someone actually has pictures of George Bush leading a contingent of Navy seals - armed with loads of C4 - toward the levees the accusation is ludicrous.
As far as Mr. Gonzales goes it all came down to the firing of some US Attorneys. Now never mind that the constitution states that the US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. They are political appointees and are often appointed because of their political affiliation. Most of the time a majority of these attorneys are let go when a new president takes office. President Clinton got rid of all but three almost immediately after being sworn in to office. Nary a peep from anyone. However few were replaced when President Bush took office. Who knows, but I think he was trying to keep some continuity in order to try to make nice with the dems in congress. At any rate when eight or nine were fired a few months ago there was an uproar from the left side of the aisle and a whisper from the few on the right. When confronted with the argument that the president had the absolute right to let them go these drum beaters' retort was that it wasn't that they were fired but how and why they were fired. Well I have a word or two for them. GET A CLUE. It doesn't matter. If you want to change the process then amend the constitution. Nothing else to be said.
But both of these instances point to the underlying problem. The absolute hatred by most liberals of anything having to with the president or his administration. I'm not sure why the hatred started but personally I think it had to do with the 2000 election. Somehow these liberals seem to think the election was stolen. This however has been proven to be false by many entities (some of them liberal) when they recounted the votes and even examined the "hanging chads". Of course the hatred was exacerbated by the fact that Al Gore won the popular vote. Maybe all these people thought that if Al Gore had been elected global warming would be a thing of the past and even if we had been attacked by Muslim extremists he could have gotten Bin Laden and others to sit around the campfire with him to sing Kumbaya and everything would now be hunky dory. But again - too bad. If you don't like the electoral college - amend the constitution.
I once heard Ben Stein say that the reason he became a Republican was because in the neighborhood where he grew up almost everyone was a democrat and they walked around with long faces and bad attitudes most of the time. The only guy in the neighborhood who seemed to be happy most of the time was a Republican. Mr. Stein said he came to the conclusion he would rather be happy than miserable so he became a Republican. The same thing can be said of most of the liberal leadership and many of the Hollywood elite these days. They seem to be angry most of the time, just about the only time they seem to be happy is at the misfortune of others, and the only time they laugh is at the expense of someone else.
Not all liberals have had the hatred sour them, but most have and it is them I worry about. I fear for their shriveling souls to the point where they can never recover. Most of them before the Bush hatred started festering were pretty nice people. I hope at one point they can be again.
So my advice is........
Lighten up. Administrations change and the chances are that the next one will be just as flawed as the current one. So as my Mother would say "Don't get your knickers in a twist." Try to laugh a lot every day - rarely at others and often at yourself. It will help you stay in balance, grasshopper.
I never intended this pulpit to be political (there are enough people out there in the blogosphere doing the political thing), but at times those views are going to show through just by the nature of other things I may be talking about. This time it is a little more direct.
There were several things that prompted me to consider this post and what finally got me going was the announcement today of Alberto Gonzales resigning from his post of Attorney General.
I'm sure this event in itself had many liberals - as Martha and the Vandellas belted out so long ago - "Dancing in the Streets". Probably not as energetically as when Donald Rumsfeld or Karl Rove resigned but dancing nonetheless. Unfortunately the celebration brings to mind the pictures of the Palestinians dancing in the streets after hearing of the events of September 11, 2001. Celebration rooted in hatred kills the spirit of those who engage in it. I can have some understanding of those who do it in countries where the majority of the population are un or under educated - where the major (if not only) source of information is the government. I have no such understanding for those who have access to almost every source of information in the world at their fingertips - via the remote or the computer keyboard. People who have this access and still indulge themselves in this hatred need to look inward to see to what degree their soul has shriveled and see if there is enough left to regrow. The only ones worse than those who celebrate out of hatred are those who foment the hatred for their own personal gain. But we'll save them for another day.
I belong to a group on the web. Most of the people in the group are liberal leaning. This is a good thing since belonging to it does not violate "The Groucho Rule" - not wanting to belong to a group that would have me as a member. Probably many there who would not have me as a member if it were left up to them - so I am in the clear. I must say that I find almost all the people in the group intelligent and willing to enter into discussions about almost anything - which is "a very good thing" (sorry Martha). But not too long ago one person said that George Bush had murdered people in New Orleans and someone else said that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, even poor Colin Powell had hijacked the constitution and were basically turning the United States into Cambodia under Pol Pot. Interestingly enough they left Condoleeza Rice out of the mix, but I doubt it was because they didn't think she was a guilty more because they didn't think they could take a shot at a double minority.
I am not going to get into the defense of everything that all these people did. Like anyone else they made mistakes. In fact as far as President Bush goes there things about his policy that I do not agree with, but most of them have to do with things like immigration, education, and not vetoing any spending bills, and trying to make nice (especially in his first term) with some pretty shady democrats (Ted Kennedy comes to mind). These are the things that a lot of liberals would give him very grudging approval for.
However when it comes to New Orleans I have to vehemently disagree. In fact President Bush even went so far as to request that Governor Kathleen Blanco allow the federalization of the Louisiana national guard. She refused. At that point other than trying to get people in place to clean up after the storm the federal governments hands were tied. They could not order the evacuation. They could not get the national guard deployed.
Now I am going to make an observation here. No one, and I mean no one, who lives in a place that is prone to disaster such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods should be without some kind of disaster kit. This doesn't amount to much - just enough water for the household for five to seven days, clothes that are sealed up so that you will have dry clothes if needed., flashlight and radio with extra batteries, and enough food that does not need to be heated. This is not expensive. Anyone - no matter their economic circumstances (because, let's face it everyone has a TV) - has access to the information and most of this stuff they already have in their house. And the one thing about a hurricane is that you know it is coming, and may hit, for days which is plenty of time to get things together. In any kind of disaster the rule is that you should be prepared to take care of yourself for a minimum of three days without any help from anyone.
Mayor Ray Nagin never ordered a mandatory evacuation until it was too late. Over a thousand school buses sat underwater (we all saw the pictures) that could have been used to evacuate the poor and disabled but they went unused. And Nagin's excuse - "We didn't have anyone to drive them". Really? Oddly enough one of the great stories to come out of the days was that of a fifteen year old boy who commandeered an abandoned bus and picked up loads of people and drove the thing damn near to Houston before the cops pulled him over. So to say no one could be found to drive the buses is so bogus. Who knows, maybe it was Ray's way of exporting a large portion of his crime to other cities to pave the way for his 'Chocolate City". So unless someone actually has pictures of George Bush leading a contingent of Navy seals - armed with loads of C4 - toward the levees the accusation is ludicrous.
As far as Mr. Gonzales goes it all came down to the firing of some US Attorneys. Now never mind that the constitution states that the US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. They are political appointees and are often appointed because of their political affiliation. Most of the time a majority of these attorneys are let go when a new president takes office. President Clinton got rid of all but three almost immediately after being sworn in to office. Nary a peep from anyone. However few were replaced when President Bush took office. Who knows, but I think he was trying to keep some continuity in order to try to make nice with the dems in congress. At any rate when eight or nine were fired a few months ago there was an uproar from the left side of the aisle and a whisper from the few on the right. When confronted with the argument that the president had the absolute right to let them go these drum beaters' retort was that it wasn't that they were fired but how and why they were fired. Well I have a word or two for them. GET A CLUE. It doesn't matter. If you want to change the process then amend the constitution. Nothing else to be said.
But both of these instances point to the underlying problem. The absolute hatred by most liberals of anything having to with the president or his administration. I'm not sure why the hatred started but personally I think it had to do with the 2000 election. Somehow these liberals seem to think the election was stolen. This however has been proven to be false by many entities (some of them liberal) when they recounted the votes and even examined the "hanging chads". Of course the hatred was exacerbated by the fact that Al Gore won the popular vote. Maybe all these people thought that if Al Gore had been elected global warming would be a thing of the past and even if we had been attacked by Muslim extremists he could have gotten Bin Laden and others to sit around the campfire with him to sing Kumbaya and everything would now be hunky dory. But again - too bad. If you don't like the electoral college - amend the constitution.
I once heard Ben Stein say that the reason he became a Republican was because in the neighborhood where he grew up almost everyone was a democrat and they walked around with long faces and bad attitudes most of the time. The only guy in the neighborhood who seemed to be happy most of the time was a Republican. Mr. Stein said he came to the conclusion he would rather be happy than miserable so he became a Republican. The same thing can be said of most of the liberal leadership and many of the Hollywood elite these days. They seem to be angry most of the time, just about the only time they seem to be happy is at the misfortune of others, and the only time they laugh is at the expense of someone else.
Not all liberals have had the hatred sour them, but most have and it is them I worry about. I fear for their shriveling souls to the point where they can never recover. Most of them before the Bush hatred started festering were pretty nice people. I hope at one point they can be again.
So my advice is........
Lighten up. Administrations change and the chances are that the next one will be just as flawed as the current one. So as my Mother would say "Don't get your knickers in a twist." Try to laugh a lot every day - rarely at others and often at yourself. It will help you stay in balance, grasshopper.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Viva Madison Avenue
Oaky so this friend of mine emails to ask me what I think of the latest Viagra commercial. You know the one where the guys are all sitting around the roadhouse playing the tune Viva Las Vegas on their instruments (no not those instruments you filthy minded people) and singing Viva Viagra during the chorus.
First of all I think it is a little weird having a bunch of guys sitting around singing this with nary a woman in site. Personally I think the Village People should reunite and cover this song. It's bound to be an immediate hit at every gay dance club in the nation - especially the "extended" (oops -sorry) seven minute remix version. It would even have crossover potential into the straight clubs where the PC Metrosexuals dance the night away. Of course at the straight clubs the women would probably insist that anything longer than three and a half minutes is "stretching" (oops - sorry again) it.
Now I have no problem with ads for ED products, or condoms, or adult diapers, or hemroid cream or anything else they want to advertise. However I wish they wouldn't advertise the darn things during the dinner hour and as far as the ED drugs go - and there are a few of them now - I think that they shouldn't advertise them when youngsters might be watching. I mean it's difficult enough to make your own decisions about what you want your children to know and when - without them being bombarded by this stuff on TV during dinner hour and "kid viewing time". Let's face it - little ones are naturally curious and will pick up on almost anything, repeat it and often ask questions. And the tune is pretty catchy and you know how kids love that.
The last thing you need is the police and/or DCF knocking on your door and threatening to take your kids away for living in an unhealthy environment because your little Johnny was overheard singing Viva Viagra while trying to drag someone else's little girl, Suzie, off the monkey bars during recess.
Also, during the disclaimers at the end of the commercials every single one of the ED drugs they say "seek immediate medical attention if you experience Priapism - an erection lasting more than four hours." Now you know that of all the words in that sentence your young-un might not know there is only one they will zero in on - "Daddy, what's an erection?" Why in the name of Sam Hill in a society that no longer cares about correct terminology do they have to use it in these commercials. Let's face it our society is so slanged up or dumbed down (or a combination of both) that even in the hospital they used the word pee instead of urinate. I suppose this might be a natural evolution due to the fact that about eighty percent of the time they said urinate they probably got "Urinate? What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
So instead of erection why can't they use slang in these adds. Heck at least if your child says, "Daddy, what's a woody?" you would have an out. You could tell them it was an old type of station wagon that had a lot of wood parts on the outside. Then you could immediately launch into the first verse of Surf City by Jan and Dean - and anyone knows a parent's singing will drive any kid screaming from the room. Problem solved. Oh, maybe not.........
You might actually have to, at some point in time, explain to them what a station wagon was.
I guess you really can't win
First of all I think it is a little weird having a bunch of guys sitting around singing this with nary a woman in site. Personally I think the Village People should reunite and cover this song. It's bound to be an immediate hit at every gay dance club in the nation - especially the "extended" (oops -sorry) seven minute remix version. It would even have crossover potential into the straight clubs where the PC Metrosexuals dance the night away. Of course at the straight clubs the women would probably insist that anything longer than three and a half minutes is "stretching" (oops - sorry again) it.
Now I have no problem with ads for ED products, or condoms, or adult diapers, or hemroid cream or anything else they want to advertise. However I wish they wouldn't advertise the darn things during the dinner hour and as far as the ED drugs go - and there are a few of them now - I think that they shouldn't advertise them when youngsters might be watching. I mean it's difficult enough to make your own decisions about what you want your children to know and when - without them being bombarded by this stuff on TV during dinner hour and "kid viewing time". Let's face it - little ones are naturally curious and will pick up on almost anything, repeat it and often ask questions. And the tune is pretty catchy and you know how kids love that.
The last thing you need is the police and/or DCF knocking on your door and threatening to take your kids away for living in an unhealthy environment because your little Johnny was overheard singing Viva Viagra while trying to drag someone else's little girl, Suzie, off the monkey bars during recess.
Also, during the disclaimers at the end of the commercials every single one of the ED drugs they say "seek immediate medical attention if you experience Priapism - an erection lasting more than four hours." Now you know that of all the words in that sentence your young-un might not know there is only one they will zero in on - "Daddy, what's an erection?" Why in the name of Sam Hill in a society that no longer cares about correct terminology do they have to use it in these commercials. Let's face it our society is so slanged up or dumbed down (or a combination of both) that even in the hospital they used the word pee instead of urinate. I suppose this might be a natural evolution due to the fact that about eighty percent of the time they said urinate they probably got "Urinate? What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
So instead of erection why can't they use slang in these adds. Heck at least if your child says, "Daddy, what's a woody?" you would have an out. You could tell them it was an old type of station wagon that had a lot of wood parts on the outside. Then you could immediately launch into the first verse of Surf City by Jan and Dean - and anyone knows a parent's singing will drive any kid screaming from the room. Problem solved. Oh, maybe not.........
You might actually have to, at some point in time, explain to them what a station wagon was.
I guess you really can't win
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Home Run King????
I'm sure bloggers all over the place are weighing in on this subject so I won't spend a lot of time with it but I do have a few thoughts I would like to express.
It's pretty obvious to me that Barry Bonds was using steroids at the point in time when he really bulked up. However at that time I do not think that steroid use had been outlawed by Major League Baseball. Has he used them since then? Probably, but he has not been convicted of it and he may never be.
Personally I think the guy is an arrogant, self-absorbed, antisocial idiot (of course the same may be said of many professional athletes) who doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath with a class act like Hank Aaron. I have read some who say that the whole "his record should have an asterisk by it" has racial overtones - that Pete Rose's record doesn't have an asterisk by it even though he was convicted of gambling on baseball games while managing the Reds. However that makes no sense - especially since Aaron was also black. And the thing about Hammerin' Hank was that he playing and setting records in a time when he had real challenges in his daily life because of his race.
I don't think there needs to be an asterisk. I think the controversy will always follow him and will taint his record. What will be interesting is if he is convicted of illegal steroid use during the time after it was banned by MLB will that keep him out of the Hall of Fame a la Pete Rose? Probably not - and it probably shouldn't.
Still I think that Barry had a chance to do something great. On the Fox and Friends program Brian Kilmeade suggested that maybe Monsieur Bonds should have retired when he tied Hank Aaron's record. I think that would have changed the demeanor of the public instantly and would have been great for the game. I think it would also have provided a great lesson for the youngsters who look up to their sports heroes. Now there will be those who say, "Should Tiger Woods retire when he ties Jack Nicklaus' record of major tournament victories?" But it's not the same thing. In fact I wouldn't even think that Bonds should have done it if I didn't feel certain he knows he violated the rules. But I guess he never would even have considered it since he didn't care about the rules in the first place. It was always all about him. Apparently a lot of pro athletes are of the same mindset.
When asked about being a role model Charles Barkley once said, "I'm just a basketball player." I think that is a terrible attitude and that type of thinking contributes mightily to a lot of the problems kids have today caused by being self-absorbed and thinking what they want is the only thing that matters and whatever they need to do to get it is justified. Personally I believe every adult should think of themselves as a role model and act accordingly. It is even more important for athletes, musicians, and other celebrities because they are much more in the public eye.
Senor Bond will probably hit a few more this season and that will more than likely be it. I don't think he will make it past this season. San Francisco won't be interested in keeping him around. In fact I think they will drop him faster than Billy Bob dropped his drawers when Halle gave him the green light in Monster's Ball. And I doubt that anyone else will be interested in paying his price as a pinch hitter. Fortunately I don't think it will be another thirty plus years before someone breaks Double B's record. It will probably be A-Rod so I hope he acquires a little humility before then. For the good of the game I can only hope.
It's pretty obvious to me that Barry Bonds was using steroids at the point in time when he really bulked up. However at that time I do not think that steroid use had been outlawed by Major League Baseball. Has he used them since then? Probably, but he has not been convicted of it and he may never be.
Personally I think the guy is an arrogant, self-absorbed, antisocial idiot (of course the same may be said of many professional athletes) who doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath with a class act like Hank Aaron. I have read some who say that the whole "his record should have an asterisk by it" has racial overtones - that Pete Rose's record doesn't have an asterisk by it even though he was convicted of gambling on baseball games while managing the Reds. However that makes no sense - especially since Aaron was also black. And the thing about Hammerin' Hank was that he playing and setting records in a time when he had real challenges in his daily life because of his race.
I don't think there needs to be an asterisk. I think the controversy will always follow him and will taint his record. What will be interesting is if he is convicted of illegal steroid use during the time after it was banned by MLB will that keep him out of the Hall of Fame a la Pete Rose? Probably not - and it probably shouldn't.
Still I think that Barry had a chance to do something great. On the Fox and Friends program Brian Kilmeade suggested that maybe Monsieur Bonds should have retired when he tied Hank Aaron's record. I think that would have changed the demeanor of the public instantly and would have been great for the game. I think it would also have provided a great lesson for the youngsters who look up to their sports heroes. Now there will be those who say, "Should Tiger Woods retire when he ties Jack Nicklaus' record of major tournament victories?" But it's not the same thing. In fact I wouldn't even think that Bonds should have done it if I didn't feel certain he knows he violated the rules. But I guess he never would even have considered it since he didn't care about the rules in the first place. It was always all about him. Apparently a lot of pro athletes are of the same mindset.
When asked about being a role model Charles Barkley once said, "I'm just a basketball player." I think that is a terrible attitude and that type of thinking contributes mightily to a lot of the problems kids have today caused by being self-absorbed and thinking what they want is the only thing that matters and whatever they need to do to get it is justified. Personally I believe every adult should think of themselves as a role model and act accordingly. It is even more important for athletes, musicians, and other celebrities because they are much more in the public eye.
Senor Bond will probably hit a few more this season and that will more than likely be it. I don't think he will make it past this season. San Francisco won't be interested in keeping him around. In fact I think they will drop him faster than Billy Bob dropped his drawers when Halle gave him the green light in Monster's Ball. And I doubt that anyone else will be interested in paying his price as a pinch hitter. Fortunately I don't think it will be another thirty plus years before someone breaks Double B's record. It will probably be A-Rod so I hope he acquires a little humility before then. For the good of the game I can only hope.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Blow the Man Down
Like most people who live down here in Florida I keep an eye on the weather a lot this time of year. After 2004 and 2005 (when I was living on the Gulf Coast in the Florida panhandle) diligence of preparation became much more of a focal point. Fortunately, like Alabama and Mississippi and unlike Louisiana, Florida had a Governor who was on top of everything that was happening - including preparations by local government officials. This certainly ameliorated the confusion in the aftermath of the storms. We did not sustain near the damage from the storms that hit us that Mississippi and Louisiana had from Katrina, but because we had been constantly told we had to be prepared to look out for ourselves for a minimum of three days (and more likely seven) before we could expect help from the state or federal government we weathered (no pun intended) things pretty well. But really that whole discussion is for another day.
What I wanted to talk about instead was the complete absence of hurricanes making US landfall last year and the projections for this year. Of course the "Global Warmers" predictions were extremely dire. Obviously everyone with any intelligence knew that the man-made global warming was raising the temperature of the waters and we were going to get hammered for years to come. Sure they had "experts" who supported their viewpoint and so did their predictions for the hurricane season (no big surprise there). However the guy from Ft. Collins Colorado (in his late seventies now but is still a professor emeritus at CSU) who has the best track record at predicting hurricane frequency and strength over the last 20 years was never cited. Why not? Well because his predictions were much less dire and did not factor in "global warming". Instead he used his years of experience at reading past data and current conditions and weather patterns to formulate his forecasts.
So of course the appropriate stuff has been done since I moved to the Atlantic coast. Accordion shutters have been installed on all the windows. panels have been set up for the openings that the accordions couldn't fit, the garage door was reinforced (actually the most susceptible place), and I devised a system to utilize some lag bolts and receptacles to reinforce the front door. Everything is up to Miami Dade specs (which are the most stringent in the nation). Get a break on the insurance premium as a bonus. So all the due diligence has been done because that is the prudent thing to do.
Now I am curious to see how many storms will show up this year. The NOAA has already reduced its prediction for the number of named storms, major storms, and the number that will make landfall. So far it has been very quiet with only two storms that got strong enough (tropical storm strength with constant winds of at least 39 mph) to be named. True the season usually doesn't get into it's most active period until mid-august and we are just about there so we will have to see what happens. But if we should have another "quiet" year I am curious to see how the "glowarms" will deal with it. The were pretty silent last year - playing down the lack of storms, but with two years in a row (if it happens) of few storms I will not be surprised to see the theories start flying as to how global warming is actually responsible for the "lack" of storms. In fact I think the "glowarms" will be spinning faster than the winds around the eye of a Category Five hurricane.
Anyway - if you look at the what happens with natural disasters (especially tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and naturally occurring forest fires) it is just the earth renewing itself - getting rid of the old to make way for the new. The only reason we do not appreciate this for the most part is that we live in places where we can be adversely affected by them. Such is the process of living.
So I will be keeping my eye on the Caribbean and the West Coast of Africa to see what develops. Because that is the prudent thing to do. And I will be listening to see what the "glowarms" say. That's better than almost any entertainment around.
By the way - I am not saying the earth is not warmer right now than it has been in the last few decades. Not even saying that man has not contributed but I am saying that we have gone overboard on what little info we have so far and might be in the position to do so real damage by acting crazily on it. But that is a subject for a different day.
And a couple of interesting things.................
Hurricane first entered English around 1555, coming from Arawakan (natives of the West Indies) hurakan via Spanish huracan.
The best site I have found to track these storms is at www.boatus.com
Later.
Dane
What I wanted to talk about instead was the complete absence of hurricanes making US landfall last year and the projections for this year. Of course the "Global Warmers" predictions were extremely dire. Obviously everyone with any intelligence knew that the man-made global warming was raising the temperature of the waters and we were going to get hammered for years to come. Sure they had "experts" who supported their viewpoint and so did their predictions for the hurricane season (no big surprise there). However the guy from Ft. Collins Colorado (in his late seventies now but is still a professor emeritus at CSU) who has the best track record at predicting hurricane frequency and strength over the last 20 years was never cited. Why not? Well because his predictions were much less dire and did not factor in "global warming". Instead he used his years of experience at reading past data and current conditions and weather patterns to formulate his forecasts.
So of course the appropriate stuff has been done since I moved to the Atlantic coast. Accordion shutters have been installed on all the windows. panels have been set up for the openings that the accordions couldn't fit, the garage door was reinforced (actually the most susceptible place), and I devised a system to utilize some lag bolts and receptacles to reinforce the front door. Everything is up to Miami Dade specs (which are the most stringent in the nation). Get a break on the insurance premium as a bonus. So all the due diligence has been done because that is the prudent thing to do.
Now I am curious to see how many storms will show up this year. The NOAA has already reduced its prediction for the number of named storms, major storms, and the number that will make landfall. So far it has been very quiet with only two storms that got strong enough (tropical storm strength with constant winds of at least 39 mph) to be named. True the season usually doesn't get into it's most active period until mid-august and we are just about there so we will have to see what happens. But if we should have another "quiet" year I am curious to see how the "glowarms" will deal with it. The were pretty silent last year - playing down the lack of storms, but with two years in a row (if it happens) of few storms I will not be surprised to see the theories start flying as to how global warming is actually responsible for the "lack" of storms. In fact I think the "glowarms" will be spinning faster than the winds around the eye of a Category Five hurricane.
Anyway - if you look at the what happens with natural disasters (especially tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and naturally occurring forest fires) it is just the earth renewing itself - getting rid of the old to make way for the new. The only reason we do not appreciate this for the most part is that we live in places where we can be adversely affected by them. Such is the process of living.
So I will be keeping my eye on the Caribbean and the West Coast of Africa to see what develops. Because that is the prudent thing to do. And I will be listening to see what the "glowarms" say. That's better than almost any entertainment around.
By the way - I am not saying the earth is not warmer right now than it has been in the last few decades. Not even saying that man has not contributed but I am saying that we have gone overboard on what little info we have so far and might be in the position to do so real damage by acting crazily on it. But that is a subject for a different day.
And a couple of interesting things.................
Hurricane first entered English around 1555, coming from Arawakan (natives of the West Indies) hurakan via Spanish huracan.
The best site I have found to track these storms is at www.boatus.com
Later.
Dane
Monday, July 30, 2007
Generations????
I've got a few stories to relate and then we'll see where we end up.
1...................
This story came to mind when Angel Cabrera won the US Open Golf tournament a few
weeks ago because I was reminded of his countryman, Roberto DiVincenzo, who
played on the PGA tour many years ago when you could probably count the number
of golf courses in South America on both hands - let alone in Argentina. There is a
more famous story about how Roberto lost the Masters Golf Tournament one year
by signing a scorecard that was incorrect. But I want to tell you another story.
I heard this years ago when I was very young and I haven't been able to authenticate
it, but I am pretty sure it is true.
Back in the days when Mr. DiVincenzo was playing on the PGA tour golf was not
the very high profile sport it is now. The crowds were not huge, there were very few
reporters following the tour, very few tournaments were televised and the prize money
was miniscule compared to what it is now (even adjusting for inflation). That being said
many of the golfers were more approachable and accessible to the fans and there
weren't too many places foreign professionals playing the game and almost all of
them were playing on the PGA tour. As far as I know DiVincenzo was the only
South American playing on the tour at that time. He was renown for his
manners and his kindness.
Anyway he placed highly in a tournament one week (he may have even won - I can't
recall). He probably won a couple of thousand (a good chunk of changed back then)
and of course that was in the days before automatic deposits, and before most of the pros
had accountants, financial advisers, and business managers. The guys used to pick
up there checks right there and either cash them or send them into their bank. Well
that week Roberto was walking away from the clubhouse pocketing his check when
he was approached by this youngish woman who told him a story about her young
child who was very ill and would die soon because she could not afford to pay for
his medical care. Without blinking an eye DiVincenzo pulled his prize money
check out of his wallet and endorsed it over to the woman who, with teary eyes,
thanked him profusely and left.
Apparently someone saw this happen and told a reporter who thought it was a
great story. Even though he wasn't sure he would even write the story because
(unlike reporters today) he thought it might be an intrusion on the privacy and
personal life of the golfer thought that he would check out the facts (again unlike
many reporters today). What he found out was that the woman was a phony and
a con artist - there was no sick child. Apparently she had targeted the Argentinian
because as I said earlier, he was well known for his kindness. The reporter talked
with DiVincenzo at an ensuing tournament and related what he had found out.
The man from South America listened and then said, "You mean there was no sick
and dying child? Why that is the best news I have heard in a long time."
2........................
A friend of mine related this story to me. He owns an unaffiliated motel in a small
town in New Mexico. Not that many rooms but clean. Like one of theold "motor
courts" you used to see on state routes in just about any small to medium
sized town. Those of you that have reached a certain age will remember staying in these
places with your folks back when the family vacation consisted of piling everyone in the
station wagon to go to Gatorland in Florida or Mammoth Caves in Kentucky.
But on with the story. It seems that one winter night the manager of the hotel -
an older gentleman - got a call from the owner of a diner just down the road who
had a request. A young couple with a baby had come into the diner and as
he wasn't busy he fell into conversation with them. As I recall the young man
was a fairly new enlistee in the military and he, his wife, and newborn were
traveling to his new post. Unfortunately, not far outside the town their windshield
had acquired a sizable hole caused by a rock thrown by the tire of a truck in
front of them. With the snow and sleet blowing in on them and the baby it was
impossible for them to continue their trip but they also had been planning on
driving through the night since they had barely enough money for gas to get them
to their destination.
So the diner owner was calling to see if there was anything the motel manager
could do to help the young couple out. The manager said to send them on down
and he would put them up for the night - no charge. And while he was waiting for
the couple he called a friend of his at home who happened to own (for want
of a better phrase) an auto junk yard. He related the young couple's plight and
asked his friend if he had a windshield that would fit their car. The man said yes
and told the manager to have the couple leave the car outside the yard that night
and he would make sure the windshield was installed first thing in the morning.
No charge.
So the couple came and got checked in and the manager helped the young man
deliver the car to the yard. Now checkout time at the hotel was 11AM but not
being busy and knowing the circumstances the manager told his staff not to
worry that the couple had not checked out. Finally at 4PM the young wife
showed up at the desk and said that the housekeeper had walked into the room
at 3:30 PM where she and her husband were apparently still asleep in bed.
The manager apologized and said that it being so long past checkout and with
no car parked out front the maid must have assumed they were gone. At this
point the woman got very angry with the manager and said it was the worst
hotel they have ever stayed in and they would never stay in that hotel again and
they were ready to leave so someone needed to give her husband a ride to
pick up their car at the yard.
3.....................
Not long ago when I lived in Fort Walton Beach up in the Florida panhandle
there was a young woman who worked at the convenience store not far from
where I lived. I used to stop in occasionally to pick up my lotto tickets or
some small item. And as is my want I was friendly and conversational.
Now after a while it became obvious that this young woman was pregnant and
so we would chat for a moment or two when it wasn't busy about her upcoming
event. I asked after her with the other clerks and found that she had had a
healthy son. Eventually she came back to work and at times she had her
baby with her and I thought good for her and good for the store for allowing
her to bring her baby with her.
I happened to be in the store on day and someone she knew was there. They
were in the midst of a somewhat heated discussion. The young woman was
complaining about how what she was getting in government assistance wasn't
enough. (Now let me say that I have no problem with people getting assistance
when they really need it - especially if they are working and just need to be
supplemented for a period of time.) The woman's friend replied that at least
she was getting some help and should be thankful to taxpayers for paying
for her assistance. The young woman replied, "The taxpayers aren't paying
for it - the government is."
4................
A few years ago there was a story of a nine year old boy in New York City
who was arrested for robbing and killing the owner of a corner store in his
neighborhood. As the investigation it turned out that the store owner was
kind to all the kids in the area - even to the point of giving them free candy
and treats from time to time when they didn't have any money. Well in the
course of gathering the boy's story they discover that the man had never been
mean to him and, in fact, the boy admitted he liked the store owner. And
when they finally got around to asking him why he had killed the man he
said that he had gone in to rob him and the man wouldn't give him the
money so he had shot him and taken the money. And the reason he
robbed the man? He needed $200 to buy a pair of the latest and
greatest athletic shoes because the other kids were laughing at him and
his year-old sneakers.
So what am I trying to say? Well, it seems that each ensuing generation
has become less aware of the plight of other people around them. Each
new generation seems to be more and more a "me first" generation if not
a "me only" generation. It increasingly appears that many younger
people feel entitled to things just because they are drawing breath,
do not feel the need to say thank you, and are able to justify doing
anything to get what they want (or THINK they need). At this point
this is just an observation. I believe there are many reasons for the
development of this attitude but those are for another day. And if my
fingers weren't cramping up I could type many more examples of
what I am talking about.
Still.......................
I stared writing this yesterday and I suppose I was feeling somewhat cynical
(but not without reason I might add) and so I got a gift. Last night I was
watching a rerun of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I had seen it when
it originally aired but the kids drew me in. Four children who were living
with their Grandmother because their Mom went over the edge from drugs
and other personal problems. Age range five years to ten years. The
Grandmother worked at the school the children attended and they all
lived in a dilapidated trailer. So it was great that ABC showed up to
build them a new house but that wasn't the gift I got. They send the
families on vacation for a week while they build them a home so when
Ty asked them if they had ever been on vacation they all said "no" and
when he asked them if they wanted to go on vacation they all said in a
loud, unified voice, "Yes SIR". These kids were living without their Mother
and in pretty tough circumstances but they were grateful and respectful.
So that was my gift - that even if it seems the scale has tipped quite a
way in the wrong direction maybe there is some hope....still.
1...................
This story came to mind when Angel Cabrera won the US Open Golf tournament a few
weeks ago because I was reminded of his countryman, Roberto DiVincenzo, who
played on the PGA tour many years ago when you could probably count the number
of golf courses in South America on both hands - let alone in Argentina. There is a
more famous story about how Roberto lost the Masters Golf Tournament one year
by signing a scorecard that was incorrect. But I want to tell you another story.
I heard this years ago when I was very young and I haven't been able to authenticate
it, but I am pretty sure it is true.
Back in the days when Mr. DiVincenzo was playing on the PGA tour golf was not
the very high profile sport it is now. The crowds were not huge, there were very few
reporters following the tour, very few tournaments were televised and the prize money
was miniscule compared to what it is now (even adjusting for inflation). That being said
many of the golfers were more approachable and accessible to the fans and there
weren't too many places foreign professionals playing the game and almost all of
them were playing on the PGA tour. As far as I know DiVincenzo was the only
South American playing on the tour at that time. He was renown for his
manners and his kindness.
Anyway he placed highly in a tournament one week (he may have even won - I can't
recall). He probably won a couple of thousand (a good chunk of changed back then)
and of course that was in the days before automatic deposits, and before most of the pros
had accountants, financial advisers, and business managers. The guys used to pick
up there checks right there and either cash them or send them into their bank. Well
that week Roberto was walking away from the clubhouse pocketing his check when
he was approached by this youngish woman who told him a story about her young
child who was very ill and would die soon because she could not afford to pay for
his medical care. Without blinking an eye DiVincenzo pulled his prize money
check out of his wallet and endorsed it over to the woman who, with teary eyes,
thanked him profusely and left.
Apparently someone saw this happen and told a reporter who thought it was a
great story. Even though he wasn't sure he would even write the story because
(unlike reporters today) he thought it might be an intrusion on the privacy and
personal life of the golfer thought that he would check out the facts (again unlike
many reporters today). What he found out was that the woman was a phony and
a con artist - there was no sick child. Apparently she had targeted the Argentinian
because as I said earlier, he was well known for his kindness. The reporter talked
with DiVincenzo at an ensuing tournament and related what he had found out.
The man from South America listened and then said, "You mean there was no sick
and dying child? Why that is the best news I have heard in a long time."
2........................
A friend of mine related this story to me. He owns an unaffiliated motel in a small
town in New Mexico. Not that many rooms but clean. Like one of theold "motor
courts" you used to see on state routes in just about any small to medium
sized town. Those of you that have reached a certain age will remember staying in these
places with your folks back when the family vacation consisted of piling everyone in the
station wagon to go to Gatorland in Florida or Mammoth Caves in Kentucky.
But on with the story. It seems that one winter night the manager of the hotel -
an older gentleman - got a call from the owner of a diner just down the road who
had a request. A young couple with a baby had come into the diner and as
he wasn't busy he fell into conversation with them. As I recall the young man
was a fairly new enlistee in the military and he, his wife, and newborn were
traveling to his new post. Unfortunately, not far outside the town their windshield
had acquired a sizable hole caused by a rock thrown by the tire of a truck in
front of them. With the snow and sleet blowing in on them and the baby it was
impossible for them to continue their trip but they also had been planning on
driving through the night since they had barely enough money for gas to get them
to their destination.
So the diner owner was calling to see if there was anything the motel manager
could do to help the young couple out. The manager said to send them on down
and he would put them up for the night - no charge. And while he was waiting for
the couple he called a friend of his at home who happened to own (for want
of a better phrase) an auto junk yard. He related the young couple's plight and
asked his friend if he had a windshield that would fit their car. The man said yes
and told the manager to have the couple leave the car outside the yard that night
and he would make sure the windshield was installed first thing in the morning.
No charge.
So the couple came and got checked in and the manager helped the young man
deliver the car to the yard. Now checkout time at the hotel was 11AM but not
being busy and knowing the circumstances the manager told his staff not to
worry that the couple had not checked out. Finally at 4PM the young wife
showed up at the desk and said that the housekeeper had walked into the room
at 3:30 PM where she and her husband were apparently still asleep in bed.
The manager apologized and said that it being so long past checkout and with
no car parked out front the maid must have assumed they were gone. At this
point the woman got very angry with the manager and said it was the worst
hotel they have ever stayed in and they would never stay in that hotel again and
they were ready to leave so someone needed to give her husband a ride to
pick up their car at the yard.
3.....................
Not long ago when I lived in Fort Walton Beach up in the Florida panhandle
there was a young woman who worked at the convenience store not far from
where I lived. I used to stop in occasionally to pick up my lotto tickets or
some small item. And as is my want I was friendly and conversational.
Now after a while it became obvious that this young woman was pregnant and
so we would chat for a moment or two when it wasn't busy about her upcoming
event. I asked after her with the other clerks and found that she had had a
healthy son. Eventually she came back to work and at times she had her
baby with her and I thought good for her and good for the store for allowing
her to bring her baby with her.
I happened to be in the store on day and someone she knew was there. They
were in the midst of a somewhat heated discussion. The young woman was
complaining about how what she was getting in government assistance wasn't
enough. (Now let me say that I have no problem with people getting assistance
when they really need it - especially if they are working and just need to be
supplemented for a period of time.) The woman's friend replied that at least
she was getting some help and should be thankful to taxpayers for paying
for her assistance. The young woman replied, "The taxpayers aren't paying
for it - the government is."
4................
A few years ago there was a story of a nine year old boy in New York City
who was arrested for robbing and killing the owner of a corner store in his
neighborhood. As the investigation it turned out that the store owner was
kind to all the kids in the area - even to the point of giving them free candy
and treats from time to time when they didn't have any money. Well in the
course of gathering the boy's story they discover that the man had never been
mean to him and, in fact, the boy admitted he liked the store owner. And
when they finally got around to asking him why he had killed the man he
said that he had gone in to rob him and the man wouldn't give him the
money so he had shot him and taken the money. And the reason he
robbed the man? He needed $200 to buy a pair of the latest and
greatest athletic shoes because the other kids were laughing at him and
his year-old sneakers.
So what am I trying to say? Well, it seems that each ensuing generation
has become less aware of the plight of other people around them. Each
new generation seems to be more and more a "me first" generation if not
a "me only" generation. It increasingly appears that many younger
people feel entitled to things just because they are drawing breath,
do not feel the need to say thank you, and are able to justify doing
anything to get what they want (or THINK they need). At this point
this is just an observation. I believe there are many reasons for the
development of this attitude but those are for another day. And if my
fingers weren't cramping up I could type many more examples of
what I am talking about.
Still.......................
I stared writing this yesterday and I suppose I was feeling somewhat cynical
(but not without reason I might add) and so I got a gift. Last night I was
watching a rerun of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I had seen it when
it originally aired but the kids drew me in. Four children who were living
with their Grandmother because their Mom went over the edge from drugs
and other personal problems. Age range five years to ten years. The
Grandmother worked at the school the children attended and they all
lived in a dilapidated trailer. So it was great that ABC showed up to
build them a new house but that wasn't the gift I got. They send the
families on vacation for a week while they build them a home so when
Ty asked them if they had ever been on vacation they all said "no" and
when he asked them if they wanted to go on vacation they all said in a
loud, unified voice, "Yes SIR". These kids were living without their Mother
and in pretty tough circumstances but they were grateful and respectful.
So that was my gift - that even if it seems the scale has tipped quite a
way in the wrong direction maybe there is some hope....still.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Somewhat indelicate - so what?
Well, I don't know about this blogging thing but thought I would give it a shot. Believe me, it's not that I have anything important to say, but hey, there are a ton of other people out here just as vacuous as I am talking about trivial stuff so why not me? Really though, should call if "P"logging (the Polish version).
Now as for the name of my blog "From the Outside". I am a career outsider, and my view is almost always diametrically opposed to most of those I talk with and if not opposed at least somewhat skewed. So that's me on the outside looking in. Absolutely where I should be because I believe wholeheartedly in the words of one of the most insightful philosophers of all time, Groucho Marx, who said, "I have no desire to belong to a club which would have me as a member."
So as I contemplate starting here I think that you should know that if you gain any insight into me as a person by reading what I write here it is purely an accident - or possibly deliberate misdirection. So the only question now is what to write about first............................
Ah here it is ....... Colonoscopy. Not that I want to be the butt of anyone's jokes (geez, I've started already haven't I?) however it is something that had been on my mind for quite some time (and some would say that is where my mind is actually located). I know that we are constantly bombarded with warnings and admonitions that upon reaching a certain age we should have the procedure done. Of course they say that if you have a family history of colon cancer then that target age should be lowered by a few years. I guess what finally got me off the "pot" (sorry) was learning that Joel Siegal - the ABC movie critic - had finally lost his battle with colon cancer. I had heard him say some time ago that he had waited until age fifty-three before he had the procedure and when he finally asked his doctor what the outcome would have been if he had not waited the reply had been "you probably never would have gotten cancer at all". Coupled with the fact that my Mother was diagnosed with colon cancer at age seventy-seven (she was lucky they caught it early and she is fine) I thought it was time. And even though my insurance won't cover all the cost I thought it was a good investment.
So ever since the "push" to get everyone to have this done prophylatically these gastroenterologists are pretty busy folks. It took six weeks just to get an initial appointment (actually the Doc was on vacation in Italy for two of those weeks - gotta spend all that money somehow) and when I got there - late in the afternoon- the waiting room was packed. The whole appointment was mostly information on the preparation for the procedure and only saw El Doctor for a few minutes. But I did pick up one piece of interesting information during the course of our discussion - that family history is only an additional risk factor if a family member was diagnosed with colon cancer under the age of fifty-eight. Good thing to know.
Anyway he informed one of his assistants that I could schedule at my convenience and so two days before my birthday in September I will be having the procedure done. And even though I am succumbing to the fear factor and having it done I have a theory ( watch out - black helicopters on the horizon).
It seems to me that all these gastroenterologists didn't just spring up out of nowhere. It is my personal belief that the whole "scare tactic" thing used to get people in for these procedures could be just a hoax. It seems to me that the UFO sightings have been fewer and fewer over the past ten to fifteen years - just about coinciding with the "colonoscopy craze". I think the aliens have finally acquired some smarts. Why go around abducting people when you can get them to come into an office and PAY you to do ANAL PROBING. In fact I think the government is fully aware of this and has an agency to police these people. Their agents are called "Men in Back". And do you really think it is a coincidence that they call their agents something most people would mistake for the title of a porno movie? No, no, no - not by a long shot. Something to think about, eh?
Now the name of my blog is "From the Outside" but I can guarantee you on September 19th it will most definitely be "on the inside".
And finally in the best tradition of TV showing Preparation-H commercials during dinnertime I have included below my very own recipe for Shrimp Creole. You should give it a try - it's pretty tasty and quick and if you can find a bottle of Pepperwood Grove Viognier (inexpensive but good) it would go very well with this dish.
Hasta la vista mi amigos.
Not Your Traditional Shrimp Creole
I love Cajun and Creole cooking. But in Louisiana they do the shrimp creole with a roux. I'm
not a big fan. I like the flavors fresher and cleaner. This is my take. I hope you like it. Very
quick and simple. This recipe serves four so adjust as necessary
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 cups diced celery
3 cups diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can chicken stock (low sodium is great)
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 large cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp good hot sauce (Louisiana, Crystal, or Tobasco)
1 tsp dried oregano
1-1/2 pound medium shrimp
4 cups cooked white rice
Dice all vegetables in approximately 1/2 inch dice and thinly slice garlic. Place large pan over
medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes until it comes to heat. Put oil in pan and after 10 seconds
(oil will start to shimmer) throw in all vegetables except for garlic and tomatoes. Stir continually
for about 2 minutes until onions soften and begin to turn translucent. Add chicken stock, white
wine, garlic, pepper, hot sauce, and oregano. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
While the dish is simmering cook your white rice. At the end of the 15 minutes add tomatoes.
Simmer another 10 minutes uncovered on high to reduce sauce. Prepare shrimp by removing
shell cutting completely through down back and rinsing under cold water to remove sand vein.
At the end of the ten minutes add shrimp and cook for three minutes or until shrimp are pink
and no longer translucent.
To serve use a ramekin or 1 cup measure and pack rice in firmly. Tap container down in the
middle of the plate and remove container leaving molded rice in the middle of plate. Place
Shrimp Creole around the rice. If there is any liquid left over drizzle on rice mounds.
Okay - now for the variations. If making the shrimp dish and you have seafood stock you can use that instead of chicken stock. If you want to go vegetarian use vegatarian stock instead and make an additional cup of vegetables in whatever combination you choose. If you don't have shrimp available you can cut up two boneless chicken breasts in 1/2 inch cubes an add at the same time you add the tomatoes.
Good luck and bon appetit.
Now as for the name of my blog "From the Outside". I am a career outsider, and my view is almost always diametrically opposed to most of those I talk with and if not opposed at least somewhat skewed. So that's me on the outside looking in. Absolutely where I should be because I believe wholeheartedly in the words of one of the most insightful philosophers of all time, Groucho Marx, who said, "I have no desire to belong to a club which would have me as a member."
So as I contemplate starting here I think that you should know that if you gain any insight into me as a person by reading what I write here it is purely an accident - or possibly deliberate misdirection. So the only question now is what to write about first............................
Ah here it is ....... Colonoscopy. Not that I want to be the butt of anyone's jokes (geez, I've started already haven't I?) however it is something that had been on my mind for quite some time (and some would say that is where my mind is actually located). I know that we are constantly bombarded with warnings and admonitions that upon reaching a certain age we should have the procedure done. Of course they say that if you have a family history of colon cancer then that target age should be lowered by a few years. I guess what finally got me off the "pot" (sorry) was learning that Joel Siegal - the ABC movie critic - had finally lost his battle with colon cancer. I had heard him say some time ago that he had waited until age fifty-three before he had the procedure and when he finally asked his doctor what the outcome would have been if he had not waited the reply had been "you probably never would have gotten cancer at all". Coupled with the fact that my Mother was diagnosed with colon cancer at age seventy-seven (she was lucky they caught it early and she is fine) I thought it was time. And even though my insurance won't cover all the cost I thought it was a good investment.
So ever since the "push" to get everyone to have this done prophylatically these gastroenterologists are pretty busy folks. It took six weeks just to get an initial appointment (actually the Doc was on vacation in Italy for two of those weeks - gotta spend all that money somehow) and when I got there - late in the afternoon- the waiting room was packed. The whole appointment was mostly information on the preparation for the procedure and only saw El Doctor for a few minutes. But I did pick up one piece of interesting information during the course of our discussion - that family history is only an additional risk factor if a family member was diagnosed with colon cancer under the age of fifty-eight. Good thing to know.
Anyway he informed one of his assistants that I could schedule at my convenience and so two days before my birthday in September I will be having the procedure done. And even though I am succumbing to the fear factor and having it done I have a theory ( watch out - black helicopters on the horizon).
It seems to me that all these gastroenterologists didn't just spring up out of nowhere. It is my personal belief that the whole "scare tactic" thing used to get people in for these procedures could be just a hoax. It seems to me that the UFO sightings have been fewer and fewer over the past ten to fifteen years - just about coinciding with the "colonoscopy craze". I think the aliens have finally acquired some smarts. Why go around abducting people when you can get them to come into an office and PAY you to do ANAL PROBING. In fact I think the government is fully aware of this and has an agency to police these people. Their agents are called "Men in Back". And do you really think it is a coincidence that they call their agents something most people would mistake for the title of a porno movie? No, no, no - not by a long shot. Something to think about, eh?
Now the name of my blog is "From the Outside" but I can guarantee you on September 19th it will most definitely be "on the inside".
And finally in the best tradition of TV showing Preparation-H commercials during dinnertime I have included below my very own recipe for Shrimp Creole. You should give it a try - it's pretty tasty and quick and if you can find a bottle of Pepperwood Grove Viognier (inexpensive but good) it would go very well with this dish.
Hasta la vista mi amigos.
Not Your Traditional Shrimp Creole
I love Cajun and Creole cooking. But in Louisiana they do the shrimp creole with a roux. I'm
not a big fan. I like the flavors fresher and cleaner. This is my take. I hope you like it. Very
quick and simple. This recipe serves four so adjust as necessary
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 cups diced celery
3 cups diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can chicken stock (low sodium is great)
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 large cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp good hot sauce (Louisiana, Crystal, or Tobasco)
1 tsp dried oregano
1-1/2 pound medium shrimp
4 cups cooked white rice
Dice all vegetables in approximately 1/2 inch dice and thinly slice garlic. Place large pan over
medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes until it comes to heat. Put oil in pan and after 10 seconds
(oil will start to shimmer) throw in all vegetables except for garlic and tomatoes. Stir continually
for about 2 minutes until onions soften and begin to turn translucent. Add chicken stock, white
wine, garlic, pepper, hot sauce, and oregano. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
While the dish is simmering cook your white rice. At the end of the 15 minutes add tomatoes.
Simmer another 10 minutes uncovered on high to reduce sauce. Prepare shrimp by removing
shell cutting completely through down back and rinsing under cold water to remove sand vein.
At the end of the ten minutes add shrimp and cook for three minutes or until shrimp are pink
and no longer translucent.
To serve use a ramekin or 1 cup measure and pack rice in firmly. Tap container down in the
middle of the plate and remove container leaving molded rice in the middle of plate. Place
Shrimp Creole around the rice. If there is any liquid left over drizzle on rice mounds.
Okay - now for the variations. If making the shrimp dish and you have seafood stock you can use that instead of chicken stock. If you want to go vegetarian use vegatarian stock instead and make an additional cup of vegetables in whatever combination you choose. If you don't have shrimp available you can cut up two boneless chicken breasts in 1/2 inch cubes an add at the same time you add the tomatoes.
Good luck and bon appetit.
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