Sunday, May 20, 2012
My Son Nick on Mein Schiff I
My son Nick singing "This is the Moment" from the musical Jekyl & Hyde. The lyrics are in German as he was performing on board a German cruise ship - Mein Schiff I. The video is not good, but the sound is not bad. His voice is great.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
More Political Crap
Keep in mind that most of the people who will be voting the Republican ticket for President in November will be doing so not because they love or even like Mitt Romney. It will be because they hate Barack Obama.
Also the climate in this country is not currently conducive to liberal positions or progressive thought. It is far more likely that in the foreseeable future we will be governed at pretty much all levels by arch conservatives - social, fiscal and political - than by anyone with a liberal or progressive bent.
If so, ultimately the pendulum will likely swing back, but in the interim the conservatives will do much damage to the fabric of this country. The US will turn inward and take giant steps backward. We will no longer be regarded as a serious player in world politics or world commerce. We will become nothing more than a belligerent backwater of old ideas, or of no ideas at all. The fundies will be sitting on their hands making dire predictions of the coming judgment, while they wait contentedly for the rapture to sweep them away on the Paradise Express, leaving the rest of us vile sinners to succumb to Satan and eternal hell. Whoopie!
Also the climate in this country is not currently conducive to liberal positions or progressive thought. It is far more likely that in the foreseeable future we will be governed at pretty much all levels by arch conservatives - social, fiscal and political - than by anyone with a liberal or progressive bent.
If so, ultimately the pendulum will likely swing back, but in the interim the conservatives will do much damage to the fabric of this country. The US will turn inward and take giant steps backward. We will no longer be regarded as a serious player in world politics or world commerce. We will become nothing more than a belligerent backwater of old ideas, or of no ideas at all. The fundies will be sitting on their hands making dire predictions of the coming judgment, while they wait contentedly for the rapture to sweep them away on the Paradise Express, leaving the rest of us vile sinners to succumb to Satan and eternal hell. Whoopie!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Consequences of a Romney Win in November
Some of us, myself included, take a great deal of joy in dissing the Reps and the Right Wingnuts. However, this is serious business. Romney may well win this thing. Some of the recent polls have demonstrated that Obama's lead has dwindled, and in some cases he is actually running behind Romney. These polls are very mercurial, and often inconsistent, but the overall trend right now is leaning in favor of Romney.
Some shrug and say "Why should I give a damn?" Well, let me tell you.
A Romney White House coupled with a Republican Congress will effectively throw this country back into the Dark Ages. This is not, IMO, a metaphor. We will experience giant steps toward rendering this country a christian theocracy. Virtually everything Obama accomplished during the past 3 plus years will be lost. Healthcare? Gone. DADT reinstated, maybe even worse. DOMA will become a Constitututional Ammendment - one man/one woman marriage will be the law of the land. Abortion and perhaps even contraception will be outlawed on a Federal level. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will disappear and/or become "privatized." Planned Parenthood will be drummed out of existence. Unemployment compensation and welfare will be history. Taxes on the rich and big corporations will be minimized with the burden falling upon the middle class and the poor. Unions will be effectively neutered. More and more people will be disenfranchized - mainly minorities who tend to vote Democratic. Government regulation of virtually everything will be minimized or completely done away with. The EPA, the Dept of Education and many other requlatory agencies will disappear. The rich will get ever so much richer. The numbers of the poor will grow exponentially. All hail conservatism!
Complacency on the part of Dems and Liberals will prove disastrous. If you choose to sit and whine that Obama hasn't been progressive enough, and, therefore, choose to sit on your hands during this election, you will reap the benefits of a far right wing christian based government at all levels that may not get as involved in your business, but will be all over your bedroom, for perhaps many years to come. Enjoy.
Some shrug and say "Why should I give a damn?" Well, let me tell you.
A Romney White House coupled with a Republican Congress will effectively throw this country back into the Dark Ages. This is not, IMO, a metaphor. We will experience giant steps toward rendering this country a christian theocracy. Virtually everything Obama accomplished during the past 3 plus years will be lost. Healthcare? Gone. DADT reinstated, maybe even worse. DOMA will become a Constitututional Ammendment - one man/one woman marriage will be the law of the land. Abortion and perhaps even contraception will be outlawed on a Federal level. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will disappear and/or become "privatized." Planned Parenthood will be drummed out of existence. Unemployment compensation and welfare will be history. Taxes on the rich and big corporations will be minimized with the burden falling upon the middle class and the poor. Unions will be effectively neutered. More and more people will be disenfranchized - mainly minorities who tend to vote Democratic. Government regulation of virtually everything will be minimized or completely done away with. The EPA, the Dept of Education and many other requlatory agencies will disappear. The rich will get ever so much richer. The numbers of the poor will grow exponentially. All hail conservatism!
Complacency on the part of Dems and Liberals will prove disastrous. If you choose to sit and whine that Obama hasn't been progressive enough, and, therefore, choose to sit on your hands during this election, you will reap the benefits of a far right wing christian based government at all levels that may not get as involved in your business, but will be all over your bedroom, for perhaps many years to come. Enjoy.
Mitt Romney: Liar par excellance
Right now I am very fearful that come November, Romney is going to win this damn election. Anyone who would vote for him would necessarily be a nitwit, but there seems to be no shortage of those.
Romney is a liar. It's not even debatable. Everyone knows it. If his mouth is open, he's lying. But lying is not only accepted from our politicians, it is encouraged, applauded even. Being truthful on the other hand is looked upon with suspicion and often disgust. Back when Obama made his comment about people clinging to their guns and religion, he was right on the money. Hilary Rosen's comment regarding Ann Romney never having worked a day in her life was also accurate. Poorly stated perhaps, but certainly not innacurate. Both were vilified and skewered by pretty much everyone.
So, lessons must be learned. The truth will get you into trouble. Lying will get you into the White House.
Romney is a liar. It's not even debatable. Everyone knows it. If his mouth is open, he's lying. But lying is not only accepted from our politicians, it is encouraged, applauded even. Being truthful on the other hand is looked upon with suspicion and often disgust. Back when Obama made his comment about people clinging to their guns and religion, he was right on the money. Hilary Rosen's comment regarding Ann Romney never having worked a day in her life was also accurate. Poorly stated perhaps, but certainly not innacurate. Both were vilified and skewered by pretty much everyone.
So, lessons must be learned. The truth will get you into trouble. Lying will get you into the White House.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Our Country Stepping Back in Time
Both ancient Egypt along with other areas of the Middle East and China had periods of great discovery and invention. But it all stopped with the intervention of religion which brought us hundreds of years of stagnation and ignorance and violent death. In the west, since the days of the Renaissance, we have seen wondrous advancements of all sorts including our brief venture into space beyond low earth orbit. Only in the past couple of decades has China begun to experience a rebirth of curiousity about the world and the universe beyond. China now has more citizens learned in the sciences and math than the U.S. has college graduates. China graduates a half million scientists from its colleges every year. The U.S. graduates a half million lawyers every year. Americans are having a love affair with ignorance. We are stupid and proud of it.
The U.S. is receding. There is no longer a spirit of adventure or a desire for discovery in this country. Instead, we are more and more turning inward and backward. The growing strength and pervasiveness of religion, of whatever stamp, is both a cause and a symptom of our decline. Many turn away from science and its promise, only to embrace a book written 2000 years ago by those who believed the earth to be flat and the center of the universe; a time when only about 1% or 2% of humans were even marginally literate. Millions praise and pray to a jealous, violent and supposedly all powerful phantom for whom there is not one iota of proof of its existence. Are we now entering another dark age?
The U.S. is receding. There is no longer a spirit of adventure or a desire for discovery in this country. Instead, we are more and more turning inward and backward. The growing strength and pervasiveness of religion, of whatever stamp, is both a cause and a symptom of our decline. Many turn away from science and its promise, only to embrace a book written 2000 years ago by those who believed the earth to be flat and the center of the universe; a time when only about 1% or 2% of humans were even marginally literate. Millions praise and pray to a jealous, violent and supposedly all powerful phantom for whom there is not one iota of proof of its existence. Are we now entering another dark age?
Monday, March 19, 2012
Why Many Women Stand With Their Right Wing Men
Question: Why would ANY woman buy into the crap that's being spewed by elected Republicans all across the country in its declared war on women? I puzzled about this for a while when a probable answer occured to me - Intimidation! The men, who are largely in control of most religious organizations, intimidate women of their respective "flocks" into believing in or at least grudgingly accepting their edicts against contraception and abortion via threats of eternal damnation. For anyone who is a true believer, this is some pretty heavy shit. By this, I'm not suggesting that all religious women can't and don't think for themselves, but there are many who apparently don't. The next question then is, Why?
All of the monotheistic (and most other religious traditions as well) are patriarchal. Men rule the roost. Women who go against that tradition are subject to scorn and worse - even beheading. In order to have a shot at a ride on the old Paradise Express, women must cowtow to the whims of men. The brainwashing of their youth begins almost from the moment the little ones slide (or get pushed) down the old canal. It's no wonder that this dynamic continues generation after generation despite what goes on in the wider world.
On a related note, Rick Santorum claims that Obama wants all our young people to go to college with the ulterior motive of molding them into his (meaning Obama's) image. A charge which is, of course, idiotic bullshit. What happens to our kids under the auspices of churches, synagogues and temples all over the world is far more insidious and damaging than any supposed indoctrinations being attempted in any college or university.
All of the monotheistic (and most other religious traditions as well) are patriarchal. Men rule the roost. Women who go against that tradition are subject to scorn and worse - even beheading. In order to have a shot at a ride on the old Paradise Express, women must cowtow to the whims of men. The brainwashing of their youth begins almost from the moment the little ones slide (or get pushed) down the old canal. It's no wonder that this dynamic continues generation after generation despite what goes on in the wider world.
On a related note, Rick Santorum claims that Obama wants all our young people to go to college with the ulterior motive of molding them into his (meaning Obama's) image. A charge which is, of course, idiotic bullshit. What happens to our kids under the auspices of churches, synagogues and temples all over the world is far more insidious and damaging than any supposed indoctrinations being attempted in any college or university.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Here is The Best Part, You Have a Head Start, If You Are Among the Very Young At Heart.
Last evening Jo and I decided to go downtown to eat at Bazbeaux Pizza for dinner. Upon hitting the downtown area we quickly became aware of a lot of people on the streets. Many, for some reason wearing green. What's up with that? I ask. Oh Hell, it's St Patrick's Day. I don't think that fact had slipped Jo's mind, but it had mine (big surprise.)
But, I don't think having that in mind would have prepared us for the hoards of people we encountered. It became even more painfully obvious when we turned off of College Ave. and onto Massachusetts. "Oh shit! We'll never find a place to park. If we do, the wait at Bazbeaux will be forever."
As luck would have it, we did find a place to park only about a block away from the restaurant. We were told upon our arrival at Bazbeaux that the wait would in fact be 35 to 40 minutes. For me 20 minutes is about my limit. But we thought, what the hell. Where else are we going to go? Do we schlepp back to the car and drive back to south side suburbia? So we stuck it out. Glad we did.
Most anyone who has eaten at Bazbeaux will, I think, agree that their food is pretty damn good. But, the point of this little harangue is that while us suburbanites are usually put off by the crowds and the hassle of parking downtown, that it ain't all bad.
Now the parking hassle still holds. The new "privatized" parking meters are a major pain in the ass. And now, for those who don't know, week-ends are not free. You must pay to park up until 9PM What a crock! And, if you don't feed the meter, or don't get back before the time runs out, you will most assuredly find a ticket neatly tucked under your windshield wiper. Twenty bucks!
All that being said, downtown Indy is a rather fun place to be. Of course, most of the week-end revelers are young, but we did spy a few others of our, let's say, more mature ilk. There is such a vibrancy that you just don't get, say at the mall. I remember the days while our kids were in college, and how great it was not only to be with them, but to spend time with their friends as well. Ah youth! Youth is a lot of it, but not all of it. It is, I think, a frame of mind, an attitude toward life. Zeal. I think all too often that energy and optimism gets lost with our preoccupation with our various maladies and other set backs as we age. I always feel energized after being around younger people who haven't suffered so many of the inevitable hard knocks that life dishes out. It may be fleeting, but at least I know it's out there. Hitting Mass Ave. on a warm Saturday nite serves as a welcome reminder.
But, I don't think having that in mind would have prepared us for the hoards of people we encountered. It became even more painfully obvious when we turned off of College Ave. and onto Massachusetts. "Oh shit! We'll never find a place to park. If we do, the wait at Bazbeaux will be forever."
As luck would have it, we did find a place to park only about a block away from the restaurant. We were told upon our arrival at Bazbeaux that the wait would in fact be 35 to 40 minutes. For me 20 minutes is about my limit. But we thought, what the hell. Where else are we going to go? Do we schlepp back to the car and drive back to south side suburbia? So we stuck it out. Glad we did.
Most anyone who has eaten at Bazbeaux will, I think, agree that their food is pretty damn good. But, the point of this little harangue is that while us suburbanites are usually put off by the crowds and the hassle of parking downtown, that it ain't all bad.
Now the parking hassle still holds. The new "privatized" parking meters are a major pain in the ass. And now, for those who don't know, week-ends are not free. You must pay to park up until 9PM What a crock! And, if you don't feed the meter, or don't get back before the time runs out, you will most assuredly find a ticket neatly tucked under your windshield wiper. Twenty bucks!
All that being said, downtown Indy is a rather fun place to be. Of course, most of the week-end revelers are young, but we did spy a few others of our, let's say, more mature ilk. There is such a vibrancy that you just don't get, say at the mall. I remember the days while our kids were in college, and how great it was not only to be with them, but to spend time with their friends as well. Ah youth! Youth is a lot of it, but not all of it. It is, I think, a frame of mind, an attitude toward life. Zeal. I think all too often that energy and optimism gets lost with our preoccupation with our various maladies and other set backs as we age. I always feel energized after being around younger people who haven't suffered so many of the inevitable hard knocks that life dishes out. It may be fleeting, but at least I know it's out there. Hitting Mass Ave. on a warm Saturday nite serves as a welcome reminder.
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