I Freely Admit, I Am Part of the 25...24...23%

Partly Cloudy - Hi 64 Lo 44 for Baghdad, Iraq
Partly Cloudy - Hi 67 Lo 38 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Cloudy - Hi 53 Lo 48 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: You're Gonna Miss Me, 13th Floor Elevators

Ramble:

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."

I have always likes George W. Bush and I am going to miss him when he leaves Washington in January. Older and with more gray hair than when he took the Office of President of the United States, he still holds the same convictions as the man I voted for 8 and 4 years ago.

He gave us tax cuts, he prevented federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, Justice Sam Alito, Chief Justice John Roberts.. He has stressed the importance of faith based and community initiatives. He has provided more relief to Africa than any other previous president. I have not always agreed with him, in fact, I have found myself frustrated at his liberal leanings. Yes.. liberal leanings... the compassionate conservative. But again, this is the same man I voted for twice and it is his compassion that has defined him as a man, as our President.

I'm going to miss Dubya... I'm going to miss the cowboy. I loved it when he dropped his "g's" you know-- Goin', Doin', etc...

However, the most important thing George W. Bush has done has kept us safe on our soil. We were not prepared for the events of September 11, 2001. At the time, I believe George Bush was on a trajectory to really follow his compassionate conservative values and he would have spent even more money (our tax dollars) developing more welfare systems. However, the events of that awful day changed everything. He knew what he had to do. He became our protector. He kept us safe and has done so every single solitary day since. As our President he has been given details that none of us need to know or could handle-- close calls and situations defused before anyone is hurt. Those days after 9/11, we all watched a man age by 10 years-- instantly.No longer did we live in a safe world and like any father, George Bush wanted to take the pain away and keep us safe--- He did not want to see us hurting--- he told us to go back to our lives, spend money, and get on with it. (It is only now, that he is second guessed by the President Elect). It was the best thing for us. Get back to normal... get over our fears of boarding a plane, spend money, get the economy going, however stay vigilant.. pay attention.

I Can Hear You MP3

"At times, Bush has turned unusually personal, bordering on melancholy. "I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process," Bush told his sister, Doro Bush Koch, in a recent interview for StoryCorps, a national oral history project. "I came to Washington with a set of values, and I'm leaving with the same set of values, and I darn sure wasn't going to sacrifice those values; that I was a president that had to make tough choices and was willing to make them." More from US News and World Report

He has been our President and he has been ridiculed and mocked like no other (do a Google search for images and see what you find). He has put his country first, he follows his faith and convictions and he wants what is best for this nation. He is a man-- and I can't imagine what that kind of ridicule does to a person. Quite often and much to my dismay, he has turned the other cheek on those that have thrown him under the bus-- even those in his own party. He is a better person than me.

In just a few short weeks, President Bush will hand the keys of the White House to President Elect Obama. As we have done since the beginning of this Great Nation, there will be a PEACEFUL transition from the current president to the next. I have no doubt, President Bush has an expectation of his staff to be helpful and cooperative with the incoming team. I have no doubt the White House will be left orderly and in tact with nothing missing and nothing destroyed, unlike how the Bush's found the White House when they arrived in January 2001.

For me, there is one image of President Bush that is burned in my memory. The burden he has carried shows in every crease in his face. I am so grateful that it was George W. Bush that was our President on that horrific day. He made the right decisions, he made the right choices. He was in Lebanon, Ohio-- just a skip and a jump up the road from here... the year was 2004.

In a moment largely unnoticed by the throngs of people in Lebanon waiting for autographs from the president of the United States, George W. Bush stopped to hold a teenager's head close to his heart.

Lynn Faulkner, his daughter, Ashley, and their neighbor, Linda Prince, eagerly waited to shake the president's hand Tuesday at the Golden Lamb Inn. He worked the line at a steady campaign pace, smiling, nodding and signing autographs until Prince spoke:

"This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11."

Bush stopped and turned back.

"He changed from being the leader of the free world to being a father, a husband and a man," Faulkner said. "He looked right at her and said, 'How are you doing?' He reached out with his hand and pulled her into his chest."

Faulkner snapped one frame with his camera.

"I could hear her say, 'I'm OK,' " he said. "That's more emotion than she has shown in 2 1/2 years. Then he said, 'I can see you have a father who loves you very much.' "
"And I said, 'I do, Mr. President, but I miss her mother every day.' It was a special moment."

Special for Lynn Faulkner because the Golden Lamb was the place he and his wife, Wendy Faulkner, celebrated their anniversary every year until she died in the south tower of the World Trade Center, where she had traveled for business.
The rest can be read at The Cincinnati Enquirer


President Bush, I am going to miss you.

other resources:

Whitehouse.gov
DC Pages

Saturdays with Yoshiko

Partly Cloudy - Hi 77 Lo 57 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 80 Lo for 46 Qandahar, Afghanistan
Cloudy - Hi 46 Lo 28 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Trouble Me, 10,000 Maniacs

Whenever I am a little blue, Natalie Merchant's soothing voice always brings me comfort.

Ramble:

The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself. - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

For the past couple of months, I have spent my Saturday afternoons with my mom. Initially, I thought it was going to be a nightmare… you see she purchased her very first computer… my role was to teach her how to use it. Try explaining how to use a mouse to a person who has never used a mouse… "Why do you right click sometimes and left click other times?" "I dunno… you just do…" How do you teach home keys? "Why are the letters not in order?" "I dunno…that’s just the way it is…" I found some great online tutorials and my mom has been steadfast in her eagerness and determination to master this contraption. I have to be honest… I was dreading this… my mom is stubborn and impatient and does not listen… but I must tell you, it has been surprisingly quite wonderful. We have spent more time together these past couple of months than we have in the past ten years. She has had a chance to get to know me… I have gotten to know her. The best part… we actually enjoy each other’s company. I have shared in this forum in the past my mom’s trials and tribulations. She is a woman that is inspiring… just in her being. She is self taught, self disciplined, self determined, self made. She had nothing as a child, she had nothing when she came to this country…She had even less when my father was around. She put my brother and me ahead of everything… she has endured more pain and suffering and yet sacrificed more than anyone I have ever known in my life. She is a savvy businesswoman and has been quite successful. She lives modestly, however, she can afford much more than what she has. Her story is the American Dream personified and one that should be held up for others to see and be inspired.

The election upset my mother. Having her beloved adopted country much less her home Ohio --- Hamilton County--- Cincinnati go Democrat was more than she could take. She has never depended on anyone but herself to make things happen. She never depended on government or the welfare system to provide for her. My father was absent and never paid child support. She did it on her own… I can tell you that she is pissed… She is hurt… the people in the country she loves so much have become so dependent and so willing to hold out their collective hands to take something never earned is just beyond her comprehension. Her heart is broken, but not her spirit and definitely not her intestinal fortitude.

I share my mother’s sentiments.

Barack Obama is to be congratulated on running an excellent campaign. His election is historical and should be noted and commended. He will join a small fraternity of Americans -43 soon to be 44. President-elect Obama has my respect – he will be the President of the United States and I will always have respect for the office.

I must confess--- I was so depressed Tuesday night. Although President-elect Obama ran a centrist campaign, all roads for him lead to a very left leaning, dare I say it, Socialist mindset. All one has to do is listen to the NPR interview, look at those he associates with and see what his philosophy is. He is all about bigger government… he wants government to be the answer to all our woes.

Wednesday I woke up still depressed. I heard John McCain’s concession speech… I turned off the radio and listened to my iPod the rest of the day. As Wednesday rolled along, I became angry. I realized that had Senator McCain won, I would have been extremely disheartened and disgusted by his presidency. Senator McCain is a gentleman. He is exactly what he has always been. His life story is one we should all revere. It can be argued, he has sacrificed and put himself on the line for our country more than anyone in modern American history. There is no doubt Senator McCain as president would have been strong on the war against terror. However, he would have reached across party lines and compromised on things I as a conservative would never stand for. I still am not clear on how he was going to secure our borders... or not. He would have presented good candidates for the Supreme Court. However, Senator McCain as president would not have been about smaller government. I was not keen on voting for him until he brought Sarah on board. As a conservative, I was left without a candidate. Voting for Barr was not an option and as far as I was concerned a wasted vote. I voted for McCain, but more so and more importantly… I voted for Sarah Palin.

The latest trashing of Sarah has me infuriated. The fact that Senator McCain even after his campaign chose not to come to her defense adds to my reasons for why he is not our next president. McCain's staff trashing this woman makes me believe even more that he would have been left of center on many many issues. The election was not a landslide… we are very much a divided country. It is a cultural battle. Senator McCain was not the conservative we on the right crave and believe is needed for this great land. We wanted to believe... we needed to believe. We want smaller government. We want to live our lives and stay out of the way. We want the government to defend our borders. We want the opportunity to strive towards our American Dream-- whatever it might be. That’s it.

My grandmother, a staunch conservative, active politically throughout her adult life, a member of the greatest generation asked the rhetorical question… How did we get here? I guess it started just a little bit at a time… no one notices that way… little things… it starts in the schools… subtle changes to how kids are taught... what they are taught… kids playing sports… everyone gets trophies… there are no losers…everyone wins… we are politically correct... we have changed the culture by changing how we speak... smoking is bad for you… became the big tobacco devil… now the 2 smokers left in the country are lepers and considered subhuman…traffic cameras to catch speeders under the guise of keeping us safe but we know it is more about the ability for our local communities to collect extra money... motorcycle helmet and seat belt and child seat laws... of course all good ideas... but mandated by the government? Law abiding gun owners are required to register their guns. Certain guns are banned. Guns kill... Trans fats are now banned… There are mandates on fast food in some cities. Before too long the obese person or maybe the slightly overweight person in line at MacDonald's will be sent off to be with the smoking lepers. Fat people are too ignorant to make a decision on what to put in their body. Kids are not being taught American history--- . Celebrity worship...panems and circuses... We in this country have lost our moral compass and have muddied the waters on what is right and what is wrong. It is more important for men and women to be equal, subsequently, we have a bunch of girl like men while women call each other dude... and we are more promiscuous all because once upon a time we had to figure out what the definition of the word "is" is... Along the way we forgot that we are very different creatures. Women now instead of raising and nurturing children are substituting dogs to obtain that love. With Obama as president no one (except those making over $250,000--- $200,000--- $150,000) will have the burden of paying for everything… I guess I should be happy—Michael and I can sit back and let someone else pay our mortgage… pay for our gas… no more worries. I must ask though, what else is on that slippery slope? The slope has become much more steep... What is next? I suppose it is just a matter of time before we are required to purchase carbon offsets, experience rolling black outs on a regular basis, in some areas of our country water rationing, and taxation on the amount of garbage we generate.

We have entered the age of self entitlement and subsequently developed an insatiable dependency on the government tit to think for us and provide for us.

Senator Mitch McConnell will receive lots and lots of notes from me—more now than ever before. He isn’t the conservative I would like him to be… however, I’m watching him. I will make sure he knows what I think… He is the Republican Minority Leader in the Senate and has a lot of work ahead of him. Those of us in Kentucky, those of us across the country need to pay attention and make him understand.

So, I look to the horizon. I think of Ronald Reagan and his shining city on the hill and the beacon we are supposed to be… I think of morning in America… I will pray for President-elect Obama, as I have prayed for President Bush. I INTEND TO BE THE LOYAL OPPOSITION. Meaning, I will be loyal to the country, I will be loyal to the office of the President. However, I am here… I am watching… I will not be nice for the sake of being nice. I love this country and that will not change. I will stand by my conservative values and will do everything I can to keep her the land of the free and home of the brave.

The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself. - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

God Bless America

Have a great week everyone!

Update 11/10/2008 7:30 PM: It's a rare day when my Scootertrash Hubby writes a blog post-- Despite the date of 11/5--- he finished it today so go check it out. It's worth the read--- Go check him out here.

Palin // Wurzelbacher 2012

Sunny - Hi 89 Lo 69 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 87 Lo 34 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Sunny - Hi 62 Lo 39 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Reach Out (I'll Be There), The Four Tops

I love Motown. The first time I remember hearing this song was in the movie, Cooley High. Mom for the first time could afford to take us to see a movie-- I must have been about 10 years old, she hadn't bought our house yet. So, since she trusted me and her English was still not great, I grabbed the newspaper and saw the ad for Cooley High...Sounded good... it was about high school kids growing up in Chicago. There were high school kids in our neighborhood at the time... I admired them... wanted to hang out with them.. So, my mom agreed and off we three went to the drive in. Oops. Not really intended for 10 year olds... Too funny. No permanent damage, I didn't get most of the movie... my brother fell asleep and my mom laughed at the situation and covered my eyes for a few scenes. It wasn't until I saw the movie again when I was about 15 or 16 did I get it. It's a really good movie with a great soundtrack. The music is what carried you from scene to scene... it's a dark look at growing up... the urban version of American Graffiti? No... it's not...

The lead vocalist of The Four Tops is now forever silent, may he rest in peace. We will always have the music...

Ramble:

So, this week we have all met Joe the Plumber. Is it just me or does anyone else see the resemblance between Joe and Sci Fi's Ghost Hunter Plumber Jason Hawes? I digress.

So much has been written about Joe Wurzelbacher. The guy is normal... raising a son... working, paying his taxes and living his life. He is an undecided voter who went to an Obama rally to find some answers. He asked a simple question. He was doing the right thing.. the American thing... He was taking this election seriously and collecting information so he could make an informed decision and cast his vote accordingly. Watch the complete exchange:


Go here to see his comments on CBS' The Early Show. Joe explains why it is important to get the facts and not rely on others to develop your own opinion.

Here is another clip... sense of entitlement??


and on MSNBC... I'm not Matt Damon and I'm not sorry we're in Iraq!


and on Good Morning America... That's a Socialist view


then you have this dumb@$$... Joe Biden... LISTEN to the exchange between The Oracle and Joe Wurzelbacher... not what he said...


So, because Joe asked a question... the liberal media, hippies, kool aid drinkers and other foul mouthed lefties are trying to trash this guy...trying to ruin him. Why? He just asked a question...

interview with Mike Huckabee-- When you can't ask a question of your leaders anymore... that's scary...



Look, Joe asked a question. His voice resonated with middle America... just like Sarah Palin. We are tired of politicians.... we are tired of the lies... we are tired of seeing our country slowly slipping away... we are tired of seeing our freedoms and liberties being taken from us... we are tired of those who feel they are entitled to our stuff... we are tired of the liberals apologizing for our country... In every interview... Joe has spoken for me... He is proud of our troops and what they have done and continue to do... He doesn't apologize for pursuing the American dream...

The only thing I feel bad for him is he is a Cincinnati Bengals fan... I'm so sorry Joe.. but even that... that makes me appreciate him too.

I got into it with someone earlier this week... He said that if Republicans are so concerned about getting folks registered to vote and having them vote Dem, we should be doing the same... HELLOOOO!!! Conservatives are busy working... making a living... paying GD taxes... We aren't hippy dippy lefties that are living off government grants and other government giveaways... we are busy supporting our families and other deadbeats like you...

McCain & Palin 2008.

Sarah & Joe in 2012.

Have a great week everyone!

Hey Buddy, Can You Spare Me the Change?

Sunny - Hi 95 Lo 75 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 94 Lo 59 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Mostly Sunny - Hi 79 Lo 55 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Time To Change, The Brady Kids

I discovered during Michelle Obama's speech at the Democrat National Convention that she and I have something in common. It is an embarrassing malady that I don't like to discuss much, but like Michelle, I can pretty much recite nearly every episode of the Brady Bunch by heart. Knowing this reminded me of the episode in which the Peter's voice was changing...

Ramble:

How long has the election campaign been going? Two years? Well, thankfully we are down to one more month of this...

I thought I would compile a list of Presidential Campaign Slogans.

1976 Jimmy Carter: A Leader, For Change
1980 Jimmy Carter: ??
1984 Walter Mondale: America Needs a Change
1988 Michael Dukakis: Competence Not Ideology
1992: Bill Clinton: It's Time to Change America, he also used For People, for a Change
1996 Bill Clinton: Building a bridge to the 21st Century
2000 Al Gore: Prosperity and Progress or Prosperity for America's families
2004 John Kerry: Change Starts Here or Let America be America again
2008 Barack Obama: Change We Can Believe In

Let me contrast those with Republican Presidential Campaign Slogans:

1976 Gerald Ford: He's Making Us Proud Again
1980 Ronald Reagan: Morning In America
1984: Ronald Reagan: It's Morning Again in America
1988 George Bush: Kinder Gentler Nation
1996 Bob Dole: A Better Man for a Better America
2000: George W. Bush: Compassionate Conservatism
2004: George W. Bush: Yes, America Can!
2008 John McCain: Country First

One point of observation is the contrast in attitude-- There is an optimism, a can do attitude in the Republican slogans whereas the Democrat slogans are.... not.

Back in 1964 Ronald Reagan understood intrinsically the importance of this country and the importance of her people and what we must do as a nation. "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done."

And in his second inaugural address, Ronald Reagan explained quite nicely, "We are creating a nation once again vibrant, robust, and alive. There are many mountains yet to climb. We will not rest until every American enjoys the fullness of freedom, dignity, and opportunity as our birthright. It is our birthright as citizens of this great republic."

Ronald Reagan never spoke of handouts and redistribution of wealth cloaked in the word change. Instead he described a place where we worked to enjoy the freedoms and the countless opportunities this country has to offer. In the work, we find the satisfaction and appreciation for all that we have and in the work we realize what other opportunities are out there.

So... Just a suggestion to any and all Democrat Presidential Nominee Wannabees of the Future... Please, I beg you... try super duper hard to refrain from using the word, "CHANGE". Y'all have been trying to change for a real long long time. Quite frankly, change for the sake of change doesn't mean anything. Really. It doesn't.

Have a great week everyone!

Who are you quoting-- Sarah or Tina?

Maybe you can help explain the point of this article in The Times.

The headline reads Hillary Clinton praises Sarah Palin. There are 3 short paragraphs reporting the Clinton's have offered compliments about Sarah. Bill Clinton said, “I come from Arkansas, I get why she’s hot out there.” The remaining 7 paragraphs are about Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin and the many one liner zingers performed on Saturday Night Live. Now I can tell you I have laughed at these... but can we have a little substance? Please? What was the point of the 3 lousy paragraphs at the introduction of the article?

From The Sunday Times, UK Edition
October 5, 2008

Hillary Clinton praises Sarah Palin
Sarah Baxter

HILLARY CLINTON, Barack Obama’s defeated opponent in the Democratic primary, has infuriated his supporters by praising Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, for her performance in last week’s television debate.

“It is amazing, you know, she’s been thrust in the spotlight with very little national preparation and I think, all things considered, you saw a very composed and effective debater,” Clinton said.

Her husband Bill recently issued some compliments of his own. “I come from Arkansas, I get why she’s hot out there,” he said.

Her husband’s lukewarm endorsement of Obama was parodied on Saturday Night Live, the satirical show that has become must-see television after the deadly accurate portrayals of Palin by Tina Fey, the comedian.

During her debate with Joe Biden, her Democratic rival, Palin had provided perfect new material for Fey by winking at the audience and using colloquialisms such as “doggone it” and “you betcha!” Fey, 38, creator and star of 30 Rock, the comedy show, mocked the Alaska governor’s descent into gibberish when interviewed by Katie Couric, the CBS newscaster.

The comedian scored again last night with her parody of Palin's debate performance, using some of the Alaska governor's exact words. "Can I call you Joe?" Fey-as-Palin asked Biden. "Because I've practised a couple of zingers where I call you Joe."

She went on to say, "May I say, up close, your hair plugs don't look nearly as bad as people said?" Asked if she would like to answer a specific question, she said, "No thank you, but I would like to talk about being an outsider."

She gave a "shout-out" to the third graders of Gladys Wood Elementary "who were so helpful to me in my debate prep," and said, "We don't know if this climate change - whoosie, whatsit - is man made or if it is just a natural part of the end of days." Asked to give a closing statement, she pulled out a flute and said, "Are we not going to do the talent portion?"

Asked about visiting the United Nations, Fey-as-Palin said she was disheartened to find that so many interesting people there were foreigners. How had things gone? “They embraced me figuratively and a couple of them Pakistani guys literally.” She then referred to Bono, the U2 singer and activist, as the King of Ireland.

Challenged to explain how Alaska’s proximity to Russia gives her foreign policy experience, she replied: “Every morning, when Alaskans wake up, one of the first things they do is look outside to see if there are any Russians hanging around. If there are, you gotta ask, ‘What are you doing here?’ and if you can’t give them a good reason, it’s our responsibility to say, you know, ‘Shoo! Get back over there!’”

Go see for yourself...

Goose Stepping Made Fun

Sunny - Hi 111 Lo 88 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 100Lo 74 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Sunny - Hi 82 Lo 60 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Waiting for the End of the World, Elvis Costello

Ramble:

Did you see the opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics? Scooter Trash Hubby and I watched and both of us were awestruck. Wow. Amazing and yet creepy... frightening and yep... intimidating... such precision... such a massive organized group... what else can these people do?

We know the Chinese do not value human life-- their one child policy does not infer that Chinese couples "do it" once and move on with life... state sanctioned abortions are the norm. We also know that they continue to imprison dissidents. The tour of The Bodies continues to be controversial as China has never divulged how the "displays" came to their final demise.

None of the people who once inhabited the bodies in Bodies gave their consent to be used this way, and that has made some folks profoundly uneasy. Their doubts are compounded by China's record of human rights abuses, including the harvesting of transplant organs from executed prisoners.

We know that during these Olympic games they have put their collective "perfect" face forward in a little girl Milli Vanilli lip synced song... pay no attention to the imperfect girl behind the curtain... The women's gymnastics team are all at least 16 years of age... ya... right... k... What else has the Chinese government fudged to present a more perfect country-- ?

So, ya... I'm anxious... and now that Russia is beating their collective chests... I'm nervous...

2008 Beijing Olympics - Opening Ceremony

Chinese Military Parade

Soviet Union Military Parade

The Third Reich

The last sentence from this newsreel says it all.

"…An amazing spectacle of profound significance to the world which however you regard national socialism must provoke reflections impossible to be ignored."

Blogs and Links to Check Out This Week:

Kathleen Parker on Townhall- The Beauty of Imperfection

The Bodies Exhibition

Post-Gazette- The Bodies Controversy

Have a great week everyone!

Sunday Song, An American in Paris

Sunny - Hi 79 Lo 54 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 86 Lo 49 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Mostly Cloudy - Hi 46 Lo 30 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: An American in Paris, George Gershwin

One of my all time favorite movies has got to be An American in Paris. The clip above is from the 15 minute ballet sequence at the end of the movie. Beyond my love and adoration of Gene Kelly, this ending sequence personifies every reason I love musicals. The music of Gershwin takes you from beginning to end in this wonderful MGM musical. Vincente Minnelli captures a mood and directs this film flawlessly. Gene Kelly understood how the camera would see the dancing and knew how to set cameras for the most impact for me, the viewer... each perfectly choreographed scene took you to the precise place and moment and set you on an emotional ride... If you have never seen this movie... see it...

I can't remember when I first saw this musical.. I was little... 8 or 9... I just remember forever having a crush on Gene Kelly... my gosh he was probably 40 at the time of this movie... add him to the list of other older men... Yul Brynner... Cary Grant... Jimmy Stewart... I digress... However, I do remember having an epiphany when I was about 13 or 14 and realized that the final scene- ballet sequence was French Impressionist paintings that had come to life... wow... absolutely incredible... Gene Kelly played an aspiring artist... American ex-Pat, who stayed in Paris after WWII... so it makes sense that Impressionist works of art would be used as settings and back drops... The clip above is by far one of the sexiest, most intimate routines I have ever seen (The Gotta Dance ballet in Singin' in the Rain with Cyd Charisse comes pretty close... but that was seduction... a different kind of mating ritual). Look at the colors... the vibrant look is definitely influenced by Van Gogh... the orange the red... the blue... masterpiece...

Other Thoughts:

What is hate? Hearing the clip below, knowing the words were spoken in a church... it makes it crystal clear this man is an anti-semite... a Jew hater.... a hate America first kind of guy.... words can not describe how unsettling this is....




Have a great week everyone!

Never Mind the Bollocks! Here's a Ramble!

Sunny - Hi 75 Lo 58 for Baghdad, Iraq
Sunny - Hi 81 Lo 45 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Mostly Sunny - Hi 60 Lo 46 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Pretty Vacant, Sex Pistols

Michael was going through some of his old American Spectator magazines and asked me to read an interview Greg Gutfeld had with Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols last October. Michael is a good man and knows that I liked them a lot once upon a time... For the music? Yeah... but probably more for the attitude. Rebellion against the establishment? I was 13! Of course not! Rebellion against my mom? Maybe... a little... No it was rebellion because I wanted to be different... unique... blah blah blah... I wanted to stand out... Again, I was a kid... and kids are narcissitic. Listening to this kind of music in my suburban little piece of the world would certainly stir things up. I was 13 when I bought this album (along with the soundtrack to Grease.... shh... don't tell anyone.)

The Sex Pistols only released this one album... I still have it on vinyl, but never replaced it on CD. I'm not sure why... I really should... I need to share it with my oldest niece... She'll hate it... but that's the point. Their music is intended to be repulsive, vulgar, and yes a little frightening. I suppose, like Johnny Rotten, I've also grown up... grown older... wiser (maybe) and I'm not angry like that any longer. When I think of Johnny Rotten, I actually think of him when he was with Public Image, Ltd.... One of my favorite songs when I was an angry teenager was a song called Rise--- the mantra--- "Anger is an energy."

Greg Gutfeld writes,

"When I got the Sex Pistols' debut album nearly 30 years ago, I was only 15 or so, and the LP scared the hell out of me. Johnny Rotten, the lead singer, seemed a street urchin shot straight out of hell's inner circle, and the enormously untalented Sid Vicious appeared nothing more than walking sewage. But that amazing rock record, in a matter of months, changed the way I looked at the world, the notion of "phoniness" or more importantly hippies -- the phoniest people on earth."

I hate hippies... so does Greg... so does Johnny... so there. The entire article can be read here -- A Rotten Affair by Greg Gutfeld

Ramble:

** Ohio's Primary is this Tuesday, so local television and radio have been inundated with commercials... Rush Limbaugh has sent out a request to all Ohioans and Texans to vote for Hillary. And I guess it is now old news but Cincinnati Radio Talk Show host on 700 WLW , Bill Cunningham also made news when he made comments about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at a rally for John McCain. John McCain redpudiated and apologized for Willy's comments.
Willy Cunningham has been part of Cincinnati radio since I was a little girl... He is an attorney and my earliest memories of him were on Friday nights at my grandparent's home listening to his radio show called Desperate and Dateless... He would take calls from single men and women and play match maker... the show was a scream. Very very funny.

Mr. Cunningham is still on 700 WLW and he is a conservative talk show radio host. He is intelligent and passionate, but first and foremost he is an entertainer-- he will say outrageous things. . that is what some talk radio is about... His ratings drop... WLW drops him...

Understand... we in Cincinnati are used to him... He is like the uncle everyone has. At Thanksgiving, he does something embarassing... and everyone just dismisses it... and says... "oh... that's just Uncle Charlie..." And despite the "hey pull my finger" antics, we still love him...

With that said, Willy was asked to warm up a crowd for John McCain-- he was asked to "give 'em some red meat... . He says the same sort of things on his radio show. Willy is not racist. He is not a bigot. Never has been... never will be. Willy always refers to folks using their full name. Always.

That is where I stop defending him. I am a believer in decorum and pomp and circumstance. For instance, I believe one should dress in a shirt and tie for church, for a wedding, a funeral, a graduation out of respect for the person, for the ceremony. Despite being told to give the crowd "red meat" Willy should have thought about his choice of words. Words do matter. On his radio program the words he chose would have been and are fine. However, this past week, he was asked to warm up a crowd for a man who could one day be the President of the United States. The President of the United States... Every four years we as Americans make a decision and PEACEFULLY turn over keys to someone different... This office has been held by a small fraternity of only 43 men... men such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and our beloved Ronald Reagan. The Office of the Presidency is the highest in our land... We didn't like it when it was defiled by Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton- but the office prevails... our government works... John McCain wants to run his campaign in a respectful manner (not to be confused with consistent-- I.E. McCain's treatment of Donald Rumsfeld). Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton also have the same chance of winning the highest office in the land and despite the vast differences in politics, philosophy and moral standards, they too are entitled to the same respect. To be disrespectful is inexcusable....

Yes, of course John McCain's handlers should have been more cognizant of the what Bill Cunningham was all about... but ultimately, Willy should have known better... and truth be told... his reaction to the criticism shows that it was never about McCain. It has been about Willy and his ego... the fact that he is now going to vote for Hillary... well... that confirms my point.

Article and footage of Cunningham's remarks

** Shame on Matt Drudge for leaking the story about Prince Harry.... Had it been a liberal media leak... conservatives would have beeen outraged... Prince Harry follows a long tradition in British Royalty. He loves his country and wants to serve her. Leaking this story, put his life at risk as well as the men serving with and for him...

** We lost an incredible mind this week with the passing of William F. Buckley Jr. Michael has subscribed to National Review for nearly 20 years… For the longest time NR was the sole source for conservative thought and reason… I actually learned of his passing when I visited Laura. Reading her brief post literally knocked the wind out of me. More from Laura here and here.

Find more remembrances at Townhall.com and of course at National Review Online.

*** interviews below include profane language. View at your discretion.

Johnny Rotten interview 1977



Johnny Lydon & Steve Jones 2006 - Craig Ferguson -- always a fun interview



Johnny Lydon interview 2007



Pretty Vacant

There's no point in asking you'll get no reply
Oh just remember I don't decide
I got no reason it's too all much
You'll always find us out to lunch

Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty
A vacant

Don't ask us to attend 'cos we're not all there
Oh don't pretend 'cos I don't care
I don't believe illusions 'cos too much is real
So stop you're cheap comment 'cos we know what we feel

Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Ah but now and we don't care

There's no point in asking you'll get no reply
Oh just remember a don't decide
I got no reason it's too all much
You'll always find me out to lunch
We're out on lunch

Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty ah
But now and we don't care

We're pretty
A pretty vacant
We're pretty
A pretty vacant
We're pretty
A pretty vacant
We're pretty
A pretty vacant

And we don't care

Have a great week everyone!

Our Flag Was Still There

Sunny - Hi 115 Lo 87 for Baghdad, Iraq
Thunderstorms - Hi 90 Lo 75 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Partly Cloudy - Hi 84 Lo 58 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Ragged Old Flag, Johnny Cash

Ramble: You may want to go get a cup of coffee as this may turn into a long ramble....

As we approach Independence Day, I can't help but reflect on how much my love for this country has grown. Like some folks, the events of September 11, 2001 were a catalyst for me to take a stand and be counted among those willing to fight for our nation- to keep her free and to make sure she stands with her torch as a beacon for all to see.

We the people are so fortunate to have been born here, still others have come here seeking freedom and liberty and a better way of life. Lady Liberty has opened her arms to them.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
- Emma Lazarus

This country is clearly a melting pot- it always has been. It should always be so.
Our ancestors came to this country for various reasons - but the one common denominator has always been to seek out a better life. We the people spoke this past week and said that the Amnesty Bill was not what we wanted-- It was blogged about everywhere...It was talked about everywhere. I'm proud to say that I include myself in the numbers that flooded the phone lines and email of our Congress. They got the message - albeit they believe us to be foolish and uninformed.

Those that believe in this great nation, look to our immigrants as a blessing. Those that believe in this great nation believe it should be sought out honestly and legally. Nothing worthwhile is easy. I believe that is why some of our greatest Americans speak with a thick accent- My mother comes to mind, one of the greatest Americans I know.

We owe it to our forefathers and those that have fought and served and even died for this great nation for 231 years to stand strong. We must continue to live free or be willing to die for it. However, how do we make sure that our children, our children's children know what this great nation is about? What she stands for?

Bill Bennett wrote a compelling piece for National Review online. As the Secretary of Education under one of our greatest President's he writes with knowledge and integrity.

Tens of millions of Americans are about to celebrate our nation’s Founding. The worrisome question is, will future generations take to this celebration the way we have for the past 231 years if they do not know the first, second, or third thing about their country?

Two years ago, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough told the U.S. Senate that American History was our nation’s worst subject in school. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (a.k.a., “our Nation’s Report Card”), released last month, bears that out again. Our children do worse in American history than they do in reading or math. McCullough testified we were facing the prospect of national amnesia, saying, “Amnesia of society is just as detrimental as amnesia for the individual. We are running a terrible risk. Our very freedom depends on education, and we are failing our children in not providing that education.”

Double Tragedy
McCullough is right, and it is a double tragedy: a) our children no longer know their country’s history and b) the story they do not know is the greatest political story ever told.

It is not our children’s fault. Our country’s adults are expected to instill a love of country in its children, but the greatness and purpose of that country are mocked by the chattering classes: Newspaper columns and television reports drip with a constant cynicism about America while doubts about her motives on the world stage are the coin of the realm. Too many commentators are too ready to believe the worst about our leaders and our country, and our children’s history books — and even some of the teachers — close off any remaining possibility of helping children learn about their country.

Read the rest here.

We live in a country where we can ignore everything that does not concern us. If we so choose we can fill our heads with air and watch the Paris Hiltons and the Britney Spears of celebrislutty fame. We have become greedy and self serving. We covet what our neighbors have and are willing to file bankruptcy to have the big SUV and the 3000 square foot house and all the fixin's that go along with it. We are willing to rationalize away our greed and trying to get something for free or for a cheaper price because "everyone does it." In doing this we bankrupt our children of the things that matter. Our children are our responsibility and the promise that this country will continue as the beacon of light for the rest of the world.

Dennis Prager, another man I admire a great deal will often ask his callers to his radio program, "If you could only teach your child one lesson which is more important to teach your child- To not smoke or To not cheat on a test?" Time after time it is more important to teach the child to not smoke... Health and safety are more important than raising a child to be an adult of honor, respect, and integrity.

Of late, I've been spending a lot of time with my grandparents, part of the Greatest Generation, and they often say, "It was easier when we had nothing." It's funny, these same people worked hard so that their children would not have to endure what they endured. That cycle continues. We all really want something better for the next generation, but I believe there is something to be said about having to work for it. It is appreciated times ten. There is greater satisfaction in feeling the sense that you have earned it.

On a greater scale, we are willing to work with a nation that has no time for the human condition. We import from China and we KNOW that they handle their people with an iron fist. We know that if you speak against the Chinese government or try to worship in a manner that does not serve the government, you simply disappear.

We can see this same example in third world countries. There are countless charities wanting to feed the starving children of the world. And yes it is awful and horrific. However, they are starving by design. Get rid of the oppressive communist and socialist governments that are keeping their people in ignorance and poverty and you will see an end to starvation.

We the people are a dichotomy. We are in a struggle with ourselves. We are facing an enemy within our own borders that must be neutralized otherwise we can look to the European countries as to what our fate will be. Dependency on the government and socialized anything will eventually destroy this nation and we must rectify this.

At the same time we must fight an enemy that hates us simply because we exist. There is no question in my mind this war must be won despite ourselves. The liberals have said this is a lost cause and now Republicans are getting wobbly. The events in the United Kingdom this past weekend are yet another wake up call to us. WAKE UP!! I want our government to pay attention to the 2nd Amendment. I will maintain my right as an American citizen to keep and bear arms, but I also expect my government to maintain our militia. Give our soldiers what they need to win this war against terror!!

I anticipate as do many others there will be an attempt to stifle our voices. The Fairness Doctrine will be our penance for shutting down the Amnesty Bill. Our soldiers need us to support them, not just by proclaiming, "We support you" but we need to rise up again and make sure that our government does as we ask. Secure our borders and fund our troops so we can win this war. Let them fight this war.

Mine is but a small voice but I will use it to my fullest ability.

So, on Wednesday, take a moment and look at our American flag...

She is indeed a grand old flag... She symbolizes everything that is good in this nation of ours and please....

Remember...

Tell your child about her... about how our flag IS still there...



Happy Independence Day.

The Star-Spangled Banner

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
- Francis Scott Key

Have a great week everyone!

Surrender is Imminent.........

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats brushed off a White House veto threat and pleas for patience from the top U.S. commander in Iraq Wednesday and pushed toward a vote demanding that troops begin coming home this fall.

Late Wednesday, the House was expected to pass a $124.2 billion war-funding bill that would require troop withdrawals to begin Oct. 1 with the goal of completing the pullout six months later. The complete article can be found here.

I believe myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense and — you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows — that this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq,” Mr. Reid said. The complete article can be found at the New York Times.

If this is such a lost cause, why are you willing to fund one second more of this war??????

• Come on... we Americans can all just hang a white bed sheet from our porches instead of Old Glory...
• Come on... we can tell our brave fighting men and women keeping watch over us that despite the good work they are doing in Iraq to come home --- all is lost.
• Come on... despite General Petraeus telling us that the strategy in place needs more time to work --- all is lost.
• Come on... Harry says the war is lost...

Come home young men... wave the white flag with us... we as Americans can not beat terrorism... it is better to run and hide... it is better that the terrorists come here... it is better that we surrender...

And for those of you too young to remember or for those of you who refuse to remember...

This is what surrender looks like to those we leave behind...



This is what it looks like once we have left...




You pieces of fecal matter--- THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LEAVE... WE ARE NOT THE ENEMY... WE ARE TRYING TO LIBERATE AND SPREAD FREEDOM!!!

4/29/07 UPDATE: Linda has a great piece up from the Neil Boortz radio show... go and listen... now!

Rewind and Replay... Not Quite...

Sunny - Hi 73 Lo 52 for Baghdad, Iraq
Rain - Hi 50 Lo 33 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Angry American, Toby Keith

I started out on You Tube looking for a tribute with the backdrop of Toby's song, which I have used a couple of times as my Song of the Week, however, none suited my feelings...none suited where we are today. All of the videos I found had flags waving, visions of the towers falling, the American people united, and soldiers fighting. I wish we were united against this evil, but we are not. I am uncontrollably angry. I am livid.

Ramble:

On August 7, 2005 I wrote about my anger AND hope after Lima Company took a huge blow in a post titled, Anger and Hope. Not much has changed... except I'm not so hopeful these days. I have grown weary. Below is an excerpt from the original post, if you want the links listed in the post please go to my original post here.

I am angry.
Those Marines were battling men that hide behind masks, that do cruel things that are too vile to discuss in a polite society. Torture? Please, go ahead and drive me crazy about talk of Abu Ghraib (Yes, I have seen all the photos, including the ones they don't show on the news...) and Guantanamo... No heads were viciously cut off in front of cameras...DO you remember hearing the blood curdling screams of those poor souls? Yes, there are a few idiots in our midst... I am ashamed that they are Americans--Lynndie England and Charles Graner (the most photographed) and the others, but we find them, remove them, and punish them accordingly. I'm disgusted by Janis Karpinski AND with the military that did not send her to be court-martialed... She allowed Abu Ghraib to happen on her watch... I'm sure she wasn't court-martialed because the military has blame in this too. She was placed in a job that she had no business in. I bet she was promoted through the ranks because she is a woman. (How many of us know people at work that have been promoted that should have been fired? Show of hands?) She is incompetent... You know it, I know it... and I can write it because I'm of the same gender...(you know what I mean... that whole politically correct thing... another topic for another time) Now I hear she is on the speaker circuit, trying to make a buck. I guess she is professing how hard it is to be a Brigadier General (was demoted to Colonel) in the Army in Iraq... boo hoo hoo...

Look... We don't torture and murder innocent civilians like Leon Klinghoffer, or Italian hero Fabrizio Quatrocchi, or the crew and passengers of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland, or Daniel Pearl ****LINK NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN AND SOME ADULTS****. We don't kill our athletes when they don't perform. We don't treat women like cattle... worse than cattle... We don't rape women and young girls and then murder them because they are no longer pure... We don't send a car filled with explosives into Embassies (Tehran, Beirut, Kuwait) to maim and kill civilians... We don't boobeytrap our own CHILDREN with explosives to kill soldiers!! We don't fill a back pack with explosives, board trains and buses and blow people to bits... Oh, and we don't fly jetliners into skyscrapers and kill thousands either!!!

We are fighting evil and it is real. It is tangible...You can touch the face of a terrorist- he isn't the bogeyman... You know as well as I do who the bad guys are....I must remind those that will listen to the Michael Moores and Al Frankens and all the politicians that would prefer to sell our collective souls to the devil that we need to to remember who the enemy is.... The Jawa Report **** NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN AND SOME ADULTS*** does an excellent job of reminding everyone in his blog entry, Avenging Cpl. Jeffrey A. Boskovich. Every time we start to forget the reason why we are fighting these extremest cowards... we should reflect on those awful images and sounds of horror as a reminder....

After this part of the post, I had provided reasons as to why I was hopeful. Today I wonder to myself whether or not I'm being sucked into a vacuum... Where is our sense of priority? Where is our personal sense of duty? Where is our accountability and responsibility? Anna Nicole... why is she still news? She is dead... and I don't think she is going to wake up... if she does then it would be Night of the Living Dead and I WOULD want to know about that. Britney Spears? Why do we care about this sad unfortunate bit of white trash? Jet Blue? I was flipping through the cable channels early yesterday morning and the banter went something like this:

Talking head with boobs # 1: "So, this was really traumatic for the folks on board, probably one of the most traumatic events anyone flying could endure. This is probably the worst case scenario when we are flying. What will Jet Blue do to prevent this from happening ever again?"

Talking head with boobs # 2: "Well, Jan the CEO has taken all the right steps. Time will tell whether it is enough."

Folks--- let's get one thing clear. If sitting on an *expletive * expletive* jet for hours is the most traumatic event that occurs in one's life...then I'd say... SHUT UP!!!

OH... and the most traumatic event that can occur on a jet? Hmmmmmm.... let's see... How about being on board with a bunch of terrorists that decide... "Yeah... this jet... it will make a great bomb...so, let's slash the throats of the crew with box cutters and take over this jet and go blow up some buildings..." Me personally, I think THAT would be the most traumatic event on a plane- but that's just me.

Good Grief!! There are soldiers and Marines that are fighting and DYING for us... They are wondering whether or not they have our support. We have asked these young men and women to do things that we can not begin to imagine. They do it- they do it for the sake of us- unappreciative, lazy, complaining whiners. They are keeping the fight OVER THERE!!!

Oh and check this out... as I'm perusing blogs as I like to do... I found this post....

Cut'n'run...............sounds like a plan

"If the U.S. leaves before the job is done, the enemy could follow us here." Quoted from a speech the president gave recently.

F*** You, Mr. President................................let them follow us.........

They've kicked our ass to a stalemate on their turf long enough. They control most of the battlefield. They pick away at our young service members with relative impunity. They die martyrs..........deluded, but happy to do so. We die for our "cause". A far less fulfilling fate.

So...................f*** you Dubya. Bring 'em home. Let's defend the Homeland from home. Let them be the strangers in a strange land.

Ankh

OH - MY - GOD!!! This guy thinks it's a great idea to fight 'em here... Fighting on our streets? Where our children play? Where our loved ones and homes can be blown up? With the exceptions of the so called occasional "Hate Crimes" or Teenage Angst Issues gone awry.... have we not prevented attacks on our soil? Why does this guy think it's a great idea to bring the battle here? To fill our streets with terrorists? Why? Am I missing something? Please help me out! Again... Am I living in some sort of vacuum??? What is this???

We have a bunch of whiney *expletive* politicians maneuvering and saying what they will to get our vote.... I am so sick and freaking tired of them!!! Which candidate is going to have the *expletive* to stand up and say,

"NO MORE! SHUT UP NANCY PELOSI! SHUT UP HARRY REID! TED KENNEDY SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP- HOW DARE YOU TELL ME ABOUT MORALITY! SHUT UP YOU BLEEDING HEART HOLLYWOOD DIMWITS! SHUT UP YOU COMMUNISTS! YOU SOCIALISTS! CODE PINK AND CINDY SHEEHAN! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH- I LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DESTROY IT. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE TERRORISTS! WE WILL DESTROY THOSE THAT WOULD DESTROY US"

I don't see anyone on the horizon that looks like that, do you? Where is our next hero? It certainly isn't in the pack of Republicans I see... I want someone rabid- I want someone angry - someone that realizes what is at stake. I send off weekly notes to my representatives. Am I doing any good? Am I the only one?

So, I don't know what to do with my anger. I thank God everyday for our Marines and soldiers. I pray for them. I pray for our Commander in Chief. I support them and their mission, but I must ask,

What else am I to do? Am I all alone?

UPDATE 8:AM: Thanks Major Pain for posting this. Thanks for reminding me that there are good men in Washington fighting the good fight. Go watch Congressman Johnson speak.

Panem Et Circenses

Rain - Hi 44 Lo 39 for Baghdad, Iraq
Snow - Hi 37 Lo 33 for Northern KY, USA--- woke up to about 3 inches of the white stuff and it is still falling. abosolutely beautiful.

Song of the week: Respectable Street, XTC - The video clip is from a movie called Urgh! A Music War. I have it on Beta.... would love to get it on DVD, but I don't think you can get it on DVD... The song is off XTC's 1980 ablbum Black Sea... I still have it... would love to get it on CD so I can download it to my iPod...

Ramble:

Earlier this week like everyone else, I read/heard about this:


"A morning radio show has been pulled off the air and 10 employees have been fired after a woman died last week after trying to win a Nintendo Wii video game console in a water-drinking contest at the show’s studios. The woman, Jennifer Lea Strange, 28, was one of about 18 participants who tried to win the video-game system on Friday by seeing how much water they could drink without going to the bathroom. Ms. Strange drank nearly two gallons over two hours, according to a contestant. She was found dead several hours later. Preliminary autopsy findings indicated the cause was water intoxication."

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 17, 2007

Local News Coverage and video

OK... so this woman, mother of a couple of kids, loving wife, blah blah blah decides that the only way she can get a Wii for her family is to enter this contest. OK.... fine. The woman like the other contestants signs a release form... relieving the station and it's employees of any liability... OK...fine. She dies from water intoxication.... sad and stupid waste, but OK... fine... The family intends to sue... OK... fine. My question is not "Why was this woman so stupid?" (I am assuming she was informed of the risks involved with drinking so much water without any potty breaks) My question is not "Who made the executive decision at the radio station that this was a good idea?" My question is, "When and why did this become entertainment??" Have we become so fat and lazy as a society that shows such as Jackass became part of our pop culture? I have even caught a couple episodes of recent America's Funniest Home Videos and folks falling down or seemingly getting hurt in one way or another seems to be a main staple. How did we get from Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan to bloody wrestling matches using chairs and ladders and simulated sex acts in a ring????What about the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships)? You are in a caged ring and fight until you give up or the rare occasion when the referee calls it because you have been beaten to a bloody pulp. Why is it that we give a rat's behind over the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohen, and Britney God Help Us Spears -- Celebrity for the sake of celebrity. The list of what is construed as entertainment today is endless and mindless.... I do not exempt myself as a holier than thou on this topic either... the only part of American Idol that I watch are the opening weeks of the season with the auditions... why am I compelled to watch folks embarass themselves and then watch judges be mean, nasty, and rude? Why do I find that entertaining?

Or what about this? "A prostitute presents a creation from the Daspu Fall/Winter 2007-2008 collection in Rio de Janeiro January 19, 2007. Daspu is a fashion house founded and run by prostitutes whose designs have become the talk of Brazil's fashion industry nine months after its start. Its success has surprised its founders, who see its sudden prominence as a revolutionary moment for a country long ambivalent about its world-famous sex industry."
Reuters

"The Roman satirist Juvenal, writing in the first century AD, lamented that "the people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now meddles no more and longs eagerly for just two things, 'bread and circuses'. Juvenal had the misfortune of living in a time when the civic virtues of the early Roman republic were a distant memory, when the moral dry rot, which eventually destroyed Rome from within, was already far advanced. Juvenal saw that the Roman citizenry had become so addicted to entertainment and pleasure that they had lost the capability of governing
themselves. Juvenal's scornful term 'panem et circenses or bread and circuses'has become synonymous with mindless self-gratification."

Steve Bonta

I would love to say I'm optimistic for our country and our collective soul, but I'd be lying... Someone please reassure me...please!!!

"Ben Franklin warned that 'only a virtuous people are capable of freedom'. Great republics die like aging trees, from the inside out. By the time of Juvenal, Rome was at the height of her imperial splendor, seen from the outside. But within, the Rome that had produced men like Cicero and Scipio was already gone. The hollow shell of empire persisted for centuries thereafter, but its demise had already been largely determined, because the Roman citizenry had come to prefer diversion over virtue."

Steve Bonta


Blogs and Links to Check Out This Week:

Related--
*A post I did back in September, 2005... I like this post.... Celebrities and Mocha Soy Lattes
*Read Steve Bonta's complete essay, Breads and Circuses -- excellent!!

RennyBA's Terella - long overdue, a lovely Norwegian that visits me

Oh No They Didn't!" -like a trainwreck I can't look away either...another celebrity gossip blog

Kentucky Republican Voice - a source for Kentucky grassroots information

Have a great week everyone!