Thursday, January 29, 2009

Misfortunate Son

I hope I'm wrong here, folks, but I have a strong suspicion that this Blagojovich son-of-a-bitch (Jay Leno actually referred to him once as Blagsonofabitch) is hardly unique. I mean, think about it. We have oodles and oodles of money being donated to politicians DAILY. This, I'm saying, while, at the same time, the entire nation is being inundated with pork/pork-barrelled projects up the ying-yang CONTINUOUSLY. Are you going to try and tell me that this guy is the only one out there who's wheeling and dealing? Give me a break! He was just one of the unlucky ones, that's all.

Leaps and Bounds of Faith

I saw Jim Cramer on "Hardball" yesterday. And, no, it wasn't at all encouraging, folks. This fellow has absolutely no confidence that Obama's stimulus package is going to do what it's supposed to do. He points to 1) the fact that only a small percentage of it will be spent this year and 2) the equally disappointing fact that a relatively small percentage of it is actually going to be spent on what Obama initially promised - namely infrastructure (instead it's going to be spent on a hodge-podge of other special interests). Hell, even Matthews, who, up until this point appeared to be an Obama true believer, is questioning the effectiveness of this strategy. Ditto, the generally bi-partisan Ben Stein. I don't know, folks, it looks to me like Obama may be doing little else than mirroring the Bush/Paulsen (hardly a couple of pikers there, huh?) game-plan here. And, yes, THAT I do find dispiriting............................................................P.S. Correct me if I'm wrong here, folks, but didn't Japan attempt a similar strategy in the early 90s with their recession - and it failed? I seem to have heard something about that.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Rush to Limbaugh

Can somebody please explain to me why President Obama continues to talk about Rush Limbaugh. I mean, sure, maybe Limbaugh isn't quite the Satanic figure that his critics consistently make him out to be (I personally don't care for the fellow myself) but, folks, neither is he anywhere near "fair and balanced", either. Why in the hell would the president want to to 1) elevate him and 2) continue to give him such free publicity? I just don't get it. Not a smart move by Obama, in my opinion.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Rats, Rat-Holes, and Sinking Ships

Let me just say, folks, while I usually tend NOT to align myself with former speaker Gingrich, he has in fact been making some sense to me lately. This, I'm saying, in that, yes, I saw him on this cable news show (it might have been Hannity's - I don't remember) recently and he uttered this rather incredible statement: "Hank Paulsen is the worst Secretary of State in U.S. history." I SHIT YOU NOT!..............................................................I mean, seriously, folks, how frigging right on the money is THAT? This, I'm saying, what in the hell else WOULD you call a guy who took 350 BILLION dollars of tax-payer money, promised to do one thing with it (which was also probably moronic but, clearly, I digress) and ended up doing something completely different with it? And the fact that even HE didn't know where the money was going. I don't know about you guys out there, but I think that this Paulsen should be drawn and quartered. Hey, maybe Bill O'Reilly might be willing to do it. He seems to have a fondness for that type of thing.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Oh, the Humanity!

In terms of politics, yeah, I guess you could say that I'm a little different from other voters. This, I'm saying, in that I never really felt that burning need to fall in love with the people I vote for. And, no, for the most part, neither have I usually felt the need to hate the people I oppose. I don't know, I think it all probably boils down to a realization that the vast percentage (99.44%, lets's say) of these fellows (women, too, of course) are essentially a mixed bag. And when I say essentially all of them, I absolutely mean it - ALL OF THEM; Lincoln, FDR, JFK, Ike, and, yes, even the great Barack Obama. I guess what I'm trying to say here, folks, is that when in fact I pull that lever for someone, it's basically one person....having the "edge" over the other, me picking the lesser of the two evils, etc............................................................This, of course, is not to say that I never develop a high regard for people. I do. But 1) they tend NOT to be politicians (enter, please, Garbo and Clift, Smetana, Morisot, et. al.) and 2) when I do develop a liking for them, I prefer that they actually have accomplished something first. Something impressive, preferrably.........................................................P.S. And, no, folks, I'm not including here victories over that idiot/douche-bag, Alan Keyes. That completely DOESN'T impress me (what a freak of nature that frigging lunatic is, huh - Alan Frigging Keyes!!)

Friday, January 23, 2009

Violin Tuning 101

I'm probably the only person in the world who hasn't developed a strong opinion about Ann Coulter. This, I'm saying, in that I neither worship the chick NOR despise her. I mean, sure, a lot of what she says is substantially less than gracious, to say the least. But, folks, think about it, she's basically a cartoon character! Why should what she says make me any angrier than the stuff that Louie DePalma said, the stuff that Carla Tortelli said, the stuff that Eric Cartman continues to say (shut up, Token, ya' black ass-hole!!), etc.?...............................................................And the fact that she WANTS us to talk about her, folks. Me - I'm totally convinced that that's why she continues to be amping it up the way she is. The more she amps it up, the more we frigging talk about her. The more we talk about her (any publicity is good publicity - a truism, in her case), the more those silly little books of hers go flying out the door. I mean, talk about a racket, huh? And we're all frigging falling for it, too - hook, line, and proverbial sinker. Now THAT (to use a popular term of the day) is a Ponzi scheme!!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

And Then There Was One

So, we've gone from, what, "Hannity and Colmes" to just "Hannity" now? Hm, and the difference is....what? I mean, seriously, though, folks, isn't that pretty much what it always was?........................................................... This is not, of course, to imply that Colmes was always just a potted-plant. This, I'm saying in that the guy actually did provide resistance from time to time. He was certainly more effectual than some of the other so-called liberals over there; Mort Kondracke, Juan Williams, Kierston (who the hell is Kiersten Powers) Powers, etc.. But up against the boorish, lunacy ladened Sean Hannity, COME ON, the poor bastard was virtually swimming upstream nightly. And, yes, the fact that the "liberal" positions themselves were constantly under siege, you pretty much could have called it "Hannity" from the get.........................................................As for this new vehicle, in particular, let's just say that it is what it is/exactly what you'd expect it to be. This, me-buckos, in that, yep, you got it, Obama doesn't even get a chance to breathe, for Christ! I mean, talk about a microscope. I don't think he's found singular good thing yet; no praise for keeping Gates, no praise for picking Jones, no praise for reaching out to the religious-right, no praise for the free market man Summers, NOTHING!!! And the fact that he continued this tactic on Martin Luther King's birthday, the day before we swore in the first African-American President, damned if that, especially, didn't make me shiver, prompt me to change the channel, etc.. Sean Hannity, folks, got to love the son of a bitch, huh?.................................................................P.S. This is not to imply that everything that Hannity brings up is bogus/irrelevant. All that stuff about Geithner not paying his taxes is particularly legitimate. All I'm saying is that the guy seems ever so predisposed to hate Obama and that, yes, the end-result of it all (i.e., "Hannity") is embarrassing. Youza! Not that I'm going to stop watching it, of course.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Deja Vu?

Maybe it was my imagination, folks. But didn't it seem like McCain and Obama were constantly trying to outbid each other when it came to Afghanistan? First Obama would flex HIS muscles, then McCain. Of course, they were basically saying the same thing - more troops (a surge, in other words)......................................................Now don't get me wrong here. Maybe we in fact do need more firepower. But I still can't help but wonder, in addition to that, shouldn't these two fellows (who I'm still convinced weren't the two best candidates we could have mustered) have been discussing strategy? I mean, it's one thing to have the firepower. It's another to know how to use it. And, besides, haven't we learned over and over and over again that pure military might, on its own, is rarely sufficient?.......................................................For example, say we do put more troops over there. Does that then mean that we can stop bombing villages (perhaps the biggest single reason we're losing over there; dead civilians, recruiting tool for the Taliban)? And, yes, what does it also say about improving diplomacy, facilitating an exit strategy, etc.? I mean, think about it. How often is it that a country will willingly (at least for the long term) accept a large foreign presence in its midst? It hasn't seemed to have happened too often in my lifetime, me-buckos.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Not Just Another Sports Analogy

I was a huge Pirates fan, folks - all through the 60s and 70s, especially. IN FACT, if it hadn't have been for Clemente, Stargell, and Mazeroski, I'm not even sure I would have made it through that period, period! I especially remember that 1971 World Series. The Pirates were down to the Orioles, two games to none. And, yes, to make the matters worse, the Pirates were starting a rookie pitcher, Bob Johnson, in game three. Clemente (in his usual broken English, mind you) sizes the scenario up nicely. "If he no pitch well, we in big, big, trouble (obviously, I'm paraphrasing).".........................................................Well, guess what, folks, it's '71 again. Only this time, it isn't a sporting event we're dealing with. This, I'm saying, in that, think about it - U.S. voters (myself included) have decided to put into the presidency a fellow with about the same amount of experience in his field as Bob Johnson had on the mound. The positive thing to draw from this, OF COURSE, is that not only did Johnson win game three, but the Pirates as a whole won the series (4-3). Who knows, maybe Obama (who, yes, seems like a very smart man) and the country can replicate the scenario. Here's to hoping anyway.

Discourses on the Seventh Decade of Stupid Ass-Holes

Yes, folks, I understand that the Israelis will at some point probably have to talk to Hamas. I also understand (Israel being justified, aside) that this current effort by Israel to put Hamas "out of business" will undoubtedly/ultimately fail (cockroaches are more easily subdued than those sons of bitches). I get it. Believe me, I totally get it.....................................But, come on, folks, who are we trying to bamboozle here? Does anybody think that anything even remotely resembling peace is going to occur via dialogue? These people (terrorists) are frigging nuts! I mean, seriously, how do you "talk" to somebody who thinks that by detonating himself (never mind all those innocent people who'll go up in flames with him), he's going to be rewarded in heaven with some sort of sex party? How is that even remotely possible? I don't know, folks, call me cynical but that doesn't sound at all promising to me.....................................P.S. And, besides, after about 40-50 of those virgins, don't you think that you'll eventually want somebody with experience? I certainly would.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Frothier by the Dozens

Does Keith Olbermann ever come up for air, folks? I mean, I don't particularly care for Bush, either. But 24/7? And now he's taking pot-shots at Laura Bush, too. Laura Bush, who even John Kerry has stated on more than a few occasions has been an excellent first lady. It's like, I don't know, does he just not have any idea how mean-spirited he's coming off as, or something?.........................................................Just take tonight, for instance. While O'Reilly (yes, O'Reilly, of all people!) took a couple segments at the beginning of his show to pay tribute to the pilot and survivors (not to mention the rescue crew) of that plane that landed in the Hudson, Olbermann did his usual. Hell, I'm surprised that he didn't try and blame Bush for the mishap. Talk about a guy with Bush derangement syndrome. This guy is almost making me feel sorry for Bush. ALMOST, I said.

The Rim-Shots Go On

Word about town, folks, is that, after 16 years of Bill Clinton (he, who can't keep his pants on) and George W. Bush (he, who can't even pronounce nuclear) as President, comedians en masse will enter a despondency (a dry-spell, if you will). Well, guess what, all you guys, I actually have some decent news for you. Two words - 1) Joe 2) Biden.........................................................I mean, don't get me wrong here. I kind of like Joe Biden. Hell, I even went as far as to support him in the early days of the nominating process (preferring Hillary, ultimately). I respect his knowledge of foreign affairs, especially (though, yes, he is batting 0 for 2 regarding Iraqi conflicts; opposing the first Gulf War, supporting the second). I also respect the man's bluntness/honesty. But, yes, in terms of being a character and a gaffe machine, I think that the comedians of the world will find him quite accommodating, indeed........................................................Of course, if the Obama team decides to keep Mr. Biden "under wraps", then, clearly, that will represent an entirely different story (the seemingly well-adjusted Obama not being all that funny, apparently). Here's to hoping that the future V.P. is given more than funerals to attend.....................................................P.S. This is not to imply that ALL of Biden's humorous moments are gaffes, point to his buffoonishness, etc.. Some of them in fact are quite intentional - the guy apparently having a wit and a sense of humor, to boot. In fact, folks, that was another reason why I liked him early on.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Practice Makes Opportunistic/Cynical

While I generally prefer not to put stock in the partisan analyses of others, there has in fact been this one liberal talking point that clearly does resonate with me. I cite the one that states as follows: George Bush continues to want credit for the U.S. not being hit again since 9/11. But he doesn't, DOESN'T, want any of the blame, not even a portion of it, for 9/11 itself. The President's being accused of buck-passing (not to mention inconsistency), in other words.....................................................As to WHY this is an excellent point, folks, me-thinks that that's extremely obvious here. This, I'm saying, in that, no, Bush shouldn't at all be allowed to have it both ways - taking credit for only the good eventualities. And, yes, this is especially true when apparently there was this memo on his (not to mention Condi Rice's) desk saying, "Bin laden determined to attack in the U.S.."........................................................I don't know, friends, to me, it kind of sounds like a football team that, once falling behind 14-0 after the first quarter, they plead with the referee to start the game again. I almost feel like telling President Bush, it just doesn't work that way, me-bucko!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars

It just amazes me the way that people go crazy whenever Brad Pitt and George Clooney star in a movie together. And, yes, folks, when I say it amazes me, I mean it COMPLETELY amazes me. It's like, this is supposed to be some sort of power-house combination or something? "Brad Pitt and George Clooney together again." Those words are supposed to get me excited? Seriously?...............................................................I mean, don't get me wrong here. These guys are respectable actors (certainly more than serviceable in their better parts). And, yes, if I were a woman with a penchant to follow the lead on aesthetics, maybe I'd be making a big fat hairy deal as well. But, come on, is this the best that we can do these days? Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift in "From Here to Eternity", Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in "Key Largo", Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum in "Cape Fear", Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton in "The Third Man", Anthony Quinn and Jackie Gleason in "Requiem For a Heavyweight" - now THOSE, folks, were some serious combos! And, yes, an extra-large dose of perspective, too. George Clooney and Brad Pitt, my ass.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Cue Jan and Dean, Quick!

I don't know if you folks remember the earlier days of ESPN (the amateurishness, the difficulty in filling 24 hours a day with sports programming, etc.). But, yes, I'm telling you, even if you weren't a viewer back then, you'll definitely get a kicker out of this....................................................I don't know, it must have been about twenty years ago or so. I was scanning the dial late at night (possibly impaired, I don't exactly remember). And, yep, there it was, right in front of me, exclusive ESPN coverage of one of America's favorite sports/past-times, HEAVYWEIGHT SURFING!! I shit you not, me-buckos. They actually had these 300 pound plus individuals riding waves. I mean, granted, they weren't exactly tsunamis or anything but, STILL! And the fact that I actually watched it, too! Talk about one for the ages, huh?
,

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Strange Bedfellers

As sad as it is to say, folks, C.C. herself had taken it just as hardy - straight up the poop-shoot, etc.. And even as those ner do wells had previously proven to me, damned if that wasn't her own pride/wretchedness purifying exceptionally. Of course, the fact that each and every one of those beer-bellied bozos was in fact decrepit (some even going as far as to kiss her, for Christ!), such was the end-result predictable - thoroughly numb and then some, too, for Christ!

Frozen and Forbidden

How utterly obvious was it, I ask you - Felicia's huge advantages, in winter, ESPECIALLY? And even if, I'm saying, the patterning of it (per se); us, having to scrape-scrape, her, merely having to let her hair down with laughter, etc., was itself isolated, does it even matter, me-buckos? I mean, seriously (all those smiles and the rest of it being wondrous year-round - point-blank range at Sassy's, etc.), DOES IT? Answer me, would you, for Christ!!!!

Friday, January 9, 2009

"You're Either With Us or Against Us" (Sound Familiar?)

I've been blogging for almost two years now, folks. And, yeah, within that time period, I've learned a whole hell of a lot about the blogosphere. One of the specific things I've learned is that, with certain people anyway, it's simply not enough to criticize President Bush. It's not even enough to call him a poor president (hell, I'd go as far as to say one of the five or ten weakest ones)? You have to go beyond that - way beyond it. You have to call him a war criminal. You have to compare him to Hitler, for Christ! Anything less than that and you yourself get labeled a right-winger and a partisan. And the thing is, too, folks, you can't frigging reason with these types. That's the hardest part of all. Well, that and the fact that they're always cherry-picking shit, smashing the hell out of those squarely shaped pegs, etc.. Let's not diminish that component, either.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Dean of Harvard Business School/Ambassador to Lithuania

Leon Panetta is good folks, folks. I'd even go as far as to say that he's probably one of the few really honest and decent men IN Washington. And, yes, he absolutely deserves a place in an Obama administration. But as director of the Central Intelligence Agency? I don't know, folks. I'm not feeling all that great about this appointment. I mean, sure, he does have some tangential experience in the intelligence field; as White House Chief of Staff and as a congressman. And in no way am I saying that this is as bad/dangerous a choice as O'Reilly and Hannity are saying (his organizational skills as White House Chief of Staff - those, for instance, could be valuable). I'm just saying that it probably isn't the best choice for the country at this point in time. Rather/more than anything, it simply looks like a plug-in choice, yet another place for a high-profile Democrat to hang his hat, etc........................................................Look at it this way, folks. I had a brief stint as a corrections officer (yes, Clif, a lowly prison guard) in the 80s. It was a good/eye-opening experience and I learned a lot. But does that me me qualified to be the police chief of Bridgeport, CT, regional director of ATF, etc.? Me, I'm not really thinking so........................................................There, now if I could only be totally wrong about this. Here's to hoping that I am.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Shine a Little Light on Patty

I don't know how you folks feel but, to me, mainstream country music pretty much begins and ends with Patty Loveless (the current stuff, I'm saying). I mean, sure, you've got a lot of big stars with big voices and shit but, seriously, I ask you, can you actually call more than 1-2% of it art? Hell, half of it isn't even country music, for Christ! It's pop - inane/predictable pop, at that. Couple that with the absolutely pablum-filled song lyrics that wouldn't even cut it for a second-grader and, yeah, it's extremely discouraging, frankly........................................................Which brings me back, of course, to Ms. Loveless. Here, me-buckos, is an artist of the genre who's actually stayed faithful to it. Sure, she's achieved a fair amount of notoriety and success but, no, none of it, not a speck of it, has been arrived at cheaply. She gets nothing but the best songs from the best songwriters out there, and when she sings them she makes them her own. Look, I don't know if Patty Loveless is one of the best technical singers out there, how many octaves she has, whether or not she can crack a wine glass, etc.. But I do in fact know what these ears have been hearing - and, yes, that's a country singer that I would absolutely put on a par with 1) Loretta Lynn, 2) Patsy Cline, 3) Tammy Wynette, and, yeah, even George Jones.....................................................And, no, don't even get me going on those afore-mentioned song interpretation skills. Suffice it to say that, genre aside, I'd put her on a par with vintage Bonnie Raitt and Jennifer Warnes. And if you don't believe me, just listen to the way that she hugs, bends with, and caresses such songs as "You Don't Seem to Miss Me" (harmonizing with George Jones, ironically), "My Heart Will Never Break That Way Again", "Sorrowful Angels", and especially, ESPECIALLY, "A Thousand Times a Day". In fact, I challenge you. Find me one person who could have sung that song with more conviction. I mean, seriously, folks, when she sings "I've given you up for good, just like I said I would", she means it. Or at least she clearly thinks she does.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Acquired Taste

Burt Lancaster - now there's a thespian who tends to divide folks; critics and the public, alike. People either seem to think that he's fabulous (not just a movie-star, mind you, but an extraordinarily gifted craftsman as well) or that he basically stinks/can't act at all. I don't know, folks, I guess he's kind of like scotch (Canadian beer if you don't drink the hard stuff) in that respect - nobody seeming to be neutral regarding the guy....................................................As for my opinion, while I tend to not like joining "camps", my tendency is clearly to agree with the formers. This, I'm saying, in that, while, yes, I do understand one's reservations; the predictable cadence of his voice (the Bill Shatner syndrome, I call it), the fact that he sometimes "phoned it in" ("Trapeze", "The Rainmaker"), there was in fact magic at times.....................................................I site, specifically, his performances in "Sweet Smell of Success" (an almost dead-pan portrait of evil), "Birdman of Alcatraz" (as a hardened criminal who accidentally finds humanity), "From Here to Eternity" (more than just a roll in the surf), "Elmer Gantry" (the charming but bogus bible preacher, flawlessly portrayed), and, especially, his last great part in "Atlantic City". Who can ever forget his reaction to his finally notching a kill-shot?, "I did it! I really did it! Ha ha ha!!!"?.......................................................And even in some of his more bizarre choices for films, he was nothing if he wasn't fascinating. Just take a look at some of those scenes from "The Swimmer"; the way that he "freaked-out" after Janice Rule rebuffed him - splashing the water and yelling, "she loved it, she always loved it!!", his final tepid plunge into insanity, the public swimming pool, etc.. I don't know, folks, but I just can't imagine another actor of that era pulling it off - not off the top of my head, anyway.