Full of bluster

It brings to mind images of Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith goes to Washington. Something noble, something heroic. The underdog, unwilling to bend, unwilling to yield the floor. Against the odds, putting up the good fight in the face of overwhelming opposition. Filibuster.

Filibuster - Informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions. (US Senate, glossary).

" Fresh on the heels of ...House Republicans' refusal to provide a single vote in support of President Obama's $825 (billion) economic recovery package, Senate Republicans are now suggesting they will filibuster the stimulus bill.

That's the word from ThinkProgress, which Friday afternoon offered a round up of the latest in Republican obstructionism. While Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions offered a none-too-thinly veiled threat of a GOP filibuster ("I think its going to take 60 votes to pass the bill"), Arizona's John Kyl said he would explore "whatever parliamentary possibilities are in front of us." Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) promised to join the effort, announcing, "I would be a part of it." And on Thursday, Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told Robert Siegel on NPR that a filibuster of the Obama package passed by the House could be in the cards:"( Crooks and Liars, January 31, 2009, "Senate Republicans may filibuster Obama stimulus package")

Sometimes, real life and the movies diverge.

The stimulus package appears to be our economic lifeline. We voted the Republicans out of office because we believed they had failed to understand and protect our financial interests. We fought for and won the right to change our destiny under new leadership. Yes, we can and yes we would. Yet now, not even 3 weeks into the new term, it sounds and feels like the Republicans are driving the ship.

Is it a need for bi-partisanship that drives the President? It feels more like a need to avoid a Republican filibuster. It appears that the Democrats, being shy of the 60 votes needed to cast aside Republican opposition and push through its own legislation, must come hat in hand to the party in the minority.It feels and sounds like politics as usual.

There is some hope emanating from the halls of the Senate.The NY Times reports that the Democrats, while holding 58 seats, have only been voting 57 this week, as Senator Kennedy remains absent due to his illness. While Senate majority leader Harry Reid initially spoke of the Democrats being able to 'muscle the stimulus bill through' with at least 2 Republican votes, now the bipartisan group rules, and behind the scene brokering is the order of the day. Yet, 'despite the efforts of the President, Senator Reid and all of us (Democratic leaders)...it takes 2 to tango, and the Republicans aren't dancing". (Senator Charles Schumer in the NY Times, "Bipartisan push in Senate to Reduce the Costs of the Stimulus Plan February 6, 2009).

President Obama has continually spoken of the urgency of getting the stimulus plan passed.

"If we do not move swiftly an economy that is in crisis will be faced with catastrophe. Millions more American will lose their jobs. Homes will be lost. Families will go without health care. Our crippling dependence on foreign oil will continue. That is the price of inaction." ( NY Times, February 6, 2009)

We want Jimmy Stewart to fight the right battles. We want him supporting the Boy Scouts and not his own interests. We don't need to be held hostage in the most critical moments we have faced in almost 80 years. We want those in the Republican party not afraid to do what is right for all of us to step out of the shadows, step forward and be heard. When those voices ring, when those individuals decide to stand up against their own party's contempt for everything Democratic, we can move forward in the job of bringing this country back to its feet. Until then, we are only full of bluster.

PS THIS POST WAS WRITTEN PRIOR TO MY READING "GETTING TOUGH IN WASHINGTON"(NY TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD, FEBRUARY 6,2009) AND "ON THE EDGE"( PAUL KRUGMAN, IN THE NY TIMES, FEBRUARY 6, 2009). BOTH OF THESE EDITORIAL PIECES ECHO WHAT IS WRITTEN ABOVE.

Oh!bama

He ran the perfect race for the last 2 years. But now, like a young racehorse facing his first true test, he has come stumbling out of the blocks.He has been undermined by a vetting process that has somehow failed to scrutinize potential tax problems for his nominees and rebuffed by the Republicans as one in an attempt to move forward the stimulus package.

Maureen Dowd in her column entitled, "Well, that certainly didn't take long" discusses the descent from the pedestal that President Obama is now encountering. Like many other ardent Obama supporters, I hoped my vision of Obama World would become reality. I can already here the other side saying "I told you so".

I , for one, have not lost my faith. Not yet, not so soon. While unrealistic expectations must now be replaced by uncomfortable truths, the overriding strength and vision of Obama remains totally intact. We must all remember that it is not how one starts the race but where one is at the finish that matters.

Delete

I must confess that when I began posting on the blog I was less than happy if people were not spending the little time it would take to read my writing. Pride definitely obscured my vision. I was making music and only a precious few could hear my song. With the passage of time, my feelings have moderated.

A report from Royal Pingdom of January 22, 2009 states that there are now 133 million blogs ( this data came from Technocrati). There are 900,000 new blog posts daily. In 2008 alone, there were 329 million blog posts.There are 1.3 billion e-mail users worldwide. 210 billion e-mails are sent on an average day. It is estimated that 70% of these are spam, which translates to 53 trillion pieces of spam last year alone. ( wikipedia)

Under these circumstances, what chance does my voice have of being heard?

We all have well meaning friends who deliver pieces of trivia, jokes, pictures, political discourse and other people's blog postings to us each and every day.It is all intended to amuse, engross, persuade or distract us. The purpose of it all is to engage us. We are 'overengaged'.

As such, we all become very selective in our choices. We all take great pride when we manage to catch up on the e-mails, and make a dent in ridding ourselves of items that are clogging the arteries of our computers and threatening their ability to 'compute'.

My voice, though very loud in my own head, is but the tiniest of whispers in this world. I no longer quiz my friends quite as often as to whether they have read my latest offering. I no longer expect my better posts to be met with thunderous applause. The reality of being 1 in 133 million is somewhat sobering.

Yet, like everyone else who undertakes this quest, there is a sense within that I am somehow different. There are over 200 million blogs that have been abandoned over time, as dreams of greatness fade. I still cling to the hope that my voice is being heard above the din. I still think that you have not wearied of reading my posts, and that the delete button is not the first thing that comes to mind when you see my post. I still believe that you look forward to my ramblings, and that they do have a place in your day. I continue to write for me and for you. I am still here.

Private parts

I will not cross the line . I will not cross the line. I will not cross the line.

In my zeal to amuse you, I have often taken you to topics that blur the distinction between private and public. You have been lying with me during my prostate exams and have questioned with me why everyone seemed to have knowledge regarding the size of my manhood. My ego and my body parts have often been on full display.

But I must always remember that it is my journey that I am asking you to share in. My friends and family did not sign on as co-conductors of this train. What I think might amuse you about others is of no moment. No one signs an assumption of risk form when they enter into a discussion with me. Their lives are not proper topics for these pages.

I had dinner with 3 other couples last night. The conversation was often hilarious and clearly not intended to go beyond the 4 walls that held in our words Yet, as the evening ended, there was a slightly nervous discussion as to whether they might waken to find their thoughts revealed for all the world's viewing.

I don't want my friends looking over their shoulders to see if I am writing down their words as they speak. I don't want them guarded in my presence. I don't want them avoiding me for fear my lunacy has tentacles.

I promise to my wife, my son , my daughter and my friends that I will practice my mantra every day. I will not invade other people's territories in a mad rush for literary power and glory. I will not reach across the line of privacy for my own journalistic advancement. I will obey the rules of a writer's Geneva convention and not take my friends prisoners of my pen.

I will shortly be walking through freshly fallen snow with many of last night's entourage. I am contemplating handing them a document waiving my right to report on any intimacies which may be revealed. I fear it is the only way they will let me travel with them. I wouldn't blame them.

Say it ain't so

Joe Torre has co-authored yet another tell all. The third book in his ever expanding series, we now gain further insight into the mind of the ex-Yankee manager. From the reviews given in the media, it appears that the fall of Joe Torre was not in his exit from our scene but in his gathered recollections.

My memories of him are of his humanity, of his dignity, of his compassion. I recall the tears he shed when discussing his brother's cancer, or contemplating the wonder of reaching and then winning the World Series. He looked and sounded like every man. He was like us, only a little better.

He did not belittle his players. He chose not to be petty when the Steinbrenner attacks came as they inevitably did. He had a love for those he coached and a passion for the game that transcended the numbers on the page, or the hits and errors on the field. It was his calm in the storm that soothed his players and made him more than just another manager.That image is now forever tarnished.

We learn of his tearing down A-Rod. We hear of the blame heaped on Cashman for not covering his back. We see a side of Joe Torre that we did not want to see and hoped did not exist. We wanted him to be more. We expected him to remain above the fray.

Like Simon and Garfunkel, I now ask where have you gone Joe? You didn't need the money and we didn't need another glimpse of yet another ordinary man. The pinstripes have now been stripped off your back. I hope you are warm in your new home in California.

A country song

I WAS TUNED IN TO A COUNTRY MUSIC STATION TODAY ON A TRIP HOME WITH MY FAMILY. AFTER LISTENING INTENTLY TO LYRICS FOR MAYBE AN HOUR, I TOLD MY SON THAT I COULD WRITE A COUNTRY SONG FILLED WITH THE CLICHES THAT SWALLOW UP EVERY TUNE - HERE GOES

It's a love once right gone wrong
It's a loner aching to belong
It's a want, a need so strong
It's life, it's here, in a song

It's the shoes one size too big
It's my old man's wearing a wig
It's the neighbor's a dirty old pig
It's real life, all zag and no zig

It's funny, it's sad, it's sweet,
It's soulful, it's kind, it's neat
It's cold, it's warm, it's heat
It's true life, it's mine, with a beat

All life's a country song
In rhythm and rhyme we belong
Tempest tossed, weak or strong
For better or worse, right or wrong

It's hope in a bottle of booze
It's daytime, with nothing to choose
It's a perpetual win or lose
It's whether or not we refuse

It's everything and nothing at all
It's big and often it's small
It's reaching and it's in a fall
It's silence and it's in your call

It's the beginning or maybe the end
It's straight but sometimes a bend
It's broken, but it may soon mend
It's my enemy tomorrow my friend

My life's a country song
In rhythm and rhyme I belong
Tempest tossed, weak or strong
For better or worse, right or wrong

While Rome burns

Governor Blago- "So how do you think I'm doing?"

Interviewer on the "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" show- "Well, I do admire your energy for doing every talk show on every major network in 1 day. But, the more important question is why you are defending yourself here and not where you are on trial."

GB- "Did Jesus defend himself? Did Martin Luther King? Did Gandhi? Did Rocky Balboa?"

Interviewer- "But, if you are not going to state your case in Illinois, why did you not just resign?"

GB- "Their day of reckoning will come, but this is not the moment. For now, it is just important that the rest of the world knows I did nothing wrong".

Interviewer- "But the tapes of your conversations call for an explanation that we can all understand."

GB- " Let me be perfectly clear about that. I DID NOTHING WRONG. Now are you satisfied?"

Interviewer- "This is just a waste of time and energy unless you are willing to be forthright with me."

GB- "I am trying to be honest. I get up at 3 o'clock every morning thinking only about what I can do to help my State."

Interviewer- "Did you say you worry only about yourself?"

GB- " I am so misunderstood". While I am running every morning, I try to run as far away as I can."

Interviewer- "Are you running away from your troubles?"

GB- "My wife and my children suffer. I suffer. Now is the picture beginning to clear for you?"

Interviewer- " Whom do you blame for this happening?"

GB- "Well, it is not those who prosecute me, because ultimately I believe in them. They will soon see the light. It is not the media because I know they are now listening to me. It is those whose only thought for the last 4 years is to get me and my hair out of the picture."

Interviewer- "And who would that be?"

GB- "I can tell you it was not Senator Burris and it was not Oprah Winfrey. Beyond that, you will have to decide for yourself."

Interviewer- "Did you seek to gain personally from the appointment of a new governor?"

GB- "If you would speak with Rahm Emanuel or with Jesse Jackson, Jr. , you would have your answer."

Interviewer- " And what would that answer be?"

GB-" I am sorry. I am due to appear on the "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away" show in 10 minutes. I must leave now. But, I just want to end by thanking you for letting me clear my name before the American public."

FADE TO BLACK

WWOD ( What would Obama do)

The final score was Covenant 100 , Dallas Academy 0. The coach for the winning team was unapologetic. Upon reflection, the players on his team spoke of feeling terrible and wanting to forfeit the game. The losing squad talked of canceling the remainder of its season and withdrawing from the league.

It is the age old argument of whether it is intellectually dishonest to show compassion and to do less than your best. For one coach, the answer was obvious. For the rest of us, the ramifications of inflicting this type of humiliation cries out for a much more nuanced response.

I ask you to tell me how some of the following would answer the question of running up the score (each individual's response should be 25 words or less)

1) Barack Obama
2) George Bush
3) Dick Cheney
4) Joe Biden
5) Bobby Knight
6) John Wooden
7) Your boss
8) Your mother
9) Your mother in law
10) Your psychiatrist
11) Your spiritual guide
12) Your favorite teacher
13) Your best friend
14) Your worst enemy
15) Sarah Palin
16) Katie Couric
17) You

Try to hear their voices ( this is not hearing voices in your head) and answer as they would. The best answer gets an all expense paid trip to interview the coaches. The worst answer has to read all the posts on my blog in a 24 hour period.

The Good Books Make Bad Movies Hall of Shame

Discuss. Any other good examples?

---

Spectacular Book:


Crappy Movie:


Fantastic Book:


Horrible Movie:

Investigative Blogalism

Viral phenomena are rumors, videos, stories, blog posts, and just about anything else that spreads quickly and wildly across the internets. One such 'virus' was an article about the vast liberal conspiracy that is daylight savings time. I did a little sleuthing and produced this investigative post, which, like everything viral, had its moment of glory, but soon faded deep into bloggy obscurity. I repost it here for some out-dated amusement.

---

Earlier this morning, my friend's mom forwarded me a scan of what purported to be a letter to the editor of the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette. In this letter, the author eloquently proclaims that global warming is a myth perpetuated by a liberal Congress, which sinisterly moved up Daylight Saving Time by several weeks in order to increase the hours of sunshine and, thus, make March warmer than normal.

Now, I know that the far edges of the right-wing contain individuals who might honestly espouse such views, but I was very skeptical that such a letter would actually be written, let alone be published in an actual newspaper. Further adding to my doubt, the headline of the letter contains a typo, and the same exact scan appears conspicuously throughout the blogosphere, in most cases without a link to the actual publication. Even a google search and a google news search for the headline turns up lots of blogs, but no links to the newspaper itself.

However, I did a bit more sleuthing and, sure enough, the letter is for real. Lest you believe that the scan you see here is a mere Photoshop trick, click this link! The question still remains: Is this a clever and concise work of political satire, or something much more frightening?

UPDATE: I did a little digging. Connie M. Meskimen, the Arkansan author, shares his/her name with an Arkansan bankruptcy law attorney. I can probably conclude that this is one and the same Connie M. Meskimen. I'd like to think that receiving a law degree connotes a certain level of wisdom and common sense, and so I am sincerely hoping that one of the following is true: (A) Connie M. Meskimen has a highly-developed sense of irony and a sharp wit; (B) Connie M. Meskimen, the lawyer, did not write this letter; or (C) Arkansas reexamines its standards for admission to the bar.

UPDATE 2: (A) wins! Check out this tongue-in-cheekiness from one Connie M. Meskimen, published years earlier in the same publication:

According to reader Connie M. Meskimen, tonic water, also called quinine water, was developed by the British to make quinine palatable to troops in India suffering from malaria. "I would suggest then that by liberally imbibing gin and tonics you will experience a great curative effect. You might explore whether your health insurance would pay for part of the liquor bill."