COLLEGE LOYALTY HAS ITS LIMITS AND SO DO I

I love Ramirez's cartoons.  It's a treat to see them about once a week when that liberal loser Benson takes a day off at the Republic.

I think Ramirez is making two points:  One is that Obama is looking in the mirror and seeing himself and what he stands for as the reason for the demise of Detroit.  I think it could also mean that the mirror is acting as a giant rear view mirror that reflects Detroit as he is skipping town.  Either way you look at it, it is another indictment on his leadership and philosophy.

I'm embarrassed to say this but Obama made an appearance last week at one of my Alma Maters, the University of Central Missouri.  I just watched a YouTube of him speaking in front of a group of young students who looked like they were about sixteen years of age.  They were all wearing black and red University of Central Missouri tee shirts as they stood admiring Obama while he spoke.  It kind of reminded me of the old photos of Hitler speaking in front of the uniformed kids of his day.

The next day I received an email from UCM which was no big deal because I receive them all the time when they are begging for contributions.  However, this time it was all about what an honor it was to have Obama speak on campus and what a wonderful guy he is.  I don't think there is a stopwatch that can measure the small amount of time it took me to inform them that I no longer wanted to be on their email list or associated in any way with the university.

There comes a time when a person has to make decisions like this.  I enjoyed my time at UCM (known then as Central Missouri State College) in the late 1960's after I was discharged from the Air Force and decided I needed to get a college degree.  We had an active group made up of ex-GI's called the Campus Veterans Association.  We participated with the fraternities in inter-mural sports and other activities.  In short, it was a fun time.

I know that it is a different world now and that liberalism has reared its ugly head at most universities.  That doesn't mean I have to like it so I am spending my two cents worth to tell my Alma Mater where they can shove their support of Obama.

Black and white relations at their nadir

I hope everyone is as “Trayvoned out” as I am because frankly, everything is going as scheduled with his followers and pseudo-followers who are on their obligatory destruction of property and random beatings of innocent white people.  The only surprising thing was that it took a couple of days for the action to start.  Maybe that is why Sharpton decided he better hold some protests in 100 cities around the country to further the hatred he has instilled in the white and black communities.

Black leaders like Sharpton are a detriment to their race but he is one smart SOB because he has the knack of being able to rile his masses with his “from the pulpit” bullshit about how deprived blacks are in this country and how they should fight back against the oppressive white demons.  If guys like him weren’t around stirring up trouble, whites and blacks would probably have a much more peaceful co-existence.  

Al is definitely the “orator from hell,” kind of like Jesse Jackson used to be when he wasn’t fathering out of wedlock children.  I saw that Jesse was marching with Al and the gang the other day and was even helping hold their banner.  However, Jesse looked pretty pudgy now and seemed a bit quiet since he is 71 and been eating high off the hog for many years.  Either that or he may feel his parenting skills lack after his son (Jesse Jr.) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in a U.S. District Court, after allegedly misusing hundreds of thousands of campaign dollars on personal expenses. Gosh, what is a father to do?

These guys love to use the religious connotations calling themselves “Reverend.”  I guess they figure it gives them a more religious flavor with their followers.  It’s brilliant and seems to have worked even if their degrees (degrees?) were obtained from a matchbook cover advertised institution.

Now, out of the woodwork springs Eric Holder who plans to see if he can come up with some trumped up civil rights charge against George Zimmerman.  What a guy Eric is:  He screwed up Fast and Furious among other things and he has the nerve to call Darrell Issa “shameful.”  Holder is the poster boy for "shameful."  I don't know he can sleep at night.  

Let's face it; the relationship between the white and black races have not improved one bit.  Guys like Obama and Holder have made matters worse.  The Trayvon thing is a good example. 

Here is a nice column from Ted Nugent that you may enjoy reading.  I know I did.

WENDY DAVIS AND FAME BY FILIBUSTER

There is a state senator in Texas named Wendy Davis who is being hailed by those self righteous types who are forever fighting the supposed “war on women.”

Wow!  What a gal!  She bitched and moaned through eleven hours of a filibuster the other day without having to go to the bathroom even once.  Suddenly she is the flavor of the week at least until her followers start discussing something even more important to them than killing babies.  Perhaps Kim Kardashian’s latest diet or maybe what Lindsay is up to these days.

Senator Davis wants for women to be able to abort their unwanted children four weeks past the proposed law in Texas of no abortions after 20 weeks.

Kathleen Parker writes in her Washington Post column that the latest whim of “fame by filibuster” is becoming a phenomenon because this 50 year old female Texas State Senator could do an eleven hour filibuster.  She even has set a new fashion statement by wearing “rouge red” athletic shoes.  The stores better stock up on those at $116 a pair!  I can think of two local redheads who will be rushing to show Ms. Davis their loyalty.  No word yet on which shoe company she might cut a deal with.

Wendy Davis has a pair of these "rouge red" 

shoes.  You simply must get some! 

I think this woman’s popularity and the rush to buy her shoes have eclipsed what she is fighting for.  Do these ladies who gush over her know what a fetus looks like after 24 weeks?  20 weeks?  It

has a human form.  It would seem that there should be some kind of a minor key struck over that.  Instead the Texas senator is something in the neighborhood of being a rock star.

Parker reports that Davis is making the rounds of the talk shows which one would expect.  However, the discussions are leaning more toward show biz than hard questions about those dead babies she endorses.   She is the new heroine in the women’s “war” as she gets asked penetrating questions like “How are you even awake today?” and “What was it like standing that long”?

It’s up to you to decide how you feel on this subject.  I have been married for over 40 years and don’t have kids.  My wife and I were VERY careful to take precautions to avoid pregnancy.  If she would have gotten pregnant, I would have kept the kid.  Religion would have not played a part in that decision; a human life would have.  Apparently not everyone feels that way today.

To the anti-abortionists, life begins at conception.  Abortion rights people see limitations on abortions as infringement on a woman’s right to control her own body and a baby isn’t a baby until it leaves her body.  To me, that is a cop out and the lazy way to escape unwanted parenthood and responsibility.

If you don’t want the kid be careful and don’t get pregnant.  There are many ways to avoid pregnancy that are far less sinister than killing a human form.

SOME PEOPLE'S KIDS!!..... AND A BIT ABOUT GRAMMAR

Take a look at this genius.  Will I ever go to Wendy's again?  Sure, I really like Frostys so of course I will be visiting Wendy's.  After all, Dave Thomas was a great guy who did a lot to help adopted kids plus their TV ads have that ultra cute redhead!  However I will only buy a Frosty if I can see it coming out of the machine and into my cup; not into some idiot employee's mouth.

Quote of the week goes to (drum roll, please!) witness for the prosecution against George Zimmerman, 19 year old Rachel Jeantel!  Not only did she change her story but when she was asked to read a certain document, she said:  "I don't read cursive."  What? I hope she is not representative of most 19 year old kids!  Ain't she got no book learnin'?

Now for the serious stuff.  Maybe the Frosty gulping idiot from Wendy's and Rachel should check this out although they would probably fall asleep instantly; that is if they are even capable of reading anything that even relates one iota toward academics.

PROPER GRAMMAR AND SPELLING DO MATTER

I read a column recently by a guy named David Goodloe.  You have never heard of him and neither had I until recently and only because he and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to using proper grammar and spelling in written pieces.

Since I do a lot of blog writing that reaches the public via the electronic media plus hard copy pieces through newspapers like the Scottsdale Republic and Arizona Republic, I try my best to be accurate with my tenses, spelling, and other forms of grammar.  

Goodloe makes some interesting comments about good grammar and speech usage. One is to never use abbreviations like BTW and IMO.  I’m old fashioned enough that I still believe expressions like “by the way” and “in my opinion” should be spelled out.  Unfortunately, in this high speed world we have, it usually takes too much time for many to do it the proper way.

A comical example of the above comes from the original movie of “The Odd Couple.”  Oscar was complaining to Felix about the fact that he left notes for Oscar on Oscar's pillow. Then he quoted one: "We are all out of corn flakes. FU."  He glared at Felix. "It took me three hours to figure out 'FU' was 'Felix Ungar.' " 

The only time you will find me guilty of using abbreviations is in informal notes.  I’m not adverse to using an occasional “LOL” when writing informal notes to friends but you’ll probably never see me use anything else even as simple as ROFL or LMAO.  Those items just indicate laziness plus I am sure there are some people out there (the “codger factor”) who have no idea what they mean.

Then we have the “emoticons.”   Do we really need little faces typed from colons, semi-colons, and parentheses to indicate the writer’s mood when they send a message to you?  Even worse are the ones that are supplied to us by certain email sites.

Should I even get into the misuses of “their,"  “they’re,” and “there”?  How about “your” and “you’re?”  I still get messages, from people who should know better, where all these forms are used incorrectly.

A lot of people are just plain sloppy these days when they write.  If they are corrected, they simply say “It doesn't matter; you know what I mean.”  It should matter as good grammar and spelling are a hallmark of intelligence and if one has a doubt as to what is correct they should follow the words of the two kids who used to exist in a monthly magazine from “World Books”:   “We never guess; we look it up.”  

PERUSING THE NEWS..............

I see today where our glorious leader is taking a trip with Michelle and the kids to Africa at a taxpayer cost of about $100 million.  One congressman said that the trip would cover the cost of 1,350 week’s worth of White House tours which were discontinued because of the sequester. 

One would think that a president of the United States would have at least one thread of common sense and avoid such nonsense.  Instead, we get this drivel from his talking heads: “The infrastructure that accompanies the president’s travels is beyond our control,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. “When you travel to regions like Africa that don’t get a lot of presidential attention, you tend to have very long-standing and long-running impact from the visit.”

 “The president and first lady have cancelled plans to go on a safari that would have included the additional expense of a sharp-shooting team, responsible for putting down a cheetah, lion or any other wild animal that became a threat.”  How nice of them to save us that expense.  I’m sure the cheetah and the lion appreciate it too. 

The White House had defended the trip cost saying the Secret Service plan determines the security cost and that the first family’s trip will result in long-term goodwill.  

There is a bright side to this story as the Real Clear daily political poll shows Obama’s un-favorability rating at -4.3% below his favorability rating.  I watch that rating every day and that is the lowest I have seen it. CNN is always on board with Obama but even they issued this gloomy news to his followers yesterday:  “President Barack Obama's approval rating is plummeting in the midst of American dissatisfaction with the recent privacy controversies and other scandals.

"The president's approval rating is 45 percent, marking an 8-point drop in the last month, according to a CNN survey. Weighing down on the Obama administration are the revelations of government domestic spying programs, the Justice Department's secret pursuit of journalists' phone records, the Internal Revenue Service's inappropriate scrutiny of conservative political groups seeking tax-exemption status, as well as the lingering questions over the deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, last fall.”

“The survey, released Monday, also shows that 50 percent of Americans say they don't believe Obama is "honest and trustworthy," for the first time in his presidency, according to CNN. His personal trustworthiness was a measure that shined during his re-election campaign, where he continually outperformed Republican presidential opponent Mitt Romney, bolstering his position despite a struggling economy.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea Clinton has (surprise, surprise!) endorsed her mom Hillary for president in 2016.  She says:  “We need a woman in the White House!” No word yet on whether that astonishing news has the Republicans cowering and shaking in their boots.  However, Michelle probably isn’t too happy over that comment.

This just in from Middy:  Don’t you wish you had kids in school in that toddlin’ town especially with this idiot in charge?  I don't know what we are going to do with those trouble making white people!

IN RETROSPECT, NIXON WAS AN ANGEL

In 1928 the Democrats ran a governor from New York named Al Smith against Herbert Hoover.  Smith lost but still became famous for his line “Let’s take a look at the record.”

In a tribute to Smith, let’s take a look at another famous Democrat named Obama and his record.  As you review that record, do you get the feeling that Nixon was an angel compared to Obama?   Nixon had Watergate which caused his resignation.  Obama has a laundry list that fortunately even the Democrats are starting to recognize.

“I know nothing, I am not here, I did not 

even get up this morning!”

When will proceedings against him finally start?  Will Verizon finally wake up this country about this guy?  Two good indications are that he is losing some major supporters who have championed him from the beginning:  The New York Times and the Huffington Post although the Times, who initially stated that Obama’s government “has lost all credibility” has chickened out and revised its statement to add “on this issue”. The liberal Huffington Post says “Obama, Verizon, and Executive Power Run Amok”.

With that said, let’s briefly “take a look at the record” via a brief overview.  No sense going into details as you readers and I have been discussing this stuff for a sufficient amount of time to understand each point.  It’s just that with a laundry list this long, will anything happen or will guys like Holder and Obama continue to get away with their Sergeant Schultz imitation:  “I know nothing, I am not here, I did not even get up this morning!”

1.  Fast and Furious

2.  AP wire taps

3.  IRS scandal

4.  Benghazi

5.  Verizon

6.  National Labor Relations Board illegal appointments

7.  Sibelius and her HHS trying to illegally solicit funds for Obamacare

Nixon breaks into one office and he is kicked out.  It seems mild compared to the above list.  As Yakov Smirnoff would say: “What a country!”

By the way; you had to dig a bit this week to find the unemployment numbers for May.  That could only mean one thing:  they went up.  Bingo!  Sure enough, up .1 to 7.6 from 7.5 last month.  It’s meaningless since the real unemployment is over 13% but interesting in how the news is conveyed in such a partial manner.

KAY KYSER'S "KOLLEGE OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE"

It’s time for a music quiz.  Are you salivating, Glo?

Here it goes:

1.  In a 1973 hit by Deep Purple, they are singing about “smoke” and “water”.  What song?  What smoke?  What water?  What famous group of the time is mentioned in the song?

2.  Who won the 1971 World Series and what was their theme song?  Who performed it?

3.  Who sang “Diamond Girl”?  Name the year within three years.  (Extra credit if you hit it exactly)

Janice Joplin (1943-1970).  She was

quite a "swill" singer! 

4.  What band did Rick Derringer start with at age 17?  What was their huge hit of 1965 and who did they knock out of #1 on the Hit Parade with it?

5.  Who sang “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and in what movie was it featured?  It became Billboard’s number 1 hit of what year?

6.  Name the 1975 disco hit by The Silver Convention.

7.  Name Janice Joplin’s favorite booze.

8.  Who was Carly Simon singing about in her 1973 hit “You’re So Vain”?

9.  What brand of car is mentioned in a 1981 hit by Blondie that has been considered by many to be the first successful rap song?   Who is the lead singer?

10.  Name three hits from the J. Geils Band.

Extra credit question:  Who the hell was Kay Kyser?” 

This is NOT an open book test.   Anyone caught cheating will have to wash the blackboards after class and beat the chalk dust out of the erasers.

Good luck!  I’ll give you a reasonable amount of time to complete the quiz.  While you’re working on it, I’ll be hanging around the teacher’s lounge trying to find out more about the good looking babe who is the new English teacher!

WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

“The parallel between Benghazi and the IRS story is amazing.  (It’s) lying about lying, then lying about the fact that they are lying.  Then seeking to apologize for lies that they claim they didn’t tell.  This pattern is a culture of big government who believes that it is more important than the American people.”

……….Newt  Gingrich.

I doubt if Obama had any inkling of what 2013 might bring to his table after his easy re-election in 2012.  He even started off the New Year with a bang by beating the Republicans into an embarrassing cave in on tax hikes for the fiscal cliff.

Wow!  How rosy it looked for the guy who brings new meaning to “superego.”  At his State of the Union speech, he proposed a “left wing dream factory” according to columnist Charles Krauthammer with a declaration of war on global warming (even though temperatures are the same as 16 years ago and CO2 emissions are at a 20 year low).

House Rep Jason Chaffetz is talking of

possible impeachment proceedings. 

Also on the list was universal pre-school for 5 year olds in a country already drowning in debt.  He also felt confident in the Democrats re-gaining the House in 2014. 

Gosh, this being the President isn’t hard after all; except that it is, especially when you are, as Edward Klein called Obama in his book, The Amateur. 

When confronted by the lack of his intimidation on sequester by Republicans, he panicked like a schoolyard brat with silliness like airline delays and the cancellation of White House tours.  Looking foolish, he eventually caved in.

Need we discuss his embarrassment over the loss of his gun control bill?  Sure, why not?  I wonder how much gas he burned up at our expense to fly all over hell posing with grieving relatives of those slain by guns.  He lost 60-40 in a Senate that had 55 seats belonging to his own party.

Want more?  How about the Benghazi hearings? The IRS/Tea Party scandal?  The AP wire tapping by Obama’s buddy Holder (“Who, me?  Yes, you!”), and the latest:  HHS Secretary Sibelius trying to illegally get funds to prop up Obamacare.   Hell, as long as we are airing out this guy, how about a SECOND court ruling against his illegal appointment of members to the National Labor Relations Board while the Senate was off?  It’s like endlessly listening to Sonny and Cher sing “And the beat goes on.”

The Republicans have a great opportunity here if they just don’t blow it.  In the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Humphrey Bogart (as Fred C. Dobbs) and Tim Holt (as Curtin) have been stiffed on

their wages by their boss McCormick as played by Barton Mac Lane.

When they see McCormick walking down the street dressed in a nice new suit with a young senorita, Dobbs says “Let’s get him….and get him HARD!”

That’s exactly what Republicans need to do.  Get Obama and get him hard.  I may add that they need to do it soon.  These types of opportunities have a way of disappearing if not quickly acted upon!

EIGHTEEN TV SHOWS CANCELLED! WHO CARES?

I was browsing through Drudge and Fox News this morning and besides airing my disgust about how screwed up this country has gotten under the power of Obama and his crooked cronies (Benghazi? IRS scandal with the Tea Party? Gun control? Immigration? and more), I managed to notice a piece from Entertainment Weekly.com  about eighteen TV shows that have been cancelled.

Before I looked at the list I wondered if there would be even one show that I have ever heard of, much less watched.  All of these shows were on “over the air” channels like ABC, CBS, ABC and since 99% of my viewing habits come from cable broadcasts, the chances were between slim and none that I knew the programs.

TV has deteriorated badly over the years.  It has basically become a place for the younger crowd that enjoys programming a lot less sophisticated than we of a more advanced age enjoy.  The accent today is on more sex and violence and, of course, the shows stretch profanity as far as possible with plenty of double entendre attempts at humor.  Personally, I always like to perform my sex and violence at home and didn’t need any TV show to show me how it’s done!

Many thought TV had gone a bit over the edge in the early 1970s with All in the Family.  By “over the edge” I’m referring to the outspoken opinions of Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker and his ability to make the audience laugh at him while they laughed at themselves for having such silly sensitivities about the subject that may yet be the downfall of this country:  political correctness.

Archie was right.  Whether there is a coincidence or not, many outstanding lawyers are Jewish and many black guys are outstanding athletes.  So what?  Today, anyone saying that would hear a loud gasp and a “You can’t say that!”  If Archie were still here, he would tell you quickly why you can.

There were other great network shows in those days mainly because cable was not a factor.  My wife and I had a Saturday night ritual in the early 1970s:  We would grill a couple of nice steaks on the patio of our home in beautiful Shawnee, Kansas; add a baked potato, salad, a bottle of wine and turn on our 10 inch Magnavox color TV to watch All in the Family, Sandy Duncan, Mary Tyler Moore (with the great Ted Knight as “Ted Baxter!”) and The Bob Newhart Show.

Afterwards, we would take a shower together (only because it saved water! Ahem!) then head over to Kansas City, Missouri to do some clubbing.  Those were fun days.

By 1976 we had graduated to a 27” Magnavox floor model.  One day, while watching the four channels available, there was a knock on the door.  The devil had arrived in the form of the guy selling cable!  How could I resist Beelzebub when he offered a chance to see the Atlanta Braves baseball games and non commercial movies even if the first one we watched was Burt Reynolds in W. W. and the Dixie Dance Kings!

As far as those eighteen shows getting the ax, I have heard of two; both of which I have never watched.  They are The Office and 30 Rock.  Here is the entire list in case you care.

One of the great scenes from "Frasier" (.48) which ran on NBC from 1993-2004. Niles and Lilith in the sack! OMIGOD!

MORE MUSIC STUFF

Music is fun and entertaining to most of us whether it is from our own memories of pop tunes recorded during our lifetimes or before.

I love the old stuff because the tunes are so great and supply us with a vision of their times and some of the 

lyrics infuriate the holier than thou liberals of today who don’t understand the era that produced the songs.

Cole Porter (1891-1964)

 

A favorite is “Let’s Do it (Let’s fall in love)” written in 1928 by the prolific Cole Porter.  The irony in this song is in the opening chorus where it states that “Chinks do it, Japs do it, up in Lapland little Laps do it...” 

Porter wrote it for the show Paris which was his first Broadway success.  With the politically correct world that evolved, the lyrics were later changed to “Birds do it, bees do it”.  I think that is a cop out; I think Porter was just having fun with the first lyrics and meant nothing harmful with “Chinks do it, Japs do it” but as we know, tastes change and skin gets thinner  (The attached YouTube has the original lyrics).

I’ve been a music freak forever and still carry a harmonica around much to the disdain of some but, hey, that’s just me.  I’ve been following pop music since I was 6 or 7 and have never tired of it although some of the stuff today makes me glad I like what are now the oldies. 

One favorite from the late 40’s was a regular on the hit parade from WCKY in Cincinnati:  Peggy Lee and her then husband Dave Barbour doing “Manana”.  Peggy was great with any tune.

As the 50s arrived 1955 produced guys like Pat Boone with “Ain’t That a Shame” and Perez Prado with “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White”.  Bill Haley and his Comets snuck in that year with “Rock Around the Clock” which was a portent of things to come.

And come it did in 1956 with some guy named “Elvis” hitting it big with “Hound Dog” and “Love me Tender.”  Does anyone remember one hit wonder Jim Lowe with “Green Door”?

Can it really be 55 years since I got out of high school? That would be 1958 when “At the Hop”, by Danny and the Juniors, “Get a Job” by The Silhouettes, “Tequila” by The Champs, and “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters ruled.

The 60s were nice.  I spent 4 years in the Air Force; plenty of time to learn things I would never had learned by staying in Cincy.   Also a time to meet girls and dance and love in clubs from Texas and Missouri to Germany only to come home in 1965 and find my true love a month later.  Isn’t fate great?  The young guys today don’t know what they missed by not having to serve.

Meanwhile, tunes like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, “The Twist”, “The Duke of Earl”, “Surf City”, “Sugar Shack”, All the great British invasion songs including “Downtown” by Pet Clark; Monday, Monday”,  “Crimson and Clover”, and many other great tunes came along.

Even today, I still like to occasionally turn up the volume all the way and break off the knob as I am doing while I write this paean to pop music.  So far while writing I have played The Smithereens, Donnie Iris, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, Norman Greenbaum, West End Girls, Jefferson Starship,  One Night in Bangkok, Greg Kihn Band, and Yes. 

So many songs; so little time!

For a good look at Paris of the 1920’s see Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (2011).

CAMPAIGN AND PROTEST SONGS

Songs used by politicians to support their campaigns have been around for a long time.

In the Depression ravaged early 1930’s, Franklin Roosevelt used a previously written song which easily conveyed his campaign hopes, “Happy Days are here Again”.  Who wouldn’t fall for these lyrics when the country was down and out?

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again.

One of the most effective tunes was used by Harry Truman when he ran for president in the late 1940’s.  Appropriately, it was “I’m Just Wild about Harry” which was written in 1921 for a Broadway show hence, it didn’t have the stigma of being trumped up just for Truman’s campaign.  Harry was behind in the polls against Dewey for much of the campaign but won anyway so maybe the song really did make people wild about Harry.

Then there is pop music which helps liberal candidates more than conservatives because it aims at the younger crowds who are more vulnerable and always dissatisfied with the status quo.  While the conservatives may rely primarily on patriotic themes the liberals will usually tie into a popular group or person bent on change with their definition of change including taking from the rich to give to the poor.  To them that is an easy solution regardless of whether many of the poor are deserving to take from those who have earned their way.

Bob Dylan, c. 1965

I was first eligible to vote in 1962 when most of the protest folk songs were beginning their popularity.  There was no FM radio to speak of then so the AM airwaves were packed with complaints about our government, war, etc. by acts like Peter Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, and to a lesser extent The Kingston Trio and Pete Seeger.

I’m sure they meant well but I don’t remember ever hearing of them giving the profits from their million selling discs to the needy.   Does anyone really think that Joan Baez and Peter Paul and Mary would have made it big without the anti war liberal rants?  Many of the youth of that era fell right into their hands while the rest of us rocked to the “Peppermint Twist” and “Runaround Sue” as we voted Republican. 

We were mostly military guys in an era of the mandatory draft while the “anti” gang was college kids mostly straight out of high school who thought they could solve the world’s problems after taking a course in politics from some liberal college professor who never served a day.  

It’s carried on to today as groups like Crosby, Stills, and Nash are bald and aging but still are fighting the establishment.  Starting in the late 1970’s the punk rock movement joined the crowd espousing left wing and anti-establishment philosophies.  Most of these bands look like their members are twelve years old and just want to be “in” on something.  By the time they are thirty and driving a Honda they will probably wonder what the hell they were thinking all those years ago.

A member of The New Christy Minstrels (Barry McGuire) had a big anti war hit in September of 1965. I especially remember it because that’s the month I got out of the USAF and met my future wife.

Interesting note on Bob Dylan: In 1965 he changed to an electric guitar which infuriated most of his fans. Did he change because by then the protest era was fading and he felt he needed to move on or were his fans being unrealistic in their expectations of him? I think it was the former. The coffee house mentality was waning and fans wanted to hear more stuff on the cutting edge. Plus, the British Invasion was arriving and Bob had to eat like everyone else. To make matters worse disco was just around the corner. Sometimes a guy has to swallow his pride. Anyone remember "Lay Lady Lay"?

ALFRED HITCHCOCK, AUGUST 13, 1899 - APRIL 29,1980

I doubt if there is anyone reading this who has not heard of Alfred Hitchcock.  Later this month on April 29, 2013 it will be thirty-three years since the master of movie and television suspense died at age 80.

Hitchcock was born in London, England in 1899 and by 1920 had developed an interest in the film business through his skill as an accomplished artist.  During the 1920s he met his future wife and collaborator Alma Reville.  They were married in 1927 and became the parents of daughter Pat who was born in July of 1928.

The year 1927 was a big one for Hitchcock as he not only got married but he directed his first film, The Lodger. 

In the UK throughout the 1930’s until 1939, Hitch churned out many films with the best ones, in my opinion, being the original The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) with Peter Lorre, The 39 Steps (1935), and a personal favorite, The Lady Vanishes (1938).  After Jamaica Inn in 1939, he moved to America where he would gain his biggest fame.

His first film after arriving in the U. S. was Rebecca which won the Oscar for best picture of 1940.  He went on to do such favorites over the years as Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window, (1954), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).   His 67 directorial credits also include his half hour TV show which ran from 1955-1961, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  That Sunday night show produced many memorable programs.  He also did The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1962.

The above gives you a quick resume of Alfred Hitchcock’s life and major accomplishments in the UK and America but what kind of a guy was he and why were most of his works successful?

As a follower of vintage film productions, I was rarely bored with a Hitchcock film.  That’s not to say I liked them all.  I never could get into Torn Curtain (1966) even though I was drawn to see it because of the Hitchcock touch and that it starred Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.  Another clunker to me was probably one of his most successful films, The Birds (1963).

The fun things about Hitchcock’s films were his ability to create suspense and a feeling of anxiety that kept the viewers on the edge of their seats through various twists and turns.  He liked icy female characters, preferably blondes, to inhabit his films (Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren, Priscilla Lane, Janet Leigh, etc.).  He also liked the excitement of someone being on the run like Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959), Robert Cummings in Saboteur (1942), or Robert Donat in The 39 Steps (1935), etc.

He also always had a plot device that made the whole thing work referred to as the “Macguffin.”  Combined with the music scores of Bernard Herrmann for many of the films, it made for an enjoyable couple hours.

Hitchcock also liked to tease his audiences with his cameo appearances.  Here is all of them.  Some I remember, some I don't.  I think the best is the one with his picture in the newspaper in Lifeboat (1944) advertising a weight reduction product.  Watch carefully for it.

I wish we had more Alfred Hitchcocks in Hollywood today.

(For more on Hitchcock, Psycho, and Phoenix, click here.  For a complete list of his movies, click here.)

DAY DREAMING ON A SATURDAY MORNING.......

Odds and ends…..This morning’s Real Clear Politics poll shows Obama’s approval at 47.8% and disapproval of 47.1%.  That’s a 0.7 difference in his favor; not very good but why should it be?.....Here is a great idea that never made it to reality probably because no one has to parallel park anymore.

I remember having to parallel park for my driver’s test when I was 16 and I always took pride in being good at it.  A co-worker once told me they thought I could parallel park in a space smaller than a car.  It’s a lost art just like shifting the gears of “three on a tree.”

Does anyone remember one speed vacuum windshield wipers that stopped when you hit the gas?  How about the high beam headlight button on the floor or the old Chevys with the vacuum stick shift?  Anyone ever fixed a flat in an old time tube tire?  Do I dare mention two piece windshields?......In a recent column on the AZ Republic’s  Politics blog I mentioned how I don’t think a mayor is needed in the council-manager form of city government and I cited Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton as a good example.  He keeps reinforcing what I said about him a few weeks ago:  He is just a glorified ribbon cutter for new supermarkets. The city manager runs the show while Stanton lies during his campaign about removing the tax on food in Phoenix.  That’s right; a tax on FOOD during hard times!  Robert Robb said it all in a recent column in the Republic where he mentioned there were ways such as cutting out big raises to city employees which could have canceled the food tax.   However, Stanton seems more interested in endorsing a silly buyback of guns which is nothing but a political stunt.

Charles Barkley; he is never at a loss 

for words.

 Speaking of gun buybacks, it’s a drop in the bucket but Obama has to love it as it will be fewer guns for the feds to pick up when Obama decides to make all of us turn in our guns.  Politicians like Stanton and others are like followers of the Pied Piper that are being led into the river……I love the candid attitude of Charles Barkley and he showed it this week on a broadcast during the NCAA Basketball Tournament. 

Doug Gottlieb, an ex-player and a white guy, was on a panel including Barkley and three other black guys when Gottlieb joked that he was there “to bring diversity to the set; kind of the white man’s perspective.”   Wow! The liberal Twitter freaks went crazy blasting Gottlieb for his joking statement.  Barkley had the best reply of anyone to those no-life, over sensitive losers:   "I want to say something about Doug Gottlieb,” Barkley said. “He made a joke earlier tonight and people are going crazy. All those idiots on Twitter, which I would never ever do, all you people at home who have got no life and are talking bad about Doug Gottlieb, get a life. It’s over with. It’s no big deal.” 

Go Charles!  You can always count on Barkley to express his feelings and he is right on this one.

CRUISIN' AND PERUSIN' THE NEWS

Welcome to America:  I just read about a local guy who said that he recently applied for employment at a large home improvement chain.  I assume it has to be Lowe’s or Home Depot.

The guy has 25 years experience in the construction business and has dealt with the public the entire time.  Needless to say, he probably got the job, right?  Wrong, Kemo Sabe.

During the interview, he was asked if he was bi-lingual since the store was looking for someone to deal with foreign speaking customers.  Being an American, his answer was “No”.  He didn’t get the job or two others at similar companies.

What is the mystique that foreign countries seem to have over us these days?  It used to be that those who came here had to learn OUR language, not the other way around.  No wonder Rosetta  Stone runs so many TV commercials!

I’ve always like Senator Rob Portman of Ohio as a good conservative Republican.  However, with his 21 year old son’s recent admission that he is gay, Portman has suddenly gone into reverse and now supports gays.

It’s a head scratcher for sure but I have to agree with the following opinion from the “Daily Caller”:

But if the sole reason for Portman’s switch is that he discovered he has a gay son, well that makes me wonder how deeply he thought through the issue to begin with, because, honestly, it shouldn’t matter.  He could love his son and still oppose gay marriage. Or he could be childless and still support it. His familial circumstances ought to be irrelevant. Has he not heard of thought exercises like the “veil of ignorance” or the “moral spectator”? Progressives aren’t the only ones who should be skeptical of Portman’s reversal. This makes me wonder about his commitment to other issues. What if another family member had an unplanned pregnancy? Would he then change his position on abortion and the right to life?  

The latest Real Clear Politics poll shows that Obama’s approval rating is now only +0.6 above his disapproval rating.  A couple months ago he was at +10.1; that’s quite a drop to be sure. This means it’s about 50-50.  I can’t say he hasn’t earned it.

Jennifer Capriati is in trouble again

Most of us remember the much heralded teen tennis star from the 90s, Jennifer Capriati.  She was winning matches against highly ranked players at age 13 and seemed destined for immortality in tennis.  Unfortunately, she took a wrong turn along the way and has gotten in a few scrapes involving drugs plus other problems.

I remember when she was at her peak and even then she seemed to have an attitude unlike the bubbly and popular 1990s teen player Monica Seles.   Capriati had a drug bust a couple years later along with shoplifting charges and recently at age 36 is in more trouble on stalking and battery charges against her ex-boyfriend.

I guess The Beatles were right:  Money can’t buy you love.

Honors Night cancelled.  More liberal nonsense from a high school principal in Massachusetts who called off an Honors Night saying it could be “devastating to the students who worked hard, but fell short of the grades.”  

What a clueless jerk!  I have news for him:  Some kids are smarter or work harder than others and they deserve the recognition for their efforts.  He is applying the typical liberal mentality that everyone is equal and it’s important that no one’s feelings are hurt.  I feel sorry for his students when they arrive in the real world where having your poor feelings hurt can be a daily experience. 

Mel Blanc with Jack Benny - Classic Sy sketch.avi

AROUND THE ENTERTAINMENT HORN

Are you sick of all the liberal entertainment business phonies who follow Obama around like little puppies following their master?  Fortunately, not all of them are members of that category.

Let’s take a look at some conservative entertainers who have the brains to not fall for the Obama mystique as so many others have:

Rapper 50 Cent:  Yes, there is a Black rapper who is conservative.  He has even said:  “I actually like Bush.  In some ways I am the George W. Bush of hip hop.  Nobody likes me but I’m still gonna run it for the next four years.”

Other entertainers who support conservatism:  Adam Sandler, Phoenix native Alice Cooper, Bo Derek of “10” fame,  the smiling coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, tennis great Chris Evert, FOX News regular Dennis Miller, and many others. 

We bought our first television in 1950.  It was a 16” black and white “National” floor model and even with the antenna strapped to our chimney; the reception wasn’t very good; especially when planes flew overhead or when it was stormy.

Mel Blanc, (c.1959) 

None of those inconveniences bothered us as we had TV even if it did broadcast only from 5:00 p.m. until midnight.  It seemed so incomprehensible at the time that we could hear a show AND see it at the same time.  It was quite an entertainment center and it hastened the end of network radio by September 30, 1962 when the last radio network show, “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” signed off for the last time.

 

I enjoy great quotes and radio and television sure supplied many of them over the years.  Mel Blanc (1908-1989) was the voice of Bugs Bunny and many other cartoon characters besides being a regular on the Jack Benny radio show which was great listening in the 1940s and 50s.

Mel was also known as the Los Angeles train station announcer on Benny’s show when he would call the boarding of the "Train leaving on Track 5 for Anaheim, Azusa and Cuuuu-ca-mon-gaaa!"  I don’t know of anyone who ever got tired of that bit in the 15 years Blanc did it from 1950-1965.

In the fall of 1970 “The Mary Tyler Moore” debuted on CBS starring Mary and Ed Asner as Lou Grant, her crusty boss in the newsroom of WJM-TV in Minneapolis. 

Mary played an ambitious newcomer.  Noticing that, cantankerous Lou says, “Mary!  You’ve got spunk!”  Taking that as a compliment, Mary says, “Really?  Thanks Mr. Grant.”  Lou quickly replies, “I hate spunk!”

Other great ones include one of my favorites said by Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden to Audrey Meadows on “The Honeymooners”:  “Baby, you’re the greatest!”

How about Dan Ackroyd’s line to Jane Curtin in the early days of “Saturday Night Live”:  “Jane, you ignorant slut!” or Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) on “Sanford and Son” as he grasps his chest “Elizabeth!  I’m comin’!"

Who could forget William Sanderson’s line from “Newhart” (1982-1990) as he introduced himself and his brothers: “I’m Larry; this is my brother Darryl and my other brother Darryl.”

The other day, I read an article lamenting the end of ten TV shows that have had long runs in recent years.  Television has gotten so bad lately that I didn’t know any of those shows.  I much prefer Turner Classic Movies and vintage TV.

NO BARRY, THE SKY ISN"T FALLING

I had to post this Benson cartoon from March 3rd since it isn’t often he draws anything that would be the least bit injurious to his liberal following.

This cartoon shows Obama’s lack of understanding the American public.  It’s a takeoff on the children’s Story Teller’s Book written in 1912 by Alice O’Grady.

It’s called “Chicken Licken” and I’m sure most of you have heard the story, especially in your youth. 

Chicken Licken has a pea fall from a vine hitting her on the tail and immediately thinks that the sky is falling and that she must immediately go tell the king.

As she runs off she encounters her friends Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Cocky Locky, and Turkey Lurkey who join in the mad scramble to tell the king that the sky is falling.

When they reach the woods, they meet Foxy Loxy and tell him they need directions to the king.  He says he knows the way as he smiles and lures them into his cavern.  He later emerges from the cavern but those foolish birds were never heard from again.

Fortunately for the guy in Benson’s cartoon who represents the enlightened public, he is ignoring the ever present warnings from Chicken Licken Obama about the sky falling.  After all, how many times must we hear his broken record pronouncements of another crisis if we don’t follow his rules? Now we shrug and yawn and go back to sleep in the comfort of our hammocks.

The latest Gallup Poll shows Obama’s approval rating at 47%; pretty poor considering his recent election.  Real Clear Politics shows his approval rating down to 5.9% after recently being almost 9.  The stock market doesn’t seem too frightened either.

First, it was the “fiscal cliff” early this year when the Republicans unfortunately caved and gave Obama his tax increase on the wealthy; an increase that wasn’t a heavy revenue producer but allowed him to feed his ego by claiming a win over a group he detests.

Then came the 2% increase to paychecks; an increase that many weren’t prepared for or happy about.  With the sequester, he wanted ANOTHER tax increase on those dreaded rich people.  The Republicans said “No!” so now the threats begin with the release of illegal immigrants for starters and who knows what other imagined catastrophe he will dream up next to try and fool the public.

Some may think that now that the sequester is in effect, that is the end of it.  Not so mes amis!  On March 27, the current continuing resolution that funds the government’s operations ends. Either a new resolution must be approved by the House and Senate, or a broader budget must be approved.  If Congress can’t reach a budget deal by March 27, all nonessential federal government operations stop. 

So when does this stop?  I’ve been breathing since a year after FDR won his fourth term in 1940 and I have never seen such a maelstrom of nonsense in the federal government.   Are we actually paying this guy money to screw up this country?

(Here is a good takeoff on the sequester from SNL, (4:25) courtesy of Middy) 

REMEMBERING AZ CENTRAL BLOGS (2006-2012)

One of my favorite bloggers is Glo.  She has been around almost as long as this blog has.  She and CJ were the first female bloggers I had after the AZ Central blogs launched on December 6, 2006.  I think their first entries appeared about a month or two later in early 2007.  They have both followed me to this blog which I did as a secondary item until AZ Central got ruined in 2011 with the arrival of the Facebook requirement for comments.

In a way, Facebook was a blessing.  Before it was required, I would get 50 or 60 comments on a blog story.  One of my favorites was something I did on how soda pop was referred to in different parts of the country.  I called it “Soda, Pop, or Coke” and never thought that something so mundane would get many hits.  It wound up with 74 comments by 44 readers; some of them from far away.  When I re-printed it in February of 2009 on my Google blog, it drew another 36 comments.  It just goes to show that one never knows what will work when doing a piece.

A large percentage of my AZ Central blogs still exist in my Google blog archives and I enjoy checking them out now and then for nostalgic reasons if nothing else.  AZ Central was a good thing that eventually scared the Arizona Republic when some of the comments became a bit overwrought over their political preferences.  I didn’t do that much in the way of politics so I got swept aside when the Facebook nonsense became effective and I refused to be a part of it.

In the first paragraph, I mentioned Glo and Cj but I mustn’t forget others like Middy, Mike, Proud, Sam, native, Allen, Ken, AHG, Lynda, John W., Doc John, Larry, DG, Steve, Kevin, Lynda, rettajim, stealth, blue, Niagara Dave, and the irrepressible Rick.   There are others I may not have named but do appreciate.

Speaking of Glo and Middy, I have found in my Shorpy archives a couple of vintage photos that apply to the part of the country where they lived before becoming dues paying members of Arizona.

This is a photo of some ladies enjoying a night of bowling in Glo’s home state of Connecticut in 1942.  They are playing the eastern game of duck pin bowling hence, the smaller balls.  The lanes they are using are located in the basement of the fire station in Bantam, Connecticut.  Could the lady throwing the ball possibly be Glo’s mom?

Since Middy grew up in the panhandle of Texas, I thought a good old fashioned dust storm photo would bring back memories of those years.  The photo was taken in Amarillo, Texas in 1936 during one of the dust storms.  Residents of that area have said that a windsock to them was a “brick welded to a chain.”

That sounds about right.  I had the honor of being stationed in Amarillo for a couple months in 1961 and some of the wind I experienced probably wouldn’t move the brick!

PHIL MICKELSON, A CHAMPION IN GOLF AND LIFE

Professional golfer and ASU grad Phil Mickelson has recently spoken about his combined tax hit from the federal government and the State of California going into the 60% to 63% range.  Understandably, Phil is unhappy about such a situation and is considering leaving the golden state.

Mickelson has always come across as one of the really good guys in sports.  He is mannerly, a good family man, and a fan favorite who has had his share of heartaches over his wife’s and mother’s battles with breast cancer.  Through it all, he has smiled, never brushed off autograph seekers, given balls to and gloves to kids, and helped charities.

Phil shows his trophy received for winning the 

2000 Buick Invitational

As expected, the day after Phil declared his unhappiness with the tax situation, the $1.98 an hour liberals started coming out of the woodwork calling his statements “controversial” and criticizing him as being a greedy athlete.  Being the guy he is, he actually apologized unnecessarily for his comments about moving from tax heavy California.

On another blog I do (AZC Voices, Politics) one of the fiery female liberal loudmouth contributors took issue with Phil trying to point out that with all the money he makes, he should be glad to pay the higher taxes and that even after paying up would still have more than most people.  It’s as if she is the one who should decide how much money Mickelson should make and how much he deserves to keep.  One of the favorite statements from liberals is:  “Gosh, how much do you need?”  My answer is “None of your damned business”.

This is the classic liberal mentality that we have to put up with today.  They believe that taking more than half of someone’s income is only right because it is their supposed “fair share”.  Of course, with the above mentioned female blogger who derogatorily referred to Mr. Mickelson as “dear sweet Phil”, she loves looking at successful people as needing to pay more taxes to prop up the almost 50% who don’t pay any taxes.  Maybe if she tried to play golf, she would realize what an impossible game it is and give guys like Mickelson the respect they deserve.

Actually, she wouldn’t because that is not the way liberals think.  They don’t want a wealthy class; they want everyone equal with the rich doing the heavy lifting and giving more to those beneath them.  That’s the type of mentality that saps initiative away from the makers of the world and why we have a liberal president who wants job killing items like a $9 per hour minimum wage while squandering millions to losers like Solyndra and Tesla.

The good news is that his approval ratings have slipped in a couple of important polls.  Maybe America is finally seeing the light.

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson is doing well this weekend in the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.  I would love to see him win it and pocket another million bucks.

POLITICALLY CORRECT NONSENSE AND TIRESOME EXPRESSIONS

Remember when someone would be considered “fat” if they were short and weighed 400 pounds?  How about someone who refused to work and sponged off others being called a “bum.”  Let’s not forget the guy who would pick up your trash as the “garbage man” and guys like George Washington, Jefferson, Adams, etc. being known as the “Founding Fathers.”

Forget all that as we are now in the idiotic world of political correctness and are not supposed to use those terms.  I say “we” are in that world but in reality I am not a member of the political correctness society and I’m sure many of you aren’t either.

Today, in our liberal society that dreads the remotest possibility that someone may have their feelings hurt, that 400 pound guy would be referred to as having “an enlarged physical condition caused by a completely natural genetically induced hormone imbalance.”  To those of us who are from the old school he still is “fat”.  The “bum” is now a “homeless person” and the “Founding Fathers” are “The Founders”.  We can’t risk offending women of the 18^th century who might have pitched in!  As for the “garbage man” he is now a “sanitation engineer.”

I wonder where this "sanitation engineer" from the 
1950s received his degree.  Yale?  Harvard?

It’s all nonsense brought about by a clueless group of today that has no sense of reality.  I remember a few years ago when Tiger Woods hit a bad shot, the microphone picked up his voice muttering “I hit that like a retard!”  He caught hell over that even though not too many years’ earlier “retard” or “retarded” were common terms for someone with a mental disability.  Another no-no was from Barack himself when he proved on the bowling lanes that he has no athletic ability whatsoever and exclaimed that he looked like he was a member of the Special Olympics.

Philip Atkinson, author of A Study of Our Decline, says it best: "Political Correctness is merely the resentment of spoiled children directed against their parent’s values." 

It’s not just political correctness that is annoying today.  How about some of the popular expressions we have to hear continuously.  What better place to start on those than from Barack himself.  This guy is more repetitive than a Thompson machine gun but far less effective.  How many times have we heard him say “…but I won” and “It’s a problem that I inherited.”  My favorites are “Make no mistake.”  “Change isn't easy.”  “Let me be clear.”

Remember a few years ago when there wasn’t a teen age girl in captivity that didn’t utter “Whatever!” at least a hundred times a day?  It’s still around but like “awesome” and “dude”, is not as popular as it once was.

Our buddy Barack gets to take credit again for the term “fair share” as in “I want to raise taxes on the rich so they pay their “fair share” to support the bums on welfare.”

Then there is “not a problem” (what happened to O.K.?), home invasion (it sounds less crude than “break in”), “my bad” (sounds stupid even from a kid), “hone in” (are people so dumb they don’t know its “home in”) and many others of which I’m sure you are familiar.

Be patient; I’m sure more inanity is on the way.