I Mania

I have to admit that I do want an iphone. I like the way it looks. I like the way it feels and most important, I can see the buttons, not that an iphone even has buttons. But at $600.00 I can wait. Besides I just renewed my old verizon contract, so I’m out of the phone market for a couple of years. By then, Apple should have worked out all the bugs in the iphone.

I already have an ipod and although I love it to death, it has bugs...millions of them. I wish I had waited to buy it, but I couldn’t resist the thought of having my entire music collection in my pocket.

Iphones make me realize that I am getting old because despite my desire to own one, I can’t believe that a telephone can be a status symbol. I’ve had my younger friends, meaning those young enough to be my grandkids, actually check out my phone to see what I choose to carry. From these conversations I have learned that the more your phone can do, or the more it costs, then the higher your status.

I’m sorry, but a phone is still a phone to me. It replaces the need to have to find a pay phone like the ones that used to populate street corners. My contract offers free phones in exchange for company loyalty. So every couple of years, I choose the most expensive phone that I can get for free. I also need to be able to read the buttons since my eyes no longer work as well as they used to. I carry this sleek black number that is web ready, bluetooth ready, mp3 equipped, and has a camera and also shoots video. Most importantly, it was free.

I’ve played with all the features, but basically, after I’m done playing, it’s still just a phone, a convenience that keeps me from having to search for one on the corner in order to reach out and touch when I need to.

Knowing me, I will eventually own an iphone. But it won’t be for a couple of years and the phone itself will probably be into it’s third or fourth generation. By then the kinks will be gone, and it won’t cost so much. And I will have a better understanding of phone as status symbol, I guess...maybe...maybe not..

America Mismanaged

Gasoline
Wow! Gasoline prices have dropped seven cents per gallon in the past week. Man! I need to fire up my 25 gallon vehicle and drive to my nearest filling station for a fill up. Look at all the money I can save! At this rate, next week I can probably afford to buy a Big Mac for lunch.

And don’t say go buy a smaller car. Some of us can’t afford to change cars like we change underwear. With the price of these alleged gas saving hybrids, it will be a long time before I purchase a newer car much less a hybrid.


Tainted Justice
Colin Powell says Gitmo should be shutdown immediately. Defense Secretary Robert Gates calls Guantanamo a “taint” on the reputation of America. Powell was the only member of the Bush Administration who was against opening the facility in the first place. Both Gates and Powell say the facility harms America’s image abroad. Does Dubya care? Is Condi listening? By the way, where is Condi these days?

Powell also apologized for his part in getting us into this civil war. He said the situation in Iraq was mismanaged from jump street and run by amateurs.


Immigration
Bush says he is going to reopen the push for immigration reform when he returns from his trip overseas. I wonder......is he just talking about our southern border with the brown people of Mexico or is he also talking about our porous northern border with pale Canada? You will recall that the TB guy was let into this country through Canada despite being on everyone’s keep out list. The border guard said TB guy “looked okay to him.” If you’ve seen him in his news appearances, TB guy looks just like all the guys in the Bush Administration as well as all the other guys who are considered masters of the universe. Others who have tried to come through Canada, like Moussoui the 9/11 would be hijacker, were stopped and arrested. What happened. Guess he didn’t “look okay.” He is certainly not a master of the universe.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend?!- CNN
We are going to give guns to the Sunnis to fight Al Quaeda in Iraq....now that looks like a plan...well thought out...Question....are we going to pull out our troops first before they get caught in an even bigger crossfire? If my memory serves me correctly, didn’t we use to arm Al Quaeda too?

Bombing Iran
Jolting Joe Lieberman wants to bomb Iran. Like our military isn’t already stretched enough. Why don’t we just go ahead and hit North Korea and China while we’re at it. Note to you war happy politicians....if you want to fight, pick up a gun and go fight, but leave the rest of us alone.
Aggressive military action is being talked up by guys in power who spent all their youth avoiding the military......Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Romney, Guiliani....to name a few.. The guys and women who have been to war don’t want to go back, with the exception being McCain.

Photo Op Terrorism and the Politics of Fearmongering

First came the Liberty City Old School Knuckleheads, then the Fort Dix Six. Now we’ve got the Islamic Reggae Boys, apparently led by a sometimes homeless drug addict.

These guys are terrorists, bent on bringing down America? Please!

The first group were old school militants still living in the sixties with no guns, no cars and no cash. Based on that scenario, they couldn’t land a date these days much less bring down a government. They marched around their warehouse quoting the Last Poets and watching Bruce Lee movies and probably talked a lot of trash that some stupid government informant thought sounded like plotting and turned them in. Now they’ve disappeared into the Just-Us system.

The Fort Dix Six at least look the part, meaning they fit the profile of what a terrorist might look like, if you’re stupid and racist and buy the Homeland Security B.S...you know the type, dark skinned, swarthy, skull cap wearing, bearded, middle eastern looking. But c’mon the feds would have us believe that these men hatched a plot to dress up as pizza deliverymen, go to a full scale military base and shoot up and kill as many soldiers as possible, then escape to tell about it. Further, they recorded their plot on DVD and took it to a drug store for processing?

Now we’ve got the Reggae boys from Trinidad plot. Like the Knuckleheads, these guys had no money, no vehicles and no guns, explosives or nuclear bombs. They talked a lot to a fed informant who was a drug addict working his way into the witness protection program and got turned in to the police, probably after the all ganja was gone. These guys were talking about blowing up JFK airport. The plot announced by one of those political hack attorney generals appointed during Gonzo gate. Airlines security experts from around the world are laughing their collective asses off at this one.

In light of who’s being arrested, I’m scared to death our government couldn’t identify a real terrorist if Osama Bin Laden, himself, walked up to the front door of the White House, pulling his dialysis machine behind him, and said, “I’m here to blow up your country, now arrest me.”

Even the 24 arrested in England last year, were picked up at the behest of our government. The Brits said most of the guys were harmless and in fact, 22 of them were let go a couple of days after the news conference detailing their arrests.

We’re trapped in a cycle of fear. Every time one of these types of arrests is made, there is major news coverage with some government talking head, usually Bush or our invisible vice president, telling us to “be afraid, be very afraid.”

When is the news media in this country going to wake up and realize it’s been had. Not everything is news or news worthy, and most of what is coming from this administration is just noise to camouflage the really bad stuff that they’re doing.

We, as a people, have paid millions and billions of dollars for a state of the art security system to protect our country, while our government is still using tactics dreamed up in the days of civil unrest back in the sixties. No wonder they keep stumbling over these old school militants. The real terrorists are apparently cloaked in 21st century stealth, and don’t register on old school radar.

Yes, we need to be vigilant. Yes, we need security. But not this. With what’s going on, it seems our government uses Keystone Cop movies as training films. If we’re going to go old school, then let’s bring back Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones. At least they knew how to find and arrest the real bad guys.

Hostage II

I left the news world back in 1999. I was burned out and quite frankly, didn’t like the turn away from “real news” and toward “infotainment,” which was taking place in the industry. Now, if you miss the first four minutes of the newscast, you’ve essentially missed the newscast. It’s over, except for the recap in the closing 30 seconds. The rest of the time is taken up with features, gossip and weather.

But even though I got out physically, my desire to know has never left. And up until a few months ago I still managed to start my day reading several newspapers (the internet makes it easy). I still read several magazines on both sides of the current issues, in my desire to find all sides of the issues.

I write a blog that most of the time reflects what I’ve read in the newspapers, magazines or heard on CNN or MSNBC. Still can’t stand to watch FOX. It drives me nuts. I ended my career working for the local Fox and a news director who thought that the perfect reporter was one who left the station with prescripted questions written by her or the assignment desk and stuck to script while doing the interview. She actually voiced that opinion in the daily news meeting. I told her point blank that, that would be the day I quit, and it was. She got fired shortly after I quit. It was okay, I needed a change....I needed to write without the constrictions of alleged news gathering, that was no longer happening. But I still carried on my personal search for information...reading and reading and writing and writing, as if I never left the business.

Lately, for the first time in my adult life, I’ve been tuned out of the noise. I mean really tuned out...no newspapers, cancelled my magazine subscriptions, watched less TV news, and I don’t feel all that guilty about unplugging. Haven’t been writing either. I do feel twinges of guilt when I don’t update my blog.

But, hell, I have to remind myself that I created the blog for me. Not for anyone else. I created it to keep in practice with my writing. If I don’t use it, I lose it, understand?

I love to write, it’s just that by creating the blog, I felt an obligation to write every single day, every time I had a thought. That’s good, but there are other things to my life. I play golf. I love to play golf. If I had discovered the game earlier in my life, I might have tried to be a pro. I love being outside, especially this time of year. I have a lawn that needs tending. I have flowers that need love. I have dogs that need exercise. I have me, that needs exercise. I have a car that needs washing. I have a house that needs fixing. I have travel plans to make and trips to take. I need to check out the local flea markets. I have friends and lovers that I need to see. I have wine that needs drinking and food that needs eating.

I have a life outside of my blog and I should never, ever feel guilty about living.

Everything I do and experience comes out in my writing. It will eventually come out in my blog...just not everyday. Maybe not every two or three days. But it will come out, when it’s ready.

So I will get back to politics and the war and having opinions about something. But only when I feel it. In my own time, period.

Hostage

One of the many reasons that I loved living in Chicago was that a car was truly a luxury rather than a necessity. I could get anywhere I wanted without having to jump into a vehicle, unless it was public transportation. The buses and trains ran 24/7, 365. I could walk out my door, step to the curb and throw my hand up to signal any of the several taxis passing by. Three large grocery stores were within three blocks, and they delivered. I would walk to the store, choose my food, pay for it, and then tell the cashier where I lived. My groceries arrived within the hour with the eggs not broken.

There were breakfast places for brunch, lunch places, dinner places, bars to drink and watch sports, dance clubs, work out clubs, all within walking distance. And I mean walking distance without breaking sweat or getting leg cramps from over exertion. Since I lived on Lakeshore Drive, I had 22 miles of park, including a golf course right across the street. Wrigley Field was four blocks west. I could open my windows and hear the late Harry Carey sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” during the seventh inning stretch. The only reason I drove was to visit my sister who lived in the burbs. When I needed to fly, which was weekly, I took the train to O’HARE.

All of these memories came flooding back with the news that a gallon of gasoline is $3.49 at my neighborhood gas station today. I no longer live in Chicago. I now live in Cincinnati Ohio, and I'm old enough to remember a gasoline price war between stations in Mt Healthy, where a gallon cost 28-cents. Cincinnati is a city where a car is a must have, even at today's prices.

Urban sprawl is a nice term for it. Usually good restaurants, good theaters and marvelous clubs inhabit the heart of the city. Now, the best places to eat are right across the river, in Kentucky or out in the burbs of West Chester. The purple people bridge is pedestrian friendly, for those wanting to cross the river, but you need a car to get to the bridge. Here, going clubbing usually means driving to Columbus or Indianapolis. As for getting your groceries delivered intact, well good luck. I consider myself lucky if there is a bagger at the checkout.

Since I grew up in Cincinnati, I was well aware of its cultural limitations for the over 25 set of young adults, both gay and straight. If I want to shop, eat or go to the park, I drive. Everyone has a car. Many people have two or three in case one breaks down. Boycotting rising gas prices will not happen here because Cincinnati, like many other former industrial cities of the Midwest, is not people or user friendly. The Midwest is held hostage by the whims of OPEC.

If you don’t have a car, you better have a friend who has one. The wait between buses is about an hour. Getting a bus late at night is pretty impossible. Looking for a taxi? Don’t go to the curb. Dig out your cell phone and call, it’ll be there in about 20 minutes. Elevated trains? Forget about it!

I’ve been looking at Vespas lately as a means of going green. There is a dealership right around the corner. I like the little European scooters. I wouldn’t think twice about buying one, if I still lived in Europe. But here in Cincinnati, I hesitate because I figure the first time I try to ride it, I’ll be run over by somebody in a big ass SUV hurrying to a radio sponsored gasoline sale.

The Buck Doesn’t Stop Here

I guess Harry Truman is doing flip flops in his grave over this administration. The straight talking, straight shooting, honest man from Missouri, would never have allowed the White House to be swallowed up by the cloud of mendacity that seeps from every crack of that building these days.

We have a president who “doesn’t recall, can’t remember, blames congress and the democrats, and anybody else he can think of for the current morass.” Now he has appointed a War Czar to handle the quagmire in the middle east.

I thought the president was always the “war czar.” Dubya was the boss in the run up to the war after 9/11. He was the head of state when it came to “mission accomplished” on the flight deck in front of the troops. Why step away now. Why doesn’t the buck stop at Dubya’s desk as it has with every other president we’ve had to this point?

I guess it’s like everything else about this president..paint a big picture, pose for the photo op, and let everyone else fill in the details, no matter how fuzzy or unethical.

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Question......Does AG Gonzales ever pay attention to the words coming out of his mouth? He’s got his tongue so far up Dubya’s butt, it’s a wonder if he will ever come clean. Talk about loyalty to the family, and I’m not talking Sopranos here. Maybe the feds need to pay closer attention to what goes on inside la familia in Maine.

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OMG! Paris is traumatized about going to jail. Well, join the club sista girl, me too! I don’t think anyone likes being locked up. But MOST of us do the right thing and stay away from jail and police officers with badges and guns. We po folk don’t call em pigs for nothing. We don’t have millions of dollars, a glitzy name or high priced attorneys to protect us. We have to do the right thing or pay the price. Because we know that if there is anything the police like better than beating up poor people...it’s locking up rich people who think they’re above the law. Buy a vowel and get a clue, girlfriend, and please, please, go sit down and pretend to be invisible.

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Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Martin Luther King, has passed away. Gone too soon. Rest in peace.

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The Reverend Jerry Falwell has passed on too. To quote the late great Moms Mabley...”don’t say nothin’ about the dead, unless you can say somethin’ good.....he’s dead....good!”

The Ballad of Jeff and OJ

Big bad restauranteur Jeff Ruby sidled up to big bad former football player OJ Simpson and told him to get out of his restaurant. It happened in Louisville this past derby weekend. Sounds like a scene out of the movie HIGH NOON. Ruby in the white hat confronted the accused-murderer-judged-not guilty, black hat wearing Simpson and reportedly said, “I’m not going to serve you!” And as the story goes, OJ meekly gathered his party of twelve, tucked his tail between his legs and left the premises amid a standing ovation for the bravado of the seemingly heroic Jeff Ruby.

Today we hear from Simpson’s attorney that the eviction was for racial reasons only and that OJ may sue. Ruby’s retort is that he was merely seeking some justice for Ron Goldman’s family.

I have mixed feelings about this alleged incident. Jeff Ruby owns many restaurants in and around my city. In the black community his rep is a bit tarnished. Seems every time there is a “black” event downtown, like the Jazz festival or black family reunion, Mr Ruby is known for closing his restaurants to take “inventory” or “vacation.” He has even been picketed for such actions in past years. He always denies the allegations, because “some of his best friends are.......” He does know a lot of black athletes and in other times, Ruby and Simpson would be photo op buddies, with Simpson gifted with tab at all Ruby establishments.

But if the closing incidents had happened only once, I would say, well, maybe coincidence, bad timing on the part of the restaurant. After all, what businessman closes his doors to making money? But it keeps happening and he is not the only one downtown who reacts like that. But they say, they’re not racist, just, well...I don’t know how they alibi themselves. I don’t patronize people who obviously don’t want my money.

Anyway, back to OJ. I am totally convinced he killed his ex-wife. He is reprehensible. I don’t understand how he could even have an entourage of twelve people who want to have dinner with him. I wouldn’t want him in my restaurant either. But I would serve him if he showed up. He was found not guilty. He is protected by double jeopardy laws.

Ruby was grandstanding. He saw a chance to grab the spotlight and took it. He got lots of free publicity for his restaurants. At Simpson’s expense, he ends up looking like a good guy, his feet of clay quietly hidden under the table.

Ten Men Talking

Well, the first GOP “debate” is over and it went well:

If you deny evolution,
if you think Ronny Ray-gun was the best president, ever, and refuse to criticize Bush, or other members of his evil cabal,
think gays and lesbians are abomination,
think stem cell research is murder,
don’t think women have enough brains to make good decisions when it comes to their own bodies,
Think Alito and Roberts will do great things from the Supreme Court bench,
think congress has a right to mess in private lives like what happened with Terri Shiavo,
continue to equate the Iraq quagmire with a war on terror,
are willing to go to war with Iran tomorrow, despite the messes in Iraq and Afghanistan,
and feel this administration is doing a good job..

They all hate Hillary and one of them (sorry, they all look alike) told Joe Scarborough that every man on stage would make a better president than Hillary Clinton. The answer also shows that she is the one they fear the most. They all ranted against Hillary health care, circa early 90's. They all took pot shots at Bill and most of them voted to impeach him. They all accused Democrats of being soft on defense.

If Hillary gets the nomination, I’m willing to bet that it will be a very negative campaign. Men turn into "mean girls" and get bitchy, when challenged by women, we all know that.

Did anyone stand out.....Mitt Romney looked presidential...but it was that idealized, calculated look of what a president should look like. Listening to him....he’s got the Joe Biden slime factor going on.

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy....got buried in the shuffle. He didn’t stand out or have a chance to stand out. He was trying to be everything to everyone. It’s not working. He doesn’t seem really interested in the job. I think he likes campaigning as long as it holds his interest, nothing more.

And if the GOP hands Rudy the nomination it will illustrate just how hypocritical republicans are when it comes to making moral judgements. Rudy’s so tainted, he should be a democrat.

John McCain....tried too hard. I think the parade has passed him by and he can’t catch up.

As for the rest of them, well, we needed some comic relief....I found myself wishing for Newt or Fred or even Arnold to jump on stage..

Yep, Nothing’s Changed

The Justice Department quietly released a report, Sunday, confirming once again what we minorities already know about law enforcement in this country. Echoing a 2002 report, the Just-us department determined that police are more likely to search, arrest or to use force against minority drivers than against whites.

The popular term for this today is “driving while black” or DWB, you’ve heard the term already, I’m sure. Supporters of the study were quick to point out that other things like “driver temperament” or behavior toward police were not taken into consideration. So, what are they saying....blacks and Hispanics are not polite enough or docile enough when approached by cops?

While recognizing the problem, Just-us doesn’t offer any solutions.

At least this time they issued a press release....back in 2002, they dropped it like it was hot and let it lay there until somebody noticed.

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Karma smackdown

The ruling party in DC gets another karma smackdown when a DC madam goes to court today to answer prostitution charges. Seems some of the names in her little black book are also listed on the employee log at the White House. At least one guy has already resigned. Another guy is said to be the one who came up with the term “shock and awe” for the invasion of Iraq.

Looks like the GOP moral compass is broken again.


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Veto

Did you know that when Dubya vetoes the Iraq spending bill, he will also veto the minimum wage hike? The wage hike is a part of that funding bill.


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Update on American Casualties

3350 since the “war” began
3211 since “mission accomplished”
24,912 official wounded
100,000 estimated actually wounded

No numbers on Iraqi civilians

Denying Guns to Terrorists

Overshadowed by the all of the info-tainment that passed as news yesterday was a little nugget about guns that had me doing a double take. Seems that it’s perfectly legal, as we speak, for people who are on this government’s terrorist watch list to buy guns in this country.

In fact, according to the GAO, gun permits were issued to 47 of 58 people who were listed on the watch list in a nine month period in 2005.

This insane action is coming to light because of a proposal introduced by New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg, yesterday, who wants to make it legal for the Attorney General to block these types of gun sales, http://www.nytimes.com.

Dubya’s just-us department has also jumped on the bandwagon with a similar proposal. I guess the White House doesn’t want to be caught looking bad again in light of the shootings at Virginia Tech.

Law enforcement officials have apparently been trying to get this loop hole closed since 9/11.
But former AG John Ashcroft blocked all FBI efforts to compare the watch list with gun applications citing the Brady Gun Law.

Lautenberg’s measure was apparently introduced some time ago, but has been stalled by the gun crazy GOP controlled congress. The Senator, his aides and the Justice Dept, now think a Democrat controlled congress might prove more receptive to change. I’m not so sure. The National Rifle Association also has most democrats on a leash as well as the GOP. Getting loop holes closed in gun laws is an uphill climb no matter who is in charge of congress.

So far, the NRA has not weighed in on this issue.

I would think denying guns to terrorists is a “no brainer.” To paraphrase Dubya, why fight them here when we’re already fighting them over there.

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And speaking of “over there” seems the shaky Iraqi government is taking a page out of this administration’s play book and is going on vacation in July and August. They’re just going to shut the doors and walk away for a while.

Well, why can’t we do that? Walk away? Their walking away seems to be an indication that they think it’s our mess and that we are the ones who should handle it.

I don’t think we can walk away, but I do think we can ease on down the road and out ASAP.

Ya listening Dubya?

I’m Voting for the Old Guy

Just finished watching the first debate of this latest presidential season. All top tier democrats were on stage and apparently on their best behavior. It was pretty boring except for the old guy, Senator Mike Gravel. I didn’t know he was running for president. Hell, I didn’t even know who he was, but I like the fact that he, at least was willing to throw some bombs and mix it up a bit.

He spoke his mind with no hint of political correctness, and made some folks antsy. But he doesn’t have a snow ball’s chance of getting the nomination. Gravel flat out said the war was wrong and that we should pull out, period. He said if congress was really against the war, it would pull the funding, which is Dennis Kucinich’s major stance.

He excited me, made me want to vote for him. He was raw and plain spoken and is probably crazy. But after the past six years of lies, prevarication and arrogance, I’m more than happy to settle for the old guy senator, over more wet behind the ears polished, professional politicians.

But seriously folks....

Obama....smooth, cool under fire, well studied on the issues...felt like part of the establishment

Hillary (I don’t use Clinton cause there are two of them)....cool, to the point, well studied, I liked her straightforward, albeit boring presentation. And I understand she has to be...too flashy...she’s a tart...too smart and forthright....she’s a B***......too understated and she’s a schoolmarm...she can’t win that publicity war, no matter what she does...

Joe Biden....acquitted himself well, created the best soundbite of the night, but I still don’t like him...don’t trust him...smarmy

Bill Richardson...there is something about him that speaks to me, but I need to hear more, and I really don’t think he’s a strong enough candidate.

John Edwards....I’m not going to lie, reminds me of Dan Quayle....just a hell of a lot smarter...

Kucinich....I love Dennis the menace...he’s a great candidate, just too loopy to make it to the White House....trouble is...he is not loopy at all...and that’s a shame...maybe if he loosened up and took the grassroots, campus route...maybe...he could derail the frontrunners...naaah!

Christopher Dodd....another professional politician...I did like his answer about LGBT civil unions...it was heart felt, honest and human...it didn’t pander...I respect him for that..

Overall, I think the format needs changing. This wasn’t a debate, this was Q&A touching on all hot button issues, with reaction from the candidates...Debates need interaction among the participants.....I had trouble paying attention.

Too much PC in the room....with the exception of the old guy.

Xena Lives!

All right ladies, here’s something we can invest in. It’s called Women’s Town. And, no I’m not talking about Province town or any of several cities in Massachusetts. I’m talking about a real live city in China where you can unleash your inner Towanda. It's 2.3 square Km of land named Longshihu Village in Chongqing municipality, that follows the traditional concept of “women rule, men obey.”

Now, according to Chinese tourism officials as told to Reuters, there is a long standing practice in which “traditional women dominate and men have to be obedient in the areas of Sicchuan and Chongqing.....” so the area is now going to be marketed as a tourist destination. All officials need is about 26-40 million dollars of foreign money for the ad campaign, and to build infrastructure like houses, buildings, road, inside toilets, you get the picture.

Women’s Town even has a motto, and I love it...”women never make mistakes and men can never refuse women’s requests..” I hope that’s an accurate translation, since, as we all know, translation suffers big time between Chinese and English. But I guess it’s the thought that counts.

Once it gets off the ground, according to spokesperson Li, when tourists enter the area, the woman takes the lead in all decisions, like where to shop, where to eat, where to go for entertainment. If the man decides to disagree or heaven forbid, to disobey his woman, then he will be made to kneel on an uneven board or to wash dishes in a nearby restaurant or to perform some other nasty household job.

Now don’t rush out and buy your airline tickets just yet. This project was kicked off back in 2005 and is not expected to open for business for another couple of years. That gives you plenty of time to practice being dominate, so that you can hit the ground running when you land in Longshihu. Bon voyage!

Just Because We Can

The FDA is getting ready to rubber stamp a pill that will take away our periods, period. There isn’t a woman alive who hasn’t wished away “her friend”. But now that we can...should we? I would honestly feel more comfortable if this new pill had been developed by women, with a female spokesperson, instead of some guy telling me I should be happy to get rid of my menses. It kind of feels like when men were pushing Valium and brandy at women to quiet them down in the fifties and sixties. Guess I don’t trust them. Has there been enough study to determine what happens to women who go without periods over an extended period of time?

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We can’t save the country or secure the cities, so we build walls to keep people safe? Didn’t they try this already in Berlin? I thought the surge was working. I thought we were making headway in Iraq. My bad!

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Gonzales says he will stay as Attorney General as long as he can be effective...say what? When was he ever effective?

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Disney wants to release Song of the South...you know the movie about Uncle Remus that introduced us to the song “Zip pi Dee doo dah”....The blogosphere is awash with controversy about whether it should be released....Most of the folks doing the hyperventilating have never seen it and are discussing it through the prism of later day mores. I say release it...watch it and make up your own mind. Good or bad...it’s history......

For the record...I saw it when I was a kid...in a segregated theater(blacks were relegated to the balcony)...I loved it...It still brings a smile to my heart, even though I am fully aware, now, and recognize it for what it is.

And....I also don’t like Gone With the Wind, either..but if it’s out...so should be Song of the South...

We shouldn’t white wash history (no pun intended)...it is...what it is.....There is already too much revisionism going on as we speak....

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Dennis the Menace Kucinich wants to impeach Cheney and is in fact scheduled to introduce the articles of impeachment soon. Cheney’s puppet should go first. In fact, let’s just clean house all together...

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Newt, I wanna be president, Gingrich, is blaming the tragedy at Virginia Tech on liberalism....Tinky Winky strikes again...I want a hit off of what he's smoking..

Do You Hear Yourself?

Have ya’ll done lost your minds? In the wake of the mass tragedy at Virginia Tech, alleged grown ups and so called law enforcement officials here in Ohio are calling for arming teachers or for allowing concealed carry by both students and teachers on all school and college campuses in the state.

Okay, not enough kerosene on this fire, let’s try throwing on some gasoline. Are you all fucking crazy?

Has anyone really thought this through? What happens when a six year old takes his toy Glock with the authentic noise to school and points it at somebody? What happens to the silly teenager who tries to play a harmless prank that makes a loud noise that resembles a loud bang? What happens if a car backfires while driving past the school yard during recess and the history teacher on duty has an itchy trigger finger?

What happens if the school bad ass gets hold of teacher’s gun instead of going home for dad’s, and decides to really do some damage because he’s pissed off about a grade or detention?

People, you’re arming against your own kids. For the most part, these are not stranger attacks at these schools. These are your kids, your children. What happened to parenting?

All of these young killers,,,,Harris, Kleibold and now Cho, exhibited early signs that could have been seen and dealt with, had their parents been involved in their lives. The warnings were there for anyone, teachers, other students, school officials. All anyone had to do was to pay attention and also to take action. A recent study of young murderers acting out showed that 70% told someone before they acted. All of them acted out prior to committing their heinous acts.

Columbine happened in 1999, I have yet to hear a word from either of the boys’ parents. Cho’s parents are also silent. They have in fact, disappeared, although the mother’s family is talking.

Some of the parents in Paducah, Kentucky, for example, paid for their inattentiveness with their own lives, killed by their son before he went to school.

You will never make me believe that these parents didn’t know that their kids were sick. If your kid has enough spending money to buy guns at five or six hundred dollars a pop, to shoot up his school...you have enough money to find a hospital or a shrink to help him cope. If you can buy him a car, you can get him help.

Yes, mental health laws, the courts and gun laws need change. And given the state of mental health treatment in this country, finding help may take some effort. But if you bring kids into this world, then you owe it to them to take care of them mentally, physically as well as materially.

Before arming against your kids, how about metal detectors in doorways. There are many, many other security measures that can be taken before anyone else starts shooting. A simple book bag, with four or five books in it really can stop a bullet.

Please...more guns are not the answer. It is time to stop trying to keep up appearances. Understand that most American families are dysfunctional. Deal with it. Your kids are crying out for your attention, not another IPOD.

Put the guns away, hug your kids and vote these gun crazy idiots out of office. ,

Crazy in America

One of the problems with living in an open society like we have here in America is that it is not against the law to be crazy. In America, you can do anything and be anything you want, as long as you don’t hurt anyone. That’s where Cho crossed the line. His craziness led him to believe he was a Messiah, someone who should have been revered. Someone who should have been listened to. Someone who should have been hoisted onto a pedestal.

When society failed to worship him, then his craziness led him to murder and suicide. In the aftermath of his passing, I guess, we are supposed to miss him and feel sorry for ourselves, for having missed a great opportunity to know a great man.

Except that he wasn’t a great man. He wasn’t even a man. He was a boy who had to stand on tip toes to be heard because he whispered rather than spoke. He hid his impotence under a baseball cap and behind sunglasses, choosing to purchase his portable manhood at a gun store.

The so called manifesto that he left us, filled with fantasy pictures taken on his cell phone and pages of writings that would drive the Jabberwocky nuts, don’t tell us very much, except that he was crazy, and had been for a long, long time.

Interviews today from his relatives in South Korea confirm his craziness. His mother’s people said he didn’t talk when he was a kid. His grandmother said he was messed up from the time he was born. It seems, to coin a cliche, that he was a time bomb waiting to go off.

A legend in his own mind, he was a sad little boy who needed help and who was ultimately revealed to be a coward, sucker punching, attacking from behind, killing innocents and himself rather than face his demons and us.

Still Second Class

One step forward, two steps back....The Supreme Court, driven by its conservative male members, continues to dictate to women what they do with their bodies. The decision to uphold the federal ban on partial birth abortions was 5-4...Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia and Kennedy voting in the majority.

I guess women and their doctors will have to check with their congressman before scheduling a procedure to protect their own health. Guys, you still have carte blanche to do what ever you want with your body. Go ahead, pop another viagra and celebrate.

Hiding in Plain Sight...32...3311

We mourn those who died at Virginia Tech, as the killing escalates in Iraq. 157 die today, victims of a series of car bombs, reportedly orchestrated as an attack on the latest plan to make the country safer. At least 94 wounded in these same attacks.

3311 Americans dead since this farce of a war began. Bush is still playing politics by holding up funding, blaming Democrats for his mess.

Cho Seung-Hui was apparently identified as “troubled” and possibly dangerous and still nothing could be done to stop the rampage. In this country, this open society, you have to make a direct threat, or actually commit a crime in order to get arrested, or it seems to even get help.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone, really. Women victimized by their mates go through this all the time. Nothing can be done against stalkers or abusive husbands and boyfriends unless the abuser takes direct action against his intended victim. More often than not, the victim is killed.

Just thinking or writing about violence or violent behavior will not get you incarcerated. If that were the case, then the guys who write horror movies like SAW or HOSTEL would be locked in padded cells with the keys lost forever.

One talking head on FOX, today speculated that maybe this society should treat everyone like in the movie “Minority Report,” where people were arrested before they committed crimes. These people were identified through their thoughts which were monitored by way of some amazing contraption operated by the government.

But our society cannot force citizens to see a shrink. We, as Americans are allowed to be crazy, as long as we don’t hurt anyone, even when it is obvious that we might, and eventually will. By law, we have to wait until the gun goes off, so to speak.

I would much rather see us as a society tighten up gun laws. I am troubled by the unwillingness of the NRA to compromise on the issue. If you want to own a gun for protection, I’m okay with that. I have a problem with assault weapons. I have a problem with automatic and semi automatic pistols in the hands of everyday citizens.

It’s not that I’m afraid of guns. I know how to shoot. I know how to handle guns. I don’t own a gun because I know that I CAN and will use it if necessary. If I were attacked and had a gun in reach, it would be used, make no mistake about it. So I choose not to have them available. I prefer to rely on my brain and survivor instincts for getting into and out of situations should they arrive. That may sound stupid to gun owners, but there are always other options.

Why not allow single shot for home protection, or rifles for hunting. Again, I’m okay with that. I have a problem with overwhelming useless firepower.

The argument for having guns to protect against crime are weak. The face of crime in America is still the young black male. But young black males are killing other young black males. There is no rampage going on against society in general.

Burglars usually attack a house when the owner is not home.

Home invasions happen to drug dealers, usually staged by other drug dealers or some thug looking to make a quick score.

Campus/school shootings are perpetrated by angry young white men against their peers and their own families.

Gangs rarely venture out of their neighborhoods.

So maybe as a society we need to address our approach to identify and to act against mental health issues exhibited by obviously troubled people before they explode against the rest of us.

How, I don’t know, because any answer that I can come up with makes us less of an open society. I don’t want anything put into place that hinders my American-ness.

Me and Ann Coulter?! Ewwwwwwwww!

I can’t believe I’m saying this...Ann Coulter got it right. For once we agree on something. Talking about Don Imus, she said, and I’m paraphrasing, that Imus should apologize to the Rutgers team, but that he doesn’t owe anyone else an apology for his words.

Coulter said that Imus’ slur was directed at innocents, and she was right. There was absolutely no reason to take a potshot at those women. He ruined a good memory for them. Their moment in time is now eternally linked to his stupidity.

Coulter said Imus could have rightfully called her a “blonde ho” and gotten away with it. After all, she said, she is a public figure in the public eye, in the middle of public discourse. Not so, with the women of Rutgers. They didn’t ask for this kind of spotlight. Again, I agree with her.

I’ve been listening to most of the talk on all sides of the Imus controversy. I had even decided not to write about it...just let it go...until Coulter put her two cents on the table, because, in my own opinion, white people in general, and some blacks don’t get it, when it comes to us “dissing” us. It’s like using the “N” word. White people always, always, take it out of the context of culture and community.

It harkens back to playing the dozens, a game that from the outside looking in, seems as if we are simply hurling insults at one another. Actually there are rules to the game and the main rule is, you don’t talk about someone’s momma or sister or grandmother unless you really, really know the person with whom you’re playing.

Crackin’ on somebody’s mother, grandmother, or sister, can get you killed. You never, ever refer to a female relative, as a “ho” or a “bitch.” You never, ever disrespect a sister who is making something of herself, by going to school/college, or has a good job, or is just a good church going sister.

And that’s what white people don’t understand. White people look at us and see us through the stereotypical prism of slavery and racism, whether they consider themselves prejudiced or not. White people seem to think that black men are talking about all black women in the hip hop and rap videos, when actually they are not. Rap and hip hop artists actually do adhere to these rules. They do make distinctions between black women and “hos.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending the baseless, vicious mysogny that passes for entertainment within hip hop. I’m merely trying to illustrate a point. Rap and hip hop glorify the kind of women that the young men “think” they can get over on, i.e. sleep with, what ever, you know what I’m talking about. The young rappers are not talking about the kind of women they marry.

Snoop Dogg said it eloquently and got roundly booed for his effort. Nelly has also been roundly castigated for his mysogny. But nothing has been said about his herculean efforts to save the life of his dying sister.

Just as it’s not fair, like Imus did, to broadly and unjustifiably paint all black women as “nappy headed hos.” it’s not fair to paint every word from rappers and hip hop artists as wrong, especially when you don’t understand the grey areas involved.

I have already said we need to get rid of the “N” word. Bitch, Ho, and other pejoratives used toward women should also be summarily tossed, pronto.

Preaching to the Choir

I have a problem with the Democratic candidates for president refusing to take part in debates sponsored by Fox News and The Congressional Black Caucus Institute.

Yes, we know that Fox is the ministry of information for the neocons, but the neocons still have a large audience that needs to be educated and informed. Wouldn’t it be more practical to take the platform offered and try to win over some folks, rather than simply give up on them? Isn’t that just playing into Fox Noise’s hands, allowing them to level claims of liberal bias?

Playing to liberal or independent audiences is simply preaching to the choir. It’s what Shrub’s been doing for the past six years. He never holds a news conference or a photo op that is not filled with his sycophantic followers. He never allows dissension of any kind. Are we, as a people in for the same kind of thing, if we elect a democrat to the White House?

What has happened to debate in this country? Debates are for looking at all sides of the issues. Good debates teach and inform. A good debate may not ultimately change your mind, but it will have given you something to think about. I don’t give a damn about who sponsors a debate. I only care about what I hear from the candidates.

Shrub has trampled the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He has shown his fear of free speech, free thought, free debate and expression.

By refusing to take part in what could be a hostile debate, Democrats are showing their true strips...that they are just as chicken sh** and ignorant of what makes us Americans as Dubya and the Neocons.

Pet Food, People Food...What’s the Difference

I’ve been listening to all the angst, outrage and worry about the bad dog and cat food that is currently dominating the talk at the water coolers throughout corporate America. My question is, “what’s the problem?” I’m truly sorry for those who have lost a pet to bad food, but folks, food is food. Any vet will tell you that animals will not starve themselves to death. Meaning they won’t refuse to eat. So feed them.

I’ve been a pet owner all my life and my pets have always been pretty good at handling people food if there was no dog food around. Hell, they prefer people food, if truth be told. With the way prices of dog and cat food are today, feeding your animals people food is probably a lot cheaper than buying the latest gourmet pet treats, anyway. Go ahead, spend a dollar for a pound of ground hamburger....cook it up...see if your pet refuses to eat it.

I can remember one thanksgiving dinner party that I hosted. Spent hours in the kitchen, served appetizers, drinks, cooked up a big ass turkey. Made my guests feel like they were special and dining at the Taj Mahal. We sat down to this marvelous meal and wonderful conversation just flew around the table. All of a sudden, during a lull in the conversation, when we were all busy simultaneously stuffing our faces, we heard this tiny, rapid fire smack, smack, smack of lips. I turned to the stove and there was my baby cat, “Miz Schizophrenic” joyously stuffing herself with roasted turkey breast. The turkey was bigger than she was, and she had to literally hang on by her claws, in order to dine on her chosen white meat. I did the only thing I could, pulled her off the stove and off the turkey, and served up a portion to her big brother Strider, who knew better than to attack while I was in the same room or within hearing distance.

Trust me, your pets will not be mad at you if you feed them people food for awhile.

Today’s pets are more of an accessory then a pet anyway. Everyone wants the latest designer breed...the cutest...the smallest...the most expensive. And of course, you have to feed the little twit the best food, sometimes vegetarian food, because it is healthy. I’m okay with vegetarian kids, but a vegetarian dog or cat? C’mon now. These animals are carnivores. They eat meat. Feed them.

I like alley dogs. Dogs, that are rough and ready, will eat anything that smells good, hate being groomed, love the water, chase birds and squirrels, kill snakes, and go after anyone I don’t welcome onto my property. I have three of them, one medium, one big and one really, really big. All of them love me to death and while this pet food thing is going on, they are eating the same stuff that I eat.