The Scariest VP Ever
John C Calhoun
Ok, Maybe it’s not who you think. Or Cheney either. 7th VP John C Calhoun- or Horror movie star?
Quote of the Day
I’m hip to all that Gemini material laying around,
And I ain’t no Gemini - George Clinton
Fred Rogers: an American Hero
Why is Mr. Rogers a Hero? Mr. Rogers had a career going at NBC, but gave it up to work at PBS in Pittsburgh. “I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen.” Mr. Rogers cared about kids, a did what he thought would help them. He always believed in the good part of people, and worked and studied his whole life on how to grow that good side.
He was an easy target for satire, but if every child had the emotional skills that Fred Rogers tried to impart to his viewers, we’d be better off right now. Some might think he is too wimpy. Kids who follow his lead would be beaten up on the playground and you have to “toughen them up” to get somewhere in this world. True strength is not bravado. Take a look at this video, where Mr. Rogers takes a cynical sneering senator from skepticism to forking over 20 million dollars in less than seven minutes. That’s real strength.
What I Learned About Politics in My Carport in 1991
My Dad’s friend was trying to get me to join the Republican party. I was planning to register as an Independent. “Why don’t you want to join our party?”
”Because I don’t agree with many of their policies.”
”But don’t you want to be on the winning team?”
Bo-bos
Back in high school, you could insult people by saying “Nice pair of bo-bos!” and a roll of the eyes. This was the standard remark if you weren’t wearing brand name sneakers. Over the years, I couldn’t find anyone other than people from my hometown, and sometimes not even then, that remembered this expression. I came to the conclusion that it was much less common than say, ”Whasup?” So it has always made we wonder, where did this expression come from? Why did we use it and no one else? Was it that lame?
A few weeks ago, someone gave me the lastest issue of Mother Jones magazine (July/August 08). I proceeded to browse through a series of article on America’s prison system. “We are locking up 1 in every 100 American adults–and going bankrupt in the process.” That’s not the only thing that caught my eye. On the last page of the last article, there is a glossary called Block Talk; some prison slang. The first entry is bo-bos: prison issued tennis shoes. So in our southern nowheresville suburban/rural high school we are using prison slang? Not bad for a bunch of hicks.
On Being a Biological Pragmatist
Before I get to tellin’ the teen girls what to do (yes I really mean it), I thought I would give a bit of my world view. We are human animals and you can’t take the Homo Sapien out of men/women no matter how you try. The best we can do is recognize how our nature influences our behavior and then decide if there is a good reason to fight against that nature. There are many times to fight against our first urges, it just wouldn’t do for me to stick a shiv into someone any time they piss me off. But many other times we are asked to modify our behavior for no good reason, or for bad reasons. We evolved as social beings in a certain structure and now live in a very different way, with good and bad coming of it. That’s the biological part.
The second part is the pragmatist in me. What works is the truth. An ideology that is logical within itself (what “should be”), but does not work in the real world is incomplete. It leads to frustration instead of results. This affects my view of social interactions, education, politics, religion, and more. Sometimes my views may seem liberal (most of the time), and other times conservative or maybe even reactionary. Just refer back to this, and you might be a bit less confused.
Naming the Band
I recently got to help name a band. That was fun, especially because I’m not in the band and I don’t have to live with the consequences! Here are a couple of the ones that didn’t make it. I love band name fun so I’ll add some as they come along.
Clifton Swingers - in honor of my recent Kaufman mini-revival
Squeaky Clean Money Machine - for the next teen band sensation
Purely Political Reasons Why Governor Schwarzenegger should sign SB840
Schwarzenegger can’t run again for governor, he can’t run for president, so his only likely option is the senate. Barbara Boxer will be up for reelection in 2010, his last year as governor. SB840 is the single-payer universal healthcare bill introduced by State Senator Senator Kuehl (formerly Zelda in Dobie Gillis- awesome) This bill would provide health care to every person in California in from birth to death, and is estimated to save $20 billion a year. It virtually eliminates the private health insurers in California.
Once entitlements are passed they become enormously popular. Examples are Medicare and Social Security. Did President Bush get anywhere with social security privatization? No Way. Imagine what it would feel like if you, your family and everyone you know had healthcare for life. Let that sink in for a moment. It is likely to spur an entrepreneurial boom as well, having removed the risk individuals currently take leaving a corporate job. Of course, signing the bill is sacrilege to the Republican party and insurance companies.
So here’s the bet. He signs the bill and it is a success, financially and otherwise, as has been proven in every other industrialized nation. He can take credit for the “bipartisan” solution to healthcare. He might even be seen as this nation’s Tommy Douglas, Canada’s single-payer advocate, voted the greatest Canadian of all time. Plus, his celebrity and wealth significantly buffers him from being rejected by the Republicans. If he does get on the outs with the Republicans, he might even have a better chance at getting elected as a independent. Who will Californians be more willing to vote for, a moderate Republican who is most recently know for budget problems, or a maverick independant who gave them and their sick relative healthcare for life? What if the plan is having budget or other problems? Schwarzenegger can’t be any worse off than he is now. He can say, we tried it your way and it didn’t work. Either way, a powerful issue for the democrats is off the table. Go ahead, give it a try.
Perry Mason Theme
Not sure if I am a perv or what, but I always thought and still think the Perry Mason Theme sounds like a strip tease. A good old fashioned strip tease. When the ladies were big and jiggly all over, not just in the fake boobs.
I was wondering if anyone/everyone has used the song in stripping before. So I just put in “Perry Mason theme strip tease” into google and got this link http://www.monk.com/display.php?p=People&id=19 It’s about a stripper in New Orleans named Gio who says: “ I also have a show where I put a soft sculpture television on my head and I dance to various themes from television, like Perry Mason, which is really wonderful for removing stockings. It is classic.” So it looks like at least someone else thought of this, usually when I say that people look at me like i am crazy. In a somewhat random irony, if I am remembering correctly, this is the same stripper who gave my friend herpes about twenty years ago.
I’m Not Dissapointed in John Edwards, Because I Was Never Appointed With Him In the First Place
I’ve been aware of him since 1998, and I have always thought he was an extra-cheesy politician. He told a friend of a friend in a Raleigh law office it was his destiny to be president. I guess he read the tea leaves wrong. His nouveau populist line didn’t change the cheese factor. Why not just cop to the baby as soon as possible, and get on with the next stage of life. One that might include foundation work after some PR repair, but no more politics please.