YOU CAN'T HIDE INEPTITUDE FOREVER

Most of the liberal crowd will stick to Obama’s coattails regardless of how much he screws up this once great country.  We all know the local ones from the early days of the AZ Central blogs so they can be dismissed as non-entities.  As Christ said “Forgive them Father; they know not what they do” or something like that.

Now, the big boys with well known names are coming down hard on the big “O”.  One guy in particular caught my eye this week with his jaw dropping comments.  Washington Post writer Richard Cohen’s column is carried in the Arizona Republic and this week’s entry was a doozey.

In a column entitled “A Question of Competence” Cohen compares Obama to the worst team in the history of baseball; the 1962 New York Mets.  Casey Stengel, the old guy who managed the New York Yankees to greatness in the 1950’s, was the unfortunate manager of the hapless Mets.

Cohen mentions that Casey once asked his team:  "Can't anybody here play this game?"   He goes on to say “That phrase kept coming at me recently as I watched the impressively inept performance of the Obama administration in both foreign and domestic policy. On a given day, this administration makes the '62 Mets look good.”  Whoa!  Cohen goes on with a carefully crafted dialogue breaking down the errors of the Obama administration.  Read the whole column here.

Cohen is a serious guy among other serious guys from the left and right who now see the light; especially after the debacle that is the Affordable Care Act.  Most of them looked the other way concerning the IRS snafu, Benghazi, Syria, Fast and Furious, NSA, etc.   But, the health care screwups have hit home for many and are not being overlooked.

 At the same time the entertainment business has been having a field day with items like the Jon Stewart interview with Kathleen Sebelius, the hilarious “Saturday Night Live” skit and the jabs from the late night guys.

Charisma can only take you so far if you are basically an inept individual.  Obama did a great con job on many susceptible people by promising the world and redistributing the wealth of the makers to the takers.  As time has gone by, more people are now realizing that he is basically an empty suit.  One would think that the president would know the definition of “shovel ready jobs” or know that the Marine Corps is not the Marine “Corpse.”  Knowing such elementary terminology should be second nature to someone in his position.

So, now the birds are coming home to roost.  Other than in appearance, Obama eerily reminds me of Robert Redford in his 1972 film “The Candidate.”  After he wins election to the U. S. Senate, his first words to his manager are “What do we do now?”

SOME FAVORITE THRILLER MOVIES

Bill Goodykoontz, the movie reviewer for the Arizona Republic, recently listed what he considers to be the best thriller films ever made.  They are not in any particular order and I agree with him on some of them.  I also think it is hard to pick from such a large selection so I will add a couple of my own to complement his list.

A word of warning:  I lean toward older films as I think they have the best stories and acting plus I am a nostalgia freak.  So, if you expect to see anything with Leonardo DiCaprio or Vince Vaughn you will be disappointed.

Three films on Bill’s list that I would immediately cross off are “Fight Club” (1999) with Brad Pitt, “Memento” (2000) with Guy Pearce and “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) with Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.  All three were snoozers to me as they delved into psychological situations that I don’t look for when viewing a movie.  As the great film producer Samuel Goldwyn (1879-1974) once said:  “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.”

The rest I can agree with starting with “Touch of Evil” (1958).  Orson Welles is great as a crooked police captain in a U.S.-Mexican border town (actually filmed in Venice, California).  It’s great film noir stuff with a fine cast of character actors plus a gorgeous thirty-one year old Janet Leigh playing the wife of Mexican (Mexican?) narcotics officer Charlton Heston.

“Rear Window” (1954) with Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr is classic Alfred Hitchcock fare and I hope everyone has seen it by now.  Jimmy is a bit of a voyeur as he convalesces from injuries received while performing his job as a photo journalist.  Kelly is beautiful; Burr is typical Burr of that era.

“The Third Man” (1949) with Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, and Alida Valli.  Film noir mystery and espionage in postwar Vienna with great zither background music throughout.  Valli is gorgeous!

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in 
"Double Indemnity" (1944)

“Psycho” (1960) Low budget with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Simon Oakland.  Is there anyone who hasn’t seen this film?  More classic Hitchcock with great musical score by Bernard Herrman.  Plus, it relates to Phoenix although not one frame was shot there other than a few exterior shots (click here for more on that).

“Double Indemnity” (1944)  Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson.  Fred is insurance agent who falls for floozy Stanwyck and her scheme to kill her husband for insurance dough.  Robinson should have gotten Best Supporting Actor for role as insurance investigator.  Great 1940’s dialogue and music.

“Bullitt” (1968)  What can I say other than it’s  one of Steve McQueen’s  best and has the car chase which thankfully didn’t really destroy that beautiful ’67 Dodge Charger!

“Dirty Harry” (1971) How can you not like a young, badass Clint Eastwood saying, “I know what you're thinkin', punk. You're thinkin' did he fire six shots or only five? Now to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself in all this excitement."

Last but never least is “North by Northwest” (1959).  It’s more Hitchcock but I think that when it comes to the thriller genre, he was the best.  Great ending on Mount Rushmore and nice to know that Martin Landau overcame his fall off the mountain to continue his nice career!

THE DUMB GET DUMFOUNDED

A friend from Pennsylvania on Google+ posted this the other day and I liked it so much I want to pass it on. My normal blogs are about 500 words and this is about twice that length but I think once you start reading it, you won't consider it too long.

It concerns one man's way of proving to the naysayers the folly of Obamacare:

I was in my neighborhood restaurant this morning and was seated behind a group of jubilant individuals celebrating the coming implementation of the health care bill. I could not finish my breakfast. This is what ensued:

They were a diverse group of several races and both sexes. I heard a young man exclaim, “Isn’t Obama like Jesus Christ? I mean, after all, he is healing the sick.” 

A young woman enthusiastically proclaimed, “Yeah, and he does it for free. I cannot believe anyone would think that a free market wouldn't work for health care.” 

Another said, "The stupid Republicans want us all to starve to death so they can inherit all of the power. Obama should be made a Saint for what he did for those of us less fortunate.” 

At this, I had more than enough. I arose from my seat, mustering all the restraint I could find, and approached their table. “Please excuse me; may I impose upon you for one moment?” 

They smiled and welcomed me to the conversation. I stood at the end of their table, smiled as best I could and began an experiment.

“I would like to give one of you my house. It will cost you no money and I will pay all of the expenses and taxes for as long as you live there. Anyone interested?” 

They looked at each other in astonishment. “Why would you do something like that?” asked a young man, “There isn’t anything for free in this world.” They began to laugh at me, as they did not realize this man had just made my point. 

“I am serious, I will give you my house for free, no money whatsoever. Anyone interested?” 

In unison, a resounding “Yeah” fills the room. “Since there are too many of you, I will have to make a choice as to who receives this money-free bargain.” 

I noticed an elderly couple was paying attention to the spectacle unfolding before their eyes, the old man shaking his head in apparent disgust. 

“I tell you what; I will give it to the one of you most willing to obey my rules.” 

Again, they looked at one another, an expression of bewilderment on their faces. 

The perky young woman asked, “What are the rules?” 

I smiled and said, “I don’t know. I have not yet defined them. However, it is a free home that I offer you.” 

They giggled amongst themselves, the youngest of which said, “What an old coot. He must be crazy to give away his home. Go take your meds, old man.” 

I smiled and leaned into the table a bit further. “I am serious, this is a legitimate offer.” 

They gaped at me for a moment.  “I’ll take it you old fool. Where are the keys?” boasted the youngest among them. 

“Then I presume you accept ALL of my terms then?” I asked. 

The elderly couple seemed amused and entertained as they watched from the privacy of their table. “Oh, yeah! Where do I sign up?” 

I took a napkin and wrote, “I give this man my home, without the burden of financial obligation, so long as he accepts and abides by the terms that I shall set forth upon consummation of this transaction.”
I signed it and handed it to the young man who eagerly scratched out his signature. 

“Where are the keys to my new house?” he asked in a mocking tone of voice. 

All eyes were upon us as I stepped back from the table, pulling the keys from pocket and dangling them before the excited new homeowner.

“Now that we have entered into this binding contract, witnessed by all of your friends, I have decided upon the conditions you are obligated to adhere to from this point forward:

“You may only live in the house for one hour a day. You will not use anything inside of the home. You will obey me without question or resistance. I expect complete loyalty and admiration for this gift I bestow upon you. You will accept my commands and wishes with enthusiasm, no matter the nature. Your morals and principles shall be as mine. You will vote as I do, think as I do and do it with blind faith. These are my terms. Here are your keys.” 

I reached the keys forward and the young man looked at me dumbfounded. “Are you out of your mind? Who would ever agree to those ridiculous terms?” the young man appeared irritated. 

“You did when you signed this contract before reading it, understanding it and with the full knowledge that I would provide my conditions only after you committed to the agreement.” 

The elderly man chuckled as his wife tried to restrain him. I was looking at a now silenced and bewildered group of people. 

“You can shove that stupid deal up your a** old man. I want no part of it!” exclaimed the now infuriated young man. 

“You have committed to the contract, as witnessed by all of your friends. You cannot get out of the deal unless I agree to it. I do not intend to let you free now that I have you ensnared. I am the power you agreed to. I am the one you blindly and without thought chose to enslave yourself to. In short, I am your Master.” 

At this, the table of celebrating individuals became a unified group against the unfairness of the deal.

After a few moments of unrepeatable comments and slurs, I revealed my true intent. 

“What I did to you is what this administration and congress did to you with the health care legislation. I easily suckered you in and then revealed the real cost of the bargain. Your folly was in the belief that you can have something you did not earn, and for that which you did not earn, you willingly allowed someone else to think for you. Your failure to research, study and inform yourself permitted reason to escape you. You have entered into a trap from which you cannot flee. Your only chance of freedom is if your new Master gives it to you. A freedom that is given can also be taken away. Therefore, it is not freedom at all.” 

With that, I tore up the napkin and placed it before the astonished young man. “This is the nature of your new health care legislation.”

I turned away to leave these few in thought and contemplation -- and was surprised by applause. 

The elderly gentleman, who was clearly entertained, shook my hand enthusiastically and said, “Thank you, Sir. These kids don’t understand liberty .” 

He refused to allow me to pay my bill as he said, “You earned this one. It is an honor to pick up the tab.” 

I shook his hand in thanks, leaving the restaurant somewhat humbled and sensing a glimmer of hope for my beloved country.

Remember... Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box. 

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the American Government
take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian."

Henry Ford

OCTOBER 1st WILL BE INTERESTING

I think the Republicans made a mistake trying to defund Obamacare.  I admire Senator Cruz for trying but he was basically whistling in Dixie.  However, Cruz is an overt guy who hates the new healthcare law and he did his best.

Now, the Republicans are backed into a corner where if the government shuts down and Obamacare is stopped they will be accused by millions of people of throwing grandma over the cliff.  They would have been better off to sit back and let the monster come into effect on October 1st and enjoy the last laugh when it fails miserably.  There is always a certain pleasure in saying, “I told you so!”

As of this writing (Sunday afternoon), the Republicans returned to the Capitol today for more discussions but the Dems failed to appear.  They are a confident bunch with Harry Reid shooting his mouth off and Obama using immature expressions like “Knock it off” to the Republicans but I think the R’s will have the last laugh if this nightmare goes into effect as scheduled.

I enjoyed Obama’s most recent comment when he admitted that “We had to tax some things” to gain funds for the program.  Surely he isn’t naive enough to think the American people didn’t know that and are going to love this thing.  The polls show that the public dislikes it more every day.  Then there are those who have to now work part time because of their company’s disengagement from the law.  Can they afford the new insurance?

Never underestimate the government though as they try to work the numbers to show a silver lining:  June employment figures showed an increase of 120,000 jobs.   Wow, that’s impressive except when you read between the lines and see where 360,000 new part time jobs occurred while 240,000 full time jobs disappeared, hence, showing an increase of 120,000 jobs.  Unfortunately those are part time jobs.  Ya gotta love the government and their math!

Another situation that I haven’t heard discussed is, what about the people in the poor sections of big cities and elsewhere who have never had health care?  Many of them have probably been going to the emergency room or free clinics for the little medical care they even bother with.  Are they now expected to come flowing out of the ghettos in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and other large cities with a bunch of money to buy health insurance? 

I don’t care what Obama and his cronies say; studies show that this is an expensive boondoggle for most people.  Good health insurance isn't cheap so read the fine print before you sign up at a low cost.  On top of that, those who DON’T buy the insurance will be fined.  How would you like to be the guy who walks into South Chicago and tries to collect fines for not buying health insurance?  Even with government subsidies I smell scofflaws!

So here we are:  two days until Tuesday and the big roll out.  As John Stewart (no, not Jon Stewart) sang in 1979, “Bombs away Dream Babies!”

SOUTH SCOTTSDALE STUFF AND VOTE "NO" ON NOVEMBER 5.

A few months ago the Scottsdale City Council approved plans for apartments to be built on the former Pitre Buick property on McDowell.  Seriously, do we need more apartments?   Scottsdale must think so as probably the ugliest apartments yet have just been built at Lincoln and Scottsdale Roads plus the Borgata will soon be razed for, that’s correct, MORE apartments!

"Skydiaper"  in front of SkySong in Scottsdale

Then there is Skysong at McDowell and Scottsdale Road which replaced Los Arcos and was supposed to revitalize the area.  When I drive by, it looks like a couple of dead box shaped office buildings with some sort of cloth artistry in front.   As my friend Mike says, they ought to call it “Skydiaper.”

Did I mention a bunch of new apartments are being built at SkySong?  Yeah, more cookie cutter apartments.  Many years from now probably the most memorable event that ever happened at that intersection won’t be SkySong but will be the 2005 shooting murder at a night club across the street in Papago Plaza.

There’s more but you get the point.  However, there might possibly be a light at the end of the tunnel for McDowell in the form of something called the Scottsdale Gateway Alliance.  The Scottsdale Republic reports that this group is working on a plan to revitalize McDowell Road and the surrounding neighborhoods.  That sounds promising as long as the scourge of light rail isn’t dredged up again.  With the current city council and the Chamber of Commerce being involved, one never knows if that monster’s head will ever be cut off.

Perhaps we will someday see a beautiful new AJ’s market spring up to join long time south Scottsdale entrepreneurs like Babe’s Cabaret and Zorba’s Adult Bookstore.  Now, there’s a combination!  As far as SkySong, I don’t know if I will ever accept it.  I loved Los Arcos and think a remodeled version of it would have been a better use of the property.  After all, where else could you get the “Lu Ann Special” at Luby’s Cafeteria and then walk next door to Sears and buy a new hammer?

Final note:  By now everyone should know that November 5th is Election Day in Scottsdale.  Citizens are being asked to vote on whether they want to tax themselves for the next 25 years to pay off four bond propositions costing $212 million bucks.  Councilmen Guy Phillips and Bob Littlefield know the propositions are a boondoggle and adamantly suggest that you vote “NO” on all four items.  I agree and if you click here you will see a note from Councilman Phillips in John Washington’s blog explaining why in simple language.

OBAMA IS IN OVER HIS HEAD

The good news is that Obama’s speech last night was only 16 minutes long.  It didn't cause me to miss part of the Diamonbacks' game.  The good news also is that it was worthless in that it was basically a rehash of what we have been reading for the past few days.  I guess that when a president knows he will embarrassingly go down in flames if Congress votes on his measure, he may as well do 16 minutes of repetition and then thankfully disappear.

It was more of the same:  “No boots on the ground” has become one of Obama’s favorite expressions even though having never served in the military, he probably wouldn’t know a boot if he saw one.

Then there were the impassioned words about how horrible sarin gas is and how inhumane it is to kill people, especially children, through its use.  We know those things but when a president says it with a glint of moisture in his eye, it is supposed to have more effect on his followers.

After he finished, one reporter (Martha Radatz of ABC News) commented:  “It is highly unlikely that in the coming weeks or even months there will be a military strike in Syria … if ever.”

Howard Kurtz of Fox News said:  “It was more of a status report than a call to action, more justification than inspiration.”

Fox’s Charles Krauthammer saw the Obama message as “we will do this if we have to,” but put it “on the back burner.”

CNN’s John King said he had never seen a president “say I’m trying to prepare you for a Plan B.”

CBS’s Bob Schieffer hinted at a bit of face-saving, because “he was almost certainly going to lose this vote” on Capitol Hill.

It’s as though Obama is heaving a sigh of relief now that Putin is adding his two cents worth.  I can see him saying, “Phew!  I’m glad that’s over.  I’m going outside for a smoke.  Call me when Vladimir calls to give me his instructions.”

WANT CITIZENSHIP? THE LINE FORMS AT THE REAR

I love the so called “dreamers” who feel that they should be accorded some sort of special citizenship privileges because they were brought unknowingly into the United States as children by their illegal alien parents. They obviously don’t realize that sneaking in doesn’t qualify them for citizenship and if they were dealing with any other country or administration, they would probably be hot footing it home on the next bus with a stern warning about consequences if they return.

We need more scenes like this instead of spoiled illegal kids 

demanding privileges they haven't earned. 

Now, some of them are going the civil disobedience route which will bring them even less favor from an already annoyed general public.  Recently, four illegal protesters chained themselves to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Phoenix.  Two others were arrested for blocking a bus leaving that building with a group of illegal aliens.  Similar incidents have been happening in places like New York City. 

These kids should have a talk with their parents about their travails.  We didn’t ask them to sneak into this country and break our immigration laws, hence, why should their children be given the privileges of U. S. citizens?  It doesn’t matter that they were brought here unknowingly; whoever said life is always fair?  If you want citizenship, join the rear of the line.

In Monday’s (8-26) Arizona Republic there is a column by Sharon Harper, the CEO and president of the Plaza Companies.  She is lamenting the failure of our immigration system.  Gee, Sharon; no kidding!  Sharon goes on to mention how “we need a workable solution for the millions of illegal immigrants working among us in the United States.”  She also feels that “Immigrants should have an opportunity to earn their way to the right side of the law” and if American workers can’t or won’t fill jobs, she feels that temporary visas should be issued to illegal labor.

Regarding her first statement about a workable solution for illegal immigrants already here, what about those who have obeyed our laws by standing in line for years waiting for their opportunity to come here the right way?  It’s a beautiful thing to watch those who waited cry tears of joy and wave their little flags when they have been granted citizenship (see above). Why should the scofflaws who sneaked in be given priorities?

Her second statement is also bogus.  Why should illegal aliens have a chance to “earn their way to the right side of the law”?  They have already broken the law and for that they should be handed forgiveness?  That’s nonsense.

My favorite is Ms Harper’s comment about temporary visas for illegal workers if Americans won’t do the work.  She is naïve if she thinks those with temporary visas will leave the U. S. when that visa expires.  Many never leave and manage to get lost in the shuffle which creates more problems like the Danny's Car Wash incident.

Nice try, Ms Harper; but even though you successfully run a large company, you are a bit lacking in the knowledge of human nature when it comes to immigration.

LOOKING BACK AT AMERICA, 1956.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/15828?size=_original&ref=157286#caption

(go to above URL for closeup)

Ah, the good old days of 1956 taking the family out to dinner at the local drive-in restaurant.  In Cincinnati, the place to go was Frisch's Big Boy.

This photo is from Houston, Texas and since the family has that nice 1956 air conditioned Caddy to ride in, the drive-in has a special blower for the car hop to blow cold air on them even though the car windows are open.

Notice the clear plastic tube on the far side of the back window where the Caddy air conditioning blew in from the trunk.  The little girl in back is drinking a shake from a real glass container while dad chugs down a cold Miller high Life suds.  Mom is in front holding her baby.

One commentor nailed it:  "Life was so much better when you could drink and drive, kids were sitting on mom's lap and you could stretch out in the back seat and take a nice nap without that pesky seat belt. I have to admit though that I did miss those wing windows when they went away.  They made it so much easier to flick your cigarette ashes."

When he refers to "wing windows" he is talking about what we referred to in Ohio as "cozy wings" and the manufacturers called "front and back door ventipanes."

So, today we have safer cars but more idiots driving them while they text useless information.  

Go figure!

RECENT HAPPENINGS AND AN UNFORTUNATE SIGN

Sometimes retail stores pick an unfortunate style of type face for their signs.  This is a good example of one.  A lot of horny guys will be disappointed when they find out that the store only rents movies.  Where is “Times New Roman” when we need him?

The twelve year old kid who recently lost on “Jeopardy!” because of a spelling error received a valuable lesson in real life.  Although many schools and texting habits today aren’t particular about correct spelling, young Thomas Hurley III found out that “Jeopardy!” does care about it.  The Final Jeopardy! question was “What is the Emancipation Proclamation?” Thomas got it correct except he misspelled “Emancipation” which made him incorrect.  Afterwards, he claimed he was cheated saying:  “It was only a spelling error.”  Only a spelling error?  Maybe spelling is more important in life than the kid thought:  at least on "Jeopardy!"

I love to turn on the computer in the morning and see where Obama’s poll numbers continue to drop.  This morning (August 10) Real Clear has him at 51.0 disapproval and 43.6 approval; a variance of -7.4%.  Gallup shows him at 50 disapproval and 41 approval, a variance of -9.  Polls aren’t everything but those numbers at least make the coffee taste a little better in the morning.

Have you heard the latest liberal nonsense from the city of Seattle?  Fox News reports that “Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms "citizen" and "brown bag" are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.”

OK, if they want to drop “citizen” for “residents” they can go ahead since they probably have many residents who aren’t citizens living in that liberal haven.  However, the city government leaders are either too young or too stupid to understand the term “brown bag.”  They claim "brown bag" has been used historically as a way to judge skin color.  Not so!  It has strictly been a term for someone taking their lunch somewhere in a brown Kraft paper bag.  Example:  “Are you eating at McDonald’s today?”  “No, I’m not.  I’m broke so I have to brown bag it today.”  It’s an innocent term that like so many others in our thin skinned liberal world is being mistaken for something that doesn’t exist.

Great letter to the Republic from this past week:  In response to another bleeding heart story about the so called Mexican “dreamers,” a guy from Glendale replied, “My dream is that people don’t keep expecting me to pay for their dreams.  While I have plenty of dreams, I work hard and make intelligent life decisions to achieve them rather than expect someone else to pay for them.  It’s the American way; work hard for what you want and don’t expect that society owes you anything.”  Amen!

The Republic has cut 29 more jobs from their payroll in an effort to run a bare bones operation in the face of withering competition.  They have also dropped the Opinions sections from their community papers which means  the monthly column I have been doing the last eight years in Scottsdale is now gone.   Welcome to the newspaper business of 2013.

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"?