Monday, February 28, 2011

Please, Don't EVER Ask Me That Again

What would be my answer to the question, "So, who do you think was better; Bette Davis in "Jezebel" or Olivia de Havilland in "The Heiress?"

Sorry There, Fella', But I'm Going to Have to "Card" Ya'

The party-line on "Card Check" is that it's somehow going to eliminate intimidation. I've got one word for that one, folks - BULLSHIT! I mean, sure, it totally removes the employer from the equation and all but, seriously, what about the unions? It doesn't do a blessed thing about keeping their tactics in check. AND, at least from my experience, the pressure from the pro-union folks can be just as obnoxious..............................................................................................In fact, folks, a major chunk of the people who ended up signing those frigging cards (back when the unions tried to take over our facility) did so just to get those frigging ball-busters off of their backs. And, yeah, you got it, when the actual vote did take place, the union folks were beaten back and beaten back decidedly. People apparently don't like that stuff; getting bombarded with snail-mail, phone-calls, people coming to your house when you basically just want to be left alone, etc.. Card Check, folks - it doesn't do anything about that..............................................................................................But I don't necessarily want to end this on a negative note, either. I'm a compromiser by nature and I'd fully like to offer one. How 'bout this? If the union people want to organize someplace, a mediator takes the case over. Both sides are allowed to a) disseminate X amount of information and b) take place in a series of debates in which employees are suggested (but not required) to attend. A private vote will then take place. I mean, seriously, what could be more frigging fair than that?

Thou Shalt Not (Apparently) Defend ACORN

I've suggested in the past that the "liberals" on Fox appear to be taking dives from time to time. Here, folks, is yet another example of that.. O'Reilly was interviewing (debating with, actually) these two liberal college professors (some black dude from UCLA and that bobble-headed semi-regular bimbo from Occidental) and the topic of ACORN came up. O'Reilly, in his usual hackneyed and brutish manner, started ragging on ACORN, those idiotic Breitbart tapes (you know, the ones where the idiot was posing as a pimp), especially. And, I'm telling you, those two supposed liberals - THEY JUST FRIGGING SAT THERE. I mean, I was literally yelling at the television, "The tape was doctored, the tape was doctored!"........................................................................................................Look, folks, I'm not necessarily saying that I'm a huge fan of ACORN here. I especially don't like the way the they've treated some of their own employees at times. And I definitely don't want Federal money going to them (not just them, mind you, but ANY advocacy group). But what's fair is fair and the doctoring of videos flat-out isn't fair.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Another Interesting Quote

"Look at the sorry spectacle presented by long rows of beneficiaries of the 'boondoggle', leaning on their shovels by the hour, at futile projects, and contrast it with the great universities, museums, and research laboratories which have come from the wise and generous giving of such as (J.P.) Morgan, and then consider which is the major constructive force in building a stable civilization."......Alexander Forbes, a Harvard classmate and cousin of FDR.............Look, folks, I'm not saying that every rich person is as "constructive" and magnanimous as Morgan, Annenberg, Mellon, Gates, etc.. That would be as flat-out ludicrous as saying that they're all evil (a sentiment of some on the far-left, evidently). And neither am I saying that they shouldn't be paying more in taxes (getting the top rates back up to 39.6% is entirely appropriate). I'm just trying to add some perspective here and, yes, to posit that it isn't always the government that knows the best way to spend the folks' money.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Best (Albeit, Obvious) Most Recent Quote in Quite Some Time

"The totalitarian mind-set hates ambiguity." Iranian writer, Azar Nafisi 2003

Miscellaneous 60

1) Those very same dudes (Charles Krauthammer, Fred Barnes, Jonah Goldberg, the usual suspects) who are hammering President Obama for his "insufficient response" to the Libya situation would also be the first to blame him if a hostage situation ever ensued. I mean, seriously, do they just not understand the delicacy of the situation; the fact that we've had hundreds and hundreds American civilians who we were literally trying to get out of there? Enough, I'm saying, with all of this instantaneous and knee-jerk chest-pounding. The President, I'm telling you here - he'll definitely get around to it. Hell, folks, if anything, he'll probably do TOO MUCH!............2) The reason, folks (in my opinion), that Mr. Obama is avoiding the Wisconsin problem is a fear of hypocrisy charges. Federal employees (in large measure due to the actions of Jimmy Carter and a Democratic Congress) apparently have very few collective bargaining rights (they cannot bargain over wages, for instance). And damned if the President HIMSELF hasn't recently advocated a two year wage freeze for ALL Federal workers. I'm telling you here, people, it (i.e.,the process of him going to Wisconsin and advocating for the unions) would just expose him to too much of that "you can't have your cake and eat it, too" criticisms.....Very wise decision on his part - NOT GOING!!

Get that Goober Off Your Upper-Lip, Dude

What would be my answer to the question, "So, if you could only tell super-model, Cindy Crawford, one thing, what would it be?"

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Shift Part 1

The construct of what it is to be a liberal has unquestionable changed. Just look at me, for instance. I'm in favor of the top tax rates going back to 39.6%. I was in favor of the extension in unemployment benefits. I was in favor of (at least in principle) the Wall Street reform. I've credited President Obama for saving (at least for now) the American auto industry. I'm in favor of more R&D (though, yes, I would much prefer the private sector to direct it). I've conceded that this Wisconsin governor SHOULD negotiate/compromise with the unions. I'm not opposed to a strong (within reason) safety net for poor people. I voted for Obama. I voted for Kerry. Yes, I did vote for Jody Rell in 2006 but, COME ON, an occasional moderate pro-choice Republican - INDULGE ME!!.....................................................................................................Oh, and, yeah, then we have all of those social, civil liberties, and foreign policy issues. Damned if I'm still not a frigging FLAMING liberal (not that all of these issues neatly lend themselves to left versus right, mind you) when it comes to these. Hmm......................................................................................................Bottom-line, folks, you'd think that with a "resume" like this, I'd at least be considered a reliable center-left contributor, a person that you could at least rely on to negotiate with. You'd think that and, yet, I've continuously been seen by many people on the far-left as a conservative (a "Reich Winger" one rather loathsome individual contributed) and/or traitor. It really does kind of make you wonder, doesn't it?

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Far-Left's Surprising Lack of Understanding on the Original Intent of Organized Labor

The original purpose of organized labor, folks, was as a vehicle to get employees at least a share of the profits that they were helping to create. Due to the fact that government doesn't create any profits, it didn't even dawn on the founders of the labor movement to target government workers. I mean, think about it here, the only way that government workers CAN negotiate is via additional tax money (an action that ultimately means that the voters themselves are stripped of their final ability to dictate public policy). These early unions, to their credit, recognized this and essentially felt that collective bargaining shouldn't have a place in government...............................................................................................Fasting forward here - the cat is majorly, MAJORLY, out of the bag. What do we do? Do we stuff it back in (as Governor Walker evidently wants to), or do we deal with it? My feeling continues to be that the Governor of Wisconsin SHOULD negotiate, and that he SHOULD compromise - if, for no other reason, folks, than to put this frigging thing to bed. Enough already. The only thing that I'm asking of my ultra-liberal brethren here is that they opt for a) a modicum of perspective (the fact that Walker is basically adhering to what FDR and George Meany advocated) and b) a little bit of human decency. Hitler, folks, did a lot of things - A LOT OF THINGS.

Synopsizing My Views on the Wisconsin Labor Controversy

Substantively, folks, I actually tend to agree more with the "Left" on this. This in that a) the unions have in large measure already conceded on health-care and pensions and b) a belief on my part that the Governor should at least TRY and work out a compromise (maybe eliminating collective bargaining temporarily or eliminating it just for certain items; such as tenure and keeping it for others).......................................................................................................Where I strongly part company with the left (well, the far-left anyway) is on the way that this issue has been argued; the demonization, the hyperbole, etc.. Yes, maybe Mr. Walker is going a tad too far here, showing an unhelpful level of stubbornness, etc.. But he's a duly elected Governor who's working with a duly elected legislature. If the Democrats aren't at all happy with this, my suggestion IS, drum-roll, please, TRY HARDER. They've got an election in 2012 and another one in 2014. Convince the people of Wisconsin that their system is better. I mean, come on, that's how the system works, no?.....................................................................................................And like I've said on other sites, what's the frigging worst that can happen here? - the unions lose their collective bargaining powers. They'll still be able to bargain over wages, collect dues, and contribute to their (apparently) beloved Democratic Party. And like I've also said, who's to say that they're not going to be able to get another bite at the apple down the road? The Democrats just have to start winning some arguments (in the voters' minds, I'm saying) up there. That's all.

Straight From the Progressive's Mouth 3

"It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government."............George Meany, former President of the AFL-CIO.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Clift, Lancaster, Garbo, and Stanwyck

What would be my answer to the question, "So, if you had a Mount Rushmore of acting, who'd be the four faces that you'd put up there?"

Straight From the Progressive's Mouth 2

"Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of government employees. Upon employees in the federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of government by those who have sworn to enforce it, is unthinkable and intolerable. It is, therefore, with a feeling of gratification that I have noted in the constitution of the National Federation of Federal Employees the provision that 'under no circumstance shall this Federation engage in or support strikes against the United States government'."............FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT......................................................................................................It sounds, folks, like Reagan wouldn't have been the only President to have dealt to PATCO a knockout blow. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - that President, of all Presidents, probably would have done the same.

Straight From the Progressive's Mouth 1

"All government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public service management. The very nature and purposes of government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with government employee organizations. The employer is the WHOLE PEOPLE (my emphasis), who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters."............FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT

Monday, February 21, 2011

Gregg Allman and Cher

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what's your all-time favorite (as in greatest train-wreck ever) celebrity marriage?"

Miscellaneous 59

1) Kudos to Senator (Scott) Brown. The fellow went on "Hannity" tonight and the intrepid reporter tried everything in his power to get the guy to slime President Obama....and he didn't take the bait!! I mean, sure, he criticized the President on an issue or two (or three). But he did it respectfully and in a measured way. Finally, folks, some much-needed civility in Washington.............2) Of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Hannity litmus-tested Mr. Brown - not, I'm saying, after the Senator's votes on a) the START treaty, b) DADT, c) financial reform, d) the most recent jobs bill, and e) the Elena Kagan nomination. Hell, folks, Brown himself had to have seen it coming....All that I can say is that Brown really must have wanted to plug that book of his. I mean, think about it. Why in the hell ELSE would a reasonable person ever want to go on a mess of a show like that?............3) As I've reported periodically this winter, the Wake Forest football team took a lot of tough hits in the recruiting wars this winter - losing 4-5 blue-chippers all told. Well, as it finally turned out, the dust didn't spread about all that badly. Yeah, they lost some good kids. But they ended up adding a few, too. They especially enhanced their kicking game - adding an Australian punter named Alexander Kinal (a real boomer, reportedly) and an All American place-kicker from Texas by the name of Chad Hedlund. Who knows, folks, maybe these two guys can help the Deacs actually win some of those close games next year. I mean, that's got to be what coach Grobe is hoping for - I would think.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Collective Brutishness

I'll admit it, folks. My experiences with unions have been somewhat less than perfect. Just a few years ago, for example, the health-care workers union tried to organize at our facility and, youza/man, were those people ever obnoxious. They kept on trying to get people to sign these stupid cards and while, yes, some of the workers did it willingly/enthusiastically, most of the folks ended up signing one just to get these nincompoops off of our backs. Of course, what really ruined it for me (and, yes, I really did try and keep an open mind about it) was when two of the union ramrods, HELLO, came to my frigging house (I guess that they had me pegged as an "undecided"). THAT, I didn't care for AT ALL!.....Long story short, folks, when we ultimately ended up having the vote, the union lost and lost decidedly (something that wouldn't have occurred had that card-check legislation been in effect).................................................................................................Another bad experience of mine occurred in the early '90s. I was working for the state of Connecticut at a time when the state was experiencing a humongous budget deficit. The people who I was working with (at DMR) were almost unanimous in their willingness to make concessions. There were, however, a few exceptions. These were the people who had been there a long time and apparently had the most to lose - concession-wise. They were also, unfortunately, the most intimately connected to the union bosses. Bottom-line, folks, these bosses told Governor Weicker to stuff it - deciding that it was better to accept layoffs than it was to give a little. I guess that, yes, a deal was eventually worked out, but by that time I (and others) had already moved on (let's see, this was probably about a month after I had initially been laid off). I mean, I could have gone back and all but,.....nah, I couldn't...................................................................................................So, yeah, what basically happened was that the state lost a large chunk of their fresher, more productive work force and ended up with massive amount of dead-wood. Good goin', unions...................................................................................................Oh, and to make matters worse, one of these burnt-out individuals ended up abusing a resident. And they couldn't frigging get rid of her!! Collective bargaining - gotta love it, huh?

Birth Control Via the Benjamins

This is going to sound extremely impolitic (not to mention, utterly unworkable), but hows about THIS for a stimulus plan? We pay poor, uneducated girls a yearly stipend to NOT have children. I don't know, one or two thousand a year or so - something like that. Sure, it would be expensive, but, think about it, it would probably save money in the long run, cut down on the glut of unskilled workers competing for scarce jobs, resources, etc.. I mean, yeah, I know that it would also cause a lot of controversy; middle-class girls wanting the money, too, political correctness obviously being smacked around, the right and the left both probably going ballistic, etc.. But, hey, if you're looking for something that's majorly outside the box, I'm saying.............So, am I a frigging jerk or WHAT? LOL................................................................................................P.S. The right wouldn't like it because it would be paying people for things that they should be doing anyway (i.e., acting responsibly). And the left wouldn't like it because of the class and racial innuendo. Oh well!

I DON'T THINK SOOOOOOOO!!

What would be my response to somebody trying to convince me that Eleanor Powell was in fact a much better tap dancer than Ann Miller.

Friday, February 18, 2011

An Incomplete Message (Get it, Message?)

Megyn Kelly is probably one of Fox's more reasonable hosts/anchors. Yeah, maybe she does give the liberal guests on her show a bit more of a difficult time, but, overall, I'm saying (and, yes, by Fox's standards), I think that she's decent (and, no, not exactly tough on the eyes, either)...........................................................................................................And that's why, folks, it was very disappointing that on one of her shows last week, she did a story that was at the very least slanted. She brought up the fact that Chrysler ran an expensive ad during the Super Bowl. Mrs. Kelly feels, evidenty, being that Chrysler still owed the U.S. taxpayers X billions of dollars, that this was somehow a gratuitous use of that money. Of course, what Mrs. Kelly failed to tell her audience was that Chrysler has already paid a humongous portion of their debt back to the U.S. taxpayer and that they were doing reasonably well (due, at least in some small measure here, TO this bailout!). And, really, doesn't she think that one of the "Big 3" U.S. car companies should be able to advertise? I mean, you gotta frigging advertise. It's the big-time American way - no?.......................................................................................................P.S. Fox also seems to enjoy showing footage of those Chrysler workers pounding those 40 ouncers during their lunch break (I guess that some of them were smoking pot, too). I mean, yes, it was a legitimate story and all but, COME ON, to so consistently use it to a) tar the entire work-force and b) delegitimize the bailout itself - that, to me, folks, is pretty damned loathsome.......................................................................................................And, finally, I agree, bailing out the auto companies was indeed risky/controversial. I myself was torn by it. But, once something like that goes into action, don't you have to root for it to work....and be happy one in fact it does work? Advertise away, Chrysler! That's what I frigging say here.

"You Had Me At Hello" From "Jerry Maguire"

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what, in your opinion, is the most overrated 'great' movie line in cinematic history?"

Thursday, February 17, 2011

I Don't Know, I'm Still Not Entirely Sure What She Looks Like

What would be my answer to the question, "So, do you think that Lady Gaga is attractive?"

Tax You Very Much

FDR has a long-standing reputation for having strongly supported the "working man". And, yes, in many ways, that's probably truthful. But it wasn't at all completely the case. For instance, in 1929, the total percentage of revenue that came to the federal government via excise taxes (a highly regressive tax that disproportionately hammers the poor) was just a scant 19% (the other 81% coming in the form of individual and corporate income taxes). By 1936 (the end of FDR's first term), the percentage had grown to a robust 52%. And, while, yes, by 1940, he did get it down to 47%, that's still a massive 250% increase......................................................................................................Now, to be fair, it was actually Herbert Hoover (not exactly an icon to the right, it must be stated) who began this trend. But Mr. Hoover only brought the percentage of total revenue coming from excise taxes to 30%. It was FDR who eventually brought this percentage up to monstrous 61% (undoubtedly a crushing burden on the working poor) by 1934. That, to me, friends, doesn't at all sound like a compassionate policy, period.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The New Star at MSNBC (And, No, I'm Not Being Facetious)

I like Lawrence O'Donnell. I really do. Not that I necessarily agree with everything he's ever uttered, mind you. But at least he, unlike his predecessor, Mr. Olbermann, will occasionally throw his viewership a curve-ball. Take, for instance, Mr. O'Donnell's acknowledgement that there actually was, once upon a time, a reasonable Dick Cheney; the Chief of Staff for Gerry Ford, the Wyoming Congressman, the Secretary of State under the first President Bush (a wise advocate then of NOT going to Bagdhad)......................................................................................................Another example that I could site would be Mr. O'Donnell's recent/staunch defense New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie. Remember back when everybody (including some of O'Donnell's colleagues at MSNBC) was hammering Mr. Christie for his having been out of state during that snowstorm? Well, instead of jumping onto that bandwagon, O'Donnell countered by saying that it was all a bunch of bullshit. According to MR. O'Donnell, there wasn't ANYTHING (extra) that the Governor could have done had he been there in person.......................................................................................................And just last night Mr. O'Donnell did a hard hitting piece on the John Edwards affair; the fact that campaign contributions may in fact have gone to Edwards' mistress, etc.. I mean, he almost went as far as to call the former Presidential candidate a liar (as did his guest). Try, folks, to name just one other partisan who would have been that blunt - hammering his own side, I'm saying. I can't think of very many - you?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Miscellaneous 58

1) According to Bill O'Reilly (this, during his recent criticism of David Gregory/his asking of John Boehner about the "birther" controversy) , anybody with even a little common sense knows that President Obama is American....Hm, so, is Mr. O'Reilly saying that the 51% of Republican primary voters who DON'T think that the President was born in America DON'T have an adequate common sense? I'm wondering.............2) Also on O'Reilly, he may have finally jumped the shark in terms of that "Pinheads and Patriots" segment of his. Not, surprisingly, in terms of it being overtly political or anything, but, no, just in terms of its pure, unadulterated silliness. You know how O'Reilly takes these polls and leaves certain situations up to the audience to determine the "pinheadedness" or "patrioticness" of individuals? Well, during the segment one night he showed this clip of Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz at a ball-game and Diaz was feeding Mr. Rodriguez popcorn. Seriously, folks, that was it. He actually polled the people of the United States (his specific viewers, anyway) as to whether Yankees 3rd baseman, Alex Rodriguez, was, because of this little vignette, a patriot or a pinhead. Unbefrigginglievable!............3) People talk a lot about the importance of purchasing American goods. Well, how 'bout this idea for starters - DRINK AMERICAN BEER!!!! I'm serious here, folks. With all of the outstanding micro-breweries (making literally every varietal that you could possibly want) currently in the United States, there is virtually zero need to purchase imported beer anymore. American beer = American jobs. Think about it, folks....before you order that next Heineken of yours.

Note to John Boehner - Addendum

Just to let my conservative colleagues know, I also think that the Democratic leaders should have spoken out more vociferously when Congressman Cohen from Tennessee attempted to compare Republican talking points on health care to Goebbels' "great lie". I am, folks, if nothing else, consistent.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Note to John Boehner

Dude, I agree with you. It ISN'T your job to tell the American people/your colleagues what to think. But it IS your job to show some leadership. It IS your job to show some principle. And it IS your job to show at least a modicum of human decency. You KNOW that the President of the United States is unquestionably a U.S. citizen.....and that he ISN'T a Muslim (not that that should even matter, btw), and still you allow this stuff to linger. Why don't you just be a man and try to do some heavy lifting here (i.e., the persuading people to your point of view via reasoning and NOT via this whole hanging the President out to dry)? I mean, don't you think that the American people would respect you more for that than this frigging Kabuki dance that you and Cantor have been doing? I personally think that they would.

Hollowcaust

Fox News commentator, Liz Trotta, made what I thought was an utterly inflammatory statement the other day. She referred to the disproportionate number of African-American abortions as a form of, get this, "black genocide"! Nice, huh? And the fact that such idiotic metaphors like this never seem to get challenged. I mean, I forgot who the interviewer was but she (it was a woman, I think) basically put up NO resistance. She didn't, for instance, point out the obvious distinctions here; a) a fetus doesn't have Constitutional rights and b) abortion is a voluntary CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED RIGHT/individual decision (yeah, I could see if there was a white power-elite forcing these abortions)....................................................................................................I mean, don't get me wrong here, folks. I, while I am a pro-choice voter, DO respect the pro-life position. And I am also in favor of policies that could potentially reduce the number of these abortions (adoption, family planning, accessibility to birth control/morning after pills, etc.). I just don't see the feasibility OR the morality of mandating that a woman retain a pregnancy that she flat-out doesn't want - never mind, folks, this nasty tactic of vilifying her.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Saddest, Most Disgusting/Self-Indulgent Performance in Music History (Or at Least Since Her Last Performance)

What would be my answer to the question, "So, how would you characterize Christina Aguilera's Grammy Awards performance tonight?"

The Tipping Point?

Beck may have finally gone too far. Not only, folks, has he thrown George H.W. Bush (a person who, let's face it, the right-wing never really liked) under the bus/into his paranoiac paradigm, he's apparently also thrown "W" there, too. According to this Beck guy, they are ALL; Obama, the Bushes, the communists, the Islamists, etc. planning some sort of world takeover and will be putting us all, ALL OF US, under, not just Sharia law but Communistic Sharia law - Marx meets Muhammad, in other words. I mean, I don't know about you folks, but, to me, this is not even frigging amusing anymore. And the frigging fact that he's even pissed off Bill Kristol, could not that fact alone could be his ultimate death knell?....Oh well, we should all probably be staying tuned, huh (that probably being what he ultimately wants anyway)?

Pharaoh Sanders

What would be my answer to the question, "So, who's your all-time favorite pharaoh?"

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Miscellaneous 57

1) I've always considered "Special Report with Brett Baier" to be one of Fox's better programs. This, in that, while, yes, it does have a tendency to mostly favor Republicans, it isn't anywhere near as biased as some of Fox's other programs. And that's why I was especially disappointed to see that on one of that show's most recent panels they had, not one but two of the most discredited foreign policy "specialists" in United States history; a couple of fellows by the name of Paul Wolfowitz and Elliot Abrams (Frank Gaffney just wasn't available, I guess LOL). I mean, I know that it was a segment on the Egypt crisis and all (and, yes, thereby one requiring foreign policy experts) but, come on, even somebody like Bill Kristol would have been better than these two imbeciles.............2) I've heard reports that Hosni Mubarak might be worth as much as 40 BILLION dollars. But even, folks, if it's just a quarter (or even a tenth!!) of that amount, that would probably have to make him THE most corrupt (at least in terms of embezzlement) leader in recorded history. And the fact that he apparently executed this graft in a land of such decaying poverty, that additionally makes him a miscreant.............3) The Republicans (and the right, in general) have positioned themselves nicely in regards to Egypt. If democracy ends up breaking out over there, it's due to President Bush's "Freedom Agenda". If, however, the opposite happens (an Islamic caliphate, another right-wing dictatorship - this one, though, hostile to Israel, some sort of hybrid of these two), then of course it'll be President Obama's fault. We'll just have to see if the American public (those, I'm saying, outside the far-right) buys it (Obama clearly being through if they do).

The Fact That Donny Deutsch Still Has a Career on Television

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what, in your opinion, is harder to ascertain, Cartesian metaphysics, or the fact that Donnie Deutsch still has a career on television?"

Friday, February 11, 2011

Miscellaneous 56

1) I always kind of thought that Pawlenty was one of the more reasonable potential candidates (for President) on the Republican side. But, lately, I'm not entirely sure anymore. For one thing, he's been pushing around this hackneyed bromide about majorly altering the 14th Amendment - playing, clearly, to what seem to be the nativists out there. That and, yes, now, NOW, he apparently wants to frigging bring back DADT. Wow, huh? Talk about yet another frigging SOB who'll do or say frigging ANYTHING!!............2) One of the best questions of all time came from the mouth of columnist, Margaret Carlson. Carlson, speaking around about 8-9 years ago now (on the eve of the 2nd Iraq War), queried this: "Did Saddam Hussein create Iraq, or did Iraq create Saddam Hussein?" I found this question perceptive in that it a) recognized that Iraq was essentially a pre-fabbed country and b) also recognized that it was a multi-ethnic country whose population had in fact been hostile for centuries.....Why do I bring it up now? Well, because of Egypt. I mean, I know that Egypt doesn't have the history and population diversity that Iraq had/has and all but, still.............3) Laura Ingraham, like a lot of partisan stooges out there, has a flat-out tendency to project. Take, for instance, one of her recent appearances on the "O'Reilly Factor". It was right before Mr. O'Reilly's big interview with President Obama and get this. Ingraham actually started coaching Mr. O'Reilly, "Don't let the President go off on one of his filibusters, Bill."...The President talks too much - that's what she was saying. The President talks too much. HE TALKS TOO MUCH? I mean, am I the only one who sees the irony here?

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Yeah, NOW He Becomes a Good Recruiter

What was my response to the fact that Randy Edsall (current Maryland and former UConn football coach) recently signed the 10th best all-purpose back/4.32 speedster, Justus Pickett, to his 2011 recruiting haul?

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Hyper-Repetitive

Charles Krauthammer is way smarter than I am, and a hell of a lot more skilled as a debater. But, I'm telling you, I still wouldn't have minded confronting the guy last night. Yeah, folks, I'm referring to his appearance last night on the O'Reilly Factor when he ONCE AGAIN referred to Mr. Obama's first two years as "hyper-liberal".................................................................................................So, how, specifically, would I have approached the matter? Hm, probably by simply pointing out the following points. A) This Obamacare that Mr. Krauthammer has so routinely denigrated is essentially the same overall package that the Republicans themselves offered in 1993, that Mitt Romney delivered as Governor of Massachusetts, and that the bipartisan Bennett-Wyden bill spelled out several years ago. B) The President's stimulus package (which I'll readily admit here, was problematic) was approximately 40% tax-cuts - something that you'd think that the Republicans would have liked. C) The bailouts, which, yes, the President supported, were 1) a totally bipartisan thing and 2) seemingly effective (preventing a collapse of the banking system and most of it already having been paid back). D) Mr. Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan. E) His expansion of the drone attacks in Northern Pakistan. F) His continuation of many of the other Bush anti-terrorism policies; rendition, warrantless wire-tapping, indefinite detainment, etc.....................................................................................................And as far as Mr. Obama's decision to bail out the auto companies goes, yes, that was an extremely tough one. But, what was he supposed to do - let two of the biggest employers of the Midwest go out of business DURING THE MIDDLE OF A RECESSION? And, really, haven't these same auto companies also paid a large chunk of that money back? I, personally, give the President some credit here.................................................................................................Look, folks, I'm not saying here that Mr. Obama ISN'T a liberal. He is. I'm just saying that, for people like Krauthammer (who, unlike Beck and Hannity, SHOULD know better) to go around and exaggerate like this, the tenor isn't really helped AT ALL by it.

110

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what percent sure are you that Lindsey Graham is going to get primaried by a Tea Partier next year?

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Who in the Hell "Hatched" THIS Scheme?

It appears, folks, that we can add yet another name to that list of politicians who will do/say anything in order to stay in power. Yeah, that's right, Orrin Hatch is now officially part of a list that includes Mitt Romney, John McCain, Arlen Specter, Alan Grayson, Joe Lieberman, and others who have literally groveled and/or lied their way to relevance. This time, with Hatch, the guy uninvitedly showed at at some Tea Party "town-hall" event and immediately, IMMEDIATELY, started ingratiating himself. It was actually quite pathetic, I thought...............................................................................................And what makes this all even more ludicrous is the fact that Mr. Hatch is actually a pretty rock-solid conservative. I mean, yeah, he would/does occasionally work across the aisle/had a reportedly strong friendship with Senator Kennedy (what, you can't even have a liberal friend now?) but, please, the putting of a guy like Orrin Hatch on this sort of purity hit list is as flat-out absurd as it gets................................................................................................As for Hatch himself, if I were him, I'd frigging tell 'em all to eff off......or at the very least stop licking their boots. I mean, it is, after all, just a frigging job.

Delivery.....or Pickup

Sarah Palin is trying to score some political traction over this Egyptian crisis (surprise, surprise, huh?). She's especially trying to exploit/make some hay with that 2008 Hillary Clinton ad about President, then candidate, Obama not necessarily being ready for some hypothetical 3 AM phone call (an immediate foreign policy crisis, in other words). The President's "in over his head", seems to be what she's implying...................................................................................................Of course, what Mrs. Palin doesn't realize here is this obvious fact. The American people, in what appear to be overwhelming numbers, flat-out don't trust her with that 3 AM phone call, either. Me, personally - I wouldn't allow her to answer the phone at Pizza Hut......I mean, that's a big time emergency, too, right - running out of Pizza?

Tain't What it Used to Be, Tain't What it Used to be

NFL wide-receivers averaging 9 yards a catch, NBA point-guards shooting 38% from the field, large numbers of top tennis professionals not knowing how to volley.............Oh well, at least we don't have Major League ballers hitting 70 dingers anymore.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Some Thoughts on Reagan

1) Reagan's record/legacy, just like any other President's, is a mixed one. He deserves at least partial credit for decidedly bringing down inflation, unemployment, and interest rates, presiding over the fall of the Soviet Union/empire, hammering out a rock-solid arms control deal with Gorbachev, and bringing about a renewed sense of optimism about America. He also, though, deserves at least partial blame for those humongous deficits, the Iran-Contra fiasco, the savings and loan debacle, and the Lebanon disaster. Overall (and like I've stated before), I would probably have to give him about a B-.............2) Reagan is frequently blamed for the homeless crisis of the 1980s. On this one, I'd probably have to say that he's been unfairly tarnished. For one thing, the three million number that's been frequently thrown around is exceedingly suspect. It comes from a report by Mitch Snyder (a homeless advocate) entitled, "A Report to the Secretary on the Homeless and Emergency Shelters"". It states that there were 2.2 million homeless people in America and that the total could ULTIMATELY reach three million. The problem with this study is that it was never accepted by the General Accounting Office and the actual number (this, from a credible HUD study) was probably closer to 350,000 (still a tragedy but obviously not nearly on the same level). But by then it was too late. The three million figure had already permeated through society.............3) The second reason that this whole "Reagan caused the homelessness" problem isn't fair is that it wasn't Reagan who emptied the God-damned mental hospitals (one of the major causes for there being more people on the streets). That, folks, occurred a) because of a Supreme Court decision and b) due to a philosophical change in the human services arena (i.e., deinstitutionalization) . Now, if there wasn't enough funding to execute these changes, then, yeah, maybe Mr. Reagan does deserve some scrutiny there.............4) As for social funding in general, it's really hard to say that the Reagan era was entirely Machiavellian. According to the 1991 Almanac, for instance, yes, federal funding for social programs did dip somewhat; from 11.5% of GNP in 1980 to 10.9% in 1988. But, when you also factor in state and local spending on these programs, the decrease was negligible (18.7% of GNP in 1980, 18.5% in 1988). Add to that, the fact that HUD outlays actually increased, and increased significantly, under Reagan (from 12 billion in 1980 to 19 billion in 1988) and, yeah, it kinda does seem like the fellow has gotten a bit of a bad rap here.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Best Second Baseman of the Modern Era?

Wow, that's a tough one, folks. I think, though, that it would probably have to come down to one of these three guys; Joe Morgan, Ryne Sandberg, or Roberto Alomar (Hall of Famers, each of them). What do you say that we flush it out a little bit? Here, folks, are the total stats. A) Runs scored; 1) Morgan-1,650, 2) Alomar-1,508, 3) Sandberg-1,318......B) Hits; 1) Alomar-2,724, 2) Morgan-2,517, 3) Sandberg-2,386......C) Doubles; 1) Alomar-504, 2) Morgan-449, 3) Sandberg-403......D) Triples; 1) Morgan-96, 2) Alomar-80, 3) Sandberg-76......E) Home-runs; 1) Sandberg-282, 2) Morgan-268, 3) Alomar-210......F) Runs-batted-in; 1) Alomar-1,134, 2) Morgan-1,133, 3) Sandberg-1,061......G) Stolen-bases; 1) Morgan-689, 2) Alomar-474, 3) Sandberg-344......H) Walks; 1) Morgan-1,865, 2) Alomar-1,032, 3) Sandberg-761......I) Batting-average; 1) Alomar-.300, 2) Sandberg-.285, 3) Morgan-.271......J) On-base-percentage; 1) Morgan-.392, 2) Alomar-.371, 3) Sandberg-.344......K) Slugging-percentage; 1) Sandberg-.452, 2) Alomar-.443, 3) Morgan-.427......L) Total number of gold-gloves; 1) Alomar-10, 2) Sandberg-9, 3) Morgan-5....................................................................................................Alright, so what do we frigging have here? With these 12 categories, we have Alomar winning five of them, Morgan five, and Sandberg only two. We also have Sandberg coming in third (i.e., last) in eight of the categories. This leads me to think that it would probably have to come down to Morgan or Alomar (yeah, yeah, I know, statistics aren't everything)....Alright, how 'bout this for a compromise? Based upon those dominant back to back MVP seasons (1975-76), we go with Mr. Morgan in the short run. But, based upon an entire 15-16 year career, we go instead with Mr. Alomar. A deal?.......................................................................................................P.S. No. No spitting. No spitting will be allowed.

The Obama-Mubarak-Not Mubarak-Mubarak-Not Mubarak Axis of Evil

Not that Sean Hannity isn't always incoherent, mind you, BUT, during this entire Egyptian crisis/unrest, MAN, has he ever amped it up of late. He started the week off criticizing (justifiably, actually) Mr. Biden for his saying that President Mubarak wasn't a dictator. But, instead of staying on this track that America should in fact be fostering democracy, he's started to morph off into this paranoiac Muslim extremist shtick (this, despite the fact that the uprising appears to be basically secular/totally devoid - so far - of anti-Americanism) - even going as far as to hint that maybe we should indeed be sticking with this "dictator". And, get this, it got so frigging bad the other day that Mr. Hannity's conservative guest, The National Revue's Rich Lowery, actually had to walk him back a tad - Lowery even going as far as to say that Mr. Obama was basically doing what any President would be doing (hell, folks, even Bill O'Reilly has said similar). That, me-buckos, had to have been WAY embarrassing............................................................................................................P.S. It's obvious what's going on here, right? Hannity, a flat-out mindless partisan, is psychologically incapable of giving Mr. Obama credit.....FOR ANYTHING!! And, yes, when you couple that with Mr. Beck (an even bigger frigging lunatic) whispering paranoid nothings into that mindless vessel of Sean's, this is probably the best that somebody like....

Friday, February 4, 2011

G. Gordan Liddy (Rosalind Capital)

What would be my answer to the question, "So, who, in your estimation, is the least honorable pitchman in the entire history of television advertising?"

Thursday, February 3, 2011

YOU'VE GOT CANCER OF THE DICK, STERN!!!

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what's your all-time favorite one-liner from Elegant Elliot Offen?"

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Trust Me?

I sure as hell hope that Al Golden (the new football coach at the University of Miami) knows what he's doing. Based upon his most recent recruiting decisions, I'm beginning to have some doubts. Yes, I'm referring to the fact that, as of now/National Signing Day, the University of Miami STILL doesn't have a quarterback for the 2011 class - this, folks, despite the fact that Golden himself has said on several occasions that this (a lack of depth at quarterback) is clearly one of the team's most pressing issues..................................................................................................And it's not like he didn't have some decent options. Both Land'O Lakes Florida's Stephen Weatherford and the Hargrave Military Academy's (Chatham Virginia) Marcus McDade were literally drooling to sign with the Canes. Now, granted, neither one of these fellows is a McDonald's All American and all. But, still, they're pretty damn good. And at this late stage in the recruiting process, I don't know, I think that Mr. Golden probably should have taken one of them anyway....Why didn't he? Well, he was holding out - that's why. And while, yes, it still may ultimately work out for him (we're still waiting to see what West Palm Beach Florida's Jacoby Brissett decides to do - Miami and Wisconsin are reportedly his final two), right now, folks, it really does look dicey.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Haven't Seen It - No Desire to

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what do you think of that new hit show, Glee?"