Some couples enjoy walks on the beach. Some enjoy an evening of fine dining and dancing (at least that’s what the movies say, I've never been out at a restaurant where people got up to dance to Tony Bennett). Some are into gardening.
My wife and I? We love nothing more than spending a Saturday morning with two pots of coffee and debating controversial issues of the day. Save for a few mornings where I'm nursing an unexpected hangover (I always think I'm gonna party on Fridays but usually pass out 20 minutes into "Numbers" after a beer and a half), our "Saturday Morning chats" have slowly become a ritual over the last 8 years.
Heck, I even have a custom playlist for it, which is the final step in my canonization of a tradition.
At the end of each match, er, morning, the cornucopia of topics is usually boiled down to one premise: my personal inability to grasp why 85% of this planet is so hell-bent on "Faith". So as not to offend, I generally stick to complaints about Christianity, since that's the culture I was raised in and I've noticed in this PC world, you're allowed to go off the handle, use offensive terminology and make broad, blanketing statements - as long as it's your own culture/heritage you're demeaning.
Occasionally, as I'm doing a little "Bible Bashing" my wife will point out that when you take away the bullshit that's used to polarize and politicize in our modern times, the Bible can offer some important life lessons. To me, the only lesson that sticks out is: Unless you've hired a miracle worker, make sure you have enough booze at a wedding.
Moving beyond burning bulls to atone for homosexual acts, I'll take her word that indeed, there are valuable lessons to be learned. I will counter, however, that the same can be said for Rock'N Roll, and rock is eminently more enjoyable than reading a 2,000 year old book that's been translated over and over again.
Looking exclusively at "Classic Rock", I ask that you consider...
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need" - The Rolling Stones. As one who's currently trying to lose some baby-fat, I would point out how this is insanely good dieting advice. I want a Double Bacon Angry Whopper with extra pepper jack sauce. I need a granola bar. Problem solved.
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" - Bob Dylan. Don't let someone piss on your face and tell you it's raining. Just because they call it a "Clear Skies Initiative" doesn't mean it's good for their environment, and here's another hint: Nobody hates you for your freedoms.
"The sun will shine on my backdoor someday" - The Grateful Dead. Life ain't always gonna suck, get over it. I mean, there's another way to interpret this too I guess, but I'll leave that up to you.
"In Birmingham they love the Governor, Now we all did what we can do" - Lynyrd Skynyrd. Um, white guys from Alabama are generally racist.
"You say you got a real solution, well you know, we'd all love to see the plans" - The Beatles. Lead, Follow, or Shut the Fuck Up.
"Into this house we're born. Into this world we're thrown" - The Doors. Life ain't always fair, you got to play the hand you're dealt. The sooner you realize this and adjust your expectations, the easier it all becomes.
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose" - Janis Joplin. The more you own, the less you have.
Call me irreverent, call me ornery and close-minded, call me crazy. But I ask, is this any crazier than relying on a manuscript penned 2600 years ago that declares how long, and under what circumstances, a woman shall remain "unclean" after child birth?
Keep on Truckin'
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Pussies "R" Us
Surprised that a Republican nude model won Teddy Kennedy’s seat? A seat that hasn’t been held by a Republican since Henry Cabot Lodge? Don’t be. Nobody’s better at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory better than the Democrats, and a simple look at the scorecard just verifies it:
US: We won’t even investigate a former Vice President’s confirmed role in torture, a role that he’s pretty much broadcast over every major media outlet.
THEM: They were sitting in office for the worst terrorist attack on American soil in history and act like they’re the only ones capable of defending the country, even though they stalled the formation of a Homeland Security Department 5 years prior to 9/11.
US: One crazy radical with bombs in his underwear gets disarmed in flight and we allow ourselves to be portrayed as incapable and defenseless, by no less of a fraudulent expert than Rudy “The Crossdresser” Giuliani, he who decided an Emergency Response Center should be stationed in the WTC.
US: We have Dick Durban tearfully apologizing for comparing Guantanamo Bay and Abu Graihb to “Gulags”
THEM: They attend raucous rallies where claims are made that the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces is a “Foreign Born Muslim Operative”.
THEM: Won’t think twice about launching a war, clearly without any absence of fact, logic or preparation.
US: Will pout as we both vote to authorize it, and worse, continue to execute it while we have the authority to end it.
THEM: They literally hold hands with the Saudi Royal Family and allow the bin Laden family to fly around the country while all flights are grounded on 9/11. Despite allegedly knowing that 16 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
US: We take it on the chin while they accuse us of attending to Haiti’s needs in time of crisis because “Haitians are brown”.
I can go on and on but what’s the point. Until Democrats stand up for core Democratic values like equal treatment for all, a fair playing ground, consumer protection, reasonable and rational defense and foreign policy and basic worker protections, they’re going to continue to lose elections.
They can’t frame an argument to save their lives and they have no friggin backbone. Health care’s a perfect example. Who gives a flying you-know-what what the insurance industry wants? Come up with your plan and muscle it through, use reconciliation if you must. But instead, they decided to give everyone a tug-job to the point where nobody: left, right or center wants this plan.
Is there hope that the tide will turn? I guess there always is. Look no further than the economic and poll numbers of both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton after one year in office. Reagan, as despicable as it was, still managed to push his agenda through with little resistance from the opposition that happened to control both chambers of congress. For some reason he was a renowned speaker and his team used this to forge a mandate.
Clinton, after taking hard midterm losses, became decidedly more centrist, practiced triangulation on everything down to what type of coffee would be served at congressional leadership meetings, and while many results were positive, he still ended up in front of a camcorder during a deposition.
Did record numbers of voters go to the polls last November to elect a boring, middle of the road triangulator like Bill Clinton? Hell no. We had that choice in the primary and we kicked her to the curb. You were elected to be transformative Mr. President, and somehow you let the Republicans (who broke this fucking world) relate more to the middle class than your own party. It's time to take a page from their playbook and raise hell, fuck the facts and get shit done.
US v. THEM
THEM: They impeached a sitting President over a fucking blowjob. The most basic of simple human pleasures. US: We won’t even investigate a former Vice President’s confirmed role in torture, a role that he’s pretty much broadcast over every major media outlet.
THEM: They were sitting in office for the worst terrorist attack on American soil in history and act like they’re the only ones capable of defending the country, even though they stalled the formation of a Homeland Security Department 5 years prior to 9/11.
US: One crazy radical with bombs in his underwear gets disarmed in flight and we allow ourselves to be portrayed as incapable and defenseless, by no less of a fraudulent expert than Rudy “The Crossdresser” Giuliani, he who decided an Emergency Response Center should be stationed in the WTC.
US: We have Dick Durban tearfully apologizing for comparing Guantanamo Bay and Abu Graihb to “Gulags”
THEM: They attend raucous rallies where claims are made that the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces is a “Foreign Born Muslim Operative”.
THEM: Won’t think twice about launching a war, clearly without any absence of fact, logic or preparation.
US: Will pout as we both vote to authorize it, and worse, continue to execute it while we have the authority to end it.
THEM: They literally hold hands with the Saudi Royal Family and allow the bin Laden family to fly around the country while all flights are grounded on 9/11. Despite allegedly knowing that 16 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
US: We take it on the chin while they accuse us of attending to Haiti’s needs in time of crisis because “Haitians are brown”.
I can go on and on but what’s the point. Until Democrats stand up for core Democratic values like equal treatment for all, a fair playing ground, consumer protection, reasonable and rational defense and foreign policy and basic worker protections, they’re going to continue to lose elections.
They can’t frame an argument to save their lives and they have no friggin backbone. Health care’s a perfect example. Who gives a flying you-know-what what the insurance industry wants? Come up with your plan and muscle it through, use reconciliation if you must. But instead, they decided to give everyone a tug-job to the point where nobody: left, right or center wants this plan.
Is there hope that the tide will turn? I guess there always is. Look no further than the economic and poll numbers of both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton after one year in office. Reagan, as despicable as it was, still managed to push his agenda through with little resistance from the opposition that happened to control both chambers of congress. For some reason he was a renowned speaker and his team used this to forge a mandate.
Clinton, after taking hard midterm losses, became decidedly more centrist, practiced triangulation on everything down to what type of coffee would be served at congressional leadership meetings, and while many results were positive, he still ended up in front of a camcorder during a deposition.
Did record numbers of voters go to the polls last November to elect a boring, middle of the road triangulator like Bill Clinton? Hell no. We had that choice in the primary and we kicked her to the curb. You were elected to be transformative Mr. President, and somehow you let the Republicans (who broke this fucking world) relate more to the middle class than your own party. It's time to take a page from their playbook and raise hell, fuck the facts and get shit done.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hit The Road Harry
All the way back in 2002, before YouTube and iPhones, before Change became a proper noun, then-Senate Majority Leader (or, soon to be) Trent Lott declared that America would be a better place if Segregationist Strom (Is it hot enough for you yet?) Thurmond was elected President in 1948. From my soap-box placed in the middle of my one bedroom apartment at the time, I demanded Lott be replaced. Not long after that, he did in fact step down, though I'm not quite sure if it was in response to me, or the rest of the thinking public which included (the first and last time he'll be included in the group "thinking public") President Bush.
Here we are in 2010 and another Senate Majority Leader has, like too many people before him, put himself in the crosshairs of the perpetual debate over racial and ethnic sensitivity. In a "deep background" interview with authors of the 2008 election recap Game Change, Harry Reid referred to President Barack Obama as 'light-skinned' and as having 'no Negro dialect'.
Naturally, the Republicans are calling this a double standard and demanding that Reid resign, citing that (ever so vaguely) 7 years ago, their Senate Leader goofed in the racial minefield so what's fair is fair and now the Democrats' Senate Leader should do the same.
Let's be clear right off the bat: To say this is apples and oranges would be an insult to fruit. This is more like apples and motor oil.
For starters, Lott was from Mississippi. Yes, call me crazy, judgmental or insensitive, I don't care. That matters. Mississippi's history with race relations makes South Africa cringe. Furthermore, Lott had a spotty, if not shameful, record in the Civil Rights arena. He voted against a MLK Holiday, many affirmative action measures, and if given the chance, likely would have voted against ending slavery.
Harry Reid on the other hand has a nearly impeccable record regarding Civil Rights on the surface (The problem arises with Reid when you dig deeper into reproductive rights). In this same book in question, we learn that Reid was working behind the scenes to not only get Obama into the race, but to help him win it, though that led to the unfortunate remark. I honestly don't look at Reid and think, you know, that dude's a bigot.
Discussions over race is a combat zone, there's no disputing that. I'm one of the handful of people who consider themselves left of center that thought Don Imus deserved to keep his job after his snafu. I just didn't think his intent was as ugly as his choice of words. Often times, and excuse the horrible pun, we see things in terms of black and white while the reality is, it's one big industrial sized barrel of gray. We can only attempt to judge intent. Sometimes (John Rocker) it's pretty easy. Other times (Jimmy the Greek), not so much. More often than not, it's an excuse for everybody to advance their agenda, regardless of the facts - I don't care if it's Al Sharpton or Glenn Beck.
It's not the PC thing to say, but you can't expect a 75 year old to be as tolerant as a 25 year old. It's just not a fair expectation in the slightest. I'm not accusing all senior citizens of being bigoted, not at all. But while we love to look back and revise history, you can't ignore the fact that our environment shapes us, no matter how stupefying that environment may now seem.
All of that being said, it's time for Harry Reid to resign. Forget about the political reality (that he's likely going to lose in November anyway) or the logistical necessities (his deep involvement in health care reform), or even the fact that, by all accounts, the President has accepted his apology and moved on (thankfully no beer summit needed).
I want Reid to step down for a reason much more simple than political sausage-making: I'm a registered Democrat and I don't feel comfortable with the fact that my party's Senate leader is that out of touch with the realities of life in 2010 America. I'm sure Harry is a great guy, probably a wonderful husband, father, grandpa, etc. But his choice of words speaks volumes to not only his worldview, but his perception (or lack thereof) of reality.
I'm as disappointed as anyone at the lack of "real change" one year into the Administration, though I definitely concede the challenges were more enormous than anticipated. That doesn't change the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans last November went to the polls to cast a vote for moving forward, for forging that More Perfect Union that the founders laid out, and for moving away from the Us v. Them mentality that nearly brought our laws, our defense and our nation to her knees.
You want to use the term "Negro Dialect" in 2010, that's you're right, but you'd be better of using it at one of those Klan Rallies disguised as a "Tea Party" then in your Senate Majority Leader office. Especially when you consider who the millions of people are that made you the Majority - people who find such a thought process to be antiquated at best and abusive at worst.
I wish Senator Reid the best of luck, and would sincerely hope that his career isn't defined by this low point. I just don't think naturally using those words can be reconciled with the agenda of so many millions of people who put him in such a position of leadership.
Here we are in 2010 and another Senate Majority Leader has, like too many people before him, put himself in the crosshairs of the perpetual debate over racial and ethnic sensitivity. In a "deep background" interview with authors of the 2008 election recap Game Change, Harry Reid referred to President Barack Obama as 'light-skinned' and as having 'no Negro dialect'.
Naturally, the Republicans are calling this a double standard and demanding that Reid resign, citing that (ever so vaguely) 7 years ago, their Senate Leader goofed in the racial minefield so what's fair is fair and now the Democrats' Senate Leader should do the same.
Let's be clear right off the bat: To say this is apples and oranges would be an insult to fruit. This is more like apples and motor oil.
For starters, Lott was from Mississippi. Yes, call me crazy, judgmental or insensitive, I don't care. That matters. Mississippi's history with race relations makes South Africa cringe. Furthermore, Lott had a spotty, if not shameful, record in the Civil Rights arena. He voted against a MLK Holiday, many affirmative action measures, and if given the chance, likely would have voted against ending slavery.
Harry Reid on the other hand has a nearly impeccable record regarding Civil Rights on the surface (The problem arises with Reid when you dig deeper into reproductive rights). In this same book in question, we learn that Reid was working behind the scenes to not only get Obama into the race, but to help him win it, though that led to the unfortunate remark. I honestly don't look at Reid and think, you know, that dude's a bigot.
Discussions over race is a combat zone, there's no disputing that. I'm one of the handful of people who consider themselves left of center that thought Don Imus deserved to keep his job after his snafu. I just didn't think his intent was as ugly as his choice of words. Often times, and excuse the horrible pun, we see things in terms of black and white while the reality is, it's one big industrial sized barrel of gray. We can only attempt to judge intent. Sometimes (John Rocker) it's pretty easy. Other times (Jimmy the Greek), not so much. More often than not, it's an excuse for everybody to advance their agenda, regardless of the facts - I don't care if it's Al Sharpton or Glenn Beck.
It's not the PC thing to say, but you can't expect a 75 year old to be as tolerant as a 25 year old. It's just not a fair expectation in the slightest. I'm not accusing all senior citizens of being bigoted, not at all. But while we love to look back and revise history, you can't ignore the fact that our environment shapes us, no matter how stupefying that environment may now seem.
All of that being said, it's time for Harry Reid to resign. Forget about the political reality (that he's likely going to lose in November anyway) or the logistical necessities (his deep involvement in health care reform), or even the fact that, by all accounts, the President has accepted his apology and moved on (thankfully no beer summit needed).
I want Reid to step down for a reason much more simple than political sausage-making: I'm a registered Democrat and I don't feel comfortable with the fact that my party's Senate leader is that out of touch with the realities of life in 2010 America. I'm sure Harry is a great guy, probably a wonderful husband, father, grandpa, etc. But his choice of words speaks volumes to not only his worldview, but his perception (or lack thereof) of reality.
I'm as disappointed as anyone at the lack of "real change" one year into the Administration, though I definitely concede the challenges were more enormous than anticipated. That doesn't change the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans last November went to the polls to cast a vote for moving forward, for forging that More Perfect Union that the founders laid out, and for moving away from the Us v. Them mentality that nearly brought our laws, our defense and our nation to her knees.
You want to use the term "Negro Dialect" in 2010, that's you're right, but you'd be better of using it at one of those Klan Rallies disguised as a "Tea Party" then in your Senate Majority Leader office. Especially when you consider who the millions of people are that made you the Majority - people who find such a thought process to be antiquated at best and abusive at worst.
I wish Senator Reid the best of luck, and would sincerely hope that his career isn't defined by this low point. I just don't think naturally using those words can be reconciled with the agenda of so many millions of people who put him in such a position of leadership.
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