A single death is a tragedy. 4,300 deaths is a statistic
Birthday Celebration or Reunion: Today is March first. This is the fifth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished.” Exactly five years ago today our president dressed up like a fighter pilot – ironic since he dodged his chance to be a real fighter pilot – and had the military let him land on a ship that had been draped with a huge “Mission Accomplished” banner. Oh, that wasn’t the first April Fool joke he’d pulled. Uncle Dick, and Cousins Rummy and Wolfowitz had him tell the people that Iraq had WMDs and they posed a threat to us. Oh yes, and Iraq somehow had something to do with the 9/11 tragedy of the Twin Towers. And when we invade, our troops will be treated like heroes and don’t worry about the cost because the entire war will be paid for by Iraq as they sell their oil. Today 81% of Americans believe we should not be there – that the war was a mistake. It is bankrupting our country while some $ 70 billion in oil profits sit in the bank for the warlords, who are waiting until we leave. Happy Anniversary.
High oil prices are a bunch of crap: The price of a barrel of oil continues to set records daily. The price at the pump continues to soar. Soon it will take the entire tax rebate to fill up your car. Want to double the value of your gas hog? Fill the tank. However, the biggest impact of rising petroleum prices will come not on the highway. Cars can run on alternative fuel. Solar power from the Mojave desert alone could produce up to half the electrical power that America demands. The problem is fertilizer. Petrochemical-based fertilizer has become a worldwide necessity that has increased crop yields and quality. Fertilizer prices have as much as tripled in the past year, threatening to send tens of millions worldwide into malnutrition. Food riots have occurred in Haiti and the Philippines and even Costco and Sams Club have begun to ration rice. Bush blames Congress for the shortage. Another gasoline company this week announced record profits. Mission Accomplished.
We’re #1 in Housing Decline: The housing crisis is the worst since the Great Depression. Admittedly more people lost their homes during the Depression 75 or so years ago, but today’s foreclosure rate is nothing to celebrate. Many homeowners are taking desperate measures to keep the wolf away from the door. Some are paying mortgages with credit cards, which has caused credit card debt to spiral. Jobs continue to be shipped overseas, the stock market continues to slip. Airlines, banks, as well as other market sectors increasingly lay off workers in their rush toward bankruptcy. CEOs of the bankrupt corporations are rewarded with obscenely huge severance packages. The Administration decides to send the American public $ 600 tax rebate checks to stimulate the economy. The money will pay for 6 tanks of gas, paid to the record-profit oil companies. Mission Accomplished.
A little blogging music Maestro... From the Beatles, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Dr. Forgot
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Let's Commence
You are not your own worst enemy when I’m in the room
Did You Miss me?: We took a few days off and went to Detroit, Dearborn, and Ann Arbor for graduation ceremonies. Mrs. Dr. Forgot has a dear friend whose daughter, Courtney graduated from the University of Michigan. We’ve watched Courtney grow from a toddler. I decided to reward her with dinner each term she received straight A grades. By the third grade my A-grade dinner tab busted but Courtney continued her straight A ways. She is also an accomplished artist. We went to her graduation at University of Washington a couple of years ago and this time is was for her Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. To all the Courtneys who graduate this year, a hearty congratulations.
A couple more Special K grads: Commencement is a great form of entertainment. Pomp and Circumstance, the enthusiasm of student speakers, the words of wisdom from learned speakers... In addition to Courtney a couple of Special K graduates in my circle of special people will graduate soon. A dear friend of the family has two grandkids leaving the nest – Kathy will graduate from American University with a major in International Studies and a minor in Arabic Languages (you think she might have a future?) and Kari graduates from high school and heads to South Carolina to major in Child Psychiatry. So once again, a tip of the mortarboard for all who have made it through successfully whether high school, bachelors, masters, or doctorate.
Meanwhile, back in Detroit: Detroit has plenty of news. The Tigers won a home game while we visited Greek Town. I had forgotten how it looks when thousands of happy fans leave a stadium celebrating. Celebrations are less evident with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his alleged part time mistress and one-time Chief of Staff Christine Beatty. We haven’t heard so much sizzle over a politician’s sex life since the White House and talk of cigars and stains. The Mayor’s problems are more intricate than the text-message sex chatter, but guess what gets all the headlines? And although the weather wasn’t steamy it was nice to return home and go from 34 degrees in Detroit to 84 degrees in Las Vegas. Remember, home is where, when you go there they have to take you in.
Final Michigan Tidbits: The Governor of Michigan was rushed to the hospital Tuesday to have a bowel obstruction removed. Did you know the University of Michigan has three campuses? Flint and Dearborn students can attend in their locals but the biggie is at Ann Arbor, home of “The Big House,” UM football stadium, currently under construction to allow for m
ore luxury boxes, press boxes, and handicapped seating. GMC lost $ 3.3 billion during the last quarter – and they aren’t even fighting in Iraq! Finally, the long arm of the law caught up with Susan Lefevre. She was a housewife for 32 years, mostly in an upscale San Diego neighborhood until she got outed by an anonymous tipster. Now she has to return to Michigan to finish out the balance of her prison sentence for dealing drugs. She escaped three decades ago. She ran but could not hide.
A little blogging music Maestro... Bobby Fuller’s "I Fought The Law But the Law Won.”
Dr. Forgot
Did You Miss me?: We took a few days off and went to Detroit, Dearborn, and Ann Arbor for graduation ceremonies. Mrs. Dr. Forgot has a dear friend whose daughter, Courtney graduated from the University of Michigan. We’ve watched Courtney grow from a toddler. I decided to reward her with dinner each term she received straight A grades. By the third grade my A-grade dinner tab busted but Courtney continued her straight A ways. She is also an accomplished artist. We went to her graduation at University of Washington a couple of years ago and this time is was for her Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. To all the Courtneys who graduate this year, a hearty congratulations.
A couple more Special K grads: Commencement is a great form of entertainment. Pomp and Circumstance, the enthusiasm of student speakers, the words of wisdom from learned speakers... In addition to Courtney a couple of Special K graduates in my circle of special people will graduate soon. A dear friend of the family has two grandkids leaving the nest – Kathy will graduate from American University with a major in International Studies and a minor in Arabic Languages (you think she might have a future?) and Kari graduates from high school and heads to South Carolina to major in Child Psychiatry. So once again, a tip of the mortarboard for all who have made it through successfully whether high school, bachelors, masters, or doctorate.
Meanwhile, back in Detroit: Detroit has plenty of news. The Tigers won a home game while we visited Greek Town. I had forgotten how it looks when thousands of happy fans leave a stadium celebrating. Celebrations are less evident with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his alleged part time mistress and one-time Chief of Staff Christine Beatty. We haven’t heard so much sizzle over a politician’s sex life since the White House and talk of cigars and stains. The Mayor’s problems are more intricate than the text-message sex chatter, but guess what gets all the headlines? And although the weather wasn’t steamy it was nice to return home and go from 34 degrees in Detroit to 84 degrees in Las Vegas. Remember, home is where, when you go there they have to take you in.
Final Michigan Tidbits: The Governor of Michigan was rushed to the hospital Tuesday to have a bowel obstruction removed. Did you know the University of Michigan has three campuses? Flint and Dearborn students can attend in their locals but the biggie is at Ann Arbor, home of “The Big House,” UM football stadium, currently under construction to allow for m
ore luxury boxes, press boxes, and handicapped seating. GMC lost $ 3.3 billion during the last quarter – and they aren’t even fighting in Iraq! Finally, the long arm of the law caught up with Susan Lefevre. She was a housewife for 32 years, mostly in an upscale San Diego neighborhood until she got outed by an anonymous tipster. Now she has to return to Michigan to finish out the balance of her prison sentence for dealing drugs. She escaped three decades ago. She ran but could not hide.A little blogging music Maestro... Bobby Fuller’s "I Fought The Law But the Law Won.”
Dr. Forgot
Friday, April 25, 2008
Friday's Follies
Laziness is the mother of all vices. Respect your mother.
Windfall or Perfect Storm: Ok, let’s see if I’ve got this straight. I have to switch from Rice-a-Roni to stale baloney because Sam clubbed those who bought too much rice. I have to cancel my dinner delivery because the cost of pizza has skyrocketed blowing it out of my budget and even if I could afford the pizza I’d be unable to go pick it up because gas process are so high it would cost more to drive there than the cost of the pizza. Farmers are still being paid not to grow crops but our corn supply has dwindled due to ethanol production. Meantime corn prices are also climbing, as are bread, milk, pouty, beef, fish and all other staple prices. I’ll have to cancel my summer vacation because I can’t afford the increased airline ticket prices. The Iraq war is costing us billions which we don’t have so we must borrow it from China and the housing market is still in the toilet. But our president announced today that we will be receiving our $ 600 tax rebate sooner than expected. Whoopee!
Dead heat for a deadbeat: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are reported to be in a dead heat in the Indiana Democratic primary. But the Clinton campaign is reportedly in trouble financially. The most recent filing with the Federal Election showed Hillary with $ 9 million in assets and $ 10 million in debt. The debt does not include another $ 5 million loan from her and Bill to the campaign. Not including the $ 5 million goes against standard reporting practice, as Mitt Romney listed his $ 42 million loan from himself to his campaign. But fuzzy math extends to Hillary’s counting of popular votes, making her unpopular with the Obamites. Some reports Some reports have the Clinton campaign in debt to fired spin master Mark Penn to the tune of another $ 10 million. I hope she can balance the U.S. budget better than her campaign budget.
Cal Berkeley Grad Student Twitters: Teens and ‘tweens know everything there is to know about technology. Problem with your computer? Ask your kid or grandkid. Want to program your phone to play “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” when it rings? Ditto. Not sure of the difference between Face Book and your checkbook? The teen will show you that you don’t need a checkbook any longer if you bill pay online. So when Berkeley grad student J.K. Buck learned how to “twitter” on his cell phone, i.e. send short email messages. So when he got busted in Egypt he “twittered” a one-word message: “Arrested.” The message sailed from Egypt to Berlely and back and got him released. Ain’t that thweet?
Silver Anniversary becomes Golden at Nugget: For a quarter century Hawaiian Tropic sun screen has held a Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Model Search. Guess where it will be held this year? The downtown Golden Nugget hotel is where the silver anniversary will go Golden. Last year’s winner hailed from Estonia. The event will include a performance by the band Everclear. This is one campaign from which Demos, Repubs, and Indys can take a lesson.
A little blogging music Maestro... Anything by Everclear.
Dr. Forgot
Windfall or Perfect Storm: Ok, let’s see if I’ve got this straight. I have to switch from Rice-a-Roni to stale baloney because Sam clubbed those who bought too much rice. I have to cancel my dinner delivery because the cost of pizza has skyrocketed blowing it out of my budget and even if I could afford the pizza I’d be unable to go pick it up because gas process are so high it would cost more to drive there than the cost of the pizza. Farmers are still being paid not to grow crops but our corn supply has dwindled due to ethanol production. Meantime corn prices are also climbing, as are bread, milk, pouty, beef, fish and all other staple prices. I’ll have to cancel my summer vacation because I can’t afford the increased airline ticket prices. The Iraq war is costing us billions which we don’t have so we must borrow it from China and the housing market is still in the toilet. But our president announced today that we will be receiving our $ 600 tax rebate sooner than expected. Whoopee!
Dead heat for a deadbeat: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are reported to be in a dead heat in the Indiana Democratic primary. But the Clinton campaign is reportedly in trouble financially. The most recent filing with the Federal Election showed Hillary with $ 9 million in assets and $ 10 million in debt. The debt does not include another $ 5 million loan from her and Bill to the campaign. Not including the $ 5 million goes against standard reporting practice, as Mitt Romney listed his $ 42 million loan from himself to his campaign. But fuzzy math extends to Hillary’s counting of popular votes, making her unpopular with the Obamites. Some reports Some reports have the Clinton campaign in debt to fired spin master Mark Penn to the tune of another $ 10 million. I hope she can balance the U.S. budget better than her campaign budget.
Cal Berkeley Grad Student Twitters: Teens and ‘tweens know everything there is to know about technology. Problem with your computer? Ask your kid or grandkid. Want to program your phone to play “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” when it rings? Ditto. Not sure of the difference between Face Book and your checkbook? The teen will show you that you don’t need a checkbook any longer if you bill pay online. So when Berkeley grad student J.K. Buck learned how to “twitter” on his cell phone, i.e. send short email messages. So when he got busted in Egypt he “twittered” a one-word message: “Arrested.” The message sailed from Egypt to Berlely and back and got him released. Ain’t that thweet?
Silver Anniversary becomes Golden at Nugget: For a quarter century Hawaiian Tropic sun screen has held a Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Model Search. Guess where it will be held this year? The downtown Golden Nugget hotel is where the silver anniversary will go Golden. Last year’s winner hailed from Estonia. The event will include a performance by the band Everclear. This is one campaign from which Demos, Repubs, and Indys can take a lesson.
A little blogging music Maestro... Anything by Everclear.
Dr. Forgot
Thursday, April 24, 2008
An Honest Politician is One Who will Stay Bought
My Count Is Bigger Than Yours: Are we seeing a new budding relationship? Is Karl Rove running Hillary Clinton’s campaign or is it just my imagination? The Rove method, which works quite well by the way, is to do something nasty or off kilter, then accuse your opponent of doing it. Case in point is “Low Road to Victory” that the NY Times so eloquently wrote. Hillary denied she’d taken the low road and accused her opponent of doing so. Next up is her most recent statement that she has more popular votes than her opponents. She neglects to mention that her count includes two states that all candidates signed a pledge not to include, and her opponent’s name wasn’t even on the ballot in one of the two. But I’m sure she would not acknowledge the misstatement as a lie, but rather a “creative truth.” Her popular vote count can be found in one of the chapters in her new book, “Bullets Over Bosnia.”
Weddings, Media, and Bush Babies: Hillary has brought Chelsea out of her New York closet to stump for Mom. It is not unusual for politicians to kiss other people’s babies and push their own in front to TV cameras to help them campaign. But Laura Bush and the twins have been doing the TV circuit. Why? Their Dad and hubby is not running. But the Queen and princesses appeared with the King on CNN and other media forums. Jenna, the Bush Baby who was announcing her wedding, made the startling statement that she might not vote for the Republican candidate. Wow!
Not For All the Rice In China: Condi Rice might still be the darling of the current administration but another rice is causing problems worldwide. On the basis of a few slanted media reports a worldwide panic is occurring over the food staple. As the cost of petroleum steadily increases the cost of food delivery does the same. Somehow the rumor mill transferred that information into a food shortage, especially rice, and the Run for the Rices began. Costco and Sam’s slammed the door on hoarders by rationing purchases. But officials assure us that no such shortage exists – yet.
A couple of funnies: We’ve been including way too many serious issues in our blog lately so we’ll conclude today’s with a couple of sillies: Seems that President Bush received word that three Brazilian soldiers had been killed in Iraq. He responded, “I forget. How many in a brazzillion?” The White House bartender has created a drink in honor of Dick Cheney. One shot of Wild Turkey and throw it in the face of an attorney. After Hillary was shown doing a shot and a beer Ted Kennedy switched his support to her. After Barack bowled a 37 he decided he’s better cancel his hockey camp. The three candidates have been arguing over who would be most effective with the 3 a.m. phone call. John McCain says he’s always up at 3, going to the bathroom.
A little blogging music Maestro... Anything by Bruce Springsteen because he’s the Boss.
Dr. Forgot
My Count Is Bigger Than Yours: Are we seeing a new budding relationship? Is Karl Rove running Hillary Clinton’s campaign or is it just my imagination? The Rove method, which works quite well by the way, is to do something nasty or off kilter, then accuse your opponent of doing it. Case in point is “Low Road to Victory” that the NY Times so eloquently wrote. Hillary denied she’d taken the low road and accused her opponent of doing so. Next up is her most recent statement that she has more popular votes than her opponents. She neglects to mention that her count includes two states that all candidates signed a pledge not to include, and her opponent’s name wasn’t even on the ballot in one of the two. But I’m sure she would not acknowledge the misstatement as a lie, but rather a “creative truth.” Her popular vote count can be found in one of the chapters in her new book, “Bullets Over Bosnia.”
Weddings, Media, and Bush Babies: Hillary has brought Chelsea out of her New York closet to stump for Mom. It is not unusual for politicians to kiss other people’s babies and push their own in front to TV cameras to help them campaign. But Laura Bush and the twins have been doing the TV circuit. Why? Their Dad and hubby is not running. But the Queen and princesses appeared with the King on CNN and other media forums. Jenna, the Bush Baby who was announcing her wedding, made the startling statement that she might not vote for the Republican candidate. Wow!
Not For All the Rice In China: Condi Rice might still be the darling of the current administration but another rice is causing problems worldwide. On the basis of a few slanted media reports a worldwide panic is occurring over the food staple. As the cost of petroleum steadily increases the cost of food delivery does the same. Somehow the rumor mill transferred that information into a food shortage, especially rice, and the Run for the Rices began. Costco and Sam’s slammed the door on hoarders by rationing purchases. But officials assure us that no such shortage exists – yet.
A couple of funnies: We’ve been including way too many serious issues in our blog lately so we’ll conclude today’s with a couple of sillies: Seems that President Bush received word that three Brazilian soldiers had been killed in Iraq. He responded, “I forget. How many in a brazzillion?” The White House bartender has created a drink in honor of Dick Cheney. One shot of Wild Turkey and throw it in the face of an attorney. After Hillary was shown doing a shot and a beer Ted Kennedy switched his support to her. After Barack bowled a 37 he decided he’s better cancel his hockey camp. The three candidates have been arguing over who would be most effective with the 3 a.m. phone call. John McCain says he’s always up at 3, going to the bathroom.
A little blogging music Maestro... Anything by Bruce Springsteen because he’s the Boss.
Dr. Forgot
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Politics and Economy
If Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right, Try Three
The phone rings at 3 a.m. Did Hillary Still win PA?: The Pennsylvanians have spoken. Well, some of them have spoken. Those with a college education voted for Obama. Those without went for Hillary. Young lions: Barack. Old geezers: Hill. The 3 a.m. ad must have worked. Or not. See the spin. Spin candidates, spin. Hill says she now deserves to be the candidate because she won PA and if you count Michigan and Florida (forget that she signed an agreement to ignore them) she is ahead in popular votes. Obie’s camp spins, “Hey, we started 20 30 points behind and closed the gap to 10.” It makes my head spin. I’m reminded of the Shelly Berman monologue: “My tongue is asleep and my teeth itch. It is the morning after the night before.” Oh yes, we were glad to hear that Hillary’s great grandfather played football for Joe Paterno.
Republicans have their own spin: The other team – you know, the one that is not infighting at the moment, must be having a great time watching their adversaries do their best to self destruct. Says one Repub pundit: “Let’s look at the choices, on one side we have our choice of a lawyer married to a lawyer or a lawyer married to a lawyer. On the other side we have a nice old guy married to a beautiful blond who owns a brewery. Is there really any choice?” Who said those Republicans don’t have a sense of humor.
The Case of the Missing $ 20 Million Fence: “Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today. Good grief I wish he’d go away.” One of the hot topics during any election year is illegal immigration. Some government genius, Homeland Security boss Michael Chertoff, approved $ 20 million to have Boeing build a fence that wasn’t there. They call it a “virtual” fence and it included towers that let the border patrol know when anybody crossed the border if they should not have. The problem seems to be that illegal crossers can’t see the fence so they ignore it and, well, the fence that isn’t there doesn’t seem to be stopping illegal crossings. So the GAO stepped in and scrapped the process. Mission accomplished.
Psst, Buddy, Can you spare $ 100 for a cup of Joe and a fill up: With gas topping $ 4.00 per gallon in many parts of the country it is not unusual for an empty tank to cost a C-note to fill. So buy a Prius? It will still take over $ 40 for a fill up. Although the candidates were too busy answering “debate” questions about who loves America more, had they been asked about this problem the answers might have been, Hillary: “If you can’t stand the heat get out of the air conditioning.” Barack: “People who cling to their gas guzzlers are bitter.” Johnny Mac: “We’ll be buying expensive gas for the next 100 years.”
A little blogging music Maestro... “Money’s Too Tight to Mention” by Simply Red.
Dr. Forgot
The phone rings at 3 a.m. Did Hillary Still win PA?: The Pennsylvanians have spoken. Well, some of them have spoken. Those with a college education voted for Obama. Those without went for Hillary. Young lions: Barack. Old geezers: Hill. The 3 a.m. ad must have worked. Or not. See the spin. Spin candidates, spin. Hill says she now deserves to be the candidate because she won PA and if you count Michigan and Florida (forget that she signed an agreement to ignore them) she is ahead in popular votes. Obie’s camp spins, “Hey, we started 20 30 points behind and closed the gap to 10.” It makes my head spin. I’m reminded of the Shelly Berman monologue: “My tongue is asleep and my teeth itch. It is the morning after the night before.” Oh yes, we were glad to hear that Hillary’s great grandfather played football for Joe Paterno.
Republicans have their own spin: The other team – you know, the one that is not infighting at the moment, must be having a great time watching their adversaries do their best to self destruct. Says one Repub pundit: “Let’s look at the choices, on one side we have our choice of a lawyer married to a lawyer or a lawyer married to a lawyer. On the other side we have a nice old guy married to a beautiful blond who owns a brewery. Is there really any choice?” Who said those Republicans don’t have a sense of humor.
The Case of the Missing $ 20 Million Fence: “Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today. Good grief I wish he’d go away.” One of the hot topics during any election year is illegal immigration. Some government genius, Homeland Security boss Michael Chertoff, approved $ 20 million to have Boeing build a fence that wasn’t there. They call it a “virtual” fence and it included towers that let the border patrol know when anybody crossed the border if they should not have. The problem seems to be that illegal crossers can’t see the fence so they ignore it and, well, the fence that isn’t there doesn’t seem to be stopping illegal crossings. So the GAO stepped in and scrapped the process. Mission accomplished.
Psst, Buddy, Can you spare $ 100 for a cup of Joe and a fill up: With gas topping $ 4.00 per gallon in many parts of the country it is not unusual for an empty tank to cost a C-note to fill. So buy a Prius? It will still take over $ 40 for a fill up. Although the candidates were too busy answering “debate” questions about who loves America more, had they been asked about this problem the answers might have been, Hillary: “If you can’t stand the heat get out of the air conditioning.” Barack: “People who cling to their gas guzzlers are bitter.” Johnny Mac: “We’ll be buying expensive gas for the next 100 years.”
A little blogging music Maestro... “Money’s Too Tight to Mention” by Simply Red.
Dr. Forgot
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Pennsylvania Primary
Campaign Rhetoric: Baloney disguised as food for thought
Branding, bantering, pandering: Election time is heaven for media types. Newspapers love it because it gives them something to write about rather than the mundane topics such as murders, rapes, robberies, and lootings. TV and radio love it because political ads bolster their budget. Pundits love it because finally they get a few rating points, and wannabe pundits love it because it gives them a chance to get their sometimes not so pretty faces before the camera. Trite expressions are coined by a particular media person and spread like wildfire among their fellow spreaders of gossip. “Branding” is the latest term. Watch for its use among bantering, pandering pundits.
Why we see sound bites instead of issues: Let’s face it. The American public is just not sophisticated. Karl Rove figured that out and put a dodo in office twice with the help of plenty of form and little substance. Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and the like figured that out and are making millions providing the unwashed remote-toting masses with items that have to do with parsing words rather than examining issues. ABC News produced the George and Charlie Comedy Hour and passed it off as a debate. And the Average American thrived on it. A man’s preacher is more important than the Iraq war. A female candidate’s cry is more important than the economic perils of the country. Whether or not a candidate wears a lapel pin determines his patriotism while 4,000 dead troops are mentioned only in passing and tens of thousands of maimed soldiers and hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis get hardly a mention. No wonder American Idol feeds the American Idle.
Pillory Hillary, Bury Barry, Attack Mack: That is not to say the candidates can’t get sucked into the eddy of mundane verbosity. Of the three front runners only Senator McCain has the temerity to say “Screw you” to an obnoxious little twerp of a pundit who would ask an out-of-bounds unrelated non-issue question. Hillary would not answer the question but respond with why she is the best candidate running and Obama would respond with a clear cut analysis of the question and a well thought-out logical response. Hannity would say that Obama’s response has racial overtones, and O’Reilly would say that McCain is the only one with cajones (look it up in your Spanish-English dictionary), and Saturday Night Live will spoof Hillary’s answer.
For whom doth lie a victory: Today is the culmination to six weeks of being inundated with news media that has enriched their coffers by millions. Some pundits say if Hillary does not win PA by a substantial margin it is curtains for her. Others say Obama might pull an upset given the vote of the young people. As for Senator McCain, he is probably sitting in a cabana by a swimming pool, lovely young wealthy wife at his side, enjoying a Mai Tai and reading some book or other – perhaps “101 Ways to Ignore the Media.”
A little blogging music Maestro... Today why not do the University of Michigan fight song, “Hail to the Victors!”
Dr. Forgot
Branding, bantering, pandering: Election time is heaven for media types. Newspapers love it because it gives them something to write about rather than the mundane topics such as murders, rapes, robberies, and lootings. TV and radio love it because political ads bolster their budget. Pundits love it because finally they get a few rating points, and wannabe pundits love it because it gives them a chance to get their sometimes not so pretty faces before the camera. Trite expressions are coined by a particular media person and spread like wildfire among their fellow spreaders of gossip. “Branding” is the latest term. Watch for its use among bantering, pandering pundits.
Why we see sound bites instead of issues: Let’s face it. The American public is just not sophisticated. Karl Rove figured that out and put a dodo in office twice with the help of plenty of form and little substance. Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and the like figured that out and are making millions providing the unwashed remote-toting masses with items that have to do with parsing words rather than examining issues. ABC News produced the George and Charlie Comedy Hour and passed it off as a debate. And the Average American thrived on it. A man’s preacher is more important than the Iraq war. A female candidate’s cry is more important than the economic perils of the country. Whether or not a candidate wears a lapel pin determines his patriotism while 4,000 dead troops are mentioned only in passing and tens of thousands of maimed soldiers and hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis get hardly a mention. No wonder American Idol feeds the American Idle.
Pillory Hillary, Bury Barry, Attack Mack: That is not to say the candidates can’t get sucked into the eddy of mundane verbosity. Of the three front runners only Senator McCain has the temerity to say “Screw you” to an obnoxious little twerp of a pundit who would ask an out-of-bounds unrelated non-issue question. Hillary would not answer the question but respond with why she is the best candidate running and Obama would respond with a clear cut analysis of the question and a well thought-out logical response. Hannity would say that Obama’s response has racial overtones, and O’Reilly would say that McCain is the only one with cajones (look it up in your Spanish-English dictionary), and Saturday Night Live will spoof Hillary’s answer.
For whom doth lie a victory: Today is the culmination to six weeks of being inundated with news media that has enriched their coffers by millions. Some pundits say if Hillary does not win PA by a substantial margin it is curtains for her. Others say Obama might pull an upset given the vote of the young people. As for Senator McCain, he is probably sitting in a cabana by a swimming pool, lovely young wealthy wife at his side, enjoying a Mai Tai and reading some book or other – perhaps “101 Ways to Ignore the Media.”
A little blogging music Maestro... Today why not do the University of Michigan fight song, “Hail to the Victors!”
Dr. Forgot
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday's Follies
Politics: Poly (Many) Ticks (Bloodsucking Parasites)
A Debate or a Commercial: We are now a day or two away from the so called "Democratic Nominee Debate” on ABC. Maybe I’m a bit out of touch but I seem to remember the definition of debate as: “A discussion of both sides of an issue.” Issue is the key word here. What ABC News considered issues were more like the George and Charlie Comedy hour. “Does Rev. Wright love America as much as you do?” and “Do you love the American Flag?” Can you say “Packaged for our sponsors?” How about a different term? When a debate of issues is absent issues, it goes one step beyond yellow journalism and becomes an amateur hour that trapped two professionals. Such a blatant commercialization with little substance might work as a radio call in program hosted by a host with slanted points of view, but to tout it as a debate is shameful. ABC News earns a royal flush for that farce.
Happy Birthday Little Adopted Girl: Kids can be cruel. No, kids ARE cruel, and when they grow up they are often still cruel (note the poison that comes from surrogates of candidates). My eldest sibling was born in January. The second was also born in January as was I, the third of four. But the youngest was a surprise to the folks and was born April 18. The older three teased the youngest unmercifully about many things, not the least of which was her April 18 birthday. In fact, we told her that she wasn’t really a member of the family, that she’d been found wandering the streets and adopted. Since she didn’t have a birthday we celebrated her birthday on a national holiday (In case you’ve forgotten, today is the date of Paul Revere’s famous “The British are coming” ride). To make up in small part, “Happy Birthday little sister. Sorry I couldn’t afford a preset.”
FLDS - Finally, Let’s Do Something: The raid on the polygamist complex and subsequent 24-hour cable news coverage gives one pause. The rehearsed responses to reporters’ queries (Question: Are children being married off to older men? Answer: I miss my children) remind me of how politicians and lawyers sidestep direct questions. Perhaps we are seeing some budding (no pun intended) politicians being created here. But on a serious note, memo to the “faithful:” Child abuse is not protected by the U.S. constitution on religious grounds.
Friday quickie News Summary: Some of the sillier items in the news include the five university students who got busted for trying to steal an alligator. Clearly they weren’t University of Florida students. They have a campus full of gators. An Oregon imposter lived with a family for weeks until he was discovered. Actually, the imposter was the family dog who had been accidently switched at the kennel for a lookalike. The first clue was the dog’s “personality change.” Finally, remember the scene in “Back to the Future” when Biff’s car crashed into a load of manure? It really happened in Indiana when a truckload of human excrement overturned on a highway. The investigating officer said, “I hate it when this happens.”
A little blogging music Maestro... What else but Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell.”
Dr. Forgot
A Debate or a Commercial: We are now a day or two away from the so called "Democratic Nominee Debate” on ABC. Maybe I’m a bit out of touch but I seem to remember the definition of debate as: “A discussion of both sides of an issue.” Issue is the key word here. What ABC News considered issues were more like the George and Charlie Comedy hour. “Does Rev. Wright love America as much as you do?” and “Do you love the American Flag?” Can you say “Packaged for our sponsors?” How about a different term? When a debate of issues is absent issues, it goes one step beyond yellow journalism and becomes an amateur hour that trapped two professionals. Such a blatant commercialization with little substance might work as a radio call in program hosted by a host with slanted points of view, but to tout it as a debate is shameful. ABC News earns a royal flush for that farce.
Happy Birthday Little Adopted Girl: Kids can be cruel. No, kids ARE cruel, and when they grow up they are often still cruel (note the poison that comes from surrogates of candidates). My eldest sibling was born in January. The second was also born in January as was I, the third of four. But the youngest was a surprise to the folks and was born April 18. The older three teased the youngest unmercifully about many things, not the least of which was her April 18 birthday. In fact, we told her that she wasn’t really a member of the family, that she’d been found wandering the streets and adopted. Since she didn’t have a birthday we celebrated her birthday on a national holiday (In case you’ve forgotten, today is the date of Paul Revere’s famous “The British are coming” ride). To make up in small part, “Happy Birthday little sister. Sorry I couldn’t afford a preset.”
FLDS - Finally, Let’s Do Something: The raid on the polygamist complex and subsequent 24-hour cable news coverage gives one pause. The rehearsed responses to reporters’ queries (Question: Are children being married off to older men? Answer: I miss my children) remind me of how politicians and lawyers sidestep direct questions. Perhaps we are seeing some budding (no pun intended) politicians being created here. But on a serious note, memo to the “faithful:” Child abuse is not protected by the U.S. constitution on religious grounds.
Friday quickie News Summary: Some of the sillier items in the news include the five university students who got busted for trying to steal an alligator. Clearly they weren’t University of Florida students. They have a campus full of gators. An Oregon imposter lived with a family for weeks until he was discovered. Actually, the imposter was the family dog who had been accidently switched at the kennel for a lookalike. The first clue was the dog’s “personality change.” Finally, remember the scene in “Back to the Future” when Biff’s car crashed into a load of manure? It really happened in Indiana when a truckload of human excrement overturned on a highway. The investigating officer said, “I hate it when this happens.”
A little blogging music Maestro... What else but Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell.”
Dr. Forgot
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